Real Yoga

While some will no doubt judge me cynical, I invite all my readers to consider that over the past 60 years, our planet has lived through about 50 military conflicts — some large enough to warrant worldwide attention and others only involving what may seem to be petty tribes and cross–border clashes. All, however, without distinction, have claimed countless numbers of innocent civilian victims. Decades after peace has been negotiated, these conflicts continue to claim innocent victims, as long–forgotten anti–personnel landmines placed during the conflict maim and kill war survivors, even as they seek some meagre succour from the ailing but ever generous land.

The solemn scenes of public prayer meetings and other spiritual events calling for peace would make me laugh, if, in fact, they weren't so pathetic. These do–gooders would be infinitely better off, if they spent the same time trying to get deeper insight of themselves. It is only through deep self–knowledge that one can generate change in oneself. And unless one wants to continue in the self–delusion of past conditionings, it is only through changing oneself that once can really make a difference in the world.

Our base instincts, such as self preservation and preservation of the species, is so strong that even as we sit in the comfort that the modern world has brought to us and generously pray for those that are in need, should we ever be needy ourselves and the roles reversed, our innate vicious greed will rise to the surface, provoking us, under the guise of purely imagined self–righteousness, to indiscriminately pillage the very people we once prayed to help.

Even as my gentle reader reads these lines, teeming millions pray and feel that they sincerely wish to alleviate the suffering of the starving multitudes. These do–gooders don't really know what they are praying for. Recent studies by technocrats, who love to investigate these issues, have revealed that:

There are approximately 6 billion acres of arable, mineable, farmable and usable land in the world, and at the same time, there are also about 6 billion people. In North America each person uses about 14 acres of that land, while in Europe the figure is about 11 acres per person. As expected, exploitable land usage plummeted as poorer nations were considered, reaching something like 0.25 acres per person in sub–Saharan Africa. This inequality is staggering and intolerable.

This figures clearly indicate that to raise living standards worldwide, the so–called developed countries must drastically reduce their consumption of global resources and therefore, their creature comforts, so as to allow less developed nations to improve their living conditions. It must be noted that the key factor here is not possession of resources (Africa is in fact incredibly rich in natural resources) but the consumption of the resources available worldwide. This is clearly pointed out by the fact that while many black Africans work in diamond mines in their home countries, the current global trade in diamonds is controlled by Lebanese, Israeli, Dutch and Indian cartels.

The point here, however, is that these do–gooders who organize prayer circles in an attempt to eradicate poverty worldwide, should also realize that the solution to the poverty problem basically lies in the transfer of wealth from developed nations to poorer nations, entailing a corresponding impoverishment of the developed countries. The question therefore is, are these prayerful enthusiasts so intent on their prayers being answered that they are willing to sacrifice their own material wealth? Would they continue with their prayers if they knew the consequences that such divine intervention would require that all of them to sacrifice a great deal of their creature comforts? While I am not yet totally disenchanted with human altruism, I still feel that they would not.

To point this out more clearly, I shall deal with the consumption of fossil fuels. According to 1994 figures, the United States, that accounts for 3% of the world population, consumes 16% of the world's production of fossil fuels (petroleum products). India, that accounts for 16% of the world's population, consumes 3% of the earth's production of fossil fuels. In order for India to develop and at the same time contain the dangerously high generation of hot–house gases worldwide, India would have to increase its fossil fuel consumption (until a viable alternative is found) while the US would have to correspondingly decrease its fossil fuel demand. Well–intentioned persons in the US may pray fervently for the eradication of poverty in India and they may even donate money for development in India and cut down on their personal use of fossil fuels, but the fact remains that they will not vote to cut down the fuel consumption of the entire US economy to counter–balance India's fuel requirements to the extent necessary to generate US–type living standards in India.

It is an economic reality that whenever the underdeveloped world tries to make a stab at recovering their true share of the world's resources, the more developed nations in which these wonderful expressions of prayerful solidarity took place, do not hesitate to answers as one man and jointly collaborate to put an end to all such attempts. The rich nations simply feel that they have precedence over the world's resources by virtue of their right of possession and will defend their priority by all means possible, including military intervention against the very people they so fervently pray for. A glaring example of this is the tightening of immigration regulations throughout the developed world and the increasing xenophobia in Europe. While not exactly creating waves of race related crimes, recent reports that the UK would no longer have a white Caucasian majority by 2060, did contribute to increased public concerns about racial balance in Britain.

Coming back to the Soul, however, an unreasonable notion that touches on the imponderable and the un–provable, as Yogis we are aware that when we take full responsibility for whatever we do and when we use our present lifetime, and this lifetime alone, to work towards getting who we are, nothing can touch us. Whether we lose or win a million dollars or even at the death of a loved one, parent or child, we find that our inner balance remains perfectly stable, since it is firmly fixed in Self and untouched by the shadow pictures of starvation and poverty.

This reminds me of the story of Ramana Maharshi who, on being attacked and beaten by some thugs, just sat and took it, as he knew they were in effect only hurting themselves and would soon stop. When you Know you are one, you know that whatever one does to another, they do to themselves.

Naturally, the same law applies regardless of whether or not one is aware of it, so that by giving, you really enhance yourself, and by taking you only reduce your self. That is why, and there is some truth in some scripture, Jesus said, To those that have, it shall be given, and to those that have not, it shall even be taken away.

So rather than wasting one's time, that is to say, one's own physical time in trying to help others — which may in fact, because of ones ignorance, do them more harm than good, — one should spend that time diving deep within and uniting with the Self.

Certain students may feel that this is a very selfish view and that all they need to do is get rid of their selfishness immediately. However, as we shall see below, such selfishness is widespread. Consider the following scenario.

Assume, for a moment, that you saw a blind man trying to cross the street and did not help him — and he was struck by a car and killed — you could not live with yourself could you? Better to help him, you will rest well then. That becomes a selfish act as it is to your ultimate benefit. For instance, when your consciousness has been lifted enough to see where there is need, and you do not help or fill that need, or at least try to, you will not rest. You will be most miserable otherwise. The selfish thing to do is respect your state of consciousness and give it its due.

Upon attaining higher states of consciousness, one realizes that knowing the Self generates the greatest good to the world, and therefore one tirelessly pursues this end so as to emanate that goodness without lifting a finger.

Ramana says, If a man's life is irrevocably altered by sitting in silence before a Saint who says nothing, do you not think that better than one who listens to a grand talk by a guru and goes away unchanged?

When the Self is experienced — when one has united with it (through Yoga) one emanates harmony and balance. The impact that one has on the world is like a candle that dispels the darkness in a dark room — silent but perfectly effective. It cannot be otherwise.

So do we have a soul or don't we? I say no and you may say yes, but does it matter? What does matter is that we who have different belief or knowledge systems about such things, regardless, continue getting on with doing the greatest work of all — diving deep within to reach the inner stillness and Silence of Self.

Articles by Swami Harinanda and Yogi Karmananda are © 2026 and are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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