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Sradha

A discourse on the spiritual concept of Śraddhā (faith) within yoga practice.

"Śraddhā means respect. Śraddhā means devotion. Śraddhā means confidence. Śraddhā means love. Śraddhā means belief and expectation."

"Patañjali is suggesting... He instructs them to have Śraddhā toward their own sādhanā, their practice. That practice alone is your instrument, your vehicle, the very medium of your achievement."

The speaker unpacks the multifaceted meaning of Śraddhā from Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras, listing its aspects as devotion, confidence, and love. He explains that while faith is traditionally directed toward parents, a guru, or God, Patañjali's essential instruction is for the seeker to place that faith and confidence in their own spiritual practice as the vehicle for attainment.

Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar

Patañjali speaks of Śraddhā, Vīrya, Smṛti, and Samādhi. These are the qualities a sādhaka must master or purify. First, he discusses Śraddhā. Śraddhā means respect. Śraddhā means devotion. Śraddhā means confidence. Śraddhā means love. Śraddhā means belief and expectation. Śraddhā means hope. Thus, a single word holds many, many meanings. What, then, does Patañjali intend to convey here? A child possesses confidence, love, and attachment toward parents. A devotee has love, attachment, confidence, and expectation toward the Master. A bhakta has this confidence, devotion, belief, and so on, directed toward God. However, there are some people who do not believe in these conventional objects of faith, yet still wish to attain realization. Therefore, Patañjali is suggesting, or perhaps warning and advising, the sādhaka. He instructs them to have Śraddhā toward their own sādhanā, their practice. You know your car is in good order, so you will take it, drive onto the highway, and proceed. But if you do not trust your car—if you suspect something is wrong—you will not take it. Similarly, here, Śraddhā means you must have confidence in your practice. That practice alone is your instrument, your vehicle, the very medium of your achievement. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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