In
the Mahabharata, Yudhisthira has a dream…
He,
his brothers and their wife Draupadi, and his faithful dog are walking through
the north, over a “great desert of salt and white sand beyond the Himalaya,
where the sun’s rays had sucked up every drop of water.” One by one his brothers collapse and die, as
does Draupadi. Only Yudhisthira and his dog are left. Indra (the
Lord of Heaven) appears from above in his chariot and invites Yudhisthira aboard to ascend to heaven with him.
Yudhisthira refuses to go without his dog, who has been
faithful and stayed with him through the arduous journey. Indra tells him “there is no place for dogs
in heaven. It cannot be.” Yudhisthira replies “It cannot be otherwise”.
Indra is outraged – how can you give up heaven for a measly dog? Immortality, prosperity, and happiness for a
dirty animal? Yudhisthira says “This dog has been companion,
protector, friend. I will stay near him."
And he does.
The little dog in our story was the truest picture
of loyalty – he stayed with Yudhisthira, supported him while all those around
him fell, and was deserving of his devotion.
Dogs are almost without exception completely faithful to their owners,
and so give us a beautiful model of devotion. Really, I know a lot of people who would rank their dog a better friend than many of their human ones!
My son has a "fair-weather friend" and it is so painful to watch as a
parent. We have lots of conversations
around our dinner table about loyalty as a result. We talk about the need for loyalty from both
sides in a friendship, which (in kid terms) means being the same friend even
when someone or something “better” comes along. (Yudhisthira knew this innately
– my son’s friend, not so much.) The
truest friends are the ones who, when faced with the promises of heaven, still
choose to stay steady by our side regardless.
The ones who put their own comforts aside in service of friendship and
goodwill. The ones who do that not to win our favor, but
because it is in their heart to do so.
The word yoga itself means “yoke”. So really, yoga practice itself is a practice
of loyalty. When we cultivate loyalty we
become reliable, dependable, and steady, so we can more easily recognize our
dharma or path. When we know our path we
have an avenue for expansion and growth and we contribute more meaningfully to
our world and the world around us. When we are loyal to our
hearts we affirm our innate value and holiness. It is an act of deep honoring
of who we are at our very essence.
The way this plays out on our mats is of course
through our poses. We can always choose
an easier variation, the one we can “perform” more beautifully - but does that
move us forward? If we can stay
committed, loyal to the pose we are working on even when we can’t quite do it
yet, or when it is really challenging, that’s when we grow. When we are loyal
to our bodies, there is a greater capacity for expansion because there is an
innate faith that we will stay within the safe parameters for growth. Even on a subconscious & energetic level
loyalty affirms faith.
In
the end of the dream, Yudhisthira resists every
temptation to leave the little dog and look out for himself – he refuses Indra
and chooses to stay in the Earthly realm, choosing loyalty over the gifts of
heaven. Just as he affirms this
decision, Indra, looking behind him, drops to one knee and bows. Yudhisthira turns
around in surprise to see that the little dog has transformed into his father,
the God Dharma. Dharma says “Blessings
to you, as a dog I followed you across this desert. You have compassion for all creatures and
that is not weak but strong, and what you believe in you have defended to
heaven’s gate.”
Sometimes the gifts of loyalty aren’t always
clear. Hopefully at some point we have
that dog-becomes-God moment and it does, but that is not always the case (at least 10 times while I was typing this I mistyped the word dog as god...hmmm). In the end it doesn’t matter if we are
committed to a dog or (a) God, a person or an animal, a job or a hobby – the
act of devotion in and of itself is holy and worthy of blessing.
Off the mat:
What are you loyal to? What do you “yoga”
with? Is it/him/her deserving of your
faith and commitment?
Are there aspects of your life that you could
commit to more fully? What avenues do they provide for personal growth in spite
of sacrifices it might also require?
On the mat:
Be loyal to the pose you are holding – don’t rush
out of it because it’s not the prettiest one you can do. Or if it is, explore how you can deepen it
even further. Be loyal to your body by
honoring and respecting it’s boundaries and yet at the same time pushing those
boundaries to expand with every breath.
