patanjaliyogasutra samadhi pada

8/10/2019 PatanjaliYogaSutra Samadhi Pada

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P a t a n j a l i Y o g a S u t r a s

Patanjali Yoga-sutras are very important at this present state of world affairs. Humanity hasreached the peak in its intellectual understanding but unfortunately physically and emotionally it

is very, very poor. ThePatanjali Yoga Sutrasare the best means to develop physically,emotionally, mentally, intuitionally and spiritually. In a graded way we are led, from the physical

plane perfection, to emotional perfection, mental perfection, intuitional perfection, and spiritual

perfection.

Because of lack of co-ordination between the body, emotions or desires, or the relationship ofbody and desires with the high level of present day intellectual achievements, the humanity

though capable of controlling all the elements: earth, water, fire, air and space, is unable to lead a

happy and peaceful life, a life of enthusiastic festive mood. To attain this state (siddhi), Patanjali,

about 6000 years back gave us a system par excellence, a completely modified and well-balanced and extremely practical tips ofRaja Yoga, the yoga of kings. The kings here doesnt

mean about the earthly kings but about the kingdom of which Christ spoke, about which all theYogis speak. It is that state obtaining which, Sai is called the Rajadhi Raja, Yogi Raja. It is theKingship, the Over-Lordship of the human consciousness on its physical, emotional, mental and

intuitional levels.

Before we get into the depths of Patanjali Yoga-Sutras, we should have a clear notion of the four

states of consciousnessthe wakeful state, dream state, sleep state(void of dreams) and thuriya

(eternal NOW).

The first is the wakeful consciousness, of which we are all aware. It is the continuity of

consciousness on Physical Plane.. When you are awake, you are aware of India, U.S.A,

Germany, different parts of planet Earth and also different Stars and Planets and also aboutGalaxies and about the Hydrogen atom; the smallest one to the greatest one, Anoraniyan

Mahatomahiyan, therefore this is the first aspectright from atom to the Solar Logos. This is

the sweep of wakeful consciousness, to which we should reach, and we have already reached.We can reach any planet, we can reach any star, we can concentrate rays of any star on to the

planet, but this is only the physical aspect.

We are experts in the Physics, Chemistry and Alchemy in the physical plane matters, but

unfortunately we are slaves to the physical plane. Many a times we become slaves to taste and

slaves to sex. These two are the most important aspects of life that disturb us. We know that it iswrong, we know that it is bad, we know that it is harming us but still we are just helpless slaves

in its clutches. Before we sleep we promise ourselves to get up at 4:30AM but when the alarmstrikes, we just switch it off and sleep again, though we know the importance of waking up in the

early hours. Similarly we know the importance ofAsanas, Pranayamas and their significance,the breath control and body control but still we do not find time to practice it. Similarly about the

case of the three diseases, Diabetes, Heart troubles, High or Low B.P and then the Cancer; all

these three killer diseases are only because of uncontrolled desires. We just cant control ourtastes.
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The second is the dream state where we have no limitation of time or space. You can live a life

of 100 years in your dream and wake up to see that you are still the same person who just slept

for a few minutes. Though your dreams are affected by your subconscious, you have no directcontrol over them.

The third state of consciousness is the pure sleep state where you just sleep, NO dreams also.This is a state where you get connected with your innerself and get rejuvenated and wake up to

find that even a few minutes of sleep can give you the relaxation you get from hours of sleep. We

all have experienced such things in our daily life.

The fourth state of consciousness is the Thuriya or ETERNAL NOW. You may call it samadhi

or by any other name, the fact remains that we have still not reached a point where we can reallyunderstand what it is just as a person who has never seen or tasted a mango cannot be made to

realize its taste by just telling about it.

Raja Yoga means our ability to become a king, ruler of our body, desires, mind and not only that,

a king of group intuition. This word Group Intuition is used here with intention because the timehas now come for group approach, in yoga. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras have to be practiced in a

group, not alone, because humanity has now reached a stage in evolution for group effort whichwas not so in previous years.

Let us now start with the first Sutra from the Samadhi pada


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Atha yoganushasanam

Sutra 1.

Atha yoganushasanam

Atha = Now, herewith.

Yoga = Yoga.

Anushasanam = Exposition or teaching or discipline.

Now an exposition of yoga is being made.

Atha means now, when we say now, we should inculcate a habit of doing things now as

Kabir Das used to say: Kal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ab What you have to do

tomorrow do it now.

This must be the spirit of understanding and practicing Patanjali yoga sutras. Whatever is to bedone, whatever idea comes, try to implement it immediately, of course with common sense.

Atha means now, and yoga means a complete control of intuition, ofPrajna, ofRitumbhara

Prajna, the Samadhi state over the mind, desires and body. The definition on yoga has to be

understood as, intuition,Prajna; it is also known as Turiya; the state of Samadhi; it is also

known as Kootastha Chaitanyaandis also known as Guru Consciousness. All the Gurus arein this state of consciousness, the Raja Yoga consciousness or the kootastha consciousness, or

theRitumbharaconsciousness, or thePrajnaconsciousness, or the Samadhi consciousness or

the Yogaconsciousness.

Athah yoga means: now I am/ we are, determined to reach the state of yoga, this state of

intuition, this state of Ritumbhara, this state of Samadhi, this state of yoga. And how do we goabout it: as Atha Yoga Anushasanam. Anushasanam means discipline. The best example is

military discipline. We should be so perfect in our daily routines as if we are a one man, the

whole humanity working in well-coordinated approach to life or following the military discipline

of yoga. This is the discipline of intuition, the discipline ofPrajna, the discipline of Samadhi, thediscipline of yoga (yoganushasanam). I do what the samadhi state commands; I do what the

RitumbharaPrajnacommands; I do what the intuition commands; I have completely

surrendered to the power of intuition.

With this determination, we as a group, should start the practice of Raja yoga as advocated by

the science of yoga. Patanjali Yoga Sutras will make us warriors, Arjunas, fighting the Maha-Bharata, Ramas fighting Ravanas or the sadhakas fighting with their weaknesses. The discipline

of surrendering (anushasana), to this high level of consciousness, the thuriya consciousness, the

consciousness, which is beyond the wakeful state, the dreaming state and the deep sleepconsciousness, permeating all of them is the determination of the Raja yogi, the state which we

all want to achieve.


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Try to understand what we have to do while practicing the yoga-vidya, co-relating of what I want

to drive into your consciousness, by thinking over the aphorism as a mathematical formula or

equation. We have the formula E = mC2. Reading a formula automatically presupposes that you

have a background of a very deep study on the subject. Similarly when we say, I-Sutra1: Atha

yoganushasanam, we understand that we are dealing with a science of union. We are learning a

Science of Unionas described in,

Akhanda Mandalakaram Vyaptam Yena Characharam

Yatpadam Darsitam Yena Tasmai Sree Guravennamaha

One who is expert in yoga is a yogi, a Guru. You can take yogi and guru as synonyms.

This is the science of yoga, the science of union, the science of Samadhi, where you are able to

understand that the entire uni-verse is a union. Hence the name Samadhi pada is given to thisportion of the book.

Note: Each sutra being explained is a compilation of discourses from Dr.M.Sri RamaKrisha(Dr.RK) on Patanjali Yoga Sutras, The Science of Yoga by I.K.Taimni and The Yoga Sutras of

Patanjali by Alice Bailey and Djwhal Khul.


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Samadhi paadaSutra 2

Sutra 2.

Yogah chitta vri tti ni rodhaha.

Yoga = the science of union

Chitta Vritti = Mind modifications

Nirodhaha = Suppression.

The inhibition or suppression of mind-modifications is yoga.

The three words chitta, vritti, nirodhaha define yoga. Nirodaha means inhibition or suppression.

Chitta means mind. So the simple definition of Yoga is,

The inhibition or suppression of mind modifications.

Let us go a bit deeper into these aspects.

Always remember that I am only giving you a thread of thoughts (sutra) to follow. In Sanskrit,

sutra means thread. I am giving you a thread and you have to follow the thread by group

discussions and through meditation, first basing on the direction I am giving to you and later,

your intuition for guidance. That is why these are called sutras.

Here the word Chitta is derived from the word Chiti. Chiti is the part of triad Sat, Chit,

Ananda. The Divine is supposed to have three energies, the energy of Sat, the energy of Chit,and the energy ofAnanda. Out of these energies, Chit is the form-side of the universe. It is from

this Shakti as Chiti that the entire form world is made up of, the material worlds that we see.

Vritti is derived from the word vrit, which means to exist. Therefore in considering the ways in

which a thing exists, when I consider its modification, its states, its activities, its functions etc.,all are that objects vrittis. Hence vrittis mean, the various modifications of our minds in the entire

life cycle, wherever we are, whatever we are. Read and understand this last sentence very

carefully. Meditate on it. Let us have a clear understanding of the word vritti as used in these

sutras and the difference of meaning it conveys, from the word mind that we use in daily life.

The reflection of this chittaaspect of Paramatma in the individual soul, the Jivatma, is theinstrument or medium through which the individual vrittis are formed or developed. An appletree has an apple modification (chitta-vritti), a mango tree has a mango modification (chitta-

vritti), a camel has a camel modification (chitta-vritti), a horse, a cow, a man, and all have their

characteristic modifications or chitta-vrittis.

With this background we go to the third word used to define yoga: nirodhaha. It means

constraint, control, and inhibition. Now nirodhaha in the initial stages means restraints.
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Meaning as a restraint, in physical plane it is practice of asanas, in a bit more advanced state, it is

a control of prana shakti through pranayama and in a higher system of yoga it means the

complete suppression of Chit shakti.Thus the entire practice of yoga at al l l evels and planes,

means the inhibi tion or suppression of modif ication of mind as and when we want, and thi s

forms the basis of the enti re Samadhi Pada.


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Samadhi padaSutra 3

Sutra 3.

Tada drashtuh swarupe avastanam

Tada = Then

Drashtuh = Seer (observer)

Swarupe = in his own form

Avastanam = Establishment

The seer is then established in his own form.

When you practice the I 2 sutra : Yogah chitta vri tti n ir odhaha,you will be established inyour own fundamental nature as a seer of this world, the spectator of this world. This is the goal

of the entire practice of yoga. So the entire practice of yoga is that we should be established inthe fundamental nature of our own selves, the seer. To be established in our state of fundamental

existence, the fundamental nature of the seer, is the goal of the Patanjali Yoga.
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Samadhi padaSutra 4

Sutra 4.

Vr itti sarupyam itaratra

Vritti Sarupyam = Identifications of modifications of mind.

Itaratra = When not in the yogic state.

The world is identification with the chitta vrittis. The yogi identifies himself with the variousmodifications of mind when not in the yogic state.

Vritti in general is a way of existing, a state, a function but here it is modification or

transformation. We do many works in our daily life. We say that I am speaking, I am walking,I and doing this and so on. What you have to question yourself is whether you are actually doing

all these? Vritti saarupyamYou have been involved in doing these things so well that you feelthat it was you who is doing everything. In other words we all are no less than Oscar winners

who get awarded for acting so well. We have involved ourselves in our physical body so well

that we are something different from it is difficult to remember for us now. This sutra tells us to

remember this fact constantly.


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Samadhi padaSutra 5

Sutra 5.

Vr it tayaha panchatayyaha kl ishta aklishta

Vrittayah = Modes, modification or functions of the mind

Panchatayyah = Of Five Kinds

Klistha = Painful

Aklisthah = Not-painful

The entire yoga is nothing but suppression of mind modifications I 2 sutra: Yogah chi tta

vritti nir odhaha. Patanjali, being a great scientist and psychologist divides the mind stuff, the

mind patterns in two ways.

Klishta, Aklishta. The mind modifications may be painful or not painful. See the beauty of it; hehas not given a separate modification of pleasurable mind modifications. He only divides the

chitta vrittis into two categories. For example if you see a tree, it is a non painful modification of

mind but when you see horror film, it is a painful modification of mind, when you eat somethingwhich you like it is a pleasurable modification of your mind but patanjali gives division of only

two aspects of modifications, klishta and aklishta (painful or not painful). He says that there is

nothing pleasurable in this universe. It is only the wrong orientation of mind, to use a technical

word, it is lack of discrimination (viveka) that makes any chitta vritti as pleasurable. All chittavrittis if pleasurable are a sugar coated bitter pills, painful in nature.

If we have a little discriminative outlook in our daily life, we understand that each pleasure is a

starting point of trouble. When you feel happy about passing an educational attempt, you have

to get start with another one, another long painful course. At the maximum, a chitta vritti may be

not painful, but it can never be pleasurable. This is one way of dividing your modifications ofmind, chitta vrittis.

The other point of view from which the Chitta-Vrttis have been classified is the nature of thePratyaya produced in the Chitta. The object of classifying them in this manner is to show that all

our experiences in the realm of the mind consist of mental modifications and nothing else. The

control and complete suppression of these modifications, therefore, extinguishes our lower life

completely and leads inevitably to the dawning of the higher consciousness. When classified inthis manner the Vrttis or modifications are stated to be of five kinds as shown in the next Sutra.


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Samadhi padaSutra 6

Sutra 6.

Pramana viparyaya vikalpa nidra smritayaha.

Pramana = Right knowledge

Viparyaya = Wrong knowledge

Vikalpa = Imagination

Nidra = Sleep

Smritayaha = Memory

All mind transformations, all vrittis fall under these five headings. Of these, pramana andviparyaya are the mind modifications that are a consequence of direct sensual contact with the

world. Indirect contact with the world gives rise to the vikalpa vritti and smriti vritti. In deepsleep, nidra vritti, there is no cognition of any object. These five vrittis can be divided into three,

Pramana and viparyaya vritti Direct sense cognition

Vikalpa and smriti vritti Indirect sense cognition, and

Nidra Where there is no sensual contact with anything

Have a clear idea how in your daily life you are identified with one or all these five. I 4 sutra: Vr itti sarupyam itaratra. Try to find out in what kind of chitta vrtti(s) you are at any given

moment. Record them. You will be able to know that at a given type of situation you gravitate toone type of chitta vritti.


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Samadhi padaSutra 7

Sutra 7.

Pratyaksha anumana aagamah pramanani

Pratyaksha = Sense evidence

Anumana = Inference

Aagamah = Testimony of direct evidence, the vedas

Pramanani = standard

Patanjali here gives various methods of identifying pramana vritti. He says the pramana, thestandard or right knowledge can be of three types.

One is pratyaksha pramana chitta vritti, the direct cognition. For exampleyou are seeing your

own car, directly with your own eyes; that is pratyaksha pramana vrittiSeeing with your ownsense organs.

The second one is anumana pramana vritti, means an inference. You are sitting in your room and

hear your cars specific sound and you say yes the car has come. Here you do not have direct

sense approach but you have inferred from one of your senses that your car has arrived. This is

inference, anumana pramana vritti.

The third is testimony or revelation, aagama pramana chitta vritti. Revelation or testimony need

not be of rishis, or sages or scientists. Your servant may come and tell you, sir, the car hascome. You have the knowledge that the car has come. Your servant has testified the presence of

your car. So this is aagama, Veda pramana, or shruti pramana.

The whole science is developed on testimony (aagama pramana), which of course is based on the

direct cognition, namely experiments, pratyaksha pramana, and the inferences (anumana

pramana) drawn basing on them. Thus science is the application of pramana chitta vritti orsimply pramana.

The entire intelligentsia is in the grip of this chitta vritti, namely pramana. Later we will try tounderstand the main 7 divisions of the various planes and their subsequent 7 sub-divisions in

each plane. There we will see that we can reach to that particular plane through the subdivisionof that plane in the physical plane.


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Samadhi padaSutra 8

Sutra 8.

Viparyayo mithya jnanam atatdrupa pratishtam

Viparyayah = Wrong Knowledge

mithya jnanam = False knowledge.

Atadrupa pratishtam = is based on a form which is not its own.

Viparyaya vritti, wrong knowledge, is false conception (mithyajnanam) of a thing whose realform does not correspond to its own (atadrupam).

When we see a mirage, it is viparyaya, a wrong knowledge i.e., it is not water but you feel that

there is water there. But actually this mind modification, viparyaya vritti, is more prevalent thanwe realize. Whenever there is a lack of correspondence between your impression and a thing by

itself, it is always viparyaya. It is not related to the correctness of the mental impression. Justremember the story of four blind persons and the elephant. One catches tail, another the trunk,

another the ears, yet another the legs and each describes his view of elephant. And all this is

viparyaya. One calls it a flat surface, another a pot belly, another a pillar. All this is Atadrupa

Pratishtitam. It is based on not in its own form. And it is mithya gnyanam, false knowledge. Sothis Viparyaya Vritti is very common. Sometimes in semi-darkness though the object may be

blurred but if it corresponds with the object it is not viparyaya vritti of chitta.

Pramanais right knowledge of the object. Viparyayais wrong knowledge of the object. In

both these cases we have an object outside us.
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Samadhi padaSutra 9

Sutra 9.

Shabdha Jnanaanupaathi vastu shunyah vikalpaha

Shabda = Word

Jnana = Cognizance

Anupathi = Following upon

Vastu Shunyah = Empty of substance

Vikalpah = Fancy

An image that is built on words without a corresponding substance is vikalpa Fancy.

If we just reproduce a mental modification based on a previous experience it is a case of

memory. When we do manana or review our past life events we get many mind modifications

which will belong to the realm of memory. But vikalpah here is a modification which is new anddoes not correspond to any actual experience.

We read a novel. Though the objects with which it deals may exist but their combination does

not. For example, we can imagine a man with a lions head. This does not exist, but lion and mando exist. So vikalpah is a mental image which does not correspond to actual experience but

might be a composite image which emanates from previous memory.


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Samadhi padaSutra 10

Sutra 10.

Abhaava pratyaya alambana vri ttir nidra

Abhava = Absence

Pratyaya = Content of mind

Alambana = Support

Vrittir = Modification

Nidra = Sleep

Nidra vritti, sleep, is a state where there is complete absence of mind content.

In sutra 5 we learnt that there are 5 vrittis. We have learnt that pramana is right knowledge,

viparyaya is a false conception, vikalpa is fancy and now we are going to the 4th

vritti called

nidra. During this state there is no pratyaya in the field of consciousness. We know that the mindis divided into two parts, the lower concrete mind and the higher abstract mind. The concrete

mind requires the brain whereas the abstract mind does not need it. In nidra, your mind becomes

blank, the connection with the brain is cut off, your mind is not contributing anything, it has

nothing in it. Even the absence of any mind content is classed as a chitta-vritti.

This state resembles (in terms of appearance) chitta-vritti-nirodha i.e., nirbija samadhi. But the

difference is: in nidra, sleep, the activities of mind do not stop at all, only it is disconnected withbrain. In this chitta vritti of nidra the brain does not record the activities of mind. When the

person wakes up the contact is established again.

Yoga is suppressing the chitta in wakeful state. So though chitta vritti nirodha and deep sleep

look similar superficially, they are quite different.

Only one who has correctly understood nidra and experienced it can recollect their past births.

That is the reason Patanjali has given nidra first and smriti later in the order of the virttis.


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Sutra 11.

Anubhuta vishayasampramoshaha smrit ih i

Anubhuta = Experienced

Vishaya = Subject-Matter, object

Asampramoshaha = Not allowing to escape

Smritihi = Memory

Smriti, memory is not allowing an object which has been experienced to escape.

The remembrance of an experienced object is smruti, memory. In memory (smriti), just as infancy (vikalpa), the object is not there. This mental modification, chitta vritti, merely reproduces

previous experiences. Recalling a past experience is memory.Pramanais something which youdefinitely utilize in the jaagrutha state. if i see my class teacher in a dream, which vritti will it

be? The teacher is present, so it should bepramana,but in sleep. It is not right knowledge

because he is really not there. Hence it becomes viparyaya.

But if I see the teacher having two horns on his head? It becomes vikalpa. So we get to learn a

new point that these chitta vrittis can overlap one another but we have to learn to distinguishthem.

The chitta vritti in deep sleep is nidra. Smriti is recalling a past incident as it is. It is rightknowledge but repetition, this issmriti.

These are the five vrittis pramana, viparyaya, vikalpa, nidra, and smruti.. The entire science of

yoga, union, is based onChitta Vritti Nirodhaha, suppression of all these vrittis.


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Sutra 12.

Abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannir odhaha

Abhyasa = Persistent practice

Vairagyabhyam = Non-Attachment,

Tat+ Nirodhaha = Control or Suppression or inhibition of that

The suppression of the Chitta Vrittis is possible by two methods. One is Abhyasa, persistentpractice. The other is Vyragya, non-attachment. These are the two efforts which a man who

wants to become a yogi or one who wants to enter the path of spiritualism should practice.

These are the two steps which were told by Lord Krishna persistently in all the 700 slokas ofBhagavad Gita. Abhyasa means constant, ceaseless practice. It takes consistent effort to impose a

new rhythm upon the old, deep seated habits. The yogi is the result of patient endurance andsteady effort and not spasmodic enthusiasm.

Real vairagya is automatically achieved if you have the pramana(right knowledge). There is anincident in Sri RamaKrishna Paramahamsas life where a group of people approach him and start

praising him about his great sacrifices and vairagya. To this RamaKrishna Paramahamsa laughs

at them and says that the real vairagis are you people who see the great rishis and devotees with

your eyes but still are not attracted to that great nidhi. You are contented with your limitedworldy life. So you are the real sacrificers.

Non-attachmentis the one thing that eventually brings all sense perceptions to perform theirlegitimate functions. Through non-attachment to those forms of knowledge with which the

senses put a man in contact, they continuously lose their hold over him; the time eventually

comes when he is liberated, and is the master of his senses and of all sense contacts. This doesnot involve a state wherein they are atrophied and useless, but is one in which they are useful to

the yogi when and as he chooses and in so far as he chooses; they are utilized by him in

increasing his efficiency in group service and in group endeavor.

These are very simple well known words but what a tremendous effort of human will or

determination they represent!!!


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Sutra 13.

Tatra sthi thau yatno abhyasaha

Tatra = Of those

Sthithau = For being firmly established

Yatno = Effort

Abhyasaha = Practice

Of these two, abhyasa, practice is the effort to stay firmly fixed in the state of chitta vritti

nirodha.

All efforts must be centered to reach the state of chitta vritti nirodha where the light of Reality

shines through the yogi continuously. Though Patanjali classifies almost all possible practices(abhyasas) into eight categories(ashtanga yoga) we should never forget that Yoga is an

experimental science. In all sciences individual teachers develop new techniques. Each follows

the same eight principles (ashastanga-yoga) but imparts his personal touch.

We all know that brain is the shadow or external organ of the mind. Constant effort is to

be made by the spiritual man to restrain the modifications or the fluctuations of the mind and tocontrol the lower psychic versatile nature in order fully to express his own spiritual nature. Thus,

and only thus, can the spiritual man live the life of the soul each day upon the physical plane.

Whatever work we do is associated with one of the 5 indriyas. We have 5 gyanendriyas and 5

karmendriyas. And each one is associated with a tattva and chakra. Let me tabulate all this to

make your job easier and to understand quickly.

Tanmaatra Tattva -Karmendriya -Gyanendriya Chakra

1. Shabdha Akasha -tongue -ears Vishuddhi

2. Sparsha Vayu -hands -skin Anahatha

3. Roopa Agni -legs -eyes Manipooraka4. Rasa Jala -sex organs -tongue Swadhishtana

5.

Gandha Prithvi -anus -nose Muladhara


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Patanjali here is asking us to be in the chitta vritti nirodha state always. There are many

techniques to control this. Let me give one of it over here. Sit erect, close your eyes and be in a

relaxed state. Take a long deep breath and say OM exhaling completely with your mind

concentrated on Muladhara chakra. Take another deep breath and chant OM again whileexhaling but concentrate your mind on Swadhishtana chakra now. Similarly continue till you

reach agna chakra and stay there for some time. Om should be chanted out all the time. Tatra

sthithau yatnao abhyasaha.


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Samadhi PadaSutra 14

Sutra 14.

Sa tu dheerga kala, nairantarya, satkara asevitaha, drudha bumihih

Sa = That

Tu = Indeed

Dheerga = Long

Kala = Time

Nairantarya = Uninterrupted Continuance

Satkara = Reverent Devotion

Asevitaha = Pursued

Drudha = Firm

Bumihi = Ground

Abhyasa becomes firmly grounded when continued with reverential devotion for a long

time without breaks.

To be firmly grounded in abhyasa, Patanjali gives three very specific and clear directions.

The first guideline is dheerga kala. It has to be practiced for a very long time, extending to life

after life.

The second guide line is nairantarya. It has to be practiced continuously and uninterruptedly.

Every day just as we breathe continuously, drink and eat regularly, sufficiently long and fixed

hours have to be given for practice daily.

The third guideline is satkara aasevitaha. It has to done with reverent devotion and not in a

haphazard, aimless, reckless way.

By the practice of abhyasa for a long time, uninterruptedly with a mood of reverential devotion,

purifying the mind from its modifications(vrittis) is possible. The aim of abhyasa is to keep themind steady without any vrittis. How long this will take will depend on many factors: our

evolutionary stage, the time we have already given to the work in previous lives and the effort

we make in this life.


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At this present juncture of evolution, Samaya Dan (setting aside some timepreferably four

hours each day) andAmsa Dan (giving the maximum possible amount from personal earnings

and possessions) as enunciated by our Gurudev Pandit Sri Ram Sharma Acharya, is the bestabhyasa, to put this 14th Sutra in practice. Going to a forest or going to a resort is not necessary.

[READ THE LETTER OF SRI AUROBINDO TO HIS WIFE MRINALINI]

Sri Aurobindos letter to his wife Mrinalini Devi (1905, August 30)

[Note of A.B. Purani: On 30 August 1905 Sri Aurobindo wrote a letter to Mrinalini Devi. The

letter is one of those which were found and taken away by the police during the search of theGrey Street house in connection with the Alipore bomb trial and afterwards produced in court. It

was in this way that these intimate documents unexpectedly saw the light of day and what was

intended by Sri Aurobindo to be secret has become public property. The letters reveal a side

of his nature which had to culminate in his great spiritual work. The letter of 30 August,translated from the Bengali, is reproduced below.]

30th Aug. 1905Dearest Mrinalini

I have received your letter of the 24th August. I am sorry to learn that the same affliction has

fallen once more upon your parents. You have not written which of the boys has passed away

from here. But then what can be done if the affliction comes? This is a world in which when you

seek happiness, you find grief in its heart, sorrow always clinging to joy. That rule touches notonly the desire of children, but all worldly desires. To offer, with a quiet heart, all happiness and

grief at the feet of God is the only remedy. []

Now I will write the other thing of which I spoke before. I think you have understood by now that

the man with whose fate yours has been linked is a man of a very unusual character. Mine is not

the same field of action, the same purpose in life, the same mental attitude as that of the peopleof today in this country. I am in every respect different from them and out of the ordinary.

Perhaps you know what ordinary men say of an extraordinary view, an extraordinaryendeavour, an extraordinary ambition. To them it is madness; only, if the madman is successful

in his work then he is called no longer a madman, but a great genius. But how many are

successful in their lifes endeavour? Among a thousand men,there are five or six who are out ofthe ordinary and out of the five or six one perhaps successful. Not to speak of success, I have not

yet even entirely entered my field of work. There is nothing then for you but to consider me mad.

And it is an evil thing for a woman to fall into the hands of a mad fellow. For womansexpectations are all bound up in worldly happiness and sorrow. A madman will not make his

wife happy, he can only make her miserable.

The founders of the Hindu religion understood this very well. They loved extraordinarycharacters, extraordinary endeavours, extraordinary ambitions. Madman or genius, theyrespected the extraordinary man. But all this means a terrible plight for the wife, and how could

the difficulty be solved? The sages fixed upon this solution; they told the woman, Know that the

only mantra for womankind is this: The husband is the supreme guru.[Up to this point the

translation follows an early version by Barindra Kumar Ghose which was seen and revisedlightly by Sri Aurobindo. The rest of the translation is new.] The wife shares the dharma [law of

conduct] of her husband. She must help him, counsel him, encourage him in whatever work he


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accepts as his dharma. She should regard him as her god, take joy in his joy, and feel sorrow in

his unhappiness. It is for a man to choose his work; the womans part is to give help and

encouragement.

Now, the point is this. Are you going to choose the path of the Hindu religion or follow the idealof the new culture? Your marriage to a madman is the result of bad karma in your previous lives.

It is good to come to terms with ones fate, but what sort of terms will they be? Will you alsodismiss your husband as a madman on the strength of what other people think? A madman isbound to run after his mad ways. You cannot hold him back; his nature is stronger than yours.

Will you then do nothing but sit in a corner and weep? Or, will you run along with him; try to be

the mad wife of this madman, like the queen of the blind king who played the part of a blindwoman by putting a bandage across her eyes? For all your education in a Brahmo school, you

are still a woman from a Hindu home. The blood of Hindu ancestors flows in your veins. I have

no doubt you will choose the latter course.

I have three madnesses. The first one is this. I firmly believe that the accomplishments, genius,higher education and learning and wealth that God has given me are His. I have a right to spend

for my own purposes only what is needed for the maintenance of the family and is otherwise

absolutely essential. The rest must be returned to God. If I spend everything for myself, for mypleasure and luxury, I am a thief. The Hindu scriptures say that one who receives wealth from

God and does not give it back to Him is a thief. So far, I have given two annas to God and used

the other fourteen annas for my own pleasure; this is the way I have settled the account,

remaining engrossed in worldly pleasures. Half my life has been wastedeven the beast findsfulfilment in stuffing his own belly and his familys and catering to their happiness.

I have realised that I have been acting all this time as an animal and a thief. Now I realise this

and am filled with remorse and disgusted with myself. No more of all this. I renounce this sinonce and for all. What does giving to God mean? It means to spend on good works. The money I

gave to Usha or to Sarojini causes me no regret. To help others is a sacred duty; to give

protection to those who seek refuge is a yet greater sacred duty. But the account is not settled by

giving only to ones brothers and sisters. In these dark days the whole country is seeking refugeat my door. I have three hundred million brothers and sisters in this country. Many of them are

dying of starvation and the majority just manage to live, racked by sorrow and suffering. They

too must be helped.What do you say, will you come along with me and share my ideal in this respect? We will eat

and dress like ordinary men, buying only what is truly needed and offering the rest to God:

this is what I propose to do. My purpose can be fulfilled, once you give your approval, once youare able to accept the sacrifice. You have been saying, I have made no progress. Here I have

shown you a path towards progress. Will you take this path?

My second madness has only recently seized me. It is this: by whatever means I must have the

direct vision of God. Religion these days means repeating the name of God at any odd hour,praying in public, showing off how pious one is. I want nothing of this. If God exists, there must

be some way to experience His existence, to meet Him face to face. However arduous this path

is, I have made up my mind to follow it. The Hindu religion declares that the way lies in ones

own body, in ones own mind. It has laid down the rules for following the way, and I have begunto observe them. Within a month I have realised that what the Hindu religion says is not false. I

am experiencing in myself the signs of which it speaks. Now I want to take you along this way.

You will not be able to keep step with me, for you do not have the requisite knowledge. But thereis nothing to prevent you from following behind me. All can attain perfection on this path, but to


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enter it depends on ones own will. Nobody can drag you onto it. If you consent to this, I shall

write more about it.

My third madness is that while others look upon their country as an inert piece of mattera few

meadows and fields, forests and hills and riversI look upon my country as the Mother. I adoreHer, I worship Her as the Mother. What would a son do if a demon sat on his mothers breast

and started sucking her blood? Would he quietly sit down to his dinner, amuse himself with hiswife and children, or would he rush out to deliver his mother? I know I have the strength todeliver this fallen race. It is not physical strength,I am not going to fight with sword or gun,

but the strength of knowledge. The power of the Kshatriya is not the only one; there is also the

power of the Brahmin, the power that is founded on knowledge. This feeling is not new in me, itis not of today. I was born with it, it is in my very marrow. God sent me to earth to accomplish

this great mission. The seed began to sprout when I was fourteen; by the time I was eighteen the

roots of the resolution had grown firm and unshakable. After listening to what my aunt said, you

formed the idea that some wicked people had dragged your simple and innocent husband ontothe bad path. But it was this innocent husband of yours who brought those people and hundreds

of others onto that pathbe it bad or goodand will yet bring thousands and thousands of

others onto that same path. I do not say that the work will be accomplished during my lifetime,but it certainly will be done.

Now I ask you, what are you going to do in this connection? The wife is the shakti, the strength

of her husband. Will you be Ushas disciple and go on repeating the mantras of Sahib-worship?

Will you diminish the strength of your husband by indifference or redouble it by your sympathy.and encouragement? You will say, What can an ordinary woman like me do in these great

matters? I have no strength of mind, no intelligence, I am afraid to think about these things. But

there is an easy way out. Take refuge in God. Enter once the path of God-realisation; He willsoon make good your deficiencies. Fear gradually leaves one who takes refuge in God. And if

you can put your trust in me, if you can listen to me alone and not to all and sundry, I can give

you my own strength; that will not diminish my strength but increase it. We say that the wife is

the husbands shakti, his strength. This means that the husbands strength is redoubled when hesees his own image in his wife and hears an echo of his own high aspirations in her.

Will you remain like this for ever: I shall put on fine clothes, have nice things to eat, laugh and

dance and enjoy all the pleasures? Such an attitude cannot be called progress. At the presenttime the life of women in this country has taken this narrow and contemptible form. Give up all

this and follow after me. We have come to this world to do Gods work; let us begin it.

You have one defect in your nature. You are much too simple. You listen to anything anyonemight say. Thus your mind is for ever restless, your intelligence cannot develop, you cannot

concentrate on any work. This has to be corrected. You must acquire knowledge by listening to

one person only. You must have a single aim and accomplish your work with a resolute mind.

You must ignore the calumny and the ridicule of others and hold fast to your devotion.There is another defect, not so much of your personal nature, as of the times. The times are such

in Bengal that people are incapable of listening to serious things in a serious manner. Religion,

philanthropy, noble aspirations, high endeavour, the deliverance of the country, all that is

serious, all that is high and noble is turned to ridicule. People want to laugh everything away. Atyour Brahmo school, you picked up a little of this fault. Bari also had it; all of us are tainted by

this defect to some extent. It has grown in surprising measure among the people of Deoghar.

This attitude must be rejected with a firm mind. You will be able to do it easily. And once you getinto the habit of thinking, your true nature will blossom forth. You have a natural turn towards


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doing good for others and towards self-sacrifice. The one thing you lack is strength of mind. You

will get that through worship of God.

This is the secret of mine I wanted to tell you. Do not divulge it to anybody. Ponder calmly over

these matters. There is nothing to be frightened of, but there is much to think about. To startwith, you need do nothing but meditate on the Divine each day for half an hour, expressing to

Him an ardent desire in the form of a prayer. The mind will get prepared gradually. This is theprayer you are to make to Him: May I not be an obstacle in the path of my husbands life, hisaim, his endeavour to realise God. May I always be his helper and his instrument. Will you do

this?

Yours

In A.B. Purani The Life of Sri Aurobindo pages 79-84

also inSABCL,Volume 4 Writings in Bengali
http://intyoga.online.fr/sabcl.htmhttp://intyoga.online.fr/sabcl.htmhttp://intyoga.online.fr/sabcl.htm


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Sutra 15.

Drusta anushravika vishaya vitr ushnasya vashikaara samgya vairagyam

Vitrushnasya = Of him who has lack of desires

Drusta = Seen

Anushravika = Heard

Vishaya = Objects

Vashikaara samgya = Consciousness of complete mastery

vairagyam = Non-attachment

Vairagya, non-attachment, of him who has ceased to desire, is the consciousness of

perfect mastery over objects seen or heard.

Patanjali in this sutra defines vairagya. Vairagya means non-attachment. It does not mean

ignoring duties. It is a state of mind where you are not attached to anything whether it is of this

world or of other worlds. He is only interested in knowing himself, in knowing the truth.

In the early stages of evolutionary progress desires are the constant driving force to develop

mind. The development of mind is essential. For past 5000 years it is the desire-mind (kama-

manas) that has driven humanity to reach this state of civilization. Presently mind has reached astate where it can entertain any desire and put its utmost effort to achieve the desire. Evolution

has reached a stage when mind can be now transcended and the inner life be realized. To reachthis state, mind should be calm which involves stopping supply of desires to the mind. Not

supplying desires to mind is called non attachment. We are not asked to be free of desires butnot to be attached to desires. If your desire is fulfilled you are happy or else unhappy. This

should not be the case. You work towards the goal and let nature take its course. That perfectmastery over desires is known as vashikarasamgya. Abhyasa and vairagya, when persisted for a

long time, suppression of all the five-chitta vrittis results.

Try to visualize which way Patanjali is pointing us in the yogasutra. He has told us that the world

is made up of mental attitudes, the chitta vrittis. He has divided the vrittis broadly as Klishta andAklishta. And then, he further divided them into five types, pramana, viparyaya, vikalpa, nidra,

and smriti. And he says,Yogah chitta vritti nirodah . Nirodaha means complete inhibition. Nomodifications at all should be there in mind. It should be a calm, crystal clear surface with no

waves.

To keep the mind with no waves requires persistent practice, so tatra sthito yatnaha abhyasah.

To keep the mind in such a state always you should see that no new desires are arising. Therefore


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you are asked to practice non-attachment towards any seen or heard objects, Drushta

anushravika vishaya vitrushnasya vashikara samgya vairagyam. Mere absence of attraction and

inactivity of body is not vairagya. Real vairagya is deliberate destruction of all attractions and theconsequent destruction of all attachments resulting in conscious mastery over desires.

It will be seen, therefore, that isolation from the world or running away from temptations doesnot help us in acquiring true Vairagya though this may be necessary in the very early stages of

acquiring self-control. We have to learn the lesson and test ourselves in the midst of pleasures

and temptationsof course not by yielding to temptations and indulging in pleasures, but bytrying to pierce through the glamorous illusions which surround such pleasures while we are

under their domination. Real

Vairagya is not characterized by a violent struggle with our desires. It comes naturally and in its

most effective form by the exercise of our discriminative faculty which is called Viveka.

Glamour plays a very great part in producing Raga or attachment and even ordinary intellectual

analysis combined with reason and commonsense, can free us from many unreasonable habits

and attachments. But the real weapon to be used in acquiring true Vairagya is the morepenetrating light of Buddhi which expresses itself as Viveka. As our bodies are purified and our

mind becomes free from the cruder de-sires this light shines with increasing brightness anddestroys our attachments by exposing the illusions which underlie them. In fact Viveka and

Vairagya may be considered as two aspects of the same process of dissipation of illusion through

the exercise of discrimination on the one hand and renunciation on the other. As the process

reaches a deeper level it merges more and more in Jnana and becomes almost indistinguishablefrom it.


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Sutra 16.

Tat param purushakhyater guna vaitr ushnyam.

Tat = That

Param = Ultimate

Purusha Khyater = From Awareness of the Purusha

Guna Vaitrushnyam = Freedom from the least desire for the gunas

The ultimate or highest non-attachment (vairagyam) is that whereby the awareness of Purusha,

there is cessation of all desire for the gunas.

This is the ultimate goal and can only be understood when we have the basic Knowledge of

Yogic philosophy psychology. It is based that the whole creation is an expression of the threegunas on various levels.

1. SattvaEnergy of Spirit: Monad rhythm or harmonious vibration

2. RajasEnergy of Soul: Ego mobility or activity

3. TamasEnergy of Matter: Personality inertia

These three correspond to the quality of each of the three aspects which express the one Life.

1. That the spiritual man is the monad,

2. That the evolutionary process when carried to its climax produces not only the freeing ofthe soul from the limitations of the three worlds, but the freeing of the spiritual man from

all limitations, even that of the soul itself. The goal is formlessness or freedom from

objective and tangible manifestation, and the true significance of this becomes apparent

as the student remembers the oneness of spirit and matter when in manifestation; i. e. ourseven planes are the seven subplanes of the lowest cosmic plane, the physical.

Consequently only the time of the end and the dissolution of a solar system will reveal

the true meaning of formlessness.3.

The gunas are the three qualities of matter, the three effects produced when macrocosmic

energy, the life of God which persists independently of form-taking, actuates or energizes

substance.


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Discrimination and renunciation mutually strengthen each other and bring about progressively

the destruction of illusions and attachments which are the root cause of bondage. This results in

the release of consciousness from fetters which bind it to the lower worlds and the whole processculminates as we shall see later in Kaivalya, the final objective of Yoga. In that state the Purusa

having realized his true nature and having shaken off the yoke of matter has no attraction left

even for the subtlest kinds of bliss experienced on the highest planes of existence. He iscompletely self-sufficient and above all such attractions which are based on the play of theGunas. This Vairagya which is based upon the destruction of Avidya and the realization that

everything is contained in the Purusa himself or the Purusa is the source of everything is the

highest kind of Vairagya and is called Para-Vairagya. It will be seen that this Para-Vairagyawhich is a characteristic of the Purusic consciousnessif this word can be usedcan appear

only on the attainment of Kaivalya.

The entire yoga of this sutra is given in chapter 2, sloka 45 of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

From THE BHAGAVAD GITA by Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das

From GOD TALKS WITH ARJUNA by Paramahamsa Yogananda:

Qualities of human naturethe sattvic (elevating), the rajasic (activating), and the tamasic

(degrading). The ordinary devotee who understands only the surface import of the Vedas andwho blindly follows the literal instruction is unaware

of the truth that any man who concerns himself primarily with the phenomenal world of the threequalities is thereby subject to reincarnation through the strength of associated desires. If, for

instance, a man employs certain Vedic chants in order to triumph over an enemy, his success in

that aim will establish in his consciousness a desire for the power of future victories. Thissubconscious desire leads to the development of the activating (rajasic) quality in the devotee,
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and is the direct cause of another rebirth in which he must work out the unfulfilled desire. Any

desire develops in man one or more of the three qualitieselevating, activating, or degrading

and ties him to the wheel of reincarnation.

By remaining ever calm, a natural sequel to deep meditation, the sincere devotee frees himself

from the sway of the pairs of opposite qualities coexistent with the triad of gunas: good and bad,virtue and vice, happiness and sorrow, heat and cold, like and dislike, and so forth. When man

develops one quality, he is automatically required to experience its opposite. One who has pain

looks for happiness, and one who has happiness is afraid of losing it!

The tranquil, evenly balanced state of mind that cannot be disturbed by pain or happiness leads

the devotee to the unchangeable ever new joy hidden in the soul. Further, the soulssuperconsciousness should become anchored on the immutable rock of cosmic consciousness

where no waves of change make any impression; his goal should be unconditioned Existence in

God.


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Sutra 17.

Vitarka Vi chara Ananda Asmita Anugama Samprajnataha.

Vitarka = Argumentation

Vichara = Reflection

Ananda = Bliss

Asmita = I-am-ness; Sense of Individuality

Anugama = By accompaniment

Samprajnataha = Samadhi with consciousness

Samprajnata samadhi is that which is accompaniedby argumentation, reflection, bliss and

sense of pure sense of I-am-ness.

Samadhi may be defined generally as a process of diving into the deeper layersof ones

consciousness which functions through different grades of the mind. Consciousness is an aspect

of the Ultimate Reality in manifestation and its expression depends upon the particular grade of

the mind through which it is functioning, the coarser the medium the more limited theexpression. The different stages of Samadhi represent this progressive release of consciousness

from the limitations in which it is involved and Kaivalya is that state in which it can again

function in perfect freedom.

As consciousness functions at different levels in different grades of the mind through differentmechanisms which are called vehicles or Kosas its progressive release from limitations may be

looked at from another point of view. It may be considered as its withdrawal from one vehicle

into a subtler vehicle. Each vehicle has its own functions and limitations but the functions

become more inclusive and the limitations more tenuous as the matter of which it is composedbecomes more refined. This progressive withdrawal of consciousness in Samadhi into

increasingly subtler vehicles is represented in the diagram showing Stages of Samadhi.


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The

first aspect of Samadhi with which we deal here is the distinction between Samprajnata andAsamprajanta Samadhi. Samprajnata Samadhi means Samadhi with Prajna. The prefix A in

Samskrta means not and therefore Asamprajnata Samadhi means not the Samadhi with
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Prajna. The word Prajna in Samskrta stands for the higher consciousness working through the

mind in all its stages. It is derived from Pra which means high and Jna which means to know.

The distinctive characteristic of this higher consciousness which unfolds in Samadhi is that themind is cut off completely from the physical world and the consciousness is centred in one or the

other of the set of vehicles beginning with the lower mental body and ending with the Atmic

vehicle.

The difference between samprajnata and asamprajnata Samadhi lies in the presence or absence of

a Pratyaya in the field of consciousness. Pratyaya is a technical word used in Yoga to denote thetotal content of the mind at any moment using the word mind in its widest sense and not merely

the intellect. This Pratyaya may be of any kind and may exist on any plane of the mind. A mental

image of a child, a concept of a mathematical principle, an all-embracing vision of the Unity of

life are all Pratyayas of different kinds and belonging to different planes.

Now, in Samprajnata Samadhi there is a Pratyaya (which is called a seed) in the field of

consciousness and the consciousness is fully directed to it. So the direction of consciousness is

from the centre outwards. In Asamprajnata Samadhi there is no Pratyaya and therefore there isnothing to draw the consciousness outwards and hold it there. So as soon as the Pratyaya (P) is

dropped or suppressed the consciousness begins to recede automatically to its centre O and afterpassing momentarily through this Laya centre, tends to emerge into the next subtler vehicle.

When this process has been completed the Pratyaya (P) of the next higher plane appears and the

direction of consciousness again becomes from the centre outwards. The progressive stages of

the re-cession of consciousness to its centre and its emergence into the next higher plane may beillustrated by the following diagram:

From the time the Pratyaya P is suppressed to the time when the Pratyaya P of the next planeappears the Yogi is in the stage of Asamprajnata Samadhi. During all this time he is fully

conscious and his will is directing this delicate mental operation in a very subtle manner. The

mind is no doubt blank but it is the blankness of Samadhi and not the blankness of an ordinary

kind such as is present in deep sleep or coma. The mind is still completely cut off from the outerworld, is still perfectly concentrated, is still under complete control of the will. Asamprajnata

Samadhi therefore represents a very dynamic condition of the mind and differs from Samprajnata

Samadhi only in the absence of Pratyaya in the field of consciousness.

As a rule, when the Yogi is still learning the technique of Samadhi, he has to spend considerabletime on a particular plane in studying its phenomena and laws before he is in a position to
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attempt passage into the next higher plane. As the sadhak chooses with care the objects upon

which he will meditate, he through these objects, builds himself a ladder by means of which he

arrives eventually at the objectless. As his mind assumes increasingly the meditative attitude ofthe soul, the brain becomes also increasingly subjugated to the mind as the mind is to the soul.

Thus is the lower man gradually identified with the spiritual man who is omniscient and

omnipresent. This meditative attitude is assumed through a fourfold process: The vitarka level,the vichara level, ananda level, and the asmita level. You can try to understand these 4 samadhisas

Vitarka linked with the Mental body

Vichara sampragyata samadhi level linked with the Intuitional body

Ananda linked with Higher intuitional body

Asmita linked with Atmic level

So in Vedanta paribhasha we can call it as the manomaya, vignanamaya, anandmaya, and

atmamaya sampragyata samadhis.

Vitarka relates with the Manomaya kosa,

Vichara relates with the Vignanamaya

Ananda relates with the Anandamaya

Asmita relates with the Atmamaya

So the first variety samprajnata samadhi has been related at four different levels that is

vitarka, which means reasoning,

vichara is reflection,

ananda that is joy and

asmita means, I am ness

So samprajnata samadhi is that which is accompanied with reasoning, reflection, bliss and a

sense of pure awareness. This samprajnata samadhi leads to asamprajnata samadhias we learnt

just now and more will be told about this in the next sutra.


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Sutra 18.

Virama Pratyaya Abhyasa Pur vaha Samskara Seshaha Anyaha

Virama = Cessation

Pratyaya = Content of the mind

Abhyasa = Practice

Purvaha = Preceded by

Samskara = Impressions

Seshaha = Remnant

Anyaha = The other

The remnant impression left in the mind on the dropping of the Pratyaya after previous practiceis the other (i.e., Asamprajnata Samadhi).

Here anyaha means asamprajnata samadhi. Anyaha means the other. That which is not

samprajnata samadhi is the other. Abhyasa purvaha means by the previous practice of

samprajnata samadhi we get asamprajnata samadhi that is why he says purvaha and virama

pratyaya means dropping of mind content. The mind is without any vrittis at that particular level.

At present we are talking about vrittis of concrete mind pramana, viparyaya, vikalpa, nidra,

smrutayaha. These are the 5 types of vrittis, which we have, in concrete mind. We can onlyunderstand these vrittis. We have already leant in detail about these 5 vrittis, pramana vritti,

vikalpa vritti, viparyaya vritti, smruti vritti, nidra vritti which is the absence of all vritti. But only

these five belong to the concrete mind. The Vitarka Samprajnata samadhi belongs to the mentalmind what is known as the mind without any solid concrete basis. So this virama pratyaya means

the mind should not have any content in it. Try to understand what it means, dropping of the

seed held in the preceding Samprajnata Samadhi. A Yogi who is meditating on a seed can

drop it with the production of a void state of the mind but he cannot leave the seed ofSamprajnata Samadhi and start meditating on the idea of cessation.

The Patanjali yoga sutras need a lot of meditational reflection on your part. When he saysvirama pratyaya, virama means stoppage, full stop. Pratyaya the content of mind. So the content

of mind is completely stopped Abhyasa purvaha, by the previous exercises tatra sthitho yatnaha

abhyasaha. This practice when abhyasa purvaha is done whatever samskaras are left behind isknown as asamprajnata samadhi. Practice of holding in the mind the seed of Samprajnata

Samadhi. This phrase therefore serves to emphasize the fact that Asamprajnata Samadhi can be

practised only after the prolonged practice of Samprajnata Samadhi.


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What is happening there, the mind has no contents in it, it is completely blank but it is blank

dynamically. It is an expectant silence. A silence, which is expecting something higher coming

from outside its five senses. So do not say it is a blank thing. It is expectancy of something tohappen. So the pragya is there the awareness is there. But there is nothing in it therefore it is

known as asamprajnata samadhi. You are aware but there is no content. The current is there but

there is no machine operating with that. But the current is ready to operate the higher mind.Master DK(Djwala khul) gives six stages of meditation in the context of this sutra dealt with byPatanjali as they give a clue to the entire process of unfoldment dealt with in this book:

1. Aspiration,

2. Concentration,

3. Meditation,

4. Contemplation,5. Illumination,

6. Inspiration.

It is of value here to note that the student begins by aspiring to that which lies beyond his kenand ends by being inspiredby that which he has sought to know. Concentration (or intense

focusing) results in meditation and meditation flowers forth as contemplation.


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Sutra 19.

Bhava Pratyayayo Videha Prakruti Layanam.

Bhava = Of Birth; Objective existence

Pratyayaha = Caused

Videha = The bodiless

PrakrutiLayanam = Of the merged-in-prakriti; Of the absorbed in Prakriti

Of those who are Videhas and Prakrtilayas birth is the cause.

In the previous sutra we learnt that pratyaya means mind content. So by birth, the mind is havingthe content of divine energy, avadoothas like Ramana Maharshi. We have so many naked

avadoothas in India. We can call them as bhava pratyaya, by birth they are yogis. They have notpracticed any thing. That does not mean they have not practiced anything. They have practiced it

else where in some other space-time. But now they are not aware how they have become yogis.

They cannot even tell you how you can become like them. Their presence is enough to make youlike that. So do not ignore their presence. But what I want to insist is patanjali yoga sutra is

directly classifying them as bhava pratyayas that is they are born with some specific mechanism.

Some people can sing well. They are born with that mechanism. Some people can act well; they

are born with that particular mechanism. So do not compare them with yourselves and do not

think that they are very great. By their previous samskaras videha prakruti layanam, in abodyless state. For example the mediums, the great medium of all the time, Edgar Cayce is likethat. He just could explain how he catches the yogic details, intuitional details. He just got it by

birth. Bhava pratyaya, he is a yogi. Pratyaya means the contentthe yogic content of mind. By

birth he has got it.

Videha means he is not able to leave his physical body enter into the mediumistic state and give

us beautiful explanations. But it is by birth. And why are we not going to be like that. We have tobe what we call as upayapratyaya yogis about which the 20

thsutra deals. Upaya pratyaya, upaya

means an idea, a method. Edgar Caycee, the avadoothaas are bhava pratyaya. They are born like

that. We need to learn to differentiate between the two types of yogis. First are they whose

greatness is not the result of just this birth but previous samskaras from many births. The otherkind of yogi is the result of regular practice of yoga deep faith and energy as will be explained in

the next sutra.


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Sutra 20.

Shraddha Veerya Smruti Samadhi Pragya Purvaka I taresham.

Shraddha = Faith

Veerya = Indomitable Energy or Will

Smruti = Memory

SamadhiPragya = Intelligence or Higher knowledge

Purvaka = Preceded by

Itaresham = For others; of others

(In the case) of others (Upaya-Pratyaya Yogis) it is preceded by faith, energy, memory and high

intelligence necessary for Samadhi.

For the people, who are reading and studying patanjali yoga sutras are not only with academic

interest but who wants to practice it put it into abhyasa should have these four very specific

characteristics: Shraddha, Veerya, Smruthi and Samadhipragya purvaha.


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Sutra 21.

Teevra Samveganam Asannaha.

Teevra Samveganam = Of those whose wish is intensely strong

Asannaha = Sitting Near

It (Samadhi) is nearest to those whose desire (for Samadhi) is intensely strong.

From the above sutras if we conclude that reaching samadhi state is very difficult, it needspersistence, continuous practice for years and years and some times lives, patanjali corrects it; no

if you have a very deep desire, you can at this moment, enter samadhi.

The first factor is the degree of earnestness. The more ardently he desires to reach the object ofhis search the swifter is his progress. A man of ambition if he wants to rise to a position of power

and influence has to deal with the minds and attitudes of millions of men but the Yogi has to dealonly with one mindhis own. And it is far easier to deal with ones own mind than that of others

provided one is in earnest. Nothing really stands between the Yogi and his objective except his

own desires and weaknesses which can be eliminated easily and quickly provided one earnestly

wants to do so. This is so because they are mostly of a subjective nature and merely requireunderstanding and change of attitude.

The student need hardly be reminded that in the essential practice of Yoga we are dealing withthe recession of consciousness within itself and not with any material change. The process is

more of the nature of letting go than of building up something which naturally takes time.The real trouble with most aspirants is that the degree of earnestness is very feeble and there isnot sufficient pressure of will to break down all the hindrances and difficulties which stand in

their way.

The samadhi at hand is for those who desire it very strongly, but naturally, for many the desire is

not so strong. For such people, Patanjali gives the guidelines in the next sutra.


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Sutra 22.

Mridu Madhya Adhimatratvat Tataha Api Viseshaha

Mridu = Mild; Soft

Madhya = Medium

Adhimatratvat = Intense or Powerful

Tataha = From it; After that

Api = Also

Viseshaha = Gradation; Differentiation; Distinction

A further differentiation (arises) by reason of the mild, medium and intense (nature of means

employed).

The other factor which determines the rate of the Yogis progress is the nature of the means he

adopts in the pursuit of his aim. Astanga Yoga of Patanjali points out only the broad principles of

the general method which has to be followed in liberating human consciousness from thelimitations of Avidya and gaining Self-realization. The value of Patanjalis system of Yoga lies

in its elasticity and the capacity to subserve the needs of different types of individuals who share

the one common purpose of unravelling the Great Mystery which is hidden within them and are

prepared to make the necessary effort and sacrifices to achieve it.

If we want to go to a place at a distance, however keen we may be to reach it, our progress willdepend upon whether we use a bullock-cart, an automobile or an aeroplane. If a person is in a fit

of temper and wants to become calm he can come back to his normal condition by an adjustment

of his attitude which can be so rapid as to appear almost instantaneous. There are certain systems

of Yoga which do not involve an elaborate technique.

Your desire may be mild, your desire may be medium or your desire may be intense. Dependingupon that your state of reaching samadhi can be classified. So if you have teevra samvegam, a

very intensest desire, immediately you can enter samadhi or you have the other three states,

Mridumild

Madhyamedium and

Adhimatratvat intense


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Sutra 23.

I shwara Pranidhanath Va

Ishwara = God

Pranidhanath = Placing Oneself in ( God); By devotional dedication to; By self-

surrender to (God)

Va = Or

Or by self-surrender to God.

Till now we have learnt that the attainment of Samadhi is possible by the suppression of the

chitta vrittis and now here Patanjali gives another way of attaining it. This samadhi can beattained by total surrender to God. This is what we should practice day in and day out. Whatever

is happening is the Lords wish. Let us always remember that to work we have the right but

not to the results thereof. If with this in mind we continue doing our actions, we will attain

samadhi. But I request all of you to go through all that I have told till now about samprajnata

samadhi, asamprajnata samadhi and then read from various books about Ishwararpanam,

surrender to God.

The Patanjali yoga sutras as I have been repeatedly been telling you, are a process of reaching a

state of mind known as Samadhi. And I have told you that it is a process of science of union.From this sutra, patanjali gives probably a very dynamic and shortest route to attain samadhi

state. That is the state we aspire for in our S S S MeditationSamardha Sadguru SparshaMeditation. So eeshwara pranidhanadva, by surrender to God also you can get the samadhistate. Here the term God has to be very clearly understood, because many people have different

concepts about God. At least in Patanjali yoga sutras when we talk about God, we are talking

about the solar systems controller. That is exactly what Lord Krishna also mentions in the fourthchapter, imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam this permanent yoga has been taught

to the Sun God, the Sun. Here Ishwara also means the Solar Logos. This Ishwara is more

clearly defined in the next aphorism.


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Sutra 24.

Klesha Karma Vipaka Ashayaih Aparamrushtaha Purusha Visheshah I shwaraha.

Klesha = Afflictions; Misery; Cause of Misery

Karma = Actions; Activities

Vipaka = Maturation or Fruition

Ashayaih = Seed-Germs or Impressions of Desires wherein desires sleep

Aparamrushtaha = Untouched

Purusha = Spirit; An individual unit or Centre of Divine Consciousness

Visheshah = Special; Particular

Ishwaraha = Ruler or Presiding Deity of a Solar System

Iswara is a particular Purusa who is untouched by the afflictions of life, actions and the results

and impressions produced by these actions.

The Solar Logos, the Ishwara is defined as purusha visheshaha a special purusha. All of usbeing ordinary purushas, people having a particular individualized consciousness. Patanjali

knows the supreme individual consciousness, which one can reach in this solar system, as solarlogos or Ishwara which is denoted by purusha visheshah here. All of us are purushas and

Ishwara is the special purusha.

What is His specialty, viseshaha, Klesha karma vipaka ashayahi, there are four things which do

not touch Him. They are the kleshas, the five kleshas that we have already discussed namelypramana, viparyaya, vikalpa, nidra, smrutihi. The purusha visheshaha or Ishwaraha the

Supreme Lord is beyond these kleshas. He is also not touched by karma, the law of cause and

effect. He is not at all worried about the law of cause and effect and he is beyond vipaka(law of

fruitition). We do something now and we get its fruit sometime later. Sometimes they are in ourconsciousness as seeds to be reaped sometime in future, that is aashayaihi, reservoirs. Even that

is not a hindrance to the Ishwara, the kleshas, the karmas, the vipakas or aashayaihi. He is theSupreme Ruler of a Solar system or Brahmanda. It is in His Consciousness that the Solar systemlives, moves and has its being. The different planes of the Solar system are His bodies and the

powers working the machinery of the Solar system are His powers. In short, He is the Reality

whom we generally refer to as God.


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https://srk1948.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/chart9.gif


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As we can see from the above chart that the average humanity of all degreesis at the bottom

most part of the chart outside the circle and the Solar logosis at the top of the chart. This chart

clearly shows how big our task is after taking birth as a human. One thing which we shouldalways remember here is that this Presiding Deity of each of the Solar system who is a Purusa

Vishesa has also passed through the evolutionary cycle like everyone of us and attained that

inconceivably high level of a Solar Logos. This imparts a new significance to the idea of humanevolution and places it on an entirely new basis.

And He is stated to be

1. Untouched by limitation. He is no longer confined by the lower quaternary. The four

lower sheathsdense, etheric, emotional and mentalare no longer his prison. They arebut instruments which he can use or vacate at will. His will functions freely and if he

stays within the realm of the three worlds, it is of his own choice, and his self-imposed

limitation can be terminated at will. He is master in the three worlds, a son of God

dominating and controlling the lower creations.

2.

Free from Karma. Through knowledge of the law he has adjusted all his karma, paid allhis debts, cancelled all his obligations, settled all claims against him, and through his

subjective realization has entered consciously into the world of causes. The world ofeffects is left behind, in so far as the three worlds are concerned. Thus he no longer

(blindly and through ignorance) sets in motion conditions which must produce evil

effects. He works ever with the law and every demonstration of energy (the spoken word

and the initiated action) is undertaken with a full knowledge of the result to be attained.Thus nothing he does produces evil results and no karma is thereby entailed. Average

men deal with effects and blindly work their way through them. The Master deals with

causes, and the effects He produces, through the wielding of the law, do not limit or holdhim.

3. Free from desire.No longer do the things of sensuous perception on any of the three

planes attract or allure Him. His consciousness is inward and upward. It is no longer

downward and outgoing. He is at the center and the periphery no longer attracts him. Thelonging for experience, the craving for physical plane existence, and the desire for the

form aspect in its many variations has for him no appeal. He has experienced, He knows,

He has suffered, and He has been forced into incarnation through His longing for the not-self. Now all that is ended and He is the freed soul.


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Sutra 25.

Tatra niratishayam sarvagya beejam

Tatra = In him

Niratishayam = The highest

Sarvagya = Omniscient

Beejam = The seed or principle exists

In Him is the highest limit of Omniscience.

This sutra seems self-explanatory that in him, in Ishwara is the highest limit of omnisciencepresent. The meaning of the Sutra is easy to understand but its real significance is generally

missed. In order to understand this significance it is necessary to bear in mind that each Solarsystem is considered to be a separate and, to a great extent, independent manifestation of the One

Reality corresponding with its isolation and separation by tremendous distances from other Solar

systems in space. We may imagine the innumerable Solar systems scattered throughout theCosmos as so many centres in the Consciousness of the One Reality in manifestation which is

called Saguna Brahman in Hindu philosophy. Round each such centre manifests the life of the

Logos or Isvara of that Solar system much in the same way as the life of a Purusa manifests

round the centre of his consciousness through a set of vehicles. Each Solar system may thus beconsidered as a sort of reincarnation of its Isvara bringing into each new manifestation on a

macrocosmic scale the Samskaras of the previous Solar systems which have preceded it.

Since each Solar system is the manifestation of the consciousness of its Isvara and each Isvara

represents a definite stage in the infinite unfoldment of consciousness in the world of the

Relative, it follows that His knowledge though almost unlimited in relation to the other Purusasin the Solar system must be considered to be limited i

patanjaliyogasutra samadhi pada

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