Urban Sadhu Exploration March 2025
BG 6.21 sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyamvetti yatra na chaivāyaṁ sthitaśh chalati tattvataḥ
Meaning: In the joyous state of yoga samadhi, one experiences the supreme boundlessness of the Divine bliss and eternal Truth. –– Interpretation by Austin Sanderson
“Get on your yoga mat, start a revolution, and change the world” – this is the chant of the western yoga movement. It implies that by simply practicing a few yoga asanas while expressing a few revolutionary slogans we can start a cultural and social insurrection that will set us all free from the modern paradigm that keeps us under its oppressive thumb. “Long live the revolution, moksha for all!” as we try to perfect our handstand away from the wall.
What is this thing called moksha? Moksha (or mukti) is a central theme of eastern spiritual traditions. Moksha is a Sanskrit word that translates into “liberation,” “freedom,” “emancipation,” or “bliss.” Moksha is the final aim of both Hindu dharma and yoga sadhana (a committed spiritual practice of yoga). It is a revolutionary concept within itself, but not in the way that modern yoga practitioners expect liberation for themselves and the world around them.
Moksha is a state of non-ego identification, where the ahamkara, meaning the “I-maker” or the “I am the doer,” dissolves into aikyam, which means “oneness.” In moksha the yogi is free from all desires, actions, and consequences and instead exists in a state of total unity or absorption into eternal truth and unchanging reality. Moksha requires letting go of the world of material objects and going beyond the paradigm of the personal body and mind. In the view of ancient yogi ancestors, attaching identity to the material world or one’s body and mind is a type of bondage that only leads to suffering, keeping the soul in a cycle of Samsara, a cyclical trap of life, suffering, death, and rebirth. The state of absolute freedom is beyond time, space, or location; moksha can only exist in the atha, which means “now.”
Moksha is not a destination or a movement but a process that begins when one becomes aware of one’s true higher nature, going from “I am the doer” to simply “I am.”
Ancient yogi ancestors wanted moksha to take place outside society; they used the tools of yoga to take refuge in an internal spiritual world. In contrast, many modern yoga practitioners seek moksha within society, wanting society to adapt for them. This modern expectation demands a lot from society, while the ancient way expects nothing. For the yogis and yoginis who came before us, the liberation and emancipation of moksha was only internal bliss. Some would abandon society completely; others stayed active in it but placed very few expectations on others. But why did our yoga ancestors not expect more from society, as we do today?
In the ancient world, social revolutions are rare. Our ancient ancestors were conformists. Social revolution is common in the modern industrial era, where nonconformity and individuality are celebrated. The modern era’s main characteristics include anti-authoritarianism (“down with the tyrant”), a dismantling of oppressive power systems (“Hey-hey, ho-ho, patriarchy’s got to go”), and a much broader interpretation of what the human experience is (“I am the measure of my worth, and I say I am worthy”). I suspect that our ancient yogi ancestors would find our modern world disorienting and confusing, not liberating. As modern people we experience a type of external personal expression that our ancestors could never have imagined. In our modern world, if one lives in a free democratic society, we can express our personal feelings on a wide range of issues from politics to outrage over social issues. With social media, these personal expressions can be broadcast to the world. Ancient yogis would find our modern landscape disturbing, and we might find their ancient societies apathetic and suffocating.
We can find examples of yogis who were very spiritual and also social activists: Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Aurobindo, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Martin Luther King Jr. Coincidently, all of these except for the Buddha lived in the modern era. All were well informed about the issues that plagued the world, but it was their spiritual insights that motivated their actions, creating what we now call “spiritual activism.”
Today we see many yoga luminaries taking on social and cultural issues, not from a place of spiritual activism but for reasons of shameless self-promotion and branding in the highly completive modern yoga market. For these teachers, one week the hot topic is “don’t say Namaste” and the next week it’s the how the term “yoga pants” is a form of cultural appropriation. Both subjects are fairly shallow and mundane in comparison to the challenging issues humanity is facing: global warming, climate refugees, unaffordable healthcare, political misinformation, and the rise of totalitarian governments around the world (just to name a few). With issues like that, who cares if you call the garment “yoga pants” versus “athletic leggings” or say “Namaste” at the end of a yoga asana class?
When it comes to politics, we modern people have more personal sway in society than our ancient ancestors. Our modern progressive social revolutions are worthy causes to protect and uphold, but it’s going to take a lot more then jumping onto our yoga mats, performing a few down dogs, and chanting an “Om Shanti” at the end of class. So, what can we learn from our ancient yogi ancestors to help our society transform into one where all beings can be happy and free?
The concept of moksha is a revolutionary one, but it’s true meaning goes beyond practicing yoga asana and shouting provocative slogans. Ancient yogis laid out a spiritual path that says: “if we want to change the world, we have to be willing to change ourselves first.” By detaching ourselves from the fruits of our actions, we can be instruments for change in the world; we can put others before ourselves, and we can offer all beings happiness and freedom with or without the support of the power systems in place around us. We can acknowledge that yoga is a spiritual revolution, a personal revelation that ends otherness; and we can embrace oneness in order to make society better. If this were the ultimate goal of every modern western yoga practitioner, that would be revolutionary indeed.
Austin Sanderson, Urban Sadhu
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