(Male and Female Yogis)

One who practices yoga. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

Those who strive through activities and achievement to establish the union are the ‘Karma yogis’; those who follow the Prema path are the ‘Bhakti yogis’; those who strive to manifest their latent powers and canalise them are the ‘Raja yogis’; those who stick to logical analysis and rational interpretations and attain intuitive perception are the ‘Jnana yogis’. In the Bharatiya spiritual history, these four types recur again and again. (BPV, p. 61)

‘One meal a day makes a Yogi, two meals a day make a Bhogi and three meals a day make a Rogi’. The Yogi is the contented, God-centred man. The Bhogi is the man revelling in sensual pleasure. The Rogi is the man ridden by illness. (SSS Vol.7, p. 101)

There are many who ridicule these yogis (God-centred men) and scoff at them. They call them selfish, anti-social, self-centred idlers who run away from their obligations and seek asylum in solitude and silence. But, being near does not ensure usefulness. Being far does not imply hatred or fear of company or uselessness. Viruses enter the very blood stream and surely, nothing can be nearer to you; yet, they are mortal enemies. Members of the same family are envious and suspicious of one another; those born as brothers or sisters fight in courts of law and fill the pockets of lawyers. Even twins seldom love each other. It is not being near that counts.

These yogis moved out into lonely spots and sought teachers of the inner path, much as young technicians do today, going to Japan or America or Russia in order to learn skills that will help to build a better India. They do not give up kith and kin and all chances to make a fortune, because they are afraid of facing the hard realities of life; they do not flee from loss or defeat. They go, to seek the secret of eternal joy; they win it for themselves; and, by their lives, they inspire others to win the precious secret, by treading the path they have found useful.

No one calls the man who has gone abroad to equip himself better, as an engineer or doctor, selfish; why then should the man who undergoes greater deprivations to equip himself better as an engineer of the mind, utilising its undoubted powers, not for bondage, but, for liberation, be tarred as ego-centric? This only shows ignorance of true values. There are isolation hospitals where patients suffering from chronic infectious diseases are treated and cured. The hermitages in the forests are such hospitals, where people who want to be cured of the infection of worldly life can undergo the treatment and come out free in order to serve other patients. (SSS Vol.5)