The Practice of Yoga and the Development and Use of Psychic Powers

When an individual undertakes tapasya, the concentration of conscious force, in any manner, it is certain that the results will bring about new powers for that individual, whether an accentuation of powers that the individual already possessed and exercised to some degree, or the development and expression of new powers that were latent but not actively present, for that individual. The concentration may be in the physical realm, the vital realm, the mental realm, the psychic and spiritual realm, and the impact may manifest powers at any level of the being.

The focus need not fall under the rubric of ‘yoga’. When we see an athlete practicing to improve his physical, vital and mental conditioning, or we see an individual learning a new skill or science, or an artist perfecting his ability to observe and represent what he is observing, we are witnessing such a concentration of conscious force and results become obvious over time.

The practice of yoga is a focused effort that has as its basis the turning of the individual concentration from pursuits that increase skills for external action to the focusing of the attention on the spiritual growth and development. In his yoga sutras, Patanjali describes the 8 ‘limbs’ of yoga practice and points out that as a result of carrying out these steps, various powers can, and do, manifest. Traditional yoga teachings discourage the use of these powers as they tend to distract the seeker from the goal of liberation from the illusion of the outer world, and the attainment of oneness with the ultimate divine reality.

Yet, we can see that in the very practice of the yoga, the seeker is putting powers to work and concentrating on them, whether through the use of physical asanas, specialized breathing techniques, or use of powers of the mind to detach itself from the flow of thought and concentrate one-pointedly on a specific subject or object.

The evolution of consciousness and its progressive manifestation in ever-more-powerful forms implies that new powers of consciousness can and will manifest. Yoga acts as a concentrator of that evolutionary impetus. The development of new powers is a natural outgrowth of this evolution. Just as the mental power of the reasoning intellect manifested with the advent of the true mental force in the evolutionary cycle, so the next phase of evolution will clearly bring forth new forms of knowing and acting.

The question then comes down to whether these powers act as a distraction or as a fulfillment of the evolutionary purpose. For those who see liberation or escape from the cycle of birth and death as the purpose, taking up, perfecting and utilizing these powers is going to be seen as a distraction. For those dedicated to the perfection of life and the carrying out of the divine intention in the manifestation, accepting and using new powers of consciousness that emerge is part of the process. What needs to be avoided is the sense of personal aggrandisement, the growth of the ego and the development of any sense of personal ‘ownership’ in the evolutionary process that is occurring. The powers need to be exercised, as with any power, at any level, with insight, discretion, and right use. This is one of the messages delivered by Sri Krishna to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. Observing the right time, place, circumstance and use of any power is part of the mastery that is asked of the seeker.

Dr. Dalal observes: “In the East, most people have tended to consider supernormal powers, or Siddhis (perfections) as they are called in India, to be marks of spiritual attainment. However, spiritual teachers of a high order have regarded occult powers as inferior and unrelated to spiritual attainment. One who seeks occult powers, remarked Ramakrishna, is like someone who being offered a boon by a king asks for a pumpkin. Some even hold that on the spiritual path one must desist not only from seeking occult powers but also from using them if one has acquired them. Regarding such an attitude, Sri Aurobindo writes: ‘The idea that yogins do not or ought not to use these powers [having consciousness of things at a distance and intervening] I regard as an ascetic superstition. I believe that all yogins who have these powers do use them whenever they find that they are called from within to do so. They may refrain if they think the use in a particular case is contrary to the Divine Will or see that preventing one evil may be opening the door to a worse or for any other valid reason, but not from any general prohibitory rule. What is forbidden to everyone with a strong spiritual sense is to be a miracle-monger performing extraordinary things for show, for gain, for fame, out of vanity or pride.’ “

Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Powers Within, Introduction, pp. xi-xii