The world as a whole is attracted towards Yoga, but to understand it in its full reality, one has to comprehend that Yoga is the ultimate science of creation, preservation and transformation. It encompasses in its ambit, all manifest creation and also that which is unmanifest; all that pertains to prithviloka, earth, and also that which pertains to the seven dimensions below and above. It is true to what it is often termed as, the final frontier.

What makes a person venture towards this final frontier? In the last three decades of sadhana and my interactions with seekers of the ultimate truth, I have come to conclude that the reasons for people walking (or attempting to walk) this path may be divided into three categories:

Ego and arrogance: Egoists and the arrogant take up the science to prove or show to others how able and accomplished they are. The underlying thought behind taking up the science in this case is, ‘I will do and show’. For them, progress on the path towards becoming a siddhi is not so much a milestone on the journey to the ultimate but a trophy to flaunt.

This thought resonates with that of most asuras through various yugas. The result of this approach will be the same as those asura stories. There is no hope for this category because as soon as they take a step forward, they begin to externalise by showing off, which further boosts the ego. Progress on this path is inversely proportional to ego. Many are on the lookout for “experiences” and so they dilute the path. Even as an experience happens, they want another, and in the process, miss out on the journey. Entire time is spent in the pursuit of experiences only. For most, the thought of experience is so strong that the subconscious mind comes into play, and what they think to be another experience is actually daydreaming. One should only look at finality and the guru’s path and not worry about visions or experiences.

Fear of the unknown: A lot of people take up the science out of fear of hell or pain, or because of the fear of a deteriorating body. They do the practices out of compulsion, ‘If i don’t do this, i don’t know what will happen …’ and so they walk. When one does something out of compulsion, the consistency is lacking – that is, it is often done as a ritual or as steps, the bhav, quality, is missing. When this path is followed, one gets entangled in ritualism and the rituals are a never-ending process.

I have often seen such people performing their daily havan or jap in a hurry, because they have to be somewhere else. These people do get a chance to understand the path and know the ultimate but most people are distracted. But they still have hope. There is nothing wrong in having a combination of desires so long as one is able to keep them in line and not get swayed completely from the path and goal. The point to remember is to keep focus on the path and not waver.

Desire for merger: A minuscule minority takes up the subject out of love for the Divine. They practise neither to show off nor out of compulsion; there is consistency in their practice as they genuinely want to merge with the Divine. Such people are bound to reach their goal.