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The Fakir and the Science of Miracles/Chapter Nine: On Patanjali’s Commandments

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Chapter Nine:
On Patanjali’s Commandments

Once, Ram told Tom and Katya about a wise man who lived in India. The name of this sage was Patanjali*.

Ram spoke in detail about his Teachings, commenting on his understanding of each saying:

“The instructions of Patanjali are written for those who want to approach the Divine Perfection. They were divided as ascending steps — in order to make the gradual preparation of the soul and body for new states more evident.

“So, Patanjali outlined some preparatory rules for those who enter the spiritual Path.

“The first such rule should be called non-harming other creatures.

“This is a very important commandment, which should be thoroughly thought out and applied to everything in your life.

“You need to learn not to harm other people — and not just people — by deeds, words, emotions, and even thoughts.

“I explained to you once why I do not eat the bodies of dead animals. This is also included in the principle of not harming other beings.

“But I would like for you to always follow the principle of non-killing nourishment not in order to imitate me, but because you truly feel compassion.

“The second rule is truthfulness.

“This is the desire to always tell the truth. And in those cases when the truth cannot be said because it can hurt someone — then keep silent.

“This rule should mean sincerity, which is truthfulness not only before people, but also before God — with the constant understanding that He knows everything about us in every moment, and we can hide neither our deeds nor even our thoughts from Him. Such truthfulness before God makes it very easy to perform the process of purifying ourselves as souls.

“The third rule is not to want something that belongs to someone else.

“For someone, it means not stealing, for someone else it means not to be envious. And, in the end, the fulfillment of this rule brings about a feeling of calm satisfaction with what God has bestowed, without striving for excessive material belongings. And this, in turn, will allow one to send one’s maximum attention to the Creator and improve oneself — out of love for Him — through meditative practices.

“The fourth rule is freedom from all unnecessary and superfluous things in life, which also distract one from the main task: the spiritual transformation of oneself as a soul.

“It is very important to learn to get rid of excess, dispensable things, and unnecessary attachments, which interfere on the way forward.

“If you do not clear your life of the old, then it cannot be filled with the new. Our old habits, desires, and aspirations should gradually give way to new spiritual aspirations.

“The fifth rule calls upon us to learn to love God, to become ‘charmed by Brahman’ (the Holy Spirit — in the collective sense of the word) — as it is called in Sanskrit: the ancient Indian language.

“The sixth rule concerns observance of the purity of the body.

“This can be done only externally, through frequent washing of the body, cleaning teeth, and the like. But it is appropriate to add to this the purification of the energy of the chakras and meridians.

“Later on, I can teach you this if you want.

“An important seventh rule is clean food.

“Acceptance of food should occur in a favorable atmosphere of peace and love.

“Food should be clean and filled with good energy when preparing it.*

“And let it be free of the energies of fear and pain, of which the bodies of dead animals are saturated.

“The eighth rule concerns maintaining a positive emotional state.

“To live in joy and to give this joy to others is very important and very much helps one to overcome difficulties in both the material life and the spiritual Path. We have already talked a lot about this.

“The ninth rule — the direction of one’s thoughts on God, philosophical conversations, and the reading of spiritual books.

“Necessary earthly affairs, including concern for others and other social obligations, should, of course, be carried out. But they should not overshadow the Main Purpose.

“The fulfillment of this rule allows us to turn the mind away from worldly problems — to God.

“There is also a rule called tapas. These are voluntarily accepted self-restrictions, self-discipline in order to master one’s will and the independence from the desires of the body or the wanderings of the mind.

“There are people who suffer and even get sick — because of the absence of something that is unnecessary yet passionately desired in their lives. But the voluntary abstinence of delicious food and the observance of reasonable self-restraint from everything superfluous — both of these disciplines bring joy and health.

“And, if we apply these restrictions not only for health, but also for approaching the Divine World, then joy multiplies in the soul!

“When all of the above have largely been mastered, it then becomes possible to fulfill the eleventh rule — the feeling that the Creator permeates everything that exists!

“Patanjali also taught that one should observe tolerance for those who think and act differently, and always show kindness and mercy.

“It is very important for us to learn, while ascending the steps of the Path, to be simple, devoid of arrogance, to overcome pride in ourselves, and to learn humility.

“These are the preparatory rules of Patanjali.”

… Tom pronounced:

“And is this just the very beginning? Even if I tried all my life to master this, it would not be enough time!”

“Therefore, souls are embodied on the Earth not just once, but many times, in order — through their own bitter experience of mistakes and suffering — to gradually realize the need to comply with these rules.

“And further on in the Teachings of Patanjali, there are the stages of study on which asanas are mastered. These are special positions for the body that contribute to the purification of the chakras and meridians.

“Later on, pranayamas are used for this purpose, which teach one to move the subtle vital energies of the consciousness, which are called prana in India. This contributes to further purification and the ability to perceive the energies of Life in the subtle and subtlest worlds.

“Then the stage of pratyahara follows — the management of the indriyas. And indriyas are like tentacles of the consciousness, which are stretched out, like hands, to certain objects to which the soul’s attention is directed.

“Our thoughts and desires form energy ‘tentacles’ with ‘suckers’, which keep the soul in connection with what they are attached to. It can be either objects of the material world, or concrete people…

“And it is important to understand that salvation can be reached only if you redirect your attention to God! Then, for interaction with the material world, only a necessary and sufficient part of the soul’s attention and forces remains.

“This redirection of attention is called — maintaining the concentration of one’s attention on God, which in India is called by the word — dharana.

“Then the stage of dhyana follows. It means the mastering of meditative practices, which allow one, to an even greater degree, to fulfill all the principles listed above.

“And the last stage is called by Patanjali as samadhi.

“This is the teaching of the Blissful Mergence with the Divine Consciousness and fixing oneself in this status of being.”

“And have you mastered it all?” — Katya asked, delighted with the mysterious knowledge of the Indian sage.

“Well, let’s just say this: I can teach you something, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves! For now, I’m just glad that you listened with interest and are ready to start working on yourselves from the very beginning!”