Concept of Paravastha in select traditional yogic treatises: A revisit

Man’s native urge, to go beyond the seen and the perceptible, goes time immemorial. Man’s quest to transcend all his existential limitations culminates into his urge in knowing about the unknown with the hope to find the ways and means to lead a better life on the earth and to explore the worlds beyond, if any. Modern thinkers are also coming out with concepts such as self-transcendence, knowing something unknown and so on. The concept of paravastha has clear implications for our better understanding of the processes and misconceptions pertaining to Dhayana, i.e., Yoga Meditation. Etymologically, the term paravastha means the stage of transcendence i.e., the stage beyond. There are broadly two ways, to reach this stage, namely vivekaja and yogaja; the former approaches the paravastha through discrimination of Brahma from Maya or Purusha from Prakriti, while the latter through realizing the unity between Shiva and Shakti.[1] The two paths although have apparently different approaches to the same reality, they have a remarkable unity in advocating effective means for transcending all that is there in the seen world toward the state of immanence, as well as, the nature of paravastha variously known as the states of bhairava, kaivalya, brahmi-bhuta, and so on. Vijnana Bhairava Tantra (VBT) gives its quintessence[1] in its 138thdharana that recommends transcending the manasam (mind), buddhi (intellect), shakti (prana or the life force), and atma (empirical self) before one achieves the state of bhairava (paravastha). It involves the processes: (i) Transcending the dichotomous stage of vikalpa toward nonrelational state of nirvikalpa, (ii) transcending the pseudo-I consciousness to the universal-I consciousness, and (iii) transcending citta, the individual mind stuff, toward cit the universal consciousness. This doctrine dwells on the thesis that universal consciousness has descended on the earth in the form of Shakti or Prana. Shakti, therefore, has a natural inclination for its movement toward it source. The entire process toward paravastha, in VBT, therefore encompasses tantra techniques for transcending all shat-chakras (six energy centers), before transcending higher centers of consciousness, namely Brahma Randhra, Vyapini, Samana, and Unmana. Patanjala Yoga Sutra extends a complete blueprint of the process of transcendence culminating into paravastha referred to as kaivalya or absoluteness.[2] Recommending transcendence of all functions of mind, through Abhyasa and Vairagya, before realizing the ultimate state of the seer getting established in his true nature, this treatise caters to the needs of all three types of practitioners namely adept, mediocre and beginner, through prescribing appropriate practical guidelines accordingly. The very process, toward the state of Kaivalya, starts with preparing one with attitude forming practices of yamas and niyamas, before embarking on psychophysiological practices of asana and pranayama. Final preparation, for one’s journey toward dharana-dhyana-samadhi leading to Kaivalya, is recommended through the processes of pratyahara and samapatti. Bhagawat Gita, the yogopanishad delineating the very message of vedas in simplest possible terms and style, hands out the entire process of realization of the Self, encompassing practical means to transcend all existential miseries toward immunizing oneself perennially from all recurring maladies in one’s life journey, before showing a path of paravastha, referred to as moksha in this treatise. Transcending attachment, antipathy, desire, anger, and egoism are advocated for transcending the mind, intellect, ego, and senses toward achieving a state of ever equanimity and wakeful awareness, as essential prerequisites for achieving a state of sthita prajna, fully uninfluenced by triguna (three universal attributes). Nishkama Karma Yoga and Samkhya Yoga are the two paths recommended for achieving the state of sthita prajna, before the final liberation or paravastha is achieved. Significantly, this treatise deals with all the concepts and constructs, mentioned above, in complete depth and details, facilitating the very process of one’s smooth journey toward the liberation through Abhyasa (for comprehensive awareness) and Vairagya (for comprehensive freedom).[3] Goraksha Shataka, an authoritative Hathayogic treatise indicates paravastha with the terms param pad and Samadhi when prana wanes away and mind gets dissolved and when there is a complete oneness between atma tattva and paramatma tattva (G.S: 94, 100). Gorakshanath accepts the importance of dhyana as indispensable for Samadhi or paravastha unlike dharana in VBT wherein dharanas are capable of transcending into dhyana rather directly. Gorakshanatha defines dhyana as “Yattattve nishchitam chetastattu dhyanam prachakshate” (G.S.76): Whenever, the mind becomes stabilized fully on the tattva i.e., atma, then dhyana is said to have happened.[4] SUMMARY The traditional yogic treatises above clearly speak of transcending all our mental faculties in the process of achieving paravastha. Nowhere in these treatises can one find any indication about imageries, imagination, visualization, or such things which themselves are the very functions of mind. When the mind aims to get itself transcended how then these functions of mind are of any utility in the process of dhyana? These may be useful therapeutically and in case of beginners, provided they are withdrawn gradually to prevent their habit formation, lest they may impede one’s progress toward paravastha. For this very reason, these mental props have no place in traditional yogic literature, except their very limited use only, during the beginning stages of Pratyahara and Dharana techniques. In their letter to the Editor, “A biological perspective for representing Shakti as a feminine form in yogic and Hindu philosophies,” Drs. S. Ranjit Nataesh, A. Mooventhan & N. Manavalan have delineated the biological perspective of the concept of Shakti quite commendably and have thus stimulated creative thinking of our readers, apparently welcoming them to share their own views on the topic, in Yoga Mimamsa pages. The article, “Synergistic effects of yoga and Ayurvedic nutrition on middle distance running performance: A randomized clinical trial” by Drs. Ashish Kumar Mishra, Aakanksha Heer, Medha Kulkarni, Tanuja M Nesari & Man Singh, hands out a promise of the synergistic impact of yoga and Ayurvedic nutrition, in the physical performance of middle distance runners and advocates such integrative approaches may lead to more effective and personalized strategies for athletic development. In their study, “Observational study on the intersection of Ayurgenomics, deha prakriti, and yoga therapy in cancer oncology,” Drs. Padmashanti Nilachal, Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Uthpala Gajamanne, Vandana Srivastava & Kaliyamurthi Karthikeyan, shed light on the possibilities of combining Ayurvedic principles and yoga therapy with cancer care and propose that Ayurgenomics could pave the way for more targeted yogic interventions, aligning an individual’s genetic and constitutional profiles to enhance therapeutic outcomes in oncology. The article, “Exploring the effects of yoga on body composition, fitness, physiology, nutrition, and mental health in adolescents” by Drs. Sayan Jyoti Bera, Kingshuk Ghosh, Soumyadip Ghosh, Pritee Singha, Atanu Jana, Atish Mukherjee and Indranil Manna, suggest a regular yoga practice improves physical and mental health status, which may prevent the risk of cardiorespiratory diseases, obesity, and mental illness. They propose that Yoga Asana may increase muscle strength and flexibility and improves blood circulation; controlled breathing through Pranayama can lower respiratory rate, blood pressure, and heart rate, contributing to the prevention of cardiorespiratory diseases, as well as, Mental Health status may be improved by practicing meditation. Drs. Garima Sharma, Akanksha Singh, Raj Kumar Yadav, Uma Kumar & Renu Bhatia in their article, “Offset analgesia a unique paradigm to study pain modulation following 6 weeks of yogic intervention in fibromyalgia patients: A randomized controlled trial,” conclude that 6 weeks of supervised Yogic intervention has effectively alleviated pain and modulated the descending pain mechanism in FM patients. Authors suggest future research with MRI investigations along with OA paradigms for shedding more light on the activation of descending pain modulatory system. In their article, “Effect of integrated yoga on mental health and mindfulness of adolescents in the post pandemic period: A randomized control trial,” Drs. Ashween Bilagi, Sony Kumari & M. Archana have found a month long integrated yoga had a significant improvement in mental well being and mindfulness and also reduced depression, anxiety, stress, and waist–hip ratio in adolescents who experienced death or hospitalization of a family member during the COVID 19 pandemic period. The article “Scientific effect of pranayama (hatha yogic breath regulation techniques) on physiological and psychological variables: A systematic review” by Dr. Kesar, Neeru Nathani, concludes after a review of 20 articles, that various types of Pranayama can significantly improve physiological and psychological well being. Authors suggest that different non-communicable diseases could be controlled by the regular practice of these cost effective practices of Pranayama which offer a holistic approach for enhancing the overall well-being of mankind. “Swara Yoga and psycho physiological recovery: A review of nasal cycle science” by Drs. Purnima Chetry, Lata Apara Deori, Payel Das & S. Lakshmi Kandhan, establishes the relationship between psychological and physiological recovery by drawing on existing research highlighting the impact of Swara Yoga on enhancing both psychological and physiological functions and presents an integrated perspective on how nostril breathing manipulation techniques can influence overall recovery, suggesting the therapeutic applications in managing stress. Authors, however, accept a notable gap in understanding how this traditional yogic practice influences recovery patterns, particularly in heart rate variable (HRV), blood lactate clearance, neuro-endocrinal regulation, and so on. Authors also opine that well designed studies involving larger, more diverse samples are needed to evaluate the practical implications of Swara Yoga on recovery patterns and overall well being. The article, “Yoga and menopause: Exploring its benefits for health management” by Ayushi Singh, Sakshi Chaturvedi & Murlidhar Mishra, demonstrates efficacy of yoga in managing menopausal symptoms by highlighting its ability to reduce physical discomfort, enhance mental well being and improve the overall quality of life through relaxation, mindfulness, and physical activity.