PHASES OF PRATYAHAR(Med 80)

PHASES OF PRATYAHAR(Med 80)
Swami  Chidananda

Pratyahara has a number of specific phases.

1. First is withdrawing the senses from the sense-objects. But it is possible only for a person involved in complete seclusion. But it is not possible for the vast majority of people. For the vast majority of people who have sense-objects around them, this disengagement is not possible; and the withdrawal of the senses from the sense-objects is possible only at the time of meditation. For the rest of the time, they are very much involved in the sense-objects and the first withdrawal is not possible.
2. The second withdrawal: The withdrawal of the sense centre in the brain from the actual sense. Let the eye see, but you do not involve yourself in the process of seeing. It is with reference to this withdrawal that both in the Upanishads and in the Gospel of Christ, it is said that the ultimate realisation is possible only for those seekers who even though having eyes do not see, even though having ears, do not hear. Such a person is blind even though having eyes, deaf even though having ears. Even though he lives in the world, yet he makes himself dead to the world by refusing to allow his inner perception centres to cooperate with the outer organs of the senses. He succeeds in detaching the inner perceiving centres from the sense organs.
3.  The third withdrawal: But then, if somehow or other an impression is made on the inner perceiving centre, then let your mind say: “Yes, I see this; but I have nothing to do with it.” This withdrawal involves detachment of the mind; it involves the severing of the mind’s link with the act of perception.
4.  The forth withdrawal: In the beginning stages of sadhana, the mind becomes involved, because the mind is still in a state of desire and craving, asha-trishna. In that case, the awakened intellect, the shuddha buddhi or jagrat buddhi – which is now his best friend because it is vichara-yukta and vivekatmaka – comes to his rescue. So the sadhaka who is endowed with this discriminating intellect now steps back and becomes only the detached witnessing consciousness. This is the withdrawal of the ego or the discriminating, awakened “I”. For this withdrawal, constant exercise of enquiry and discrimination are indispensable. They are also part of it.

In short, pratyahara is the process of withdrawing yourself from Prakriti in the form of the external world of sense-objects – an overall process of the Purusha trying to disintegrate from the Prakriti – once and for all. So, that is the special place that pratyahara occupies in relation to the ultimate Liberation of the Purusha from Prakriti.