DHARANA AND ITS OBSTACLES
1. The Internal Aspect of Yoga
Patanjali, in Yogadarsana, discusses two main aspects of yoga: the means or techniques
of yoga and the manifestations or attainments of yoga. The former is discussed in
Sadhanapada1 and the latter in Vibhutipada2. Sadhanapada includes yama and niyama,
asanas, pranayama, and pratyahara—these five embodiments of yoga are considered
external. Vibhutipada includes dharana, dhyana, and samadhi—these are the internal
aspects of yoga, and these alone enable one to enter into the important spheres of yoga.
However, only through the mastery of the techniques of yoga is the mind fit for the
attainments of yoga. The body is the medium for asana, pranayama, and pratyahara,
while the mind is the medium for dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. Only after the
purification of the body does the purification of the mind really begin. In Goraksa
Paddhati it is said, “A seeker should practice dharana only after mastering asana,
pranayama, and pratyahara.3”
2. Concept of Dharana
In Yogadarsana, Patanjali describes dharana thus: “When the pure mind is kept focused
in the desired desa (region) by the seeker, it is called dharana.”4
One must meditate in order to decrease the fluctuations of the mind, which result in
ignorance, inability, and misery. Through meditation, one can attain knowledge, ability,
and happiness. However, just as there cannot be a tree without a seed, so there cannot be
meditation without dharana. In order to meditate, one must first practice dharana.
A seeker practices dharana in order to focus many divergent thoughts towards a single
region of contemplation. Out of the trio of meditator, meditation, and the object or the
goal of meditation, the last one can be called the region of dharana. The seeker must
focus his mind on such an object or goal.