The fifth vikshepa is alasya, which translates as laziness and sloth. There are different types of laziness. One type is the laziness that arises because the soul becomes more prominent, as not-doing is the quality of the soul whereas activity is the quality of the body. But that is not the type of laziness Patanjali is referring to here. He is talking about the laziness that comes from giving up.
Laziness results when the other vikshepas become crippling. For example, when we are indifferent, careless and hasty, it is symptomatic of the fact that we have lost our faith and confidence in life. We no longer see the point of being enthusiastic and putting our hearts into whatever we are doing. We are living without really being alive. This can also happen in a spiritual practice when we go through the motions of meditating or praying without real interest. It becomes mechanical rather than heart-felt. It takes us nowhere.
When we observe small children, we see that they are full of wonder. Life is a playground, filled with energy for life. They are living in the flow of the prana of the universe, the bliss of the inner being, and they are not jaded or blocked by frustration, negativity, disappointment, failure and hopelessness. Everything they see is wonderful. They are not competing with anyone else, they are not bogged down by complexities and impurities, and they are still in touch with their feelings and their truth.
When the Heart Region of a human being fills with complexities and impurities in the form of samskaras, all the vikshepas come into play, leading to a negative spiral which eventually results in lack of motivation, incapacitation and inactivity. Just like a car that has broken down because it has never been serviced, our whole system eventually breaks down. This is alaysa.
When the Heart Region of a human being fills
with complexities and impurities in the form of samskaras,
all the vikshepas come into play,
leading to a negative spiral which eventually
results in lack of motivation, incapacitation and inactivity.
Just like a car that has broken down
because it has never been serviced,
our whole system eventually breaks down.
This is alaysa.
Imagine when a person in this state has their first taste of Heartfulness Meditation, and feels the ‘life-in-life’ of Yogic Transmission being infused into their system. There is an immediate effect. It is as if a lifeline has been thrown to them, a transfusion of motivation, to bring them back from sloth towards a zest for living, and the courage and confidence to move forward. Hope reappears. Renewed interest creates the will to be disciplined and have a purpose. That is something life-changing.
Article by KAMLESH PATEL
Daaji
Kamlesh Patel is known to many as Daaji. He is the Heartfulness Guide in a tradition of Yoga meditation that is over 100 years old, overseeing 14,000 certified Heartfulness trainers and many volunteers in over 160 countries. He is an inn... Read More
