According to the Yoga Sutras, the ultimate state of Yoga is freedom, or “kaivalya.”
The Bhagavad Gita describes Yoga as the “path of the eternal and freedom from bondage.”
The goal of Yoga is to be free like a bird – but not like a bird in a cage…
The Yogi knows that he or she is very lucky to receive a human body. This body is not meant to be an abode of stress and worry. The Yogi is “dhrityutsahasamanvitah” – full of intelligence and enthusiasm, but not at all bothered about how things finally turn out. Our Natural State is meant to be one of freedom, viewing the world as a mart of joy, absorbing the Divine Bliss that pervades the universe.
The accomplished Yogi is happy, and feels free like a bird, but not like a bird in cage. Some may say, “This bird is lucky, it lives in a gold cage.” But the Yogi sees all cages as the same.
Here is what two Yogi’s have to say on the subject of “freedom.”
Swami Vivekananda:
“Utilize the things of this world and the next for just one goal – the attainment of freedom.”
“Possessions, learning, beauty, everything else – as long as they help us to that goal, they are of practical value. When they have ceased helping us onto that goal of freedom, they are a positive danger.”
“What are we here for? We are here for freedom, for knowledge. We want to know in order to make ourselves free. That is our life – one universal cry for freedom.”
“Freedom – physical freedom, mental freedom, and spiritual freedom are the watchwords of the Upanishads.”
“Our desire for freedom is above all, our desire for God. It was to this freedom above all that Christ referred when he said, “the truth shall set you free.”
“Bondage and freedom are in the mind. Thinking of weakness and bondage, one becomes weak and bound. Thinking of strength and freedom, one becomes strong and free.”
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj:
“Attachment is bondage, detachment is freedom. To crave is to slave.”
“Happiness depends on something or other and can be lost; freedom from everything depends on nothing and cannot be lost.”
“Nothing physical or mental can give you freedom. You are free once you understand that your bondage is of your own making and you cease forging the chains that bind you.”
“But whatever be the condition of your mind, in what way does it reflect you? It is only your self-identification with your mind that that makes you happy or unhappy. Rebel against your slavery to your mind, see your bonds as self-created and break the chains of attachment and revulsion. Keep in mind your goal of freedom, until it dawns on you that you are already free.”
“To act from desire and fear is bondage, to act from love is freedom.”
“Freedom is freedom from worry.”
“The moment a realized man becomes predictable, he cannot be free. His freedom lies in his being free to fulfill the need of the moment, to obey the necessity of the situation. Freedom to do what one likes is really bondage, while being free to do what one must, what is right, is real freedom.”
