Sage Patanjali, after enlightening us about what is correct knowledge and the process to gain it, in his next aphorism helps us to understand misconceptions and how are they formed.
He very aptly quotes,
विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूपप्रतिष्ठम्॥८॥
Translation: Misperception arises when you accept the unreal as real or when knowledge of something is not based upon its true form.
Sage Patanjali stresses on the fact that we make wrong perceptions on the basis of what we see or understand from our observations.
It is an obvious fact that misconception leads to misinformation. If we make our perceptions based on this misinformation, we tend to get disillusioned from the truth. In the journey of an aspirant towards self-realization, these perceptions pose as one of the most frequent and strongest distractions.
The illusion caused by such misinformation is like a blanket of fog over the tip of mountains which hides the beautiful sunrise. Imagine a boy perceiving that there is no sunrise today and it is still night just because he cannot see the sunrise. He will lose the track of his day and his schedule.
In practical day to day life, same stands true with our perceptions about people and situations. We tend to be so judgemental about people on the basis of our information. We cannot ignore the fact that everyone has a different set of situations to live in and also varying parameters to gauge things. Similarly, with the situations in life we are scared to face change whenever anything new arises. We just make up our mind on the basis of some information we have and make prejudiced judgements hindering our quest of new opportunities.
Moreover it’s a human psychology to cling to the judgements forming a thick layer of rust on the surface of our potential which eventually diminishes the fire within towards new advancements in life and relations.
A question we need to ask ourselves while making our perceptions on the basis of the information received, ‘whether we are straining the knowledge received through the 3-stage filter process as we studied in our previous article.’
A little bit of careful approach before assuming, believing, interpreting and judging things, people and situations would definitely help lead a simpler but fulfilling life.
Reach out to me on WhatsApp on 8928458479 to know more about Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Patanjali Yog Sutras and Indian Yoga philosophy which is a major school of thought from the Hindu Shad Darshan!
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