Home » Past Questions » English Language » From time to time I hear someone say, ‘But Yoga comes from India, therefore is s...

From time to time I hear someone say, ‘But Yoga comes from India, therefore is s...

Question

From time to time I hear someone say, ‘But Yoga comes from India, therefore is something “foreign” and I don’t see how we can make use of it’. Of course this is foolishness. It is like saying, ‘I don’t want to listen to the music of Bach because he was a German’, or it is like someone in India declaring, ‘We don’t want to use electricity, because Thomas Edison was an American’ Yoga is universal, it is a priceless gift from the East and its benefits are available to all of us who would accept them.

It is very tragic that many of us, not knowing the facts, have for many years confused Yogis (a person who practices ‘Yoga’ is a Yogi) with a certain class of people in India who are known a s Fakirs. Fakirs have gain extra ordinary control of their senses, but use this control to subject their bodies to abnormal conditions. For example, they sit on the famous ‘bed of nails’ stick pins and feats. They are generally persons of low mentality, and they perform these supernatural things for money, food, favours and so forth. These Fakirs should never be confused with Yogis nor do snake charmers or Indian rope trick practitioners have anything to do with Yoga. Yoga is a natural development for body and mind and a true Yogi will never permit anything harmful or unnatural to be done to his body or mind.

Finally, there is the question of ‘religion’. I am often asked, ‘Is Yoga a religion?’ My answer is, ‘Definitely not! For us, Yoga is a dynamic system of physical exercise and a practical and valuable philosophy to apply to everyday life. In short, Yoga is way of life and everyone, regardless of his religion, can benefit greatly from any6 one or all aspect of Yoga.

The writer dislikes Fakirs because

Options

Fakirs have gained extraordinary control of thier senses

Fakirs are confused with Yogis

Fakirs subject their bodies to abnormal conditions, and perform supernatural feats for money

Fakirs do not practice Yoga

being a Yogi himself, he is jealous f Fakirs

The correct answer is C.

Explanation:

The passage is discussing Yoga, which is a practice that originated in India. The writer is refuting the idea that Yoga is "foreign" and cannot be used by people from other cultures. They argue that Yoga is universal and can be beneficial to anyone who practices it. However, the writer notes that some people confuse Yogis with Fakirs, who are a different group of people in India. Fakirs are known for subjecting their bodies to abnormal conditions, such as sitting on beds of nails or performing supernatural feats, in exchange for money, food, and favors. The writer dislikes Fakirs because they are generally people of low mentality and are not true Yogis. They should not be confused with Yogis, who would never do anything harmful or unnatural to their bodies or minds. Finally, the writer clarifies that Yoga is not a religion, but rather a system of physical exercise and a philosophy that can be applied to everyday life. Therefore, everyone, regardless of their religion, can benefit from practicing Yoga.

The question asks why the writer dislikes Fakirs. The correct answer is option C, which states that Fakirs subject their bodies to abnormal conditions and perform supernatural feats for money. The writer dislikes Fakirs because they are not true Yogis and are generally people of low mentality who do harmful and unnatural things to their bodies for personal gain. Option A is incorrect because the writer does not express any disdain for Fakirs' ability to control their senses. Option B is incorrect because the writer explicitly states that people often confuse Yogis with Fakirs. Option D is incorrect because the passage does not state that Fakirs do not practice Yoga. Option E is incorrect because there is no indication that the writer is jealous of Fakirs.

Previous Question

Next Question

Leave Contribution