PRACTICAL YOGA TECHNIQUES

SADHANA PADA
( Book II )
We are now entering into the practical aspects of Samadhi state. Always remember that the entire
yoga vidya is nothing but entering the samadhi state. We talk about the Samadhi of Sai, the
Samadhi of Sri Raghavendra Swamy and similarly many others, but we see them only as temples
and forget the real fact that they are called samadhis which is a state of consciousness of the
mind. In the previous pada ie., the Samadhi Pada, Patanjali dealt completely in an intellectual
manner, the various stages of samadhi starting with Savitarka Samadhi and classifying various
samadhis and ending with Ruthumbara Pragya and Nirbeeja Samadhi. To start with in the
following way :
Dharana
Dhyana
Samadhi
Which is followed by
Savitarka Samprajnatha Samadhi
Nirvitarka Samprajnatha Samadhi
Asamprajnatha Samadhi
These deal with the lower mind or concrete mind.
Savichara Samprajnatha Samadhi
Nirvichara Samprajnatha Samadhi
These deal with the Causal Body or Vigyanamaya Kosha
Sa-Ananda Samprajnatha Samadhi
Nirananda Samprajnatha Samadhi
These deal with the Buddhic Vehicle or Ananadamaya Kosa
Sa-Asmitha Samprajnatha Samadhi
These deal with Atmic Vehicle or Atma
These are followed by :
Nirbija Samadhi
Dharma Mega Samadhi
The last two are called Nirbija Samadhi states and the rest are grouped as Sabija Samadhi states.
Even with a Casual look at the various stages of Samadhi, one can very easily understand that
they are related to the Pancha Kosa J agarana when we deal with Sabija Samadhi. Therefore the
practical techniques are enumerated in this second pada known as Sadhana Pada which deals on
the methodology and working tips and phenomenon to pass through the various stages of
samadhi.

Sadhana Pada Sutra 1

Sutra 1.
Tapah Swadyayaa I shwaraPranidaanaani Kriyaa Yogaha
Tapah = Austerity
Swadhyayah = Study of Self
Ishwara Pranidaanani = Surrender to Self or to God
Kriya Yogah = Preliminary Yoga.
Austerity, self-study and resignation to Isvara constitute preliminary Yoga.
Austerity, Self-Study and Surender to Ishwara Constitute the Practical Yoga. So the entire
practice of being in the state of Samadhi, continuously reaching a state of mind and keeping it
there. The first thing that is required is tapas. Tapas means self control Dedication, control of
senses for the cause. This state of mind of samadhi has to be dealt with carefully. Tapas is related
to will, Svadhyaya to the intellect and Isvara-Pranidhana to the emotions. Before understanding
the sadhana pada let us try to understand why I am very particular that all of you read this
Patanjali Yoga Sutras and become experts on it. Let us go back to the Samadhi Pada , Sutra 42.
Tatra Sabhda Artha J nana Vikalpaihi Sankirna Savitarka
Tapah means not sitting aloof and doing japa. It means doing good which your mind is unwilling
to do. For eg. a sugar patient should follow a strict diet. This is tapas for him. Swadyaya means
SELF study. It includes regular practice of asanas, after which pranayama is possible. Then
absolute surrender to the guru. One of the three or all the three are required for a yogi. To
overcome the Vrutthis and Kleshas three distinct, separate methods are given in Book 2 Sutra
1.
Tapaha Swaadhyaaya Eshwara Pranidhaanaani kriya yogaha
Let me repeat that tapas means self control, dedication and control of senses for the cause.
Tapaha is the practice of Yama, Niyama and the four Samyamaas which we condense as SIVA
principle. Here,
S Means Samaya Samyamana
I Means Indriya Samyamana
V Means Vak Or Vichara Samyamana
A Means Artha ( money ) or (meaning) Samyamana.
All of you should have this S I V A principle very clear in your minds. Then swadhyaya means
that you have a dairy and you study yourself. It means self study. How much are you able to
practice these four principles of austerity or Tapas i.e S I V A. also we should practice the
niyamas and yamas. We should see that we are following Ahimsa, satya, astheya, aparigraha,
brahmacharya and then shaucha, santhosha, swadhyaya, tapas, Iswarapranidhana. So these ten
five yamas and five niyamas have to practiced if you want to go to the higher stages of samadhis.
So this is our present goal. Crossing nirvitarka samadhi which we have yet to acquire and then
pass through a stage of asamprajnatha samadhi and go to savichara samadhi then to nirvichara
Samadhi. For this we have to practice tapas, swdhyaya and Ishwara pranidhani. Ishwara
pranidhana surrender to God, surrender to the divine principle is the best method to reach these
states of samadhi. With all this we should remember that in studying the science of Samadhi,
most of us who are reading this book are in Savitarka Samadhi. It is the state of mind in which
you are always present. A continous state of mind samadhi. Savitarka Samadhi is defined in
Book 1 Sloka 42 as:
Tatra Shabdha Artha Jnana Vikalpayiehi Sankeerna Savitarkaa.
Shabdha means The Words We Are Uttering
Artha means The True Knowledge Which We Want To Convey
Jnana means Ordinary Knowledge based on Sense Perceptions and Reasoning
Naturally there will be many Vikalpas or alternatives to our understanding, due to doubt or
uncertainty and also we may be in a state of Sankeerna that is a mixed up or confused or
unresolved state. Hence all of us are in Savitarka Samadhi in which knowledge is based only on
words, real knowledge and ordinary knowledge based on sense perception or reasoning that are
present in a mixed state and the mind alternates between them. With this background let us
proceed with the Sadhana Pada. You do not have the technical knowledge before attending the
classes the first day you join your engineering course, but if you attend the classes for four years,
and if you hear shabda and artha you get a B.tech degree by the end of 4 years, jnana, a new
knowledge. So samadhi gives new knowledge. A knowledge which you do not have before. This
is what we should always remember when we talk about samadhi.


Sutra 2.
Samadhi Bhaavanaarthah Kleshatanukaranaardhascha
Samadhi = Samadhi
Bhavanartha = For bringing about
Klesha = Afflictions
Tanukaranartha = For reducing
Cha = And
(Kriya-Yoga) is practised for attenuating Klesas and bringing about Samadhi.
Why should we practice this sadhana ie Tapas, swadhyaya, Ishwara Pranidhani? Because we
have to dilute our kleshas. We have to dilute our chitha vrithis, we have to remove our chitha
vruthis. Earlier we have told that chitha vrithis are of five types i.e panchatayaha, klishtah
aklishtah. These chitha vrithis have to be completely removed to reach the samadhi state. Yoga
means removing of chitha vrithis. For this we practice tapas, swadhyaya, Ishwara pranidhani and
the kriya yoga. By practicing these sessions we dilute difficulties and hindrances. This is what
we mean by klesha tanukaranaardhascha. Because of this dilution or removal of kleshas we go to
Samadhi bhavanartha or samadhi state. Kriya-Yoga not only attenuates the Klesas and thus lays
the foundation of the Yogic life but it also leads the aspirant to Samadhi, the essential and final
technique of Yoga. Master DK gives three kinds of seeds or Kleshas saying that these seeds are
found in three groups, each producing a large crop of hindrances or obstructions on the three
planes of mans evolution the seeds latent in the physical body, those producing the
obstructions of the astral body, and the seeds latent in the mental body. They are of three kinds in
each case, making literally nine types or kinds of seeds:
1. Seeds brought over from previous lives,
2. Seeds sown in this life,
3. Seeds brought into the field of ones life from the family or race with which one is allied.


Sutra 3.
Avidyaa Asmitaa Raaga Dwesha Abhiniveshaah Kleshaa
Avidyaa = Ignorance or Illusion.
Asmitaa = I-Am-Ness or Egoism
Raagaa = Attraction towards a particular desire
Dweshaa = Repulsion
Abhiniveshaah = Clinging to Life
Kleshah = Miseries, causes of pain.
The lack of awareness of Reality, the sense of egoism or I-am-ness, attractions and repulsions
towards objects and the strong desire for life are the great afflictions or causes of all miseries in
life.
These are the hindrances in getting the knowledge be it physical or materialistic. The cause of all
lack of knowledge is ignorance. So if you want to become an engineer you have to remove the
avidya related to the knowledge of engineering. For samadhi state also you have to remove a
particular type of illusion. All these avidya are based on four other types of dependent avidyas.
Asmitha, Raaga, Dwesha, abhinivesha klesha are the five hindrances for samadhi state. In the
next sutra Patanjali says that avidya is the main root cause out of which the other four kleshas
develop. Asmitha is not selfishness but I am. It is not egoism. Asmi mean I. Ta means the clause
the feeling. Asmitha is the feeling that I am there, not selfishness. In sleep you forget everything
but when somebody calls you by your name you wake up. That consciousness that makes you
feel that you are alive is asmitha. Avidya is the basis for all other disturbances. In this section or
pada, we will learn a great deal about klesha, what they are, why should they be destroyed and
also how to destroy them and replace avidya by viveka. So in this sutra we got to know what
these 5 kleshas are and later on as we go ahead we will learn more about them and know that it is
these 5 wrong ideas or concepts have prevented men from realizing that they are the true sons of
God. It might be pointed out that two of the hindrances, avidya and sense of personality, relate to
man, the synthesis upon the physical plane, that desire has relation to his astral body or vehicle
of feeling, and that hate and a sense of attachment are products of the sense of egoism (the
ahamkara principle) which animate the mental body. Thus the threefold personality is the field
for the seeds and in the soil of the personal life in the three worlds do these seeds propagate and
flourish and grow up to obstruct and hinder the real man. These seeds must be destroyed, and in
their destruction three things eventuate:
1. Karma is worked off,
2. Liberation is achieved,
3. The vision of the soul is perfected.

October 5, 2014 by sivachandana Leave a comment
Sutra 4.
Avidyaa Kshetram Utareshaam Prasuptha TanuVichhinna Udaaraanaam
Avidya = Ignorance or lack of awareness
Kshetram = Field or source
Utareshaam = Of the following
Prasupth = Dormant
Tanu = Attenuated
Vicchinna = Scattered or dispersed
Udaaraanaam = Expanded, fully operative
Avidya is the source of those that are mentioned after it, whether they be in the dormant,
attenuated, alternating or expanded condition.
The field of avidya kshetram can be of four types. The avidya may be prasuptha i.e sleepy or
dormant. When I (Dr.RK-a Chemistry professor in physical life) am talking these things my
knowledge of chemistry is dormant. It is prasuptha avidya, or my knowledge as Gayatri upasaka
is dormant when I teach chemistry to students at college. Prasuptha is ignorance, it could be
ignorance of chemistry or Gayatri. This knowledge is there in me but when I am talking about
these sutras that knowledge is prasuptha, or dormant. Then you have tanu which means diluted.
Sometimes the avidya may not be very active it could be very diluted. For example I might be
very sleepy while teaching a lesson, but not so sleepy to stop my lecture. Therefore I control the
sleep and continue my speech and then go to sleep. So that particular disturbance or klesha of
sleep is in a diluted state. With a little effort I can overcome it, I can ignore it. And then you have
the vichinna which might mean cut off or alternating. Sometimes the chat conversations on T. V
are cut due to server problems. So because of this cut there is a break in the transference of
knowledge. This is known as vichinna or break. And then udaarana ie great abundance. These
types of avidya, uteresham means one after another follow as asmitha, raga, dwesha and
abhinivehsa, but they be in the prasuptha state i.e the dormant state or tanu state or dilute or
vichinaa, alternating state or udaaranam ie fully operative condition. So we now learnt that
Avidyaa could be of four specific types and we will learn the definition of avidya in the next
sutra.
Filed under Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Sutra 6.
Drigdarshanashakthyor Ekaatmateva Asmitaa
Drik = Power of Consciousness
Darshana shakthayor = Power of seeing, Buddhi
Ekatmatha = Identity, blending together
Iva = As if
Asmitha = I-am-ness
Asmita is the identity or blending together, as it were, of the power of consciousness (Purusa)
with the power of cognition (Buddhi).
Asmitha is the root cause of all our troubles. A president feels that he is president, a labourer
feels that he is a labourer and most of all we identify ourselves with our names. I am
Ramakrishna. This identification is known as ekatmatha. Ekatmatha means identification with.
Identification with Drigdarshanashakthyo You are able to see but what you are seeing you
think that you are that. You are seeing your body and you are feeling that you are the body. I am
the body, I am a doctor, I am an engineer, I am walking, I am talking, I am writing. Wherever
you utilize this I am, asmitha is there, an illusion is there. When the pure consciousness gets
involved in matter and owing to the power of Maya, knowledge of its Real nature is lost, the pure
I am changes into I am this where this may be the subtlest vehicle through which it is
working, or the grossest vehicle, namely the physical body. The moment the veil of Avidya falls
on consciousness its identification with its vehicles results immediately, though philosophically
Avidya must precede Asmita. As consciousness descends into one vehicle after another the veil
of Avidya becomes, as it were, thicker and the tendency to identify oneself with the vehicle
becomes stronger and grosser. We should remember that all the activities are done by the
physical body and that HE is merely witnessing them through his mind.
When a person says he has a headache what is really happening is that there is a slight disorder
in the brain. This disorder by its reaction on the next subtler vehicle through which sensations
and feelings are felt produces the sensation of pain. The indwelling entity identifies himself with
this joint product of these two vehicles and this results in his having a headache, although a
little thought will show him that it is not he but the vehicle which is having the pain of which he
is aware. When the Jivatma is able to leave a vehicle at will and see it separate from himself
then only is the false sense of identification completely destroyed. For the advanced Yogi who
can and does leave his body every now and then and can function independently of it in a routine
manner, it is just like a dwelling house. As the Yogi leaves one vehicle of consciousness after
another in Samadhi he destroys progressively the tendency to identify himself with those
vehicles and with the destruction of Asmita in this manner the veil of Avidya automatically
becomes thinner.
We should remember that :
1. His three sheaths or bodies which are his medium of contact on three planes:
a. The physical body,
b. The emotional or astral body,
c. The mental body.
2. On the physical plane he has his five senses, hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell.
3. The mind, the great sixth sense which has a triple use. As yet for the majority of men it has but
one use:
Its first and commonest use is a gathering of the realized contacts together and their transmission
as information to the ego or knower, much in the same way as the nervous system telegraphs to
the brain the external contacts it makes. It is this use of the mind which produces primarily the
sense of personality which begins to fade out as the other uses become possible.
A second use of the mind is the one which the first five means of yoga bring about the power
to transmit to the brain the thoughts, wishes and will of the ego or soul. This brings into the
personal self on the physical plane a recognition of the reality and the sense of identification with
the not-self becomes steadily less.
The third use of the mind is its use by the soul as an organ of vision whereby the realm of the
soul itself is contacted and known. The final three means of yoga bring this about.
It should be emphasized that this is a most important fact to note. If the aspirant will regard the
development and full use of the sixth sense as his immediate objective, and will bear in mind the
three purposes for which it is intended, he will make rapid progress, the sense of personality will
fade away and identification with the soul will ensue. This is one of the greatest of the fetters
which hold the sons of men captive. It is here that the axe must be laid to the root of the tree.
Try to understand more and more attentively when we enter the nirvichara sampragnata samadhi.
At present we are in savitarka sampragnatha Samadhi. Asmitaa is the identity, as if, the power of
consciousness (Purusha Drig) with the power of cognition Buddhi (Darshana shakthyo). To
understand this we can take the example of the space contained in a moving car. The car is
parked in front of your house with all the glasses raised. When the car starts moving the space
contained in the car also moves but is it true. Think Over It.
Tatra Shabdha Artha Jnana Vikalpaihi Sankeerna Savitarkaa.
Tatra means here. From this we have to jump to the nirvichara sampragnatha Samadhi. We have
to pass through the nirvitarka samadhi and then go to asamprgnatha samadhi then to savichara
samadhi and then to nirvichara sampragnatha samadhi. That is our present goal. When we
achieve it we will know what real asmitha is. The seeing and the object seem to be one. The
bodies in you feel to be one. Wherever you say I am that, the asmitha is there. With this
background let us proceed further.

Sutra 4.
Anitya Ashuchi Dukhanaatmasu Nitya Shuchi Sukha AtmaKhyaatihir avidyaa
Anitya = Non-eternal
Ashuchi = Impure
Dukha = Misery, pain
Anaatmasu = Non-atman, not self
Nitya = Eternal
Shuchi = Pure
Sukha = Happiness, pleasure
Atma = Self
Khyathi = Knowledge, consciousness
Avidya = Ignorance
Avidya is taking the non-eternal, impure, evil and non-Atman to be eternal, pure, good and
Atman respectively.
If we can understand the broad field of knowledge that Patanjali paints before us to understand
avidya at this moment we can become God realized. He has given four characteristics. anityaa
ashuchi dukh anaatmasu. anitya means that which is non eternal, asuchi that which is
impure, dukha that which is painful and anatmasu that which is not atma. We attribute the
reverse characteristics nitya, suchi, sukha, atmakhyatihi. We attribute eternity, purity
pleasantness and atman characteristics to those which is anitya, dukha and anatmasu. This is
avidya. A feeling of anitya to nitya, a feeling of suchi to asuchi, a feeling of sukha to dukha, a
feeling of atma to anatma is avidya. Avidyaa is taking the non eternal, impure, painful and non
atman to be eternal pure good and atman respectively. This avidya is the basis. Out of this
avidya spring the other kleshas. The method and process through which the human being has
evolved five senses or avenues of approach to the not-self are well known and any standard
physiological text book can supply the needed information. Three factors must be borne in mind
in connection with the spiritual unit:
1. The senses have to be evolved,
2. Their recognition and use must follow,
3. A period succeeds wherein the spiritual man utilizes the senses in the fulfilment of his desire,
and in so doing identifies himself with his apparatus of manifestation.
He is doubly blind, for he is not only born blind and senseless but he is mentally blinded also,
and does not see himself or things as they are but makes the mistake of regarding himself as the
material form, and this he does for many cycles. He has no sense of values or of proportion but
looks upon the transient, suffering, unclean, material, lower man (his three sheaths in their
totality) as himself, the reality, He cannot dissociate himself from his forms. The senses are part
of the forms; they are not the spiritual man, the dweller in the form. They are part of the not-self
and the medium of its contact with the planetary not-self.
Through discrimination and dispassion the self, who is permanent, pure, and blissful, can
eventually dissociate itself from the not-self which is impermanent, impure, and full of pain.
When this is not realized, the man is in a condition of avidya. When it is in process of
accomplishment, the man is a follower of vidya or knowledge, a fourfold path. When the soul is
known as it is and the not-self is relegated to its rightful place as a sheath, vehicle or implement,
then knowledge itself is transcended and the knower stands alone. This is liberation and the goal.

Sutra 7.
Sukhaanushayee Raagah
Sukha = Happiness, Pleasure
Anushayee = Accompanying, resulting
Raag = Attraction, liking
That attraction, which accompanies pleasure, is Raga.
Raga is defined in this Sutra as the attraction which one feels towards any person or object when
any kind of pleasure or happiness is derived from that person or object. It is natural for us to get
attracted in this manner because the soul in bondage, having lost the direct source of Ananda
within, gropes after Ananda in the external world and anything which provides even a shadow of
this in the form of ordinary happiness or pleasure becomes dear to it.
We always try to feel happy, and love to go to a place where we find pleasure. But this pleasure
automatically involves asmitha. I wanted to go to a place where I find pleasure. That I am ness.
You want to go to a place of your liking. Naturally it means that you have asmitha. The attraction
which accompanies pleasure is raga. But because it is based on asmitha and asmitha itself is
based on avidya this has to be overcome.
Try to analyze your desires. For example : lets say you always wanted to buy a car. The moment
you buy a car, you are very very happy. Is the happiness because you bought a car or that the
desire to buy it has been accomplished and there is no desire left?

Sutra 8.
Dhukhhanushayee Dweshaha
Dukha = Pain
Anushayee = Accompanying
Dwesha = Repulsion
That repulsion which accompanies pain is Dvesha.
The essential nature of the Self is blissful and therefore anything which brings pain or
unhappiness in the outer world makes the outer vehicles recoil from that thing. That repulsion
which accompanies pain is Dweshaha. But pain is also based on I am ness. Now we are in
savitarka sampragnatha samadhi,.The entire humanity is in samadhi. You need not practise a
particular type of samadhi, you already know samadhi. It is known as savitarka samadhi or
savitarka sampragnata samadhi or you can say it dwells in the lower mental concrete mind, the
manomaya kosa. Because of the manomaya kosa you are able to understand everything from the
structure of an atom to the structure of the galaxies. You can understand the sweep of the
knowledge which the savitarka samadhi has been given to humanity. Humanity is now in that
state. But now we by reading these sutras want to pass through nirvitarka sampragnatha samadh
to asampragyatha samadhi. From here we have to go to savichara samadhi. From that we have to
go through nirvichara samadhi. There we can understand what real spiritualism is. With this
background you have to go beyond these dwandwas sukha and dukha. If this sukha and dukha
are there, you are there or that I am is there.
These attractions and repulsions are really the breeders of desires pertaining to the lower life they
naturally keep us tied down to the lower worlds where consciousness is under the greatest
limitations. As Raga and Dvesa form a pair of opposites we cannot transcend one without
transcending the other. They are like two sides of a coin. In the light of what is said above it will
be seen that Vairagya is not only freedom from Raga but also freedom from Dvesa. A free and
unconditioned mind does not oscillate from side to side. It remains stationary at the centre.
Attractions and repulsions really belong to the vehicles but owing to the identification of
consciousness with its vehicles we feel that we are being attracted or repelled. Those who
systematically try to attenuate the Klesas by means of Kriya-Yoga can see the subtler workings
of these Klesas, how they permeate the whole fabric of our worldly life and prevent us from
having any peace of mind. The true yogi neither feels aversion or desire. He is balanced between
these pairs of opposites. Hate causes separation, whereas love reveals the unity underlying all
forms.

Sutra 9.
Swarasavaahi Vidhusha Api TathaRudoabhiniveshaha
Swarasavahi = Flowing automatically
Vidushaha = Learned/Wise
Api = Even
Tatha = In that way
Ruda = Dominating
Abhiniveshaha = Fear of death/Strong desire for life
Abhinivesa is the strong desire for life which dominates even the learned (or the wise).
The last derivative of Avidya is called Abhinivesha. Abinivesha means fear of death. Fear that I
am not going to be there. Fear of vanishing of asmitha is Abhinivesha. What is death, the loss of
I am. So this feeling that because of death I am not going to be there is an illusion, is an avidya,
because we from hindu tradition very strongly believe that after death also we continue. But still
we fear death. That is why Patanjali says even though he is a pandita a wise man he still fears
death. Abinivesha is the strong desire for life which dominates even the wise. The philosopher
who is well versed in all the philosophies of the world and knows intellectually all the deeper
problems of life is as much attached to life as the ordinary person who is ignorant about these
things.
The desire to live is not the result of some accidental development in the course of evolution. It
seems to be an essential feature of that process. What is this all-powerful force which seems to
underlie the current of life and which makes every living creature stick to life like a leech all the
time? According to the Yogic philosophy this force is rooted in the very origin of things and it
comes into play the moment consciousness comes in contact with matter and the evolutionary
cycle begins. Avidya is the root of all the Klesas and Abhinivesa is merely the fruit or the final
expression of the chain of causes and effects set in motion with the birth of Avidya and the
involution of consciousness in matter.

Sutra 10.
Te Pratiprasava Heyah Sukshaamaha
Te = They
Pratiprasva = Re-absorption
Heyah = Capable of being reduced or avoided
Sukshmah = Subtle
These, the subtle ones, can be reduced by resolving them backward into their origin.
So how do we get rid of these avidya, asmitha, raga, dwesha and abhinivesha? Patanjali says go
into the subtler and subtler states. Enter from the manomaya kosha to the subtler states of
vigyanamaya kosha. From the vitarka samadhi state enter the vichara samadhi state. That is what
he means by the above sloka. These the subtle ones can be reduced by resolving them backwards
to their origin. How to do it ?
The transition from the fully active to the perfectly dormant condition takes place through a
number of stages which have been pointed out in II-4. Through the practice of Kriya-Yoga they
can be attenuated progressively until they become quite dormant, incapable of being aroused by
ordinary stimuli from the external world. But given extraordinary conditions they can be made
active again. So we have to deal with two problems in the complete elimination of the Klesas,
first to reduce them to the inactive or Suksma state and then to destroy even their potential
power. The first is referred to generally as reducing the Klesas to the form of seeds which
under favourable conditions have still the power to grow into a tree, and the second as scorching
the seeds so that while they may retain the outer form of the seeds they have really become
incapable of germinating and growing into a tree.
The phrase Pratiprasava means involution or re-absorption of effect into cause or reversing the
process of Prasava or evolution. The process of the development of Avidya into its final
expression Ahhinivesa is a causal process, one stage naturally and inevitably leading to the next
one. It is therefore inevitable that if we want to remove the final element of this fivefold series
we must reverse the process whereby each effect is absorbed in its immediate cause and the
whole series disappears. This means that Abhinivesa should be traced back to Raga-Dvesa,
Raga-Dvesa to Asmita, Asmita to Avidya, and Avidya to Enlightenment.
Master DK answers this question of removing Ignorance (avidya) saying that it must be
supplanted by the true vidya or knowledge, and as is well know, in this fourth race on this fourth
globe and in the fourth round, the four vidyas and the four noble truths and the four basic
elements form the sum total of this knowledge.
The four vidyas of the Hindu philosophy might be enumerated as follows:
1. Yajna Vidya The performance of religious rights in order to produce certain results.
Ceremonial magic. Is concerned with sound, therefore with the Akasha or the ether of
space. The Yajna is the invisible deity who pervades space.
2. Mahavidya The great magic knowledge. It has degenerated into Tantrika worship.
Deals with the feminine aspect, or the matter (mother) aspect. The basis of black magic.
True mahayoga has to do with the form (2nd aspect) and its adaptation to Spirit and its
needs.
3. Guyha vidya The science of mantrams. The secret knowledge of mystic mantrams. The
occult potency of sound, of the Word.
4. Atman vidya True spiritual wisdom.

Sutra 11.
Dhyaana Heyaha TadhaVritthayaha
Dhyana = By Meditation
Heyaha = (Kleshas) to be avoided
Tadvrittayaha = Their Modifications, activites
Their active modifications are to be suppressed by meditation.
Vritthi and klesha almost mean one and the same thing. The subtle difference you have to learn
yourself. The active modifications are to be suppressed by meditation. Meditation leads to
samadhi. So our present goal in the kriya yoga practice by the practice of tapas, swadhyaya and
Ishwara pranidhani is to cross from savitarka samadhi state going through the different stages of
Samadhi into the nirvichara state by meditating. He goes deeper into the roots of kleshas. No
success in Yoga is possible unless all the energies of the soul are polarized and harnessed for
achieving the central purpose. So the word Dhyana implies all mental processes and exercises
which may help the Sadhaka to reduce the active Klesas to the passive condition. It may include
reflection, brooding over the deeper problems of life, changing habits of thought and attitudes by
means of meditation. Reducing the Klesas to the latent state means making the tendencies so
feeble that they are not easily aroused, though they have not yet been rooted out.
The opposing mental attitude referred to in the previous sutra has distinct reference to the
seeds or the latent tendencies as they subsist in the mental body and in the body of desire. This
mental attitude has to become one of active mental meditation and one-pointed thought if the
activities of the physical body are to be subjected to a like control. Much that we do is automatic
and the result of long continued emotional and mental habits. Instinctively, from ancient practice
and through subjection to a world of tangible forms, our physical plane activities are governed by
the five hindrances. These have to be suppressed and the work of dealing with the latent seeds
and with suppressing the external activities must proceed simultaneously. The steady opposition
of the mental attitude deals with one; meditation which brings in the three factors of the thinker,
the mind and the physical brain will take care of the other, and this must not be forgotten,
otherwise theory will not become intelligent practice.

Sutra 12
Klesha Moolaha Karmaashayoh DrusthaaAdrustha J anma Vedaneeyaha
Klesha moolaha = Rooted in Kleshas
Karmashayah = Reservoir of Karmas
Drushta = Seen
Adrushta = Unseen, future
Janma = Lives
Vedaneeyaha = To be known, experienced
The reservoir of Karmas which are rooted in Klesas brings all kinds of experiences in the
present and future lives.
Karma only happens when I am ness is there. And asmitha is there because of avidya. But
whatever be the cause, at present we are having a reservoir of karmas with us. And these karmas
bring all kinds of experiences. I am a software engineer. I am a chemistry lecturer, I am a
Brahmin. All these are chittha vrithis. Even though it becomes very difficult, remember this and
this is known as savitarka. Vitarka means differentiation. Savitarka means with differentiation.
We are already are in this state. We are having previous karmas and the previous experiences.
The reservoir of karma which are rooted in all the kleshas bring all type of experiences in the
present and future life. He is talking about today and tomorrow. All our troubles are because of
these kleshas, because of these vruthis being present. The moment you can stop these vrithis you
are beyond troubles. Then you become nirvichara, without an idea.
Klesas are the underlying cause of the Karmas we generate by our thoughts, desires and actions.
Each human soul goes through a continuous series of incarnations reaping the fruits of thoughts,
desires, and actions done in the past and generating, during the process of reaping, new causes
which will bear their fruits in this or future lives. Each thought, desire, emotion and action
produces its corresponding result with mathematical exactitude and this result is recorded
naturally and automatically in our lifes ledger, which is typically called as the CHITRAGUPTA
in hindu terminology. And this Chitragupta is not some God residing outside us but everything
which we have experienced through our sense-organs is recorded in the brain and can be
recovered in the form of memory of those experiences. We cannot see these impressions and yet
we know that they exist. This Karmasaya is also identified with the Karana Sarira or causal
body. Because, it is the Klesas which are responsible for the continuous generation of Karmas
and the causal vehicle merely serves as a mechanism for adjusting the effects of these Karmas
we need to overcome them first. As the hindrances are overcome and ignorance, the field of them
all, is superseded by divine wisdom, there are fewer and fewer effects to work out on the
physical plane, and the chains which link a man to the great wheel of physical manifestation are
severed one by one.

Sutra 13 .
Sati Mule Tad Vipaakaha JaatiAayurBhogaaha
Sati mule = There being the root
Tad = (Of) it (Karmasaya)
Vipaakaha = Fruition, Ripening
Jaati = Class
Ayuh = (Span) of Life
Bhogah = Experiences
As long as the root is there it must ripen and result in lives of different class, length and
experiences.
As long as the Klesas are operating in the life of an individual the vehicle of Karmas will be
continually nourished by the addition of new causal impressions. If the root remains intact the
Samskaras in the causal vehicle will naturally continue to ripen and produce one life after
another with its inevitable misery and suffering. Though the nature and con-tent of experiences
gone through by human beings in their lives is of infinite variety, Patanjali has classified these
under three heads (1) class, (2) length of life, and (3) pleasant or unpleasant nature of the
experiences. These are the principal features which determine the nature of a life.
Jaati means a kind of livelihood. An Engineer lives his own way and a Doctor lives his own way.
So the kind of life a person has is determined in the first place by Jati. Ayu is the time period and
bhoga is your experiences in relation to your potentiality to bring pain or pleasure to the
individual, your ability to enjoy it. There are some people who are well placed in life but have a
difficult timenothing but suffering and unhappiness from birth to death. On the other hand, we
may have a life lived in comparatively poor circumstances but the experiences may be pleasant
all along. The pleasures and pains which we have to bear are not entirely dependent upon our
Jaati. There is a personal factor involved as we can ourselves see by observing the lives of people
around us. All these are based upon the ripening of the vrithis, avidyas and kleshas. That the
class, length and experiences which you enjoy or suffer has their root in the kleshas. So its upto
you to control these kleshas and live a life you want.
The whole subject of karma (or the law of Cause and Effect) is dealt with in this sutra, and is of
too vast a subject to be enlarged upon here. For those who are interested to read further on this
subject can refer to Gahana Karmano Gatih by Pandit Srirama Sharma Acharya and Many
Mansions book by Gina Cerminara. You have to learn in depth about the Sanchita, Prarabdha
and Aagami Karmas. From the standpoint of the Yoga Sutras the three kinds of karma are as
given below:
1. Latent Karma. Those seeds and causes which are yet undeveloped and inactive and must
work out to fruition in some part of the present or subsequent lives.
2. Active Karma. Those seeds or causes [146] which are in process of fruition and for which
the present life is intended to provide the needed soil for the flowering forth.
3. New Karma. Those seeds or causes which are being produced in this life, and which must
inevitably govern the circumstances of some future life.
The beginner in this science of yoga can begin dealing with his active karma, interpreting each
life-event and every circumstance as providing conditions wherein he can work off a certain
specified series of effects. He can endeavor so to watch his thoughts that new seeds are not sown
so that no future karma can be brought to fruition in some later life. The seeds of latent karma are
more difficult for the neophyte to work with and it is here that his Guru can help him
manipulating his circumstances and dealing with his surroundings in the three worlds in order
that this type of karma may more quickly work out and be done with.
It is well known that the tree of life is depicted with the roots above and the flowering leaves
downwards. In the tiny tree of life of the ego the same symbolic presentation holds true. The
roots are found on the mental plane. The flowering forth into objectivity and fruition is to be seen
on the physical plane. Therefore it is necessary for the aspirant to lay the axe to the root of the
tree, or to deal with the thoughts and desires which produce the physical body.

Sutra 14.
Te Hlada Paritaapa Phalaaha Punya Apunya hethutvaat
Te = They
Hlada = Joy
Paritaapa = Sorrow
Phalaha = Fruit
Punya = Merit as opposed to sin
Apunya = Demerit, sin
Hethutvat = Being caused by, on account of
They have joy or sorrow for their fruit according as their cause is virtue or vice.
An experience may give you a happy feeling or a sorrowful experience according to their causes
based on virtue or vice. If it is a correct mode of action he will get happiness if it is a non correct
action you will get troubles. They have joy or sorrow for their fruit accordingly. The punya
results in hlada and apunya results in paritapa just as a photographic copy is related to its
negative. The effect is always naturally related to the cause and its nature is determined by the
cause. Since Karma is a natural law and natural laws work with mathematical precision we can
to a certain extent predict the Karmic results of our actions and thoughts by imagining their
consequences. The Karmic result, or fruit as it is generally called, of an action is related to the
action, though the compounding of several effects in one experience may make it difficult to
trace the effects to their respective causes. The orthodox religious conceptions of hell and
heaven, in which are provided rewards and punishments without any regard for the natural
relationship of causes and effects, are sometimes absurd in the extreme though they do, in a
general way, relate virtue to pleasure and vice to pain. Read and study the book Gahana
Karmano Gathih again and again.
The point to ponder here is that the Chitta Vritthis are not exactly your thoughts but solidified,
concretized permanently settled mind modifications. For e.g. Your identity with the name you
have is a ChittaVritthi. Your identity with a sex is Chitta Vritthi. Your identity with a human
frame or body is a Chitta Vritthi, but if you can inhibit them or suppress them, you can become
any name, any sex, any body. Therefore always keep in mind that
Pramaana Viparyaya Vikalpa Nidra Smrutayaha - 1.6
Always take this sutra as a standard to monitor your Vritthis. When these Vritthis become
operative, they are termed as Kleshas as given in Book 2 Sutra 3.
Avidya Asmitha Raaga Dwesha Abhiniveshah Kleshaa - 2.3

Sutra 15.
Parinaama Taapa Samskaara DhukhairGunavritthi VirodhaatCha DhukkhamEva Sarvam
Vivekinaha
Parninama = Change
Taapa = Acute Anxiety
Samskara = Impressions
Dukhair = Pains
Guna = Gunas
Vritti = Modifications of the Mind
Virodhaat = On account of Opposition or Conflict
Cha = And
Dukham = Pain, Misery
Eva = Only
Vivekinaha = To the enlightened, to the person who has developed
discrimination.
To the people who have developed discrimination all is misery on account of the pains resulting
from change, anxiety and tendencies, as also on account of the conflicts between the functioning
of the Gunas and the Vrittis (of the mind).
If virtue and vice beget respectively pleasurable and painful experiences the question may arise
Why not adopt the virtuous life to ensure in time an uninterrupted series of pleasurable
experiences and to eliminate completely all painful experiences?. Of course, for some time the
results of vicious actions we have done in the past would continue to appear but if we persist in
our efforts and make our life continuously and strictly moral, eliminating vice of every
description, a time must come when the Samskaras and Karmas created from vicious thoughts
and actions in the past would get exhausted and life thenceforth must become a continuous series
of pleasant and happiness-giving experiences. The philosophy of Klesas will appear to him
unnecessarily harsh and pessimistic and the ideal of a completely virtuous life will seem to
provide a very happy solution of the great problem of life.
This idea of ensuring a happy life by means of virtue, apart from the impracticability of living a
perfectly virtuous life continuously while still bound by illusion, is based on a delusion about the
very nature of what the ordinary man calls happiness and II-15 explains why this is so. Not until
the aspirant has realized to some extent the illusion underlying the so-called happiness which
he pursues in the world can he really give up this futile pursuit and devote himself
wholeheartedly to the task of transcending the Great Illusion and finding that Reality in which
alone can one find true Enlightenment and Peace. Let the serious student therefore ponder
carefully over the profound significance of this Sutra.
Nothing in this world is constant. Everything right from a solar system to a grain of dust are
continuously changing and growing, though the change may be very slow that we are not
conscious of it at all. Each cell in your body, your hair everything grows daily but you are not
aware of it. You are not the same person everyday when you wake up in the morning each day.
One effect of Maya is to make us unconscious of the continuous changes which are taking place
within and without us. When the realization of this continuous, relentless change(Parinaama)
affecting everything in life dawns upon an individual he begins to realize what illusion means.
This realization is a very definite experience and is one aspect of Viveka, the faculty of
discrimination.
The Sutra in general means that all experiences are either actively or potentially full of misery to
the wise person whose spiritual perception has become awakened. To the man in whom Viveka
has been developed the pathetic pursuit of pleasures, ambitions and the like appears in a similar
light. Most of us have such fears and anxieties(Taapa) gnawing at our heart constantly though we
may not acknowledge or be even conscious of this fact.
There is a law of Nature according to which any experience through which we pass produces an
impression (Samskara) on all our vehicles. The impression thus produced makes a channel for
the flow of a corresponding force and the channel thus becomes deeper and deeper as the
experience is repeated. This results in our acquiring habits of various kinds and getting used to
particular kinds of environment, modes of living and pleasures. But there is at work
simultaneously, the law of change, referred to already, which is constantly changing our outer
environment and places us among new surroundings, circumstances and people. No sooner do
we settle down in a new habit or a new environment than we are forced out of it, sometimes
easily and gradually, at other times roughly and suddenly. This continuous necessity for
adjustment in life is a source of constant discomfort and pain to every individual. Nature hardly
allows us breathing time and is continuously driving us into new kinds of experiences, much as
we would like to settle down in our grooves and comfortable positions which we have gained. Of
course, the intelligent man accepts this necessity for adjustment and does what he can to
reconcile himself to it but the fact remains that this is a major affliction of life from which
everyone would like to be free.
Sometimes, this conflict between the Gunas (Satwa, Rajas, Tamas) prevailing at the time and the
state of the mind or desire is of a temporary nature but it always has the effect of producing
discontentment for the time being. Let us try to understand this with an example: There might be
a person who is lazy and does not like much physical exertion but is forced by nature to be in
such a work place, he keeps desiring for a peaceful, inactive life and as a result of this persistent
strong desire leads him to take up a job at a lighthouse in his next birth. That is how Guna-Vrtti-
Virodha becomes one of the causes of human misery in general. What we should remember in
this connection is that every set of circumstances in which we find ourselves is the outcome of
our own desires and nothing else. At times there is a vast time gap between their fulfillment and
during this period our nature and desires may also undergo considerable change that when we
really face the fulfillment of our own desire we may not even realize that it was our own desire.
Patanjali points out that this pain is comprehensive, covering past, present and future.
1. Pain is brought about through the activity of the past and the working out of karma as it is
expressed in the adjusting of mistakes, the paying of the price of error. The settling of
past obligations and debts is ever a sorrowful process. Certain past eventualities
necessitate present conditions both of heredity, environment and type of body, and the
form, both of vehicle and group relations, is painful to the soul, who is confined thereby.
2. This concerns the present and is sometimes translated apprehensions. If the student will
study this term he will note that it covers not only the fear of evil in suffering, but also the
fear of failure in the spiritual body in service. These equally cause pain and distress and
parallel the awakening of the real man to a realization of his heritage.
3. Subliminal impressions, has relation to the future and concerns those forebodings as to
death, suffering and need which dominate so many of the sons of men. It is the unknown
and its possibilities that we fear both for ourselves and others, and this in its turn
produces pain.
The existence of the afflictions mentioned above which are inherent in human life produces such
conditions that nobody who has developed Viveka or spiritual discrimination can possibly
consider the so-called happiness of ordinary life as real happiness. Once we understand by our
discriminative knowledge that all this is the cause of misery the next sutra gives us courage.

Sutra 16.
Heyam Dhukkham Anagatam
Heyam = To be avoided
Dhukkham = Misery
Anagatam = Not yet come
The misery which has not yet come can and is to be avoided.
This sutra gives the need for practicing yoga. Giving a guarantee that the miseries that have not
yet come can be avoided by following the yogic regimen. According to the Yogic philosophy it
is possible to rise completely above the illusions and miseries of life and to gain infinite
knowledge, bliss and power through Enlightenment here and now while we are still living in the
physical body. And if we do not attain this Enlightenment while we are still alive we will have to
come back again and again into this world until we have accomplished this appointed task. So it
is not a question of choosing the path of Yoga or rejecting it. It is a question of choosing it now
or in some future life. It is a question of gaining Enlightenment as soon as possible and avoiding
the suffering in the future or postponing the effort and going through further suffering which is
unnecessary and avoidable.
Certain types of coming misery may be avoided by a right adjustment of a mans energies so
that through his changed attitude of mind, painful reactions are no longer possible, and through
the transmutation of his desires old pains are impossible. It infers secondly that life will be so
lived in the present that no causes will be set in motion along the line of pain-producing effects.
This dual inference will cause in the life of the yogi a dual discipline involving a set
determination to practice non-attachment, and a steady discipline of the lower nature. This will
bring about a mental activity of such a nature that old tendencies, longings and desires no longer
attract, and no activities are indulged in which can produce later karma, or results.

Sutra 17.
Drashtru Drusyayoh Samyogo Heya Hetuhu
Drashtru = Seer
Drusyayoh = Seen
Samyogo = Union
Heya = That which is to be avoided
Hetuhu = Cause
The cause of that which is to be avoided is the union of the Seer and the Seen.
The general principle of yogic practices is now being given. What is the root-cause of the misery
which is caused by the Klesas and which is to be avoided? The answer is given in this sutra. It
has already been pointed out in dealing with the nature of Asmita or the tendency of
consciousness to identify itself with its vehicles that this process begins with the coming together
of consciousness and matter as a result of the veil of Maya involving it in illusion and
consequent Avidya.
The cause of that which is to be avoided is the union of seer (Drastru or Purusha) and
Drushayoha that which is seen or Prakruthi, in other words the union of spirit and matter. What
is required is the disconnection between purusha and prakruthi, this is the reason why we read
purusha suktha and sri suktha in the temples. To know that in the real sense of the term would be
to know the ultimate mystery of life and to have reached Enlightenment already. Surely, that is
the endwhat the aspirant sets out to achieve through Yoga.
The great objective of Raja Yoga is to free the thinker from the modifications of the thinking
principle so that he no longer merges himself in the great world of thought illusions nor identifies
himself with that which is purely phenomenal. He stands free and detached and uses the world of
the senses as the field of his intelligent activities and no longer as the field of his experiments
and experience-gaining endeavors.
It must be remembered that the means of perception are the six senses; i.e. hearing, touch, sight,
taste, smell and the mind, and that these six must be transcended and known for what they are.
The means of perception reveal the great maya or world of illusion which is composed of forms
of every kind, built of substance which must be studied as to its atomic and molecular
construction and as to the basic elements which give to that substance its specific differentiations
and qualities. For purposes of study the student will do well to remember that he must investigate
the nature of the following factors in the polar opposite to spirit which we call matter:
1. Atoms,
2. Molecular matter,
3. The elements,
4. The three gunas or qualities,
5. The tattvas or force differentiations in their seven forms.
Through an understanding of the nature and distinctions of matter he will come to a
comprehension of the world of form which has held his spirit a prisoner for so long. This
Patanjali points out in the next sutra.

Sutra 18.
Prakaasha Kriya Sthithisheelam BhuutendriyaAtmakam Bhoga ApavargaArtham Drushyam
Prakaasha = Light
Kriya = Activity
Sthithi = Steadiness, Stability
Sheelam = Having the properties or qualities
Bhuuta = Elements
Indriya = Sense Organs
Atmakam = Being of the Nature
Bhoga = Experience
Apavarga = And Liberation
Artham = For the sake of, Purpose of
Drushyam = Seen
The Seen (objective side of manifestation) consists of the elements and sense-organs, is of the
nature of cognition, activity and stability (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) and has for its purpose
(providing the Purusa with) experience and liberation.
Here we should remember that through experience only liberation can come. For a normal
person who is not interested in yogic sadhanas the Prakaasha Kriya Sthithisheelam Bhuuta
Indriya Atmakam gives experiences [bhoga] and for a sadhaka it gives liberation
[apavarga]. And that is the meaning of prakruthi artham.
The essential nature of all phenomena which are the objects of perception are really made up of
the three Gunas the nature of which will be explained later on. The perception of the phenomenal
world(drushyam) is really the result of the interactions of the Bhutas and Indriyas, the elements
and the sense-organs. And lastly, Patanjali points out the purpose and function of the
phenomenal world which is twofold. Firstly, to provide experience for the Purusas(Sadhakas)
who seem to be evolving in it, and secondly, through this experience to lead them gradually to
emancipation and Enlightenment.
The contact of Purusa and Prakrti results in the emergence of a duality which in modern
language may be called the subjective and objective sides of Nature. Of these the Purusa is the
essence or substratum of the subjective and Prakrti that of the objective side of this duality. As
consciousness recedes inwards the dividing line between the subjective and objective shifts
continually but the relation between the two remains the same. The Purusa with all the vehicles
which have not been separated off from his consciousness constitutes the subjective part of this
dual relationship and is called Drasta or Seer. That portion of Prakrti which has been separated
off in this manner constitutes the objective part and is called Drsyam or Seen. Both Drasta and
Drsyam are thus necessary for the phenomenal world.
The object in Yoga is to harmonize Rajas and Tamas into Sattva. The Gunas do not cease to
function permanently for the Self-realized Purusa. They cease to function when he withdraws
into himself and come into play as soon as he projects his consciousness outwards. In short, they
lose their independent activity and become merely his instruments.
According to Yogic philosophy there are only two factors involved in perceptionthe Bhutas
and the Indriyas. The words Bhutas and Indriyas are used in the widest sense of these terms and
have reference to the physical as well as the super-physical planes. The mechanism through
which consciousness becomes aware of objects differs from plane to plane, but the modus
operandi of this mechanism on every plane is essentially the same, namely the interaction of the
Bhutas and the Indriyas. Samyama on these states will therefore lead to the mastery of the
Bhutas and the Indriyas on all the planes. The phenomenal world provides for the purusha the
necessary experiences through which alone evolution of his vehicles and unfolding of his
consciousness can take place.
The words, the qualities,(gunas) the elements,(Bhuta) the senses,(Indriya) evolution and
liberation express the sum total of the factors concerned in the growth of man. These five are
that with which the human unit is the most concerned and cover his career from the moment
when he first took incarnation and throughout the long cycle of lives until he passes through the
various gates of initiation out into the larger life of the cosmos.
First inertia(tamas) distinguishes him, and his forms are of so heavy and gross a nature that
many and violent contacts are needed before he becomes aware of his surroundings and later
intelligently appreciates them. The great elements of earth, water, fire and air play their part in
the building of his forms and are incorporated into his very being. His various sense organs
slowly become active; first, the five senses and then when the second quality of rajas or activity
is firmly established, the sixth sense or the mind begins to develop also. Later he begins to
perceive in all around him in the phenomenal world, the same qualities and elements as in
himself, and his knowledge rapidly grows. From that he passes to a distinction between himself
as the Perceiver and that which he perceives as his forms and their world of being. The sixth
sense becomes increasingly dominant and is eventually controlled by the true man who passes
then into the sattvic state where he is harmonized in himself and consequently with all around
him. His manifestation is rhythmic and in tune with the great whole. He looks on at the spectacle
and sees to it that those forms through which he is active in the world of phenomena are duly
controlled and that all his activities are in harmony with the great plan.
When this is so, he is part of the whole yet freed and liberated from the control of the world of
form, of the elements and of the senses. He uses them; they no longer use him.

Sutra 19.
VisheshaAvishesha LingaMatraAlingaani GunaParvaani
Vishesha = Particular
Avishesha = Non specific, Universal
Linga Matra = Differentiated
Alingaani = Undifferentiated
Guna = Of the Gunas
Parvani = Stages of Development.
The stages of the Gunas are the particular, the universal, the differentiated and the
undifferentiated.
In this sutra Patanjali deals with Prakaasa Kriya Sthithisheelam or the Satwa, Rajo, Tamo Gunas.
1. Sattvic substance
rhythm, equilibrium,
2. Rajasic substance
mobility, activity,
3. Tamasic
substance inertia, stability.
These three are divided into:
Vishesha
1. The specific
manifested elements, form,
Avishesha
2. The unspecific
the senses, force reactions, the tanmatras,
Linga Matra
3. The indicated
primary substance, the tattvas, atomic matter,
Alingaani
4. The
untouchable the great Existence who is the sum total of all these.
We can link up Vishesha, a stage of Guna with a state of consciousness called Vitarka and the
vehicle that is used to express this quality in vedanta as Manomaya Kosha. To be more specific
to the lower or concrete mind. To the lower mind every object seems to have a separate and
independent existence and a separate identity. Let us try to understand these 4 stages of Gunas
with an example. Let me ask you to close your eyes for a second and think of a triangle in your
mind. Now the triangle about which you thought is yours. It might not be the same as the one I
thought. Your triangle might be an equilateral one, an isosceles triangle or your triangle might be
bigger in size than the one any other person might have thought. This stage of the Gunas
corresponds to the Vitarka stage of Samadhi because while consciousness is functioning through
the lower mind Vitarka is its most important and essential function. Vitarka is that activity of the
lower mind through which it differentiates a particular object from all others.
Then we come to the next stage of the gunas called the Avishesha which means universal of non
specific. This corresponds to the higher or abstract mind where it is the principle that is
important and not the particular object. So continuing our example of triangle, though we can
have different triangles, the basic principle underlying there is that they all had three sides and
three angles. The mental process whereby these qualities are isolated from particular objects and
combined in a single abstract concept is called Vichara. The function of the higher mind is to
form such universal concepts and to grasp their inner significance. This stage in which
consciousness is functioning through the higher mind corresponds to the Vicara stage of
Samprajnata Samadhi and the Avisesa stage of the Gunas.
Then we come to the next stage of the GunasLinga. This word means a mark which serves to
identify, and in the present context Linga-matra means a state of consciousness in which
particular objects and even principles are mere marks or signs which serve to distinguish them
from other objects. This stage of the Gunas corresponds to the supra-mental consciousness which
transcends the intellect and is expressed through Buddhi or intuition. Just as our triangle concept
in the example is a part of geometry which has many other such concepts, all objects and
universal principles become part of a universal consciousness. But they still have their identity,
are still distinguishable or recognizable. Each object is itself and yet part of a whole.
The corresponding stage in Samadhi is accompanied by Ananda which confirms the conclusion
that this stage of the Gunas corresponds to the functioning of consciousness through the
Anandamaya Kosa. The last stage of the Gunas is called Alinga or without mark or
differentiating characteristic. In this stage the objects and principles lose their separate identity.
Consciousness becomes so predominant that they go out of focus, just as geometry though a
great concept is still mathematics as a whole.
A more concrete example may perhaps help us understand the significance of the different stages
of the Gunas. Suppose we have a number of objects made of golda ring, a bracelet and a
necklace, placed on a table. We may see them merely as separate objects, as a child would see
them. This corresponds to the Visesa stage. We may see them as ornaments with a common
function of serving to adorn the human body, as a woman would see them. This is the Avisesa
stage. We may see them as objects with a common decorative function but we may also be
interested in the fact that they are made of gold, i.e., we see their common substratum and their
separate identity simultaneously, as a goldsmith would see them. This corresponds to the Linga
stage. And lastly, we may see only the gold and may hardly be conscious of their separate
identities or common function, as a thief would see them. This is analogous to the Alinga stage.
In this stage the Yogi is conscious, chiefly of the substratum of all phenomenal objects,
particular or universal. He is aware predominantly of the Divine consciousness in which they are
merely Vrttis or modifications. The objects as separate entities do exist but they have ceased to
have any meaning for him. This stage of the Gunas corresponds to the last stage of Samprajnata
Samadhi of which Asmita is the predominant characteristic. The consciousness of pure existence
which is denoted by Asmita swallows up the consciousness of objects.

Sutra 20.
Drasta Drushimatraha Shuddhopi Pratyayaanupashyaha
Drasta = The Seer
Drushimatraha = Pure Consciousness
Shuddhaa = Pure
Api = Though
Pratyayaa = Content of the Mind
Anupashyaha = Appears to see along with
The Seer is pure consciousness but though pure, appears to see through the mind.
The seer, the purusha is pure consciousness but even though he is pure, he appears and feels as if
he is the prakruthi because of the interference of the mind or the chitha vrithis or kleshas. Here
when we say mind we mean chitha vrithi.
If we take a powerful electric light and cover it up with a number of concentric semi-transparent
and coloured globes, one within the other, the outermost globe will be illuminated in some
measure by the light of the electric lamp. But though this illumination will be derived from the
light of the electric lamp we will not be able to see the light of the electric lamp as it is, but only
as it comes out after being filtered and dimmed by all the intervening globes. If we remove the
outermost globe the next globe comes into view and the light becomes stronger and purer. But do
we now see the light of the electric lamp? No! It is still hidden behind the remaining globes. As
we remove globe after globe, the light becomes stronger and purer but we never see it in its
purity and fullness as long as any globe remains covering the electric lamp. It is only when the
last globe is removed that the pure light of the electric lamp in its total brilliance comes into
view. Can the man who has never seen an electric lamp know by observing the outermost globe
what the light of the electric lamp is like? Not until he has removed all the globes, one by one.
The relation of the Purusa to the vehicles through which he manifests is similar. The light of his
consciousness comes streaming through the complete set of vehicles, each vehicle removing, as
it were, some of the constituents and decreasing its intensity, until in the physical body it is at its
dullest and encumbered with the largest number of limitations. Not until the last vehicle has been
transcended can consciousness be known in its purity. That is the Purusa, the real Drasta.
The second point is that when this pure consciousness manifests through a vehicle, just as pure
light from the electric bulb in a cinema falls on the screen and it assumes the form of the picture
being projected, though in itself it is pure and quite distinct from the picture, pratyaya affects it.
Sutra 21
Tadardha Eva DrusShyasyAtma
Tadardha = For the sake of
Eva = Alone
DruShyasya = Of the Seen
Atma = Nature/Being
The very being of the Seen is for his sake (i.e. Prakrti exists only for his
sake).
Prakriti exists for your sake alone, for whoever is practicing yoga. The entire world is for you.
That is why we say we are the king of kings, rajadhi raja. Prakrti exists only for subserving the
purposes of the Purusa. It has no purpose of its own. The whole drama of creation is being
played in order to provide experience for the growth and Self-realization of the Purusas who are
involved in the show.
Mans tiny world, his small environment and contacts, exist for the sake of the experience they
bring him and the final liberation they bring about; he is the cause of their manifestation and they
are the result of his own thought power. But around him and through him is to be found that
greater whole of which he is a part, and the entire vast universe, planetary and solar, exists for
the sake of the vaster Life in whose body he is but an atom. The whole world of forms is the
result of the thought activity of some life; the whole universe of matter is the field for the
experience of some existence.

Sutra 22.
Kruthaartham Prathi Nastam Api Anastam Tadanya Saadharanathwaath
Kruthaartham = Whose purpose has been fulfilled
Prathi = For
Nastam = Destroyed, non existent
Api = Although
Anastam = Not destroyed, existent
Tat = That
Anya = To others
Saadharanathwaath = On account of being common
Although it becomes non-existent for him whose purpose has been fulfilled it continues to exist
for others on account of being common to others (besides him).
This gives an answer to the question of what happens to Prakruthi when a Yogi gets self-realized
and the answer is Prakruthi ceases to exist for the self-realized Purusha. Purusa and Prakrti are
the two ultimate, eternal and independent principles in existence. Purusas are many, Prakrti is
one. The Purusas get involved in matter, go through the cycle of evolution under the fostering
care of Prakrti, attain Self-realization and then pass out of the illusion and influence of Prakrti
altogether. But Prakrti always remains the same. For eg. Once you finish your course you need
not go to the university even though the university is there. Those who have not yet finished the
course still go to the university but for you it is not needed or there. We need not go into its
details but learn by our own personal experience.

Sutra 23.
SwaSwami Shakthyoh Swaroopopalabdhihethuhu Samyogaha
Swa = It (Prakruthi)
Swami = Master (Purusha)
Shaktoha = Of the (two) Powers
Swaroopa = Own form, Nature
Upalabdhi = Experiencing
Hethuhu = Cause
Samyogaha = Union
The purpose of the coming together of the Purusa and Prakrti is gaining by the Purusa of the
awareness of his true nature and the unfoldment of powers inherent in him and Prakrti.
This is reflected in the sloka from Srimad Bhagavad Gita:
Ajopissan Avyayaatmaa Bhutaanaam Ishwaropisan
Prakruthim Swamadhistaaya Sambhavami Aatmayaayaya.
It gives the cause for the union.
To unfold the powers latent in Prakrti and himself and to enable him to gain Self-realization,
That is the complete idea of evolution in a nutshell. Let us first see what are the powers of Purusa
and Prakrti referred to in this Sutra. Leaving out of account the mineral kingdom in which the
unfoldment of consciousness is so rudimentary as to be hardly perceptible; we find on studying
the vegetable, animal and human kingdoms that consciousnesr in these kingdoms shows a
remarkable increase in the degree of unfoldment as we pass from one kingdom to another. And
side by side with the unfoldment of consciousness we find that the vehicle also becomes more
and more complex and efficient for the expression of the unfolding consciousness.
The powers of Prakrti to which reference is made here are undoubtedly the capacities which
develop in the vehicles as they evolve in association with consciousness. Compare the brain of a
snail with that of a monkey and this again with that of a highly civilized man and you see the
tremendous change which has taken place as regards the capacity of the vehicle to express the
powers which are latent in consciousness. And the mental and spiritual powers which are
exhibited by the highly civilized and intellectual men and women of today are as nothing
compared to the powers which are developed by the advanced Yogi and which are in store for
every child of man when he undertakes his higher evolution. The power of Prakrti is obviously
the capacity of the vehicle to respond to the demands of consciousness.
Perhaps some idea of the necessity and manner of this development may be obtained from a
simile. The music which a great musician can produce depends upon the quality and the
efficiency of his instrument. Place an instrument in his hand which he has never used and he will
feel helpless till he has mastered that instrument. The quality of the music which can be
produced depends upon three factors, the capacity of the musician, the efficiency of the
instrument and the co-ordination of the two. Even though the Purusa has all the powers
potentially unless he is provided with an efficient set of vehicles and learns to control and use
these vehicles he may remain a helpless spectator of the world drama which is being played
around him.
The simultaneous development of the vehicles on all the planes of manifestation and the capacity
to use them is not the only purpose of bringing together Purusa and Prakrti. The Purusa has not
only to master these vehicles but has also to transcend them. For, until and unless he can do this
he will remain under the limitations of the planes to which he is confined and be subject to their
illusions. He is destined to be above the limitations and illusions of those planes as well as to be
a master of those planes. This is what Self-realization or Svarupopalabdhi means to accomplish.

Sutra 24.
Tasya Hethuravidyaa
Tasya = Its
Hethuhu = Cause
Avidyaa = Ignorance
Its cause is the lack of awareness of his Real nature.
After giving the purpose of the union of Purusa and Prakrti in the last Sutra Patanjali gives in this
Sutra the effective cause of the union or the means whereby the union is brought about.
The Purusa by his very nature is eternal, omniscient and free and his involution in matter which
involves tremendous limitations is brought about by his being made to lose the awareness of his
Real nature. The power which deprives him of this knowledge or rather awareness of his Real
nature is called Maya or Illusion and the result of this is avidya. We have seen already that there
appears to be a mighty purpose hidden behind the working of the Universe though the nature of
this purpose may be beyond our comprehension. One part of this purpose which we can see and
understand is the gradual evolution of life culminating in the perfection and emancipation of the
individual units of consciousness who are called Purusas. We have been sent down here, into the
lower worlds in order that we may attain perfection through the experiences of these worlds.
Whether we like this process or not we should not behave like children who try to avoid going to
school and the best way of freeing ourselves is to acquire perfection as quickly as possible.
If we take life in this world as a school for us to learn, God as our teacher, we will understand
why He puts us into various situations and expects us to come out of them successfully. The
same teacher who teaches us throughout the year will not help us solve the paper during the
examination. It will be the same teacher who taught you, who prepared the question paper and is
now invigilating you during the exam, but will not help you now. In a similar way we have to
understand our life here and with the knowledge our teacher has imparted, go to the next higher
levels effectively.
Once we are intellectually convinced about the truth of these statements let us not waste our time
in involving ourselves in asmithaI am ness. Let us try to avoid this. Do not avoid the Patanajali
sutras :), because the best way to avoid avidya is to acquire perfection as soon as possible as our
masters want us to do.

Sutra 25
Tadbhaavaat Samyogaabhaavo Haanam Tad Drusheh Kaivalyam
Tat = That
Abhaavaat = Absence
Samyoga = Union
Abhaavaha = Disappearance
Haanam = Remedy
Tad = That
Drusheh = Of the Seer
Kaivalyam = Isolation, Liberation
The dissociation of Purusa and Prakrti brought about by the dispersion of Avidya is the real
remedy and that is the Liberation of the Seer.
If the union of Purusa and Prakrti has been brought about by Maya or Avidya and leads through
the development of the Klesas to the misery and sufferings of embodied existence it follows
logically that the removal of these latter is possible only when the union is dissolved by the
destruction of Avidya. The union is the sole cause of bondage. Its dissolution must therefore be
the only means available for Emancipation or Kaivalya of the Seer. The bondage is maintained
by the Purusa identifying himself with his vehicles right from the Atmic to the physical plane.
The release is brought about by his disentangling himself in consciousness from his vehicles one
after another until he stands free from them, even though using them merely as instruments.
The illusion is destroyed completely and in the real sense only when the Yogi is able to leave the
vehicle at will in Samadhi and to look down upon it, as it were, from a higher plane. This sutra is
discussed in detail in the kaivalya pada. Keep the definition in mind that the disconnecting link
between purusha and prakruthi gives you liberation.

Viveka Kyhaathiraviplavaa HaanoPaayaha
VivekaKyhaatihi = Discrmination
Aviplava = Unbroken
HaanoPaayaha = The Remedy
The uninterrupted practice of the awareness of the Real is the means of dispersion (of Avidya).
Viveka is generally used for that state of the mind in which it is aware of the great problems of
life and the illusions which are inherent in ordinary human life. Viveka-Khyati is an actual
awareness of Reality, a direct, immediate contact with the innermost spiritual consciousness,
Pratyaksa knowledge of Reality. The awareness of Reality or Viveka-Khyati is the opposite of
Avidyalack of awareness of Reality, the two being related to each other as light and darkness.
When the Purusa is fully aware of Reality he is out of the dominion of Avidya. Aviplava, the
awareness must be continuous, undisturbed. TADA DRASHTU SWAROOPE AVASTHANAM
is the only way to break the avidya.
Just as a small boy goes to school everyday to learn, a sadhaka who wants to tread this path must
remind himself and walk the path of yoga each day till he reaches his goal and work for it
continuously.

Sutra 27.
Tasya Sapthdha PranthaBhumihi Prajnaa
Tasya = His (Purushas)
Sapthdha = Sevenfold
PrantaBhumihi = A Definite Stage, Layer
Prajnaa = Cognitive Consciousness
In his case the highest stage of Enlightenment is reached by seven stages.
This type of awareness breaking away from prakruthi and establishing itself in its own
consciousness is saptadah sevenfold, layers of varieties Prajna or consciousness. These seven
stages are to be linked with Jagajjanani MahaYogeshwari Devi. Because the entire de-linking of
purusha with prakruthi has to be gone through seven stages saptadah Prantha bhumihi. After the
Yogi has obtained his first glimpse of Reality he has to pass through seven stages of increasing
awareness before he reaches the final goal.
Master DK describes this sutra saying that there are seven major modifications of the thinking
principle. These are:
1. Desire for knowledge. It is this which drives forth the Prodigal Son, the soul into the three
worlds of illusion, or (to carry the metaphor further back still) it is this which sends forth
the Monad or Spirit into incarnation. This basic desire is what causes all experience.
2. Desire for freedom. The result of experience and of the investigations which the soul
carries on in its manifold lifecycles is to cause a great longing for a different condition
and a great desire for liberation and for freedom from the wheel of rebirth.
3. Desire for happiness. This is a basic quality of all human beings, though it shows itself in
many different ways. It is based upon an inherent faculty of discrimination and upon a
deep seated capacity to contrast the Fathers home and the Prodigals present condition.
It is this inherent capacity for bliss or happiness which produces that restlessness and
urge to change which lies back of the evolutionary urge itself. It is the cause of activity
and progress. Dissatisfaction with the present condition is based upon a dim memory of a
time of satisfaction and of bliss. This has to be regained before peace can be known.
4. Desire to do ones duty. The first three modifications of the thinking principle eventually
bring evolving humanity to the state where the motive for life comes to be simply the
fulfilment of ones dharma. The longing for knowledge, for freedom, and for happiness
has brought the man to a state of utter dissatisfaction. Nothing brings him any true joy or
peace. He has exhausted himself in the search for joy for himself. Now he begins to
widen his horizon and to search where (in the group and in his environment), what he
seeks may lie. He awakens to a sense of responsibility to others and begins to seek for
happiness in the fulfilment of his obligations to his dependents, his family, friends and all
whom he contacts. This new tendency is the beginning of the life of service which leads
eventually to a full realization of the significance of group consciousness. H.P.B. has said
that a sense of responsibility is the first indication of the awakening of the ego or the
Christ principle.
5. Sorrow. The greater the refinement of the human vehicle, the greater the response of the
nervous system to the pairs of opposites, pain and pleasure. As a man progresses and
rises on the ladder of evolution in the human family it becomes apparent that his capacity
to appreciate sorrow or joy is greatly increased. This becomes terribly true in the case of
an aspirant and of a disciple. His sense of values becomes so acute and his physical
vehicle so sensitized that he suffers more than the average man. This serves to drive him
forward with increasing activity in his search. His response to outer contacts is ever more
rapid and his capacity for pain, physical and emotional, becomes greatly increased. This
is apparent in the fifth race and particularly in the fifth subrace in the increasing
frequency of suicide. The capacity of the race to suffer is due to the development and
refinement of the physical vehicle and to the evolution of the body of feeling, the astral.
6. As the mental body develops and the modifications of the thinking principle become
more rapid, fear and that which it produces begin to demonstrate. This is not the
instinctual fear of animals and of the savage races, which is based upon the response of
the physical body to physical plane conditions, but the fears of the mind, based upon
memory, imagination and anticipation, and the power to visualize. These are difficult to
overcome and can only be dominated by the ego or soul itself.
7. This is one of the most interesting of the modifications for it concerns causes more than
effects. The man who doubts can be described perhaps as doubting himself as an arbiter
of his fate, his fellowmen as to their nature and reactions, God, or the first cause as
witnessed by the controversies built up around religion and its exponents, nature itself,
which doubt urges him on to constant scientific investigation and finally, the mind itself.
When he begins to question the capacity of the mind to explain, interpret and
comprehend, he has practically exhausted the sum total of his resources in the three
worlds.
The tendency of these seven states of mind, produced through the experience of the man upon
the Wheel of Life is to bring him to the point where he feels that physical plane living, sentiency
and mental processes have nothing to give and utterly fail to satisfy him.
The seven stages of illumination have been described by a Hindu teacher as follows:
1. The stage wherein the chela realizes that he has run the whole gamut of life experience in
the three worlds and can say I have known all that was to be known. Nothing further
remains to know! His place on the ladder is revealed to him. He knows what he has to
do. This relates to the first modification of the thinking principle, desire for knowledge.
2. The stage wherein he frees himself from every known limitation, and can say I have
freed myself from my fetters. This stage is long but results in the attainment of freedom
and relates to the second of the modifications dealt with above.
3. The stage wherein the consciousness shifts completely out of the lower personality and
becomes the true spiritual consciousness, centered in the real man, the ego or soul. This
brings in the consciousness of the Christ nature which is love, peace and truth. He can say
now I have reached my goal. Nothing remains to attract me in the three worlds. Desire
for happiness is satisfied. The third modification is transcended.
4. The stage wherein he can say with truth I have fulfiled my dharma, and accomplished
my whole duty. He has worked off karma, and fulfiled the law. Thus he becomes a
Master and a wielder of the law. This stage has relation to the fourth modification.
5. The stage wherein complete control of the mind is achieved and the seer can say My
mind is at rest. Then and only then, when complete rest is known can the true
contemplation and samadhi of the highest kind be known. Sorrow, the fifth modification,
is dispelled by the glory of the illumination received. The pairs of opposites are no longer
at war.
6. The stage wherein the chela realizes that matter or form have no longer any power over
him. He can then say The gunas or qualities of matter in the three worlds no longer
attract me; they call forth no response from me. Fear therefore is eliminated for there is
nothing in the disciple which can attract to him evil, death or pain. Thus equally the sixth
modification is overcome and realization of the true nature of divinity and utter bliss
takes its place.
7. Full self-realization is the next and final stage. The initiate can now say, with full
conscious knowledge, I am that I am and he knows himself as one with the All-Self.
Doubt no longer controls. The full light of day or completed illumination takes place and
floods the whole being of the seer.
These are the seven stages upon the Path.

Sutra 28.
YogangaAnusthaanaadAshuddhiKshaye GnanaDeeptirAaVivekakhyaateh
Yoganga = Parts of Yoga
Anusthaanaat = Practice
Ashuddhi = Impurity
Kshaye = Destruction
Gnana = Knowledge
Deepti = Shining Forth
Aa Vivekakhyaateh = Till Awareness of reality arises
From the practice of the component exercises of Yoga, on the destruction of impurity, arises
spiritual illumination which develops into awareness of Reality.
According to this Sutra guidance on the path of Yoga comes from within in the form of spiritual
illumination. This light of spiritual consciousness which equivalent to intuition but more definite
in its working appears only when the impurities of the mind have been destroyed to a great
extent as a result of practicing Yogic discipline. This inner light of wisdom has been given many
beautiful and suggestive names such as The Voice of the Silence and Light on the Path. Let
me give here a few lines from the Pragyavatra Kathamrith by my Gurudev pandit Sriram Sharma
Acharya where he says that
I have heard many discourses and attended many satsangs. But, I have not seen enlightened
jnanis who have inspired me to imbibe spirituality in my inner depths by listening to their voice.
When I observed the life of people who gave discourses, I saw that their life was more polluted
than those of their listeners. My mind turned away from such people. Even though many big
satsangs were organized, I never felt like attending them.
I found illumination, but I found it from my own inner self and not from outside. My soul gave
me the courage to break the web around me. That is when I started seeing good results. Those
who depend on others to be called as enlightened would have made me an ajnani if I had resorted
to them.
I then understood that if anyone got illumination, it is from within them. At least, it proved
to be true in my case. We cannot face the mountain-like external hurdles without possessing the
firm belief and unwavering courage to tread on the noble path. When I stayed firm in this belief,
I always found people who cooperated with me. Right from God to my Gurudev, I found people
who helped me in realizing my objectives. I have been climbing slowly but steadily on the path
of progress. I have reached the present state of being by implementing these processes only.
In a way, a Sadhaka becomes really qualified to tread the path of Yoga only after this inner light
appears within his mind. All preliminary training in Yoga is meant to provide him with this inner
source of illumination. All teachers who help him in the early stages have this as their main
objective so that he may be able to stand on his own legs.
The second point to note in this connection is that this inner light of wisdom continues to grow
and provide guidance until the stage of Viveka-Khyati is reached. That is the significance of the
word A preceding the word Viveka-Khyati in the Sutra. The light grows stronger and stronger as
the Sadhaka makes progress on the Path and draws near to his goal, until he gains his first
experience of Reality. Viveka enables the Sadhaka to enter the path of Yoga, Jnana-dipti enables
him to tread it safely and steadily, Viveka-Khyati gives him the experience of Reality and
Kaivalya sees him established in that Reality permanently.
1. Practice,
2. Purification,
3. Discrimination,
4. Discernment,
are part of the life of the physical plane man, then the spiritual man, the ego or thinker on his
own plane attends to his part of the liberating process and the final two stages are brought about
from above downwards. This sixfold process is the correspondence upon the Path of
Discipleship, of the individualizing process, wherein animal man, the lower quaternary (physical,
etheric, astral and lower mental) received that twofold expression of spirit, atma-buddhi, spiritual
will and spiritual love, which completed him and made him truly man. The two stages of
development which are brought about by the ego within the purified and earnest aspirant, are:
1. Enlightenment. The light in the head, which is at first but a spark, is fanned to a flame which
illumines all things and is fed constantly from above. This is progressive (see previous sutra), and
is dependent upon steadfast practice, meditation and earnest service.
2. Illumination. The gradually increasing downpour of fiery energy increases steadily the light in
the head, or the effulgence found in the brain in the neighborhood of the pineal gland. This is
to the little system of the threefold man in physical manifestation what the physical sun is to the
solar system. This light becomes eventually a blaze of glory and the man becomes a son of
light or a sun of righteousness. Such were the Buddha, the Christ, and all the great Ones who
have attained.

Sutra 29.
Yama Niyama Aasana Pranayama Pratyahara Dharana Dhyana Samaadhayoh
AshtaAngaani
Yama = Self Restraint
Niyama = Binding Rules that must be Observed
Aasana = Posture
Pranayama = Regulation of Breath
Pratyahara = Abstraction
Dharana = Contemplation
Dhyana = Meditation
Samaadhayoh = Trance
Ashta = Eight
Angaani = Parts, Limbs
Self-restraints, fixed observances, posture, regulation of breath, abstraction, concentration,
contemplation, trance are the eight parts (of the self-discipline of Yoga).
These are the eight parts of Yoga.
The system of Yoga put forward by Patanjali has eight parts and is therefore called Astanga
Yoga. This Sutra enumerates the eight constituent parts of this system of Yoga. In the study of
these various means to yoga or union, we must consider them as they apply to the physical man,
then to the emotional man and then to the mental man. The yogi, for instance, has to understand
the significance of right breathing or of posture as they relate to the triple aligned and
coordinated lower man, remembering that it is only as the lower man forms a coherent rhythmic
instrument that it becomes possible for the ego to enlighten and illuminate him. The practice of
breathing exercises, for instance, has led the aspirant frequently to concentrate upon the physical
apparatus of breath to the exclusion of the analogous practice of rhythmic control of the
emotional life.
It may be of use here if we tabulated them carefully, giving their synonyms where possible:
Means I
The Commandments. Yama. Self-control or forbearance. Restraint. Abstention from wrong acts.
These are five in number and relate to the relation of the disciple to others and to the outside
world.
Means II
The Rules. Niyama. Right observances. These are likewise five in number and are frequently
called the religious observances because they relate to the interior life of the disciple and to
that tie, the sutratma or link which relates him to God, or to his Father in Heaven. These two, the
five Commandments and the five Rules are the Hindu correspondence to the ten Commandments
of the Bible and cover the daily life of the aspirant, as it affects those around him, and his own
internal reactions.
Means III
Posture. Asana. Right Poise. Correct attitude. Position. This third means concerns the physical
attitude of the disciple when in meditation, his emotional attitude towards his environment or his
group, and his mental attitude towards ideas, thought currents and abstract concepts. Finally, the
practice of this means coordinates and perfects the lower threefold man so that the three sheaths
can form a perfect channel for the expression or manifestation of the life of the spirit.
Means IV.
Right control of the life-force. Pranayama. Suppression of the breath. Regulation of the breath.
This refers to the control, regulation and suppression of the vital airs, the breath and the forces or
shaktis of the body. It leads in reality to the organization of the vital body or the etheric body so
that the life current or forces, emanating from the ego or spiritual man on his own plane, can be
correctly transmitted to the physical man in objective manifestation.
Means V.
Abstraction. Pratyahara. Right withdrawal. Restraint. Withdrawal of the senses. Here we get
back of the physical and the etheric bodies, to the emotional body, the seat of the desires, of
sensory perception and of feeling. Here can be noted the orderly method which is followed in the
pursuit of yoga or union. The physical plane life, external and internal is attended to; the correct
attitude to life in its triple manifestation is cultivated. The etheric body is organized and
controlled and the astral body is reoriented, for the desire nature is subdued and the real man
withdraws himself gradually from all sense contacts. The next two means relate to the mental
body and the final one to the real man or thinker.
Means VI.
Attention. Dharana. Concentration. Fixation of the mind. Here the instrument of the Thinker, the
Real Man, is brought under this control. The sixth sense is coordinated, understood, focused and
used.
Means VII.
Meditation. Dhyana. The capacity of the thinker to use the mind as desired and to transmit to the
brain, higher thoughts, abstract ideas, and idealistic concepts. This means concerns higher and
lower mind.
Means VIII.
Contemplation. Samadhi. This relates to the ego or real man and concerns the realm of the soul.
The spiritual man contemplates, studies or meditates upon the world of causes, upon the things
of God. He then, utilizing his controlled instrument, the mind (controlled through the practice of
concentration and meditation) transmits to the physical brain, via the sutratma or thread which
passes down through the three sheaths to the brain, that which the soul knows, sees and
understands. This produces full illumination.

Sutra 30.
Ahimsa Satya Astheya Brahmacharya Aparigraha Yamaah
Ahimsa = Non-violence
Satya = Truth
Astheya = Honesty
Brahmacharya = Sexual Continence
Aparigraha = Non-Possessiveness
Yamaah = Self Restraints
Vows of self-restraint comprise abstention from violence, falsehood, theft, incontinence and
acquisitiveness.
Yama-Niyama, though apparently simple, represents a very drastic ethical code and is designed
to serve as a sufficiently strong foundation for the life of higher Yoga. The main object of this
relentless ethical code is to eliminate completely all mental and emotional disturbances which
characterize the life of an ordinary human being. Anyone who is familiar with the working of the
human mind should not find it difficult to understand that no freedom from emotional and mental
disturbances is possible until the tendencies dealt with under Yama-Niyama have been rooted out
or, at least, mastered to a sufficient degree. Hatred, dishonesty, deception, sensuality,
posessiveness are some of the common and ingrained vices of the human race. Let us understand
each one of them in detail:
Ahimsa: Ahimsa really denotes an attitude and mode of behaviour towards all living creatures
based on the recognition of the underlying unity of life. So the Sadhaka who wishes to perfect
himself in the practice of Ahimsa leaves all academic considerations aside, keeps a strict watch
over his mind, emotions, words and actions and starts regulating them in accordance with his
ideal. Slowly, as he succeeds in putting his ideal into practice, the cruelties and injustices
involved in his thoughts, actions and words will gradually reveal themselves, his vision will clear
up and the right course of conduct under every set of circumstances will become known
intuitively. And gradually, this seemingly negative idea of harmlessness will transform itself into
the positive and dynamic life of love both in its aspect of tender compassion towards all living
creatures and its practical form, service.
Satya: The second moral quality denoted by the word Satya has also to be taken in a far more
comprehensive sense than mere truthfulness. It means strict avoidance of all exaggerations,
equivocation, pretence and similar faults which are involved in saying or doing things which are
not in strict accordance with what we know as true.
A person who starts practising Yoga without first acquiring the virtue of utter truthfulness is like
a man going for exploration into a jungle at night without any light.
Asteya: Asteya literally means abstaining from stealing or rather as abstaining from
misappropriation of all kinds. The would-be Yogi cannot allow himself to take anything which
does not properly belong to him, not only in the way of money or goods but even such intangible
and yet highly prized things as credit for things he has not done or privileges which do not
properly belong to him. The aspirant who intends to tread the path of higher Yoga has to proceed
systematically in the gradual elimination of these undesirable tendencies until their last traces
have been removed.
Brahmacarya: Of all the virtues enjoined in Yama-Niyama this appears to be the most
forbidding. The would-be yogi must definitely and systematically prepare to give up completely
not only physical indulgence but even thoughts and emotions connected with the pleasures of
sex.
The second point to note in this connection is that Brahmacarya in its wider sense stands not only
for abstinence from sexual indulgence but freedom from craving for all kinds of pleasure related
to any sense organ.
As long as we are living in the world and moving among all kinds of objects which affect the
sense-organs we cannot avoid feeling sensuous pleasures of various kinds. When we eat tasty
food we cannot help feeling a certain amount of sensuous pleasureit is the natural result of the
food coming in contact with the taste-buds and arousing particular sensations. The trouble lies
not in feeling the sensation which is quite natural and in itself harmless but in the craving for
the repetition of the experiences which involve pleasurable sensations. It is that which has to be
guarded against and rooted out because it is the desire (Kama) which disturbs the mind and
creates Samskaras and not the actual sensation. The Yogi moves among all kinds of objects as
anybody else but his mind is not attached to objects which give pleasure or repelled from objects
which give pain. It must be clearly understood that the necessity for cultivating this virtue lies
chiefly in ensuring a state of mind which is free from attachments.
Param Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, in Jeevan Devata Sadhana has described
4 varchas, common sense, responsibility, honesty and courage to be equivalent to yamas in this
Era.

Sutra 31.
J aati Desha Kaala Samayanavachhinnaah Saarvabhauma Mahavratam
Jaati = (by) Class
Desha = Place
Kaala = Time
Samaya = Occasion
Anavachhinnaah = Not Limited
Saarvabhauma = Applying to all Stages
Mahavratam = The Great Vow
These (the five vows), not conditioned by class, place, time or occasion and extending to all
stages constitute the Great Vow.
The practice of these five is known as the mahavratha. These five vows are not conditioned by
class, place, time or occasion and extending to all stages is the greatest vow that a sadhaka can
take. In the practising of any virtue there are occasions when doubts arise whether it is feasible or
advisable to practise that particular virtue in the particular situation which has arisen.
Considerations of class, place, time or occasion may be involved in these situations and the
Sadhaka may find it difficult to decide what should be done under those circumstances. This
Sutra sets at rest all such doubts by making it absolutely clear that no exceptions can be allowed
in the practice of the Great Vow as the five vows are called collectively.
He who is out to unravel the Ultimate Mystery of life has to risk his life in doing the right on
many occasions, and considering the tremendous nature of the achievement which is at stake the
loss of one or two lives does not matter. Besides, he should know that in a Universe governed by
Law and based on Justice no real harm can come to a person who tries to do the right. When he
has to suffer under these circumstances it is usually due to past Karma and it is therefore better to
go through the unpleasant experience and have done with the Karmic obligation for good.
Usually, the problems which arise are meant only to test us to the utmost and when we show our
determination to do the right thing at any cost they are resolved in the most unexpected manner.
It should be noted, however, that though there is insistence on doing the right, the interpretation
of what is right is always left to his discretion. He has to do what he thinks to be right, not what
others tell him. If he does wrong, thinking it to be right, nature will teach him through suffering
but the will to do the right at any cost will progressively clear his vision and lead him to the stage
where he can see the right unerringly. Seeing the right depends upon doing the right. Hence the
tremendous importance of righteousness in the life of the Yogi.

Sutra 32.
ShauchaSantoshaTapaha Swadhyaaya I shwaraPranidhaanaani Niyamaah
Shaucha = Purity
Santosha = Contentment
Tapaha = Austerity
Swadhyaaya = Self Study
IshwaraPranidhaanaani = Surrender to God
Niyamaah = Are the Observances
Purity, contentment, austerity, self-study and self-surrender constitute observances.
We now come to Niyama, the second Anga of Yogic discipline which serves to lay the
foundation of the Yogic life. The practices included in Yama are, in a general way, moral and
prohibitive while those in Niyama are disciplinal and constructive. The former aim at laying the
ethical foundation of the Yogic life and the latter at organizing the life of the Sadhaka for the
highly strenuous Yogic discipline which is to follow.
Shaucha: To the Enlightened sage or saint who has had the Divine vision everything from an
atom to the Isvara of a Brahmanda is a vehicle of the Divine Life and therefore pure and sacred.
So, when we use the words pure and impure in relation to our life we obviously use them in a
relative sense. The word purity is used in relation to our vehicles, not only the body which we
can cognize with our physical senses but also the superphysical vehicles which serve as the
instruments of emotion, thought and other spiritual faculties. Purification, therefore, means
elimination from the vehicles belonging to an individual of all those elements and conditions
which prevent them from exercising their proper functions and attaining the goal in view. For the
Yogi this goal is Self-realization through the merging of his individual consciousness with the
Consciousness of the Supreme.
All the lower vehicles of a Jivatma are constantly changing and purification consists in gradually
and systematically replacing the comparatively coarse material of the bodies by a more refined
type of material. In the case of the physical body purification is a comparatively simple matter
and may be brought about by supplying to the body the right kind of material in the form of food
and drink. Foods and drinks are divided into three classesTamasic, Rajasic and Sattvic and
only those which are considered Sattvic are allowed to the Yogi who is building a pure and
refined physical vehicle.
The purification of the subtler vehicles which serve as instruments for the expression of thoughts
and emotions is brought about by gradually excluding all undesirable thoughts and emotions
from the mind and replacing these constantly and persistently by thoughts and emotions of a
higher and subtler nature. Another device recommended is the constant use of Mantras and
prayers. These make the vehicles vibrate frequently at very high rates of frequency, bring about
an influx of spiritual forces from the planes above and the agitation thus set in motion, day after
day, gradually washes out, as it were, all the undesirable elements from the different vehicles.
One has to go through purificatory exercises, day after day, for long periods of time. That is why
it has been included in Niyama.
Santosha: The second element of Niyama is Santosha which is generally translated as
contentment. The ordinary man living in the world is subjected all day long to all kinds of
impacts, and he reacts to these impacts according to his habits, prejudices, training or mood of
the moment, according to his nature as we say. These reactions involve in most cases greater or
lesser disturbances of the mind, there being hardly any reaction which is not accompanied by a
ruffling of the feeling or the mind. The mind seems to be apparently calm sometimes but this
calmness is only superficial. Beneath the surface there is an undercurrent of disturbance like the
swell in a superficially calm sea. The Sadhaka has to change this state of constant disturbance
into a state of constant equilibrium and stillness by a deliberate exercise of the will, meditation
and other means that may be available. He aims at attaining a condition in which he remains
perfectly calm and serene whatever may happen in the outer world or even in the inner world of
his mind. He knows that once a disturbance has been allowed to occur it takes far more energy to
overcome it completely and, even though outwardly it may disappear quickly, the inner sub-
conscious disturbance persists for a long time.
This kind of equanimity can be built only on the foundations of perfect contentment, the capacity
to remain satisfied whatever may happen to the Sadhaka. It is based on perfect indifference to all
those personal enjoyments, comforts and other considerations which sway mankind. Its object is
the attainment of that Peace which takes one completely beyond the realm of illusion and misery.
The cultivation of this supreme contentment and consequent tranquility of the mind is the result
of prolonged self-discipline and going through many experiences which involve pain and
suffering. Habits stronger than nature and habits developed through innumerable lives cannot be
changed all at once. That is why constant alertness and training of the mind in maintaining the
right attitude is necessary and that is also why this virtue is placed under Niyama.
Tapas and the next two elements of Niyama have already been referred to in II-1 and the reason
why they together are called Kriya-Yoga has been given in dealing with that Sutra.

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