INTRODUCTION TO YOGA.

with the study of the tendencies of the currents of thought, even then he is in the midst of shadows, the illusory shadows cast by unseen realities. This world is full of forms that are illusory, and the values are all wrong, the proportions are out of focus. The things which a man of the world thinks valuable, a spiritual man must cast aside as worthless. The diamonds of the world, with their glare and glitter in the rays of the outside sun, are mere fragments of broken glass to the man of knowledge. The crown of the King, the sceptre of the Emperor, the triumph of earthly power, are less than nothing to the man who has had one glimpse of the majesty of the Self In this context, the "Self" (capitalized) refers to the Atman—the eternal, divine essence of a person, as opposed to the temporary ego or personality.. What is, then, real? What is truly valuable? Our answer will be very different from the answer given by the man of the world.

original: "tad-artha eva dṛśyasyātmā" — Yoga Sutras II.21. This fundamental teaching suggests that the entire material world is a stage or a tool provided for the soul's experience and eventual liberation.

Not for what the outer world can give, not for control over the objects of desires, not for the sake even of beauty or pleasure, does the Great Architect A philosophical term for the Divine Intelligence or Creator who orders the laws of the universe. plan and build His worlds. He has filled them with objects, beautiful and pleasure-giving. The great arch of the sky above, the mountains with snow-clad peaks, the valleys soft with verdure and fragrant with blossoms, the oceans with their vast depths, their surface now calm as a lake, now tossing in fury—they all exist, not for the objects themselves, but for their value to the Self. Not for themselves, because they are anything in them-