YOGA AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT COURSE

TOTAL: 45 HOURS
Theory: 10 hours and Practical’s: 35 hours
Theory
Chapter 1

i. Concept of Yoga
ii. Basis of Yoga and Happiness and analysis

Chapter 2

iii. Personality Development

iv. 3 levels of consciousness

Chapter 3

i. Raja yoga
ii. Vivekananda Life and message

Chapter 4

i. Daily Routine
ii. Time management
iii. Sleep and diet techniques

PRACTICALS
1. ​Loosening Exercises
2. Breathing Exercises
3. Surya Namaskaras
4. Asanas
5. Pranayama
6. Meditation

Evaluation
Attendance 85% Mandatory, Submission of Assignments, and 50 marks written test with 90
minutes duration.
 Loosening Exercises only 5 to 10 minutes ​each type 3-5 only as possible
Standing: type Surya Namaskaras 10 min
Sarira Sanchalana Asanas 20
Side bending
Forward and back ward bending
Twisting, heel touching Padahastasana
Alternate toes touch Trikonasana
Hip rotation, parivrutta trikonasana
waist rotation with jumpings Vrukshasana
Sitting: Veerabadrasana
Grinding Paschimothanasana
Spinal twist Ustrasana
Bhunamana Supta Vajrasana
Vakrasana Twist Sasankasana
Butterfuly badda konasana
​Supine: padmasana
Leg rotation all
Navasana stretchs Arda matseyendrasana
Pavanamukthasana stretches all series Sarvangasana
Paschimottana and halasana stretches
Jatara parivarthana stretches Halasana
Prone Navasana
Dhanurasana swing and rolling Chakrasana
Shalabasana stretch
Bhujangasan and shalabhasana stretch Dhanurasana
Pranamasana stretch Shalabasana

Breathing Exercises: ​ Daily 5 minutes

Hands Stretch breathing
Ankle Stretch breathing
Tiger breathing
Sasankasana breathing
Sethubandhasana breathing

Pranayama 5 minutes
Sectional Breathing 4 variations
Nadisuddhi

Bramari

Om chanting 9 times

Meditation Daily 10 minutes Mandatory

 CONCEPT​ ​OF YOGA
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Yoga is becoming popular in all parts of the world. For the restless mind it offers
solace. For the sick, it is a boon. For the common man it is the fashion of the day
to keep him fit and handsome. Some use it for developing memory, intelligence
and creativity. With its multi fold advantages it is becoming a part of education.
Specialists use it to unfold deeper layers of consciousness in their move towards
perfection.
Promotion of positive health is being nurtured by many who do not want to be the
victims of modern ailments. Yoga is playing a vital role in this aspect in the new
millennium.
A person appeared on a spacious dais with a long rope in his hand. Drawing the
attention of the curious audience he threw one end of the rope holding the other.
The rope went swirling up and stood vertically quite unsupported in mid air. The
person using the vertical rope as a ladder climbed up effortlessly to reach the top
and saluted the audience from his mid air position. This rope trick cannot be called
as Yoga.
A long haired half naked person was seen ready to enter a pit which measured 2 x
1 x 1 meters and had been dug specially for the demonstration. He entered into it
and then the top of the pit was totally covered, so that no air could pass in. The man
remained inside for several days. He emerged out of the pit after a long stay, fresh
and agile, with no symptoms of fatigue. This feat is called Bhūgata Samādhi. He is a
great Yogī, the common folk think. The demonstration of Bhūgata Samādhi, Siddhis,
Magic, Mantra, and Tantra etc., is what most people, even in India, associate with,
when they hear the term YOGA.

1.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this Unit you should able to
• Understand what Yoga is and what is not
• Some definitions of Yoga
1.2 THE ROOT OF WORD YOGA
The term Yoga has its verbal root as Yuj (yuj!) in Saṁskṛta (s<Sk«t). Yuj means
joining, Yujyate anena iti Yogaḥ (yuJyte Anen #it yaeg>). Yoga is that which joins. What
are the entities that are joined? In the traditional terminology, it is joining of the
individual self, Jīvātmā (jIvaTma) with the Universal SELF, Paramātmā (prmaTma). It
is an expansion of the narrow constricted egoistic personality to an all pervasive,
eternal and blissful state of REALITY.
Pātañjala Yoga is one among the six systems of Indian philosophy known as
ṣaṭdarśanas (;qoedzRnm! ). One of the great Riṣis (Seers), Patañjali, compiled the essential
features and principles of Yoga in the form of ‘Sūtras’ (aphorisms) and made a vital
contribution in the field of Yoga, nearly 5000 years ago (as dated by some famous
western historians). According to Patañjali, ​Yoga is a conscious process of gaining
mastery over the mind.
The scope of Yoga as portrayed in Bhagavadgītā and Upaniṣads is far more
comprehensive. As Swami Vivekananda puts it ​‘It is a means of compressing one’s
evolution into a single life or a few months or even a few hours of one’s bodily
existence.’ ​In general, there is a growth process due to interactions with Nature in
all creation. But it may take thousands and millions of years for this natural growth;
that is the long, instinctive way in animals. Man, endowed with discrimination
power, conscious thinking faculty, the Mind (Buddhi) and well-developed voluntary
control systems, aspires to accelerate his growth. Yoga is that systematic conscious
process which can compress the, process of man’s growth greatly.
Sri Aurobindo emphasizes that Yoga is a methodical conscious effort towards self
development of the potentialities latent in the individual. He emphasizes an allround
personality development at the physical, mental, intellectual, emotional and
spiritual levels. It is a process by which the limitations and imperfections can be
washed away resulting in a superhuman race.
Thus, Yoga is a systematic process for accelerating the growth of a human being in
his entirety. With this growth, man learns to live at higher states of consciousness.
Key to this all-round personality development and the growth is ​culturing of the
mind.
1.3 DEFINITIONS
A. Yoga - Mastery over the mind (Yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ)
I. As mentioned earlier, Patañjali defines in his second Pātañjali’s aphorism
‘​Yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ’ (Yoga Sūtra: 1.2). ​‘By
so controlling the mind we reach our original state; ​Then the Seer
establishes himself in his causal state. ‘tadä dåñöuù svarupe avasthanam’ (Yoga Sūtra: 1.3).
This is the technique of ‘mind control’ prescribed by Patañjali. Control involves two aspects -
a power to concentrate on any desired subject or object and a capacity to remain calm and
quiet all the time. All of us have been developing the first aspect, namely, concentration.
Rarely, the second capacity of man, to remain calm and silent, has been harnessed. Hence,
Yoga mainly emphasizes this second aspect.
II. In Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha, one of the best texts on Yoga, the essence of Yoga
is beautifully portrayed thus,‘​Manaḥ praśamanopāyaḥ yoga ityabhidhīyate’ (Yo Vā:
3.9.32) - Yoga is called a skilful trick to calm down the mind. It is an Upāyaḥ, a skillful
subtle ​Culturing the Mind ​process and not a brutal, mechanical gross effort to stop the
thoughts in the mind. An unskilled layman trying to repair a television set is almost
sure to spoil it, while an experienced and skilful person knows exactly on what to lay hands
and to rectify the malfunctioning. He operates at the right place. ​Knowledge is the key.
Similarly, in the control of mind, a novice tries hard and gets disgusted when he finds himself
more messed up, while Yoga gives him the necessary techniques to operate at the right
place at the right time to gain complete mastery over it. This skill is the trick of allowing the
mind to calm down and not to use brutal force to stop it.
III. In action, Yoga is a special skill which makes the mind reach its subtler
state: योगः kmRsu kaEzlm!◌् ‘Yogaḥ Karmasu Kauśalam’ (Gītā 2.50). Yoga
is dexterity in action. The dexterity is in maintaining relaxation and awareness in action.
Relaxed action is the process. Efficiency in action is an outcome. Thus, Yoga is a skillful
science of gaining mastery over the mind. Yoga is normally and traditionally conjectured,
popularly known as a process or a technique to reach the ultimate state of perfection.
However, in the scriptures Yoga is also defined as the states of higher powers and
potentialities and even as ultimate state of SILENCE. Further, Yoga is also described as the
power of all creative endeavors and creation itself. We will now see how Yoga is described as
a state and a power in various Yoga and Upaniṣadic texts.
B. YOGA - a state
Man leaps into higher states of consciousness and learns to stay and act tuned to
these states. Yoga often refers to these subtle layers of causal states of our mind,
Yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya |
Siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate ||Gītā-2-48||
Perform action, O, Dhanañjaya, being fixed in Yoga, renouncing attachments and staying
even minded in successes or failures. Evenness is verily Yoga.
Tāṁ yogamiti manyante sthirāmindriyadhāraṇām ||kaṭhopaniṣad-2-6-11
Yoga is the state in which all our Indriyas are beheld steadily i.e., a state of mastery over
senses and mind.
Śṛtivipratipannā te yadā sthāsyati niścalā |
Samādhāvacalā buddhistadā yogamavāpsyasi ||gītā-2-53||
When your mind will remain steadfast and unperturbed even on hearing confusing and
conflicting statements, then you will attain the state of Yoga - ‘Samādhi’. Thus, the subtle
state of mind featured by ‘Steadiness’ is referred as Yoga. Yoga is a state of great steadiness
at emotional level; balance of concentration and detachment at mental level and homeostasis
at body level. It integrates the personality by bringing body-mind coordination in a
well-balanced way.
C. YOGA - a power of creativity
Gītā further portrays yoga as power of creation:
Vistareṇātmano yogaṁ vibhūtiṁ ca janārdana |
Bhūyaḥ kathaya tṛptirhi śṛṇvato nāsti me’mṛtam ||gītā-10-18||
Kṛṣṇa, tell me once more, in detail your power of Yoga and Your glory; for I know no satiety
in hearing your nectar-like words.
Na tu māṁ śakyase draṣṭumanenaiva svacakṣuṣā |
Divyaṁ dadāmi te cakṣuḥ paśya me yogamaiśvaram ||gītā-11-8||
But surely you cannot see Me with these human eyes of yours; therefore, I vouch safe to you
the divine eye. With this you behold My divine power of Yoga.
Nīhāradhūmārkānilānalānāṁ khadyotavidyutsphaṭikaśaśīnām |
Etāni rūpāṇi puraḥsarāṇi brahmaṇyabhivyaktikarāṇi yoge ||śvetāśvatara
upaniṣad-2-11||
While practicing yoga, forms that appear like snow, smoke, sun, wind, fire, glow-worm,
lightning, crystal or moon may precede the manifestation of Brahman
Thus, Yoga is:
• A process for elevating oneself through calming down the mind,
• Also to achieve the very states of higher, subtler layers of mind, and
• Conceived as a creative power in man and that of the Reality itself.
 BASIS OF YOGA
INTRODUCTION
The search for happiness forms the basis for Yoga. On this basis, we will try to
understand how happiness has a close connection to the practices and theory of Yoga.
First, let us try to understand the role of happiness. In fact, happiness directs our
lives. To overcome the misery and to get more happiness has been the fundamental
drive in all of us. This instinct is found not only in human beings but also in animals
and everywhere. The aim of life in all creation has become the meaning of our lives,
whether we know it or not, our whole life moves accordingly.
OBJECTIVES
In this unit you will be introduced to basis of Yoga which deals with ‘Happiness
Analysis’ or the Secret of happiness.
QUEST FOR HAPPINESS
Often we do not see or we have never analyzed what is happiness? Perhaps we
have never given a thought, although it is the central theme in our lives. We are in
the era of science and technology and we often question everything. If somebody
says you have to go to the temple, we ask why should we go to the temple? Why
should we go to the church every Sunday? If everyday Yoga has to be practiced, we
will ask why should I do Yogāsanas every day? Everything we question! We are
rational! We question our tradition, manners, superstitions, customs everything!
Well it is wonderful, unless we understand we do not see why we should do that!
But unfortunately we have never analyzed happiness.
We have simply assumed that
happiness is in the objects of enjoyment. Therefore, we think that it is in the dish of our
choice, in a cup of hot tea early in the morning during winter days, in the book of our choice,
may be story books like that of Perry Mason and in the song of our choice and in the varieties
of music! All are objects of enjoyment and we have assumed that Sukha is in these objects of
enjoyment! Why have we assumed that? Because it is our day-to-day experience that we go
to a nice music party we feel happy, we go to a restaurant of our choice and eat the dishes of
our choice sumptuously we are very happy, we go to a nice movie and we are thrilled! So we
have taken it for granted that happiness should be in the objects of enjoyment. We have never
bothered to rationally think about this or to question this! Upaniṣads ask us to analyze it.
Not only we the common individuals do this mistake of not analyzing, even the
developed societies or the advanced nations have done this mistake.
Is happiness a mirage?
There was mass migration of the people from Europe and all over the world to the United
States, the new virgin soil, a few hundred years back. Then there was a need, there was a new
thinking to build a wonderful social order and to live very happily. How was it done? People
who went to United States said that they want to eliminate all those differences because they
had seen the royal rich rolling in wealth, the kings and queens on one side living in palatial
buildings, having all the comforts. The other side, the workers working 18 to 20 hours a day
and treated as slaves, hardly getting one square meal a day. So they wanted to create a new
society in the virgin soil of United States, where all people will get enough food, enough
clothing and comfortable things to stay. Also develop lot of affluence and wealth so that
everybody will get the objects they want (the sense objects) so that they can live a very happy
life. This is how the thinking took place and thanks to science and technology, the dreams
started coming true and the United States became an economic giant and individual freedom
was emphasized. Lot of affluence and wealth came up. Even a person who goes to work to
sweep the floor goes in a nice car with a vacuum cleaner. A person who wants to go for dish
washing, he goes in his car to a restaurant and works there for 4-6 hours washing the dishes.
Even the janitor, who washes the toilet, goes in his car and cleans the toilet. Such has been
the influence of affluence that has been coming up in the society and it is been achieved!
Thanks to science and technology it was the virgin soil and the number of people who existed
there had been less, not much of population, the dream of working hard and building up the
whole nation has come true! The dreams of the affluent society, the dreams have come true!
But was the real dream realized? Were the people happy? The answer is a big NO! Why is
that people did not get the happiness? Why it is that people did not create a happy society in
spite of all the richness and wealth? In spite of all the wonderful things that they have been
able to create? Why was it a miserable failure to create a happy society? Why is it that there
is so much of tension and stress? Why is it there such large number of Psychosomatic
ailments, Psychiatric problems, Asthma, Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart problem, Epilepsy,
Migraine, Irritable bowel syndrome, Depression Neuroticism and so on. Thirty percent (30%)
of people in United States suffer with Irritable bowel syndrome. Why is there so much of gun
culture, drug culture, terrorism why, why, why? Are the people happy? Happiness has
become a temporary thrill. The Real happiness has gone far off! Why is this happened? There
is something fundamentally wrong. That’s what the Upaniṣads tell us, we want happiness but
unfortunately we never understand what happiness is and we take it for granted that
happiness is in the objects of enjoyment. Therefore, we think that if we create objects of
enjoyment then we will have a very-very happy society! It is necessary to analyze what is
happiness? What is? Please analyze and that’s what the Jñāna Yoga says.
Where is the real Happiness?
Is happiness present in objects of enjoyment? For example, let us take a dish of your choice.
The people from West Bengal love Rasagullā! A person from West Bengal eats the first
Rasagullā, he is in all excitement. Oh! He is so very happy, it is sowonderful, he takes up the
second one and eats; then the third one and the fourth one and then he says nono it is enough!
Some people are capable, may be they will finish 20! Imagine what may be one’s situation if
he is asked to eat a dozen Gulābjāmuns. One will reach the point of saturation, may be for 10
Gulābajāmuns. The object, which gave him fantastic happiness and thrill, failed to give him
the same happiness and he feels miserable! Then slowly happiness started reducing and
reducing and when he was forced to eat more Gulābajāmuns the happiness turned itself into
the law of diminishing returns has its application here. The happiness is the one, which goes
on reducing, and in repetitions, it turns itself into a misery. First time there is great happiness.
That happiness reduces when we repeatedly have it’s the Law of Diminishing Returns.
This is the story with all sense pleasures whether it is in eating Gulābajāmun, Rasagullā, a
birthday cake, or a dish you are fond of, the mouth watering ice cream whatever it is!
Therefore, can we say that happiness is in the objects of enjoyment? If really happiness was
in the object of enjoyment, when you go on increasing it, the happiness should also go on
increasing! You go to a music concert, is so nice that you enjoy it thoroughly, but the second
time you hardly want to go there to the same music concert! Similarly, you go to a beautiful
movie and you enjoy it scene by scene, but the second time you hardly want to go! For the
first time the three hours would have galloped as though, it was 3 minutes! The second time
you go to the same movie, the enjoyment has reduced, you feel the movie is long! Why does
it happen? This is the law of diminishing returns. Secondly, it varies from person to person,
you may not like the things I like the most! The things which you like may not be liked by
other person! Likes are highly subjective. Some people like Gulābajāmun, some may like
Rasagullās and there are some people who say no to sweets and love hot stuff like Masālā
Dosā. If happiness were really in the consumption of Gulābajāmuns or Rasagullās, or Masālā
Dosā, it should be common to all the people.

The third reason is, it varies from community to community, and the things liked by one
community may not be liked by the other community. People in Maharashtra and Gujarat are
very much fond of that which is hardly liked by people in Tamilnadu. Here is a narration of
an interesting episode. There was a Yoga camp, there were a large number of people from
Gujarat and Maharashtra; nearly 75% of them were from these places. The camp was going
on very well, it was the 11th day of the camp and some of the ladies from Maharashtra, spoke
to our coordinator said, ‘Sir we have a request to make, we are missing our Śrīkhaṇḍa for the
last 15 days; can we help you to make a nice Śrīkhaṇḍa? Kindly provide us with the items
required, we will put our best efforts and prepare nice Śrīkhaṇḍa. Let all the people enjoy it’.
The coordinator was very magnanimous he agreed and these people worked hard for two
days and made tasty, mouth watering Śrīkhaṇḍa! It was the lunch time; everybody had
Śrīkhaṇḍa in their small bowls and was eager to taste it especially the people from Gujarat
and Maharashtra were very anxious to have their fond dish. There were also people from
Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala who had not known much about this dish and who were
also curious. During the lunch period we had Śrīkhaṇḍa. On those days when it is a festival,
when we have special sweets, we chant a long bhojan mantra which almost runs for 4-5
minutes. Everyone patiently waited and started eating; the people from Gujarat and
Maharashtra had and were in great ecstasy! Wonderful bliss! The other South Indian group
slowly took a little of it, put it into their mouth, with all curiosity but unfortunately the taste
did not match their preference! What is this peculiar taste? You know it is a peculiar
combination of sweet and sour! They would like only sweet, but not the combination. They
did not like it, everybody kept it aside and the people who had prepared it with all concern
and love, were feeling sad that their friends from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala did not
enjoy it! What does that show? It shows that the taste and preferences differ from one
community to another. Similarly that which is liked by the people in France may not be liked
by the people in United States. Those dishes which are favorite dishes of the people of United
Kingdom are not the favorite dishes of Japanese. What is liked by one group could be
nauseating to the other group. Tastes vary from individual to individual. Therefore, it is
evident that happiness is not in objects ofenjoyment because of three reasons:
1. The law of diminishing marginal returns,
2. It is subjective,
3. It varies from community to community.
But still we believe that happiness is in objects of enjoyment. We never thought that
we miss something very fundamental that by increasing the sense pleasures, we
create a happy society. It becomes a wild goose chase.
The fourth reason is, even if it was the first piece of your favorite dish, to relish it
you should be in a good mood.
Happiness is within us
Happiness is not outside, it is within us and that is the whole essence! Once we understand
this there is a world of difference! But what are we doing? We are all the time searching for
outside, we tend to get happiness from the objects of enjoyment and from our friends! We
don’t get happiness! We build beautiful sky scrapers, palatial buildings, we make cars, TVs
and refrigerators, varieties of things to eat but we never become happy why? Because it has
become a wild goose chase, we are searching for happiness in the wrong place. There was an
old lady and she was very poor, she found her sari torn, she started stitching it, half way
through she dropped the needle. She started searching for the needle; she could not get the
needle even after searching everywhere! There came a young guy and offered her help. The
lady was much pleased. The guy started searching and could not find the needle and was very
much sure that there was no needle. He asked the old lady as to where she had dropped the
needle. She told that she dropped it in the hutment! The guy was surprised and asked why she
was searching for the needle in the street, when she had dropped it in the hut! She answered
that she was a very poor lady, she didn’t have light in her hut, and since there is bright light in
the streets she was searching for the needle in the street! We are like that old lady! The
happiness is inside but we are searching for happiness outside. We go to the music concert;
we eat the dish of our choice in the restaurants. All the time we search for happiness outside,
without knowing that happiness is inside! ​Yet another example of a mother aged 35 years,
who was suffering from anxiety neurosis. She had given birth to baby 4 months back, she was
still suffering from mental illness. One day after lunch she had a nice nap; she woke up and
started looking for her child. She was shouting and yelling for her mother and sister asking
where her child was! She started searching for the child, in the room, in the next room, in the
kitchen, in the dining hall, in the main hall. She was in panic and anxious of not getting her
child! She came out of the house fully stressed to see whether the child had gone out. At the
same time her elder sister came out and asked what the matter was, why was she so tensed!
She said that her child has been lost som ewhere and she was searching for it! The sister told
the anxious lady that she was holding her child right on her waist! We are like that neurotic!
We have all the happiness inside ourselves but we are looking for happiness outside! This is
the simple example which makes it very clear that we are searching for happiness in the
wrong place. We are searching in the place where it is not there! That is why even though we
have built up such a wonderful affluent society, we have all the comforts; we have been
unable to create a society of great happiness! So the Upaniṣads also tell us to look for the
happiness inside. If you do that then you will be able to build up the happiness of the right
time. ​It is inside us it is not outside. ​Once we get convinced about this then our entire life is
going to change, the way that we start looking at the world will change. Our wild goose chase
to accumulate more and more wealth, more and more luxurious things, to search for
happiness in different restaurants, Italian food, Mexican food, Indian food, Chinese food,
Singapore food and what not! All such wild goose chase will stop. Our greed to accumulate
more and more wealth will reduce. The credit card system and the super bazaars have all the
things to attract us, we go there and bring all types of objects of enjoyment which go on
accumulating in the house. Within one year, we find that our house is inadequate and we will
have to move to a bigger accommodation may be 3 bedroom apartment, then to a big
bungalow! In the next 2 years the accumulation again increases which pushes us to move to
much bigger palatial house having 6 double bed rooms, with all storage places! This goes on
and on and you tend to become more and more unhappy. You have a beautiful car of your
choice and you are not happy with that! You want to get the latest car, latest model and you
work for it! You will have the latest model car but the thrill lasts only for few days. Then
again you try for a new car, bigger car may be Mercedes or Rolls Royce, and when we get it,
we lose the charm and excitement within a few days! So the happiness has turned itself into
continuous toil to get more and more objects of happiness which is a small temporary thrill!
Why this is happening? Because happiness is not in the
Rolls Royce! It is within us! So the Upaniṣads tells us, if you want real happiness search in
the right place, look inside, and see, you have the happiness! Once we get convinced about
this, we have a new vision; we have a new knowledge base. What is that which we call as
happiness? That is the next question that we will take up. Let us take simple example again
and try to understand what happiness is? What is that inner state which we recon as
happiness?
Happiness is in concentration?
A young student was reading a beautiful story book of his choice. In our times it used to be
the Perry Mason. The boy was very fond of Perry Mason detective novels that he would fully
get immersed in that! He would never bother of eating his food! His mother would drag him
to food. He would go to the dining table, gulp something not even knowing what he is been
eating! Again he would go back and continue to read! Normally he would go to sleep around
10 o’clock, since he is so immersed in reading the novel, he forgets the time! It will be 1.30
a.m. when he completes reading! What is happening to his inner state, when he is reading?
His inner state is a state of deep concentration, an absorbing concentration. It is the same
thing which happens when we watch an interesting movie as well. We go to a movie of our
choice and the whole three hours pass as if it were three minutes! You are in deep absorbing
concentration! All the randomness, distractions, worries of mind accumulated during the day
has gone! We are in the state of perfect concentration! It looks as though happiness is in
concentration. Will a state of mind featured by concentration lead to happiness? We have a
litmus test. Increase the durations of concentration, starting from half an hour, 1 hour, 4
hours, 8 hours, then the whole day in concentration, what will happen?! Obviously, we get
strained, fatigued and we get lost! These days, intellectuals even after half an hour of their
intense work would like to have a sip of coffee or a cup of tea. If they are a little more
progressive, they will go for drinks and drugs. They would go in for more and more external
things to reduce the fatigue. Why? Why does this happen? ​Because, concentration is not
happiness! ​Happiness is not in concentration as it leads to strain and stress! It brings Why
does this happen? It is because the concentration is no doubt better than the state of worry, it
is better than the state of randomness of the mind, but it is not happiness by itself, it is only a
state, it appears to be happiness! Then what is to be done?
Slowing Down - The Secret
The Upaniṣads say to look deeper into ourselves! They say you have to ask very fundamental
and deep questions as Newton did! Often we miss to question ourselves in detail because we
are very fast! So we have to slow down. In our times we used to go for cricket match,
thousands of people used to come to the cricket stadium. From a very far distance, sitting in
the gallery people will be watching the play, a fast bowler would knock off the stumps of the
batsman, everybody is shouting in excitement but we could hardly understand what exactly
has happened. Thanks to modern technology and the TV, we now watch the same in the
comfort of our house, first time we may not understand how the wicket was lost but then
there is a slow playback on the TV. In the slow playback we see the bowler coming with
tremendous speed and now he is bowling almost 100 miles/hour. When the ball comes there
is a swirl, and that swing, now the batsmen is trying to tackle and the ball goes in between the
bat and pads and knocks off the stumps and you watch it enjoying thoroughly. That is
slowing down the whole process. You often get at the bottom of the secret, by slowing down
and unravel the things about happiness. Similarly, we start watching floor gymnastics in
Olympiad and we see the gracefulness of the girls coming running, jumping, giving a
somersault and coming down beautifully on the floor. One after the other, girls were running,
jumping up almost 8 feet, 9 feet, 12 feet high. We used to wonder about the tremendous
capacity of the physical excellence, the flexibility and the jumping capacity but then the first
girl was given only 4.6 marks, the second girl gets 9.6, the third girl goes down by 6.3. How
did the judge make out the difference? Everybody appears to be so fantastic! So wonderful!
In the slow playback the first girl is running, she jumps up. When she is jumping up - she has
given a somersault in which the right leg is coming quite in front compared to the left and
there is an imbalance when she touches the ground; the whole body shakes. She is tensed and
anxious. She manages to get 4.6. The second girl is coming with grace with a smile on the
face as she jumps up. In her beautiful somersault, there is balance and grace, she is smiling
even at 12 feet height, landing down with smooth gliding; both the legs come together,
beautiful smile on the face, peaceful mind and with grace, she gets 9.6. When you slow down
you understand the secrets. Therefore, the slow playback is the one which opens up the
secrets!

Happiness is Silencing the Mind

Jñāna Yoga asks us to go deeper and find out what happens when the people eat that
wonderful Śrīkhaṇḍa. Imagine a movie is made, the whole process is caught by a video
camera and now it is slowly played back! What will happen to all people sitting for food?
When the prayer is being chanted they were very anxious, and some of them curious! What
happened after Bhojana Mantra, they take that small portion of Śrīkhaṇḍa, the tasty little
thing and put into the mouth. When the Śrīkhaṇḍa comes in touch with the taste buds of your
tongue, something mysterious and special happens. The mind becomes silent. All the
thoughts get obliterated; there is a pure experience, experience of that happiness and then
soon you come out, and say Oh! What a wonderful Śrīkhaṇḍa! How nicely it is prepared and
all superlatives just come out! However, just before that may be for a fraction of second, may
be hundredth of a second, your mind has obliterated itself, from all thoughts; you have
touched that inner silence! This is the experience which you get when there is the touch of the
dish with taste buds! ​It silences the mind! ​Whether it is the Śrīkhaṇḍa or whether it is
Gulābajāmun or the dish very fond of! The mind is in full of concentration, randomness is
gone. The randomness, the worries have gone! The next step is the silence of the mind! All
thoughts just vanish back to that silence. This is the same story with any sense pleasure. We
go to a beautiful music concert, we enjoy the splendour of the artist playing Beethoven; we
are swinging, resonating with him, at one point of time, we are lost in ecstatic bliss! For a
moment, the mind becomes very silent and we have that unique experience of the artist taking
us into that great experience of silence! Then you come back, thoroughly thrilled and with
tremendous bliss you say oh! What a wonderful concert.
In Kanyakumari, the three oceans meet. People come from all over the world and
many people who come from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh there are who have never seen
an ocean. They have just heard that in Kanyakumari the land’s southernmost tip, three oceans
meet. They are very curious. The first thing they do is they have bath, they go for a quick
breakfast and come to see the mighty ocean. When they are exposed to that infinite ocean,
what happens to them? They are stunned by the beauty! They stand like a statue for several
seconds! What happened to them at that moment? Please analyze. The person will have no
randomness of mind and all his worries have gone! The mind is in that wonderful
concentration! There his eyes come in touch with that vast ocean, the mind dips into that deep
silence, the ocean of silence and from then he comes out with that excitement with that bliss
and happiness. There is obliteration of thoughts when mind just silences itself and that is
happiness. ​Therefore, happiness is not outside it is within. ​We thought that happiness is a
state of deep concentration, absorbing concentration! But it is not! ​It is all the preparation
of the mind to enter into that ocean of silence - Ānandamaya Koṣa, a state of beautiful
peace. That silence for a fraction of a second or a few seconds, to which your mind
touches! This is the secret. The structure of bliss is silence. It is not that silence leads to
bliss, but that silence gets purified and becomes pure consciousness in the end. ​That is!
That is the biggest education! By knowing this you will know everything. So kindly test out,
do the experiment and get to the bottom of this great secret, the biggest of the wisdom that
our ancient seers and Yoga masters have given us.
Presented in this unit, is the basis of Yoga, as portrayed in the Upaniṣads. Our original state is
one of pure experience devoid thoughts - a state of SILENCE. It is a state of BLISS,
FREEDOM, KNOWLEDGE and CREATIVITY. The Upaniṣads also propound that this
original state of SILENCE is also the causal state of the entire creation, Brahman. All those
who are in search of greater and more permanent happiness and bliss, those who seek
knowledge, those who want to be totally free and who aspire to become more and more
creative will have one single aim to reach SILENCE. An ideal society in which the above
features are found can be constructed by setting up such social norms, value system, habits,
customs, manners, etiquettes, etc., which are congenial for its components to move in the
direction of silence. Such a society with individuals progressing towards their goal of
SILENCE and social values and direction providing the most congenial atmosphere for such
a growth can be called SPIRITUALITY ORIENTED SOCIETY. And that is what India
stands for over centuries.

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Personality Development is the topic of the day, everywhere, for all ages and sections of the
people. Truly, what is Personality’, What is Development’ and what is to be ‘developed’ is
being covered in this Chapter.

The growth is sure at the physical level. The human being is not just a physical entity,
but a combination of thoughts, emotions, intellect and above all the mind. The growth and
development of these faculties depend on social relationships, social interactions which
mould one’s way of thinking and behaviour. The attitudes one carry and express have their
roots on how one lives his/her life, simply ‘way of life’. How one relates with the nature and
environment also has its impact on one’s personality. To Sum up – Personality is a
homeostatic state as a result of one’s habits, attitudes and behaviour.

The word ‘personality’ originated from Latin word PERSONA, which means mask. It
was used to hide face and to show something else. In the theatre of the ancient Latin-speaking
world, the mask was convention employed to represent or typify that character or role and
was not used as a device to disguise the identity of a character. So personality may mean the
looks of a person. However, the present definition of personality includes things behind the
mask also.

What is Personality?

So how can we define Personality following modern psychology? Personality is made

up of all that can be manifested and all that is manifested. Personality can be defined as a
dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed and manifested buy a person that
uniquely influences his or her cognitions, motivation and behaviours in various situations.
This means every person has a personality, but with a difference.

Personality is an exclusive and unique integration networking of various physiological

and psychological processes with ‘Self’ as nucleus.
 Personality is expressed through varied activities and is evident to other people. There may
be a difference between one’s own perception and others’s perception of his or her
personality and qualities. But both of them are aware about its exclusive and unique
integration.

Personality starts taking shape even before birth. Apart from heredity, the
environment also influences personality. Environment is family, school, friends, occupation,
society, culture, media, different roles, etc. Hence, there is a possibility of changes along
increasing age. Generally not many changes occur in the body, mind and in the behaviour
patterns, once the stage of maturity is attained. Yet it cannot be said that no change will ever
occur at later stage. A strong urge to modify a particular behaviour pattern, may be fruitful.
But there cannot be a change in the original ‘Self’ and the integration of physiological
processes ingrained in this ‘Self’. Some drastic crises may create an imbalance resulting in
disintegration of the personality and psychological disorders may arise.

INDIAN CONCEPT OF PERSONALITY: “PANCHA KOSHA”

It is worth to present an Indian concept of Personality, which is simple,
comprehensive and applicable. There is a similarity in the description of personality in the
modern psychology and the ancient philosophy of India. According to this Personality
comprises of five sheaths/aspects or ‘PANCHA KOSHA’. They are mentioned several times
in Indian Philosophy. The five sheaths or Pancha Kosha are Anatomical Aspect or
Annamaya kosha, Physiological Aspect or Pranamaya kosha, Emotional Aspect or
Manomaya kosha, Intellectual Aspect or Vijnaanmaya kosha, and Social and Moral Aspect
or Anandamaya kosha.

The first Anatomical aspect considers one’s body. It is said that our body is made of
five elements – earth, water, fire, air and sky. Earth means solid, water means liquid, air
means gaseous, fire is energy and sky means vacuum or space.

In anatomical aspect, static properties are considered where as in Physiological

Aspect the activities and motion are thought of. This second aspect includes our movements,
speech and gestures.

The third aspect, that is, Emotional, involves feelings, emotions, nature, aptitudes,
attitudes, likes and dislikes opinions, prejudices, mental habits, attention, concentration,
motivation and the like.

Intellectual Aspect involves intelligence, intellectual faculties, thinking processes,

knowledge, art and skills.

Finally, Socially and Moral Aspect involves social interactions, ‘ego’ or the self’. It
also includes one’s values, principles, preferences, life goals, etc. of an individual in this
aspect.
 It is a scientific truth that efforts are required to change anything. In the same way,
change and development of personality also requires special efforts. In this process,
sometimes it is necessary to give up short-lived pleasures but even this can be enjoyable.
Socrates stated that ‘it is better to be a man dissatisfied than a pig satisfied!’

EXTERNAL ASPECTS OF PERSONALITY

The factors responsible for molding personality can be classified in two groups.1)
Hereditary and Environmental.

Hereditary factors are those which are inherited from parents and determine physical
constitution like body structure, height, features, basic nature, etc. Environmental factors
range from womb and body of the mother to family, neighbours, peers, school, society,
culture, etc. All these factors contribute directly and indirectly towards development of
personality.

Among the five aspects of personality, the first two, that is, Anatomical Aspect and
Physiological Aspect are body related. They are external aspects of personality. It is a well
accepted fact that our complexion, appearance, figure, dressing and hair style appropriate to
time and place create a good ‘first impression’. Being neat and tidy also makes a difference.
After all, clothes make a person!

Healthy physique

Body is a medium to express personality. Hence body itself should be healthy. We

can identify the problems in the body. If a person is overweight, the weight can be reduced
by exercising. Vice versa, it can also be increased if a person is underweight.

It is well known that the secret of physical health is balanced diet, regular exercise
and proper routine. It is necessary to understand several aspects like physical constitution,
geographical conditions, etc. in order to decide the combination of right diet, appropriate
exercise, planning the daily routine, etc. There are various preventive and curative measures
to maintain good health. Exercise is one of the best preventive measures.

Many youths acquire expertise in running, swimming, etc. Other activities like
trekking, mountaineering are also a good exercise. Some get opportunity to play in the play
grounds near their homes. YOGASANAS and PRANAYAMA has the dual advantage of
maintaining physical and heatlh. All these serve as preventive measures which help in
maintaining good health

If we believe that we should be active and healthy even after 60 or 70 years of age, it
is essential to take care of health throughout the life. In the childhood, it is the responsibility
of the parents. But we should ourselves take this responsibility as we grow up. Hope you
agree with this. Do you?

PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECT OR PRANAMAYA KOSHA

Appearance of an individual is a starting point in knowing the personality. Other

facets like facial expressions, actions, speech, etc. too matter.
 The facial expressions are mainly interpreted according to the movements of eyes,
lips and eye-brows. They are regarded as lively, smiling and the like. Various actions like
rising, standing, sitting, walking are important. We may be impressed with the way someone
walks or we may appreciate someone’s skill in speedy driving may be astonishing to us.

The importance of speech is quite evident. Clear pronunciation, appropriate phrasing

of sentences, proper tones are important to gain attention of listeners. It is necessary to get
rid of habits like speaking hastily, unclear pronunciations, incomplete sentences, speaking
loudly, etc. In recent times, remedies are available for stammering also. This is very
necessary for people like teachers, professors or others who wish to choose similar
professions.
Some of the best ways to improve voice and speech are introspection, observation and
listening to renowned speakers and actors. One can also definitely improvise by participating
in activities like recitation, elocution, story telling, reading poems, etc. At this point, surely
you remind eminent orators, like Swamy Vivekananda, Dr. Abdul Kalam, PM Narendra
Modi and so forth.

Beautiful hand writing also expresses personality. The intricacies of handwriting like
circular, square, skewed, small, large, tall, rough etc., are analyzed in detail in Graphology.
The validity of this approach can be tested by scientific methods only. But this is true that
hand writing is also an inseparable part of personality. Do you think that writing with hands
is totally out dated in this era of computers and mobiles?
INTERNAL ASPECTS OF PERSONALITY

Don’t judge a book by its cover’! W;hat is that which influences us then? The
influence of inner qualities is stronger and lasts longer than that of outer appearance.
If a person seems unimpressive at the first sight, but the layers of his or her
personality are unveiled gradually as we are closer and our attachment with him or her goes
on increasing. Isn’t it a magic?

Innate Aspects of personality.

The internal Aspects of Personality include Emotional Aspect, Intellectual Aspect and
social and moral Aspect.

Emotional Aspect or Manomaya kosha

The internal aspect of personality can well be called as Mind. What are the qualities
of mind? Where is it? What is it?

It is very difficult to explain the existence and the form of mind. But even if we
succeed to read the mind of one person, we may not be able to do the same for others,
because no two persons minds are alike. What is the mind composed of? We know emotions,
desires, dreams, behaviour patterns and inspirations are all parts of mind. Even desires and
dreams are so varied. They range from basic needs like food and safety to matters like living
a luxurious life to ambitions of becoming a scientist or devoting life for well-being of entire
humanity. It is the happiness, sorrow, love, respect, appreciation, hatred, envy and such other
emotions which make life meaningful.
Emotions, desires and inspiration are primary mental processes and interests, hobbies,
attitudes are mature mental processes. This is because the latter have roots in some thinking.
The mind has various conditions which can be termed as states of mind or mood. Few
amongst them are light, thoughtful, sad, engrossed, etc. Moods are very volatile. Sometimes
conflict is created in mind due to contradictory thoughts or desires. And if this conflict or
dilemma is not resolved, it also may lead to a disorder. For instance, for a young fellow, there
could be a willingness to carry on fathers’s business of advocacy, but there may also be a
desire for a degree of engineering. A dilemma is created as both these desires can not be
fulfilled at the same time. We often face such conflicts, but most of the times we manage to
find a solution. If the solutions are not found on against our own wish, it may not lead to
success. This may result in depression. Thus it can be said that the mind works with
tremendous speed. It is very difficult to figure out what is in a person’s mind from his or her
speech or behaviour when we ourselves are unaware of processes in our own minds.

Healthy and Strong Mind

Safety is the fundamental need of sound mental health. We try to seek security in
parents, home and society. Gaining and maintaining the feeling of security is the essential
step for healthy mind. One needs to deal with the factors which create feeling of insecurity.
Such factors may be paucity of food, shelter, resources; hatred by individuals around; threats
to life for varied reasons; conflicts which are unresolved for a long time; etc. We should seek
help form experts to establish secure feeling. Achieving balance in emotions is important for
sound and mental health.

The challenges of the modern era pose a great threat to the emotional faculty
of man. Yet the culturing of our emotions - development of our emotional faculties
finds no place in the whole scheme of education. Man looks lost amidst the atrocities
of life unable to overcome his emotional conflicts, blocks, and turmoil. The result is
deep unrest, agony and
psychosomatic ailments.
Yoga trains us to
i. Systematically sharpen and sensitize our emotions.
ii. Consciously expand and diffuse the overtones of such sensitization. Thus, Yoga
offers a fine tool for the development of the emotional personality of man.
Mind, which is defined as a conglomeration of thoughts responds to the input
through sense organs. For example, you see a big red flower; eyes send the image
to the brain and the mind (Manaù) perceives it as a beautiful rose. Within the next
fraction of a second your memory (Citta) deciphers that it as a very rare variety of
rose which you wanted to see badly. The thought circulates in mind and Citta which
soon goes on to make you feel ‘O it is so beautiful! I like it, I love it, I want it!’ this
component of the Manomaya Kosa in which this
rapid recycling takes place and gathers momentum is called the ‘Emotions
(Bhävanä). This is characterized by feelings such as ‘likes or dislikes’, ‘love or hate’,
backed by the heavy ‘I’ (the ego). It is this emotion that is the root cause of all human
joy & distress. When the emotions become powerful, they start governing our actions
against what is right. This ‘going against cosmic laws’ leads to imbalances called
Ädhi or Stress. Long standing Ädhis get pushed into Präëamaya and Annamaya
Kosa causing Vyädhis

With increasing age, responsibilities also increase. It is imperative for both

men and women to undertake financial responsibilities. Illness in family, education of
children, etc. have to be dealt with. Life is beset with multitude problems and
endless worries. But all this has to be surmounted in order to march ahead. For this,
the mind has to be strong. It is not justifiable to blame situations like unfavourable
financial and social conditions or lack of resources and abilities for own weaknesses.
We come across people who are successful in life in spite of adverse circumstances.
On the contrary, it is seen that these circumstances actually made them stronger.

Ingtelelctual Aspect or Vijnaanamaya kosha

This apect includes intellectual qualities and knowledge, art, skill, etc. which
are acquired by using intelligence.
If we watn to study any subject or matter first we would try to understand and
memories it. We try to analyze applied to attempt a such study. Intelligence
consists of abilities like grasping, memory, reasoning, imagination and
decision-making. Ability to absorb and understand information is cognition. Ability to
store this information to recall it at appropriate time is memory. Good grasping and
memory is describe as ‘wax to receive and marble to retain’. Reasoning is an ability
understanding a complex situation, and analyzing, comparing, categorizing,
establishing some system in it and arriving at a conclusion. Imagination speaks for
creativity which involves evolving ideas, innovative concepts, solving problems.
Creative people are able to wirte new stories, articles and poems, solve puzzles, add
humor, etc. Creativity is readily noticed in performing art, drawing, painting, etc.
Decision making is the ability to judge good and bad, truth and falsehood, etc. this is
required to appreciate, criticize ideas and thoughts in an article poem or novel, to
compare that with other literature, etc. forming new puzzles or problems and solving
them is also an indicator of high intelligence. More of these abilities, higher is the
intelligence.
A proficient musician and professor of mathematics, both are high
intellectuals. What makes difference is their field. Intelligence can b e defined in
various ways. One of the tehories puts forth a classification as General Intelligence,
which is used in day to day life and Specific intelligence, which is required in dealing
with particular task. Daily activities like having food, cleaning, washing clothes,
walking, etc. require general intelligence or common sense. Animals also have
intelligence, only unto the level of managing their basic activities. But the humans
have higher intelligence and ability of abstract thinking.

Curiosity, presence of mind, creativity, independent thingking, introspection,

humor, etc. can be termed as intellectual qualities because they are required for
intellectual processes rather than for emotional expressions. A child asks questions
like – Why? What? How?
People with independent decision – making abilities reach high positions. Those who
have good conversational skills and sense of humor are very popular amongst
friends. Thus, it can be concluded that nurturing intellectual abilities is also essential
for developing personality.

Intelligence can be enhanced by its consistent application in various

situations. Discussions in classroom, in family, amongst friends provide good
opportunities. Self Study is also important as one learns to concentrate, thingk
critically and convey thoughts in an appropriate way. Capacity to grasp also
increases. There are techniques to enhance memory, creative thinking through
certain yogic practices.

The core of Personality

When we are having varied experiences, we see ourselves in varied contexts. We

are conscious about our physical presence and feelings apart from external
phenomena. We feel as if someone else is experiencing, but we are not able to
figure it out. The one who is at the center of mental, physical processes is none but
‘self’.

Social and Moral Aspect or Anandamaya Kosha

The concept of ‘Self’ is rooted in social and moral aspect. The ‘self’ is
responsible for person’s behaviour, speaking, thinking, etc. Even honor, insult, fame
also are associated with it. ‘Self’ experiences both, happiness and grief.
Normally all of us are so structured that we look mostly outside of ourselves - at the
environment. The senses grasp things around them - predominantly we spend the
whole life in understanding the grandeur of the world outside, solving the problems
associated with it; unraveling the mysteries there in; using such knowledge to make
our life more comfortable and enjoyable; bringing up our children to perpetuate and
sustain the society around us; striving to set patterns of behaviour and etiquettes of
transactions, and so on. In spite of this pattern of life, some glimpses into the depths
of our inner dimension occasionally flash in all our lives. Very few catch these
glimpses but some are awfully struck by the hitherto unknown dimensions hidden
within. ​The Search begins; The Quest starts.​ ​Then, that person is on the march
towards spirituality. Thus the spiritual dimension of man concerns itself with the inner
world - the move towards the causal state of mind, the root of the intellect and the
substratum of the emotions. Man starts looking inwards. It is this inward journey that
marks the beginning of the spiritual quest. Introspection, an inward look, an inner
awareness, features the quest. The subtler layers of mind unfold themselves - the
inner dimensions of the personality open out.

Every person looks at himself or herself through own observation and

introspection. It helps in forming self concept. Opinions of others add to the
development of self concept. A girl hears, ‘you are fair’ by many people; compares
herself withothers; and starts believing that she is fair!
We have relationships with objects as well as with people. These relationships
are dynamic and change according to time, place and situations. All these dynamics
are considered in this social aspect. It includes the concept of ‘self’ and its
relationships with others.
We have family relationships with mother, father, sister, brother, friend, etc.
Some other relationships like teacher – Student, employer – Employee, customer –
Client, etc. also exist. Family relationships are long lasting and are very close, while
the relationships like between bus conductor and passengers are temporary.
Behaviour of a person is in three contexts – relationship with nature and man
made thing, with another person (one to one) and that with group or community (one
to many). The nature, intensity and depth of each of these relationships depend on
the person and the respective factor. These relationships are explained further.
One’s relationship with nature can be further classified as relationship with
objects and with living things. We are attached to the things that are constantly
around us. Some things even carry a nostalgic value as precious memories are
associated with them.
Some people use their belongings very carefully and so they last long. But the
life of things reduces if they are handled carelessly. It is not appropriate to justify
rough usage thinking that if things last too long, they will not be replaced by new
ones. Some even go the extent of saying that if things like pen, clothes and mobile
are used carelessly; they will be soon spoiled and new ones will have to be bought
which will lead to higher production and boost the economy! Such logic may be
favourable for manufacturers, but it certainly does not reflect good aspects of
personality. After all we have to pay money for every object. How do we get money?
What are the efforts made to earn it? How many are fortunate to get enough money?
Should not we respect money and spend it carefully? One thing is clear that we
should be able to justify our expenses objectively, not subjectively. How far do you
agree with this? At the same time, it should also be borne in mind that stingy, miserly
or greedy behaviour in handling objects is equally disgraceful.

The Indian culture is very unique in this context. It is seen that through
different practices and rituals, various non living things are gratified and treated with
respect. One such example is that of treating the earth as ‘mother’. Farmers regard
farm land as their mother, associating same feelings and thoughts that are attached
to their own mother. A practice is still followed, that after rising from sleep in
morning, before touching the ground, one prays etc., we worship various instruments
like pen, knife, scissors, plough, machinery and vehicles. The instruments are our
sources of work.
It is indicated in practices mentioned above that we are very sensitive to the
non-living objects around us. No wonder that we are sensitive and attached to living
beings like plants, animals and birds also. We are grateful to the domestic animals
and pets since they serve us and we are benefited in various ways by them. We
express our gratitude towards them through certain festivals.
We have different perspectives about nature. The modern people are selfish
and perceive that they can conquer nature and enslave it for their benefit. They
exploit nature for the sake of their luxury. However it is clear that eastern people are
more progressive in their views about nature. They believe that what exists within us
also exists in nature. They feel gratified for being a part of this environment and
experience a sense of symbiosis and co-existence. We believe that a divine power
exists even in non-living things.

Soul: The core personality

A German once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor

making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he
asked the sculptor, “Do you need two statues of the same idol?” ‘No,’ said the
sculptor without looking up, “We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the
last stage.’’ The gentlemen examined the idol and found no apparent damage.
“Where is the damage?” he asked. “There is a scratch on the nose of the idol.” said
the sculptor, still busy with his work. “Where are you going to install the idol?” The
sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. “If the idol is that
far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?” the gentleman asked.
The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said “I will
know it.”
Yes, we ourselves, our soul is a witness for our every single act. We should
always be conscious of our deeds.
The meaning of soul in spirituality may be different, but in practical life, soul is
nothing but conscience, the centre which controls the physical and mental processes
of the personality. Hence, in an attempt to answer the eternal question ‘Who am i”
Adi Shankaraacharya stated, ‘I’ means soul itself, which is full of vitality and of bliss!
This is the culmination of Indian perspective of personality. I am neither a
peri8shable body, the unstable mind, rational intelligence nor the pride; but i am a
soul, which is a manifestation of the Almighty, the creator of universe. No one can
‘brain-wash’ me through by extreme suffereings. My personality will not be shattered
in times of very difficult circumstances. It was due to this divine conviction that the
youths like nachiketa and Abhimanyu in the epic Mahabharata from ancient time to
freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Netaji and APJ Kalam, could face death bravely.

Several factors contribute towards a student’s success with flying colors. They
include intelligence, education teachers imparting education, books, notebooks and
instruments used for studying and last but not the least, the fate. Once this is
understood, it becomes very clear that there is no point in b laming others or frate for
failure. At the same time, one will not be carried away with high success. Once such
a balanced attitude is achieved, problems of adjustment will be rare.
 Adjustment needs to be made with people, with ideas and last but not the
least, with oneself.
Can you entertain a person?
Can you entertain an idea?
Can you entertain yourself?
If the answer to these questions are positive, that is, if it is possible to adjust with any
person-even an enemy, understand own conflicting ideas calmly and create
happiness within oneself; we well have an adjusted personality. However, the
concept of adjustment is negative and inactive to certain extent. ‘Try to get what you
like; if you cannot, try to like what you get’ is the underlying principle. It also suggests
that it is better to bend than to break. It does not suggest that if situation requires,
have strength to create storm – of course in a positive sense of the term. Hence, the
concept of adjustment seems incomplete.

The knowledge of the final truth ‘Änanda’, is the basic stuff of this universe
from which everything has been created. This is called Änandamaya Kosa– the bliss
layer of our existence. This is the most subtle aspect of our existence which is
devoid of any form of emotions; a state a total silence – a state of complete harmony
and perfect health.