HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH

YOGA AND MEDITATION

(ABSTRACT)

Dr.K.S.Balasubramanian
Dy. Director
The K.S.R. Institute
Mylapore,
Chennai 600
004

From time immemorial Vedas have been the guiding force of

humanity. Vedas, Upani¾ads, Itih¢sas, Pur¢´as, ¡gamas, Darºanas,
(Philosophical schools) literature and texts belonging to science and
arts contain descriptions on human resource development and they
are the main source of Indian culture, heritage and pride. They are
the treasure house of wisdom for all the human beings to follow and
be benefited.
Yoga forms an integral part of all these texts and has an
enviable record of unbroken continuity for thousands of years. The
efficacy of Yoga in the physical, psychical, intellectual and spiritual
development of man has been proven from hoary past down to
modern days. The various practices of Yoga described in the texts
on Hatha Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga and R¢ja Yoga, apart from
the above mentioned sources have proved to be a boon for the
comprehensive development of human beings.
Pata®jali says in Yoga S¦tras (II.16) that the sufferings yet to
come in future can be avoided and he prescribes (II.11) dhy¢na or
meditation as the means for regulating the mind. He further
describes eight steps to acquire perfection in human life. Hence his
system is known as a¾°¢¬ga yoga. In the second and third
sections of Yoga S¦tras he gives many techniques of Yoga including
meditation which are highly efficacious in enhancing human values,
physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual growth of human beings
within this life-spam.
The practice of Yogic techniques with meditation transforms
one into a better human being and thereby a successful
professional also in whichever field he chooses. Yoga means
"dexterity in action', and it brings out the best ability in the human
beings. (Bhagavadgit¢ II.50) It also brings all his faculties into a
state of balance and moderation, as the lord says in the G¤t¢ (II.48),
Karma (action), j®¢na (knowledge) and bhakti (devotion) are all
included in Yoga. In it, one finds a compact package of everything to
make this globe an abode of peace and tranquility.
Yoga penetrates deep into human psyche and brings out total
transformation which Science cannot do. It has been proved that the
great saints of India could unravel the mysteries of this universe
through intuition by going deep into Yogic meditation, which Science
may not be able to achieve. For, ""Science goes from matter to
the Source whereas Yoga goes from Source to the matter''.
Sahaj Marg system of R¢jayoga through the means of pr¢
´¢huti (Yogic transmission) oriented meditation and the effective
method of cleansing of impurity, transforms a normal human being
into an extra-ordinary person to excel in all the chosen fields.
In this project, it is intended to bring out all these ideas
through authentic source of ancient and medieval texts on various
branches of Yoga, and show how
Sahaj Marg makes it possible within one's life time.
Let us not lose the most precious contribution if India to this
world – "Yoga'. Yogic wisdom should be unearthed, preserved and
passed on to the present and future generations for their total well
beings.
Texts to be consulted
Original source books (Primary Texts)
Veda:
§gveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Athavaveda.
Br¢hma´as and ¡ra´yakas of each Veda.
Major and minor Upani¾ads (108 in number)
Itih¢sa:
V¢lm¤ki R¢m¢ya´a
Mah¢bh¢rata
Bhagavadg¤t¢ with various commentaries (¹a¬kara, R¢m
¢nuja, Madhva and others)
Pura´a :
Pur¢´as (18 major Pur¢´as)
¡gamas :
¹aiva, ¹¢kta and Vai¾´ava ¡gamas.
R¢jayoga :
Pata®jali's Yoga S¦tras with commentaries of Vy¢sa, V
¢caspatimiºra, Bhoja. Sad¢siva Brahmendra , R¢m¢nanda, Ananta,
Bh¢v¢ga´eºa etc.
Yoga y¢j®avalkya :
Ha°ha Yoga
1. Gorak¾a ¹ataka , Gorak¾a Samhit¢, Amanaska Yoga and
Yoga Bindu of Gorak¾a
2. ¹iva Samhit¢
3. Ha°ha Yoga Prad¤pik¢ of Sv¢tm¢rama
4. Ha°ha Ratn¢vali of ¹r¤niv¢sa Yog¤ndra
5. Ha°ha Tattva Kaumudi of Sundaradeva
6. Ha°ha Sa¬keta Candrik¢ of Sundaradeva ( Unpublished
Mss.)
7. Ghera´²a Samhit¢
8. Yoga Upani¾ads (20)
9. Yoga Rahasya of Datt¢treya
Mantrayoga :
Mantra Yoga Samhit¢ etc.
Laya Yoga :
Laya Yoga Samhit¢.
Many unpublished Mss. on Yoga.