TV Channel

We must understand what religion is and what yoga means. The word we call "religion" in English is called dharma and sanātana dharma. Sanātana means relation, and religion also means relation. Realizing your relation becomes religion. And yoga also means union—to realize your relation. Who are you? It means we are all the essence of the cosmic Self, or a part of the cosmic Self. Yoga is not only physical exercises, breath exercises, or just relaxation. Yoga is more than this; yoga is the oldest path or principle, as we call it. Yoga is that Śakti or principle which unites two forces: space and consciousness, the cosmos and consciousness. To keep a balance between these, and all visible and invisible elements are balanced by this one principle—that is called yoga. Where there is balance, there is harmony, and therefore to practice yoga means to achieve harmony. And where there is harmony, there is union, unity, so it means the union of the individual consciousness with the cosmic consciousness. In the Bhagavad Gītā, God Kṛṣṇa says, "Time to time I manifest myself through my yoga māyā or yoga śakti." It means that God, like Kṛṣṇa, who is universal, cannot manifest here in this world without that yoga śakti. So yoga is as old as the universe, number one. Number two, in order to realize this union with the cosmic Self, you have to follow particular rules, or there are some principles, and that is what you call sādhanā practice. Prayer, meditation, mantras, belief, be good, be kind, be positive, purification. These are the principles of yoga. There is a God who said this, yogī. How to realize that God? The techniques which were developed by yogīs. "Be kind to others"—who said this? Yogī. Ahiṃsā, the highest principle: "Thou shalt not kill"—who said this? Yogī. So these are all yogic principles. Now, if any religion on this planet has these principles—believe there is a God, be kind, be good, serve, love, meditate, prayers—then this religion is a part of yoga. So yoga is not a part of any religion, but all religions are a part of yoga. Therefore, if you practice yoga, that is very good, because it will help you to come forward from that path, or from the religion which you are practicing.