The following are excerpts from Thus Spake BKS Iyengar by Noelle Perez-Christiaens,
©Institut de Yoga BKS Iyengar-Paris 1979
9. PHALA
“THE FRUIT”
Phala (pronounced with a ‘p’ followed by an aspirate ‘h; and not with an ‘f’ sound) also signifies the result, the reward. Already in the Sanskrit we find one meaning attributed to the word ‘fruit’ in our Western languages. It comes from the root PHAL, to burst, to cleave, to emit heat (as in fire). A fruit comes away of its own accord in the hand, when it is ripe, and can burst under the pressure of its own juices. Think of apricots or plumbs on a hot day.
Phalayoga is a reward, the obtaining of the result designated by the word ‘yoga’; it is to harness oneself (yoked) to a work, not to let any of the vital forces that one can bind together, bale together to use for the same end, be dispersed. Then the fruits of our labours will come by themselves, at the right season. Iyengar says, “All would find their own fruits if they would only listen.” (X51) Most students miss the fruits of their labours because they haven’t listened properly to the Master. As Christ said, “They have ears and hear not, eyes and see not.”
At this point. I think it good to recall that it is not enough simply to hear, but that we must ‘listen’ with particular attention, with that conscious perception which takes us back to manas. We have to work so hard at hearing! Hearing means understanding, too. Manas must refine the sense of hearing that, finally, we can listen, that in listening we can hear, and thus we may understand what to do and what not to do: “It is never a question of ‘what am I doing?‘ but of ‘What am I not doing?’” (J3)
Then the fruits of the synthesis will be given of their own accord, and will fall into our hands like ripe pears.
—One must not seek, one must search.
—One must not see, one must look at.
—One must not hear, one must listen to.
—One must not touch, one must palpate.
—One must not smell, one must sniff.
(X249)
10. PRAŅIDHĀNA
“COMPLETE SURRENDERING”
Another piece of advice from Patañjali: “the surrender to Iśvara brings samādhi,” he wrote (II.1, 32, 44).
In the word praņidhana, prana gives the idea of forward movement and intensity. Dhāna comes from the root DAH, which means to put, to place, to set up, to establish. Praņidhāna is thus to be placed, stretched towards something; it’s also to give oneself over to, the respectful conduct of a pupil towards the master; it’s attention sustained, the complete surrender to the master’s hands, or to a [guide for aiding the yogin on the path to spiritual emancipation] (Iśvara).
How will Iyengar go about making us feel this surrender to Iśvara concretely, in our own bones, against all anguish and fear? Through a surrender beyond all reckoning, beyond all self-defense mechanisms, to the guru who is, for the pupil, the ‘rough map’ passing on the BEING, before the ‘interior guru‘ is awakened. Iyengar uses the word ‘surrender’ to make us grasp this complete self-abandon to Cosmic Forces, to Energy, through its various manifestations which touch us. “Surrender to me,” meaning in effect, “relax your action against me,” was the order I received every time the Master [Iyengar] came to correct a mistake in a posture. Everything was tensed, contracted, either by the false balance (because I was out of plumb), or by the ridiculous effort I thought I had to make to do what was required of me. If I hadn’t relaxed, Iyengar could have hurt me or himself; first he took a step back, then the order came, and with it went all my resistance and hesitation, and he adjusted everything little by little.
“This surrender, by breaking the chain of distracting thoughts, increases the intensity of one’s concentration.” (J58) Obviously, confidence increases with practice. The Master insists on this point, seeing numerous pupils who do not truly hold fast to what he asks for: “If you do not surrender to your Guru (in life), at least at the time of learning, surrender. If not, the ego is responsible for that pride.” (Q13) He might have added, “Unless the disciple gives her/his ego and follows the guru’s instruction s/he cannot make physical, mental, or spiritual progress.” (Q14)
And so, as a result of continual surrender, surrender without argument, in spite of her/his fears, little by little the pupil (who already has many years of practice and ‘passivity’ behind her/him) becomes ready for the spark of meditation which captures her/him in a posture, during a lecture, on a walk… Where is s/he? Is it in her/his body, or out of it* that s/he seizes upon the light that is dissolving her/him? Who is s/he? S/he perceives directly without intermediary help that only Energy exists, and in intense fear, s/he tastes of this extraordinary harmony. But nothing terrible happens, for s/he is so used to confronting fear through the complete surrender to her/his guru. “The highest form of surrender is meditation.” (X127) In meditation there si nothing left but the BEING: IT, and nothing else.
* Cf., II Corinthians 12:2, ‘whether in the body or out of it, I do not know‘
Rafael Durán 