Aṣṭāṅga Yoga in the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa

Aṣṭāṅga Yoga means “the yoga of eight limbs” (aṣṭa = eight, aṅga = limb). It is a step-by-step path of yoga, from right conduct to complete absorption in meditation. Chapter 55 of the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa keeps a teaching on Aṣṭāṅga Yoga given by Nārada Ṛṣi to Arjuna.

Nārada gave this teaching at the Mahīsāgara Saṅgama (the place where the Mahī river meets the sea), after the account of Nārada’s mūrti (sacred image) and the story of Bābhravya. He presents the eight limbs (yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi) within the devotional setting of the Purāṇas. The teaching stresses inner purification of the practitioner and ends with the understanding that the final aim of yoga is to realise Paramātmā.

Where the Teaching Was Given

In Chapter 54, Bābhravya passed on to Arjuna what Kṛṣṇa had said about Nārada’s nature. After this, Nārada himself spoke to Arjuna about yoga at the Mahīsāgara Saṅgama. The Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa presents this not as abstract philosophy but as practical guidance, given by the divine ṛṣi to the great warrior on pilgrimage at one of the holiest tīrthas (pilgrimage places) of Bhārata.

The Eight Limbs

Nārada explained the classic eight-limbed path:

  1. Yama (restraint): the basic rules of right conduct: ahiṃsā (not harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (not stealing), brahmacarya (celibacy or self-control) and aparigraha (not grasping at possessions). These are the outer moral base. Without them, all the later limbs are unsteady.
  2. Niyama (observances): personal practices that purify: śauca (purity), santoṣa (contentment), tapas (spiritual discipline), svādhyāya (study of oneself and of holy texts) and Īśvara-praṇidhāna (surrender to Paramātmā). These are the inner partner of the yamas.
  3. Āsana (seat or posture): a steady and comfortable sitting posture that allows long meditation. In the Purāṇas, āsana mainly means the seat for meditation, not physical exercises.
  4. Prāṇāyāma (control of breath): guided lengthening, holding and releasing of prāṇa (life-breath) through the breath. Prāṇāyāma cleans the nāḍīs (subtle channels) and makes the mind ready for concentration.
  5. Pratyāhāra (drawing in the senses): pulling the senses back from outer objects, turning the attention away from the world of the senses and toward the inner field of awareness.
  6. Dhāraṇā (concentration): fixing the mind on one point or object, such as a form of the deity, a mantra, a holy place or the breath. Dhāraṇā is steady concentration that still takes effort, before it becomes effortless.
  7. Dhyāna (meditation): when dhāraṇā becomes continuous and unbroken, it becomes dhyāna, the steady, unbroken flow of the mind toward its object.
  8. Samādhi (absorption): when the one meditating, the act of meditation and the object of meditation become one, that is samādhi. In the setting of bhakti (devotion) in the Purāṇas, it is the absorption of the devotee’s mind in Paramātmā.

The Goal: Paramātmā

Presenting this path at the Mahīsāgara Saṅgama, Nārada stresses that Aṣṭāṅga Yoga leads to liberation when it is practised with devotion to Paramātmā, not as a mere technique. The practitioner who moves through the eight limbs and turns every stage toward Paramātmā reaches the final goal that the Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa always names as the purpose of all sādhanā (spiritual practice): the lasting end of saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death.

Sources

  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kaumārikā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 55