Yoga in Vedas.

There are number of shlokas regarding various aspects of yoga in the Vedas more emphasis has been given to Yama and niyamas. Truthfulness and use of sweet voice have been regarded as the path of attaining salvation. Rigveda believes in the path of truth. Aagata Satya Dharmana Adwaram those who follow the path of truth will be non violent. In Ayurveda the importance is given to fasting and purification of body and mind. Pranayama has been prescribed as the tool of meeting the supreme God. Upanishad and Yoga. Mostly all Upanishads describe yoga in one form or the other.

In Manu Smriti yamas have been considered as the part of dharma and these are meant to be followed by all Varnas. Manu Smriti describes the importance of

pranayama. Just like Gold becomes purified with the help of fire through a process same way pranayam helps to remove all the impurities of the senses. Yoga in Gita is described as a means to control the mind. In fact Gita is full of yoga tatwa and many methods have been described. The different schools of thought originated to understand to realize the ways to reach the Absolute - the Brahman or God realisation. The Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu mythology have philosophical symbolism. For example - Lord Shivas trident is symbolic of three qualifies of the

Prakriti the tiger skin represents the desire - his vehicle bull is the representation of Dharma. Goddess Kali - represents Shakti. Her human heads as garland around her neck symbolises wisdom and power, her red tongue signifies the power of Rajoguna. The sacrificial sword and the severed head are the symbols of dissolution and annihilation. The girdle of several hands around the waist is karma of action. Vedas and Upanishads were composed

around 1500 B.C. during the Vedic period to prescribe methods of obtaining ultimate liberation from the world and to become one with the absolute. Later in 900 B.C. during Mahabharata days this devotional and spiritual message was expressed as poems in Bhagavad Gita. Brahman is the essence of all beings.

The individual souls undergo cycle of birth and death according to the Karma. The freedom is achieved if one follows the path of immortality to become one with the universal soul - so it is from this the comprehension of yoga starts as a path as a philosophical discipline. Yoga is one of the six great systems of thought or darshana of the Hindu tradition Rishi Gautama systematised the principles of Nyaya or the Indian Logical system. Vaiseshika Sutra was composed by Kanada, Sankhya system was founded by Kapila Muni. Yoga sutra was

composed by Maharishi Patanjali; Mimamsa is the gift of Vyasa and the Vedanta Sutras are the gift of Badarayana. All these 6 schools of thought are like paths and the goal to achieve freedom, perfection, immortality and eternal bliss by union of the

individual soul (Jivataman) with the supreme soul (paramatman).