Raja-yoga

Raja-yoga

"royal yoga", "royal path"

"Yoga that shines like a king among people and leads to the eternal higher Brahman is called raja-yoga" ("Amanaska-yoga", 2.4).

Raja-yoga is designed to achieve a deep trance state (samadhi); these are methods of working with consciousness that plays a fundamental role in yoga.

The main practices of raja-yoga in the Nath Tradition include dharana on five elements, concentration on chakras, meditation on emptiness and nadanusandhana.

The practice of raja-yoga is preceded by the highest sections of hatha-yoga.

In "Hatha-yoga pradipika", raja-yoga is described as the highest original state of unity, samadhi:

राजयोगः समाधिश्छ उन्मनी छ मनोन्मनी | अमरत्वं लयस्तत्त्वं शून्याशून्यं परं पदम || ३ ||
अमनस्कं तथाद्वैतं निरालम्बं निरञ्जनम | जीवन्मुक्तिश्छ सहजा तुर्या छेत्येक-वाछकाः || ४ ||

"Raja Yoga, samadhi, unmani, manonmani, amaratva, laya, tattva, shunya-ashunya, parampadam. [4.3]
Amanaska, advaita, niralamba, niranjana, jivanmukti, sahaja and turya – all these words have the same meaning." [4.4]

In the text "Amanaska-yoga", raja-yoga is described as antar-yoga (inner yoga), which implies inner mudra (at the level of consciousness) as a reflection of the light of Shiva (Prakasha) in various forms of Shakti (Shambhavi):

"This mudra is the image of the Adishakti Uma; it arose from me." (Amanaska Yoga, 2.11)

In this union of emptiness and form, the highest state is revealed:

“By comprehending her [this vidya] and touching her, a person attains liberation along with twenty-one generations. Why talk about this again?” (Amanaska Yoga 4.13)