The Patanjali's Yog Sutra provide terse treatment to the complex subject of Yoga and seamlessly covers aspects such as types of yoga, practice of yoga, powers of yoga and the ultimate aim or result of yoga. In all, Yog Sutra comprises of 195 aphorisms divided into 4 chapters or Pada. In 55 sutras, the Sadhana Pada establishes the aim of yoga as being the control of the chitta vrittis (thought processes) to attain the highest union or 'yoga'. It prescribes the practice of Karma and Ashtanga Yoga as a means of achieving this union. This Pada identifies ignorance (avidya) and other obstacles to meditation as a major cause of our inability to naturally merge with the Absolute, and to this end it advices the eradication of all such kleshas by practicing the eight limbs of yoga and benefiting from their advantages.
Sadhana Pada, having 55 sutras (aphorisms) in Sanskrit, Sanskrit transliteration with English translation are explained here.
TAPAH - asceticism; austerity
SVAADHAYAAYA - self-study; study which leads to the knowledge of the self through Japa
EESHVARAPRANIDHAANAANI - (and) self-surrender, or resignation to God
KRIYAAYOGA - preliminary (practical) Yoga.
Austerity, self-study and resignation to Ishvara constitute preliminary Yoga.
SAMAADHI - trance
BHAAVANAARTHAH - for bringing about
KLESHA - afflictions
TANOOKARANAARTHASH - for reducing; for making attenuated
CHA - and.
(Kriyaa-Yoga) is practiced for attenuating Kleshas and bringing about Samaadhi.
AVIDYA - ignorance; lack of awareness; illusion
ASMITA - I-am-ness egoism
RAAGA - attraction; liking
DVESHAA - repulsion; dislike
ABHI-NIVESHAA -(and) clinging (to life); fear of death
KLESHAAH - pains; afflictions; miseries; causes of pain.
The lack of awareness of reality, the sense of egoism or 'i-am-ness', attractions and repulsion to wards objects and the strong desire for life are the great afflictions or causes of all miseries in life.
AVIDYA - ignorance or lack of awareness of reality
KHSETRAM - fields; source
UTTRESHAAM - of the following ones
PRASOOPTA - (of) dormant; sleeping;
TANU - attenuated; thin
VICHCHHINNO - scattered; dispersed; alternating
UDAA-RAANAAM - (and) expanded; fully operative.
Avidyaa is the source of those that are mentioned after it, whether they be in the dormant, attenuated, alternating or expanded condition.
ANITYA - (of) non-eternal
ASHUCHI - impure
DUHKHA - misery; pain; evil
ANAATMASU - (and) non-Aatman; not -self
NITYA - eternal SHUCHI: pure SUKH: happiness; pleasure; good AATMA: (and) Self KHYAATIR: knowledge; consciousness, (taking)
AVIDYAA - ignorance.
Avidyaa is taking the non-eternal, impure, evil and non-Aatman to be eternal, pure, good and Aatman respectively.
DRIG - (of) power of consciousness; seer; purusha DARSHANASHATYOR - (and) power of seeing; cognition; buddhi
EKAATMATAA - identity; blending together
EVA - as if
ASMITAA: I-am-ness
Asmitaa is the identity or blending together, as it were, of the power of consciousness (Purusha) with the power of cognition (Buddhi).
SUKH - pleasure; happiness
ANUSHAYEE - accompanying; resulting (from)
RAAGAH - attraction; liking.
That attraction, which accompanies pleasure, is Raaga.
DUHKH - pain
ANUSHAYEE - accompanying; resulting (from);
DVESHAH - repulsion.
That repulsion which accompanies pain is Dvesha.
SVARASAVAAHEE -sustained by its own forces; flowing on automatically
VIDUSHO - the learned (or wise)
API - even
TATHAA - in that way
ROODHO - riding; dominating
ABHINIVESHAH - great fear of death; strong desire for life; thorough infiltration (of the mind); will-to-live.
Abhinivesha is the strong desire for life which dominates even the learned (or the wise).
TE - they
PRATIPRADAVA: - re-absorption; re-mergence; resolution into respective cause or origin
HEYAAH - capable of being reduced or avoided or abolished
SOOSHMAAH - subtle.
These, the subtle ones, can be reduced by resolving them backward into their origin.
DHYAANA - (by) meditation
HEYAA - (kleshas which are) to avoided
TADVRITTYAH - their modifications; ways of existing; activities.
Their active modifications are to be suppressed by meditation.
KLESHAMOOLAH - rooted in Kleshas
KARMAASHAYO - reservoir of Karmas; the vehicle of the seeds of Karma
DRISTA - seen; present
ADRISTA - unseen; future
JANMA - lives
VDDNEEYAH - to be known; to be experienced.
The reservoir of Karmas which are rooted in Kleshas birngs all kinds of experiences in the present and future lives.
SATI MOOLE - there being the root
TAD - (of) it (Karmaashaya)
VIPAAKO - fruition; ripening
JAATYA: class AYUR: (span of) life
BHOGAAH: (and) experiences.
As long as the root is there it must ripen and result in lives of different class, length and experiences.
TE - they
HLAADA: joy
PARITAAPA - (and) sorrow
PHALAAH - (having for their) fruit
PUNYA - merit as opposed to sin or demerit
APUNYA - demerit; sin (punya and apunya are the assets and liabilities super-physically registered in the soul)
HETUTVAAT - being caused by; on account of.
They have joy or sorrow for their fruit according to their cause is virtue or vice.
PARINAAMA - (on account of) change
TAAP - acute anxiety; suffering
SANSKAAR - impression; stamping with a tendency
DUHKHAIR - pains (three causes mentioned above)
GUNA - (between the three)
Gunas VRITTI -(and) modification (of the mind)
VIRODHACH - on account of opposition or conflict
CHA and DUHKHAM - (is) pain; misery
EVA - only
VIVEKINAH - 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).
HEYAM - to be avoided
DUHKAM - misery
ANAAGATAM - not yet come; in future.
The misery which is not yet come can and is to be avoided.
DRASHTRI - (of) Seer; (Purusha)
TRISHYAYOH - (and) Seen; Prakriti)
SAMYOGO - union; association
HEYA - (of) that which is to be avoided
HETUH - cause.
The cause of that which is to be avoided is the union of the Seer and the Seen.
PRAKASHA - (of) luminosity; light; cognition; consciousness of
KRIYA - activity
STHITI - stability
SHEELAM - having properties or qualities
BHOOT - elements
ENDRIYA - sense-organs
ATMAKAM - being of the nature
BHOGA - experience
APAVARGA - and liberation
ARTHAM - for the sake of ; with the purpose of
DRISHYAM - (is) the Seen (Prakriti).
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 Purusha) experience and liberation.
VISHESHA - particular; specific
AVISHESHA - non--specific; archetypal; universal
LINGAMAATRA - a mere mark
ALINGAANI - (and) without mark or differentiating characteristic
GUNA - (of) the Gunas PARVAANI: stages of development; states.
The stages of the Gunas are the particular, the universal, the differentiated and the undifferentiated.
DRASHTAA - Seer; Purusha
DRISHIMAATRAH - pure consciousness only; pure awareness only
SHUDDHO - pure
API - though
PRATYAYA - concept; content of the mind
ANUPASHAYAH - appears to see along with.
The Seer is pure consciousness but though pure, appears to see through the mind.
TADARTHA - (intended) for the sake of that (the Seer)
EVA - alone
DRISHYASYA - of the seen (Prakriti)
ATMAA - (being) nature.
The very being of the Seen is for his sake (i.e. Prakriti exists only of his sake).
KRITAARTHAM - (one) whose purpose has been fulfilled
PRATI - for; to
NASHTAM - destroyed; non-existent
APY - although
ANASHTAM - not destroyed; existent
TAD - (than) that
ANYA - to others
SAADHARANATVAAT - 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).
SVA - (of) it (Prakriti)
SVAAMI - (and) of the master (Purusha)
SHAKTYOH - of the (two) powers
SVAROOP - own form; real or essential nature
APALABDHI - experiencing; knowledge
HETUH - cause; reason; purpose
SAMYOGAH - union; coming together.
The purpose of the coming together of the Pursha and Prakriti is gaining by the Purusha of the awareness of his true nature and the unfoldment of powers inherent in him and Prakriti.
TASYA - (of the union)
HETUR - (effective) cause
AVIDYAA - ignorance; lack of awareness of his Real Nature.
Its cause is the lack of awareness of his Real nature.
TAD - (of) that (Avidya)
ABHAAVAAT - from absence or elimination
SAMYOGA - (of) union; association
ABHAAVO --disappearance
HAANAM - (is) avoiding; remedy:
TAD - that DRISHEH: of the Seer
KAIVALYAM - (is) isolation; separation from everything (Liberation).
The dissociation of Pursha and Prakriti brought about by the dispersion of Avidyaa is the real remedy and that is the Liberation of the Seer.
VIVEKA-KHYAATIR - discriminative cognition; awareness of the distinction between the Self and the Not-Self; awareness of Reality
AVIPLAVAA - unbroken; unfluctuating; unfailing; incessant
HAANOPAAYAH - the means of avoidance; the means of abolition; remedy the means of dispersion.
The uninterrupted practice of the awareness of the Real is the means of dispersion (of Avidyaa).
TASYA - (his) Purusha's)
SAPTADHAA - sevenfold
PRAANTA-BHOOMIH - a definite stage; step; layer; 'bordering' province
PRAJYNAA - the cognitive consciousness.
In his case the highest stage of Enlightenment is reached by seven stages.
YOGAANGA - (of) component parts of Yoga; (exercise) or steps of Yoga
ANUSHTHAANAAD - by practice or following
ASHUDDHI: of impurity KSAYE: on the destruction (the idea is of gradual diminishing) JYNAANA - knowledge (spiritual knowledge) DEEPTIR: shining forth; radiance AAVIVEKAKHYAATEH - till awareness which develops into awareness of Reality or discriminative knowledge (arises).
From the practice of the component exercises of Yoga, on the destruction of impurity, arises spiritual illumination which develops into awareness of Reality.
YAMA - Self-restraints; vows of abstention
NIYAM - fixed observances; binding rules which must be observed
AASANA - posture
PRAANAAYAAMA - regulation of breath
PRATYAAHAARA - abstraction
DHAARANAA - concentration; holding on to one idea or object in mind or by the mind DHYAANA - meditation; contemplation ('con-templa-tion' which means working out an area, a templum for observation fits in with the definition of DHAARANAA: in the text and con-centration which means confining to a centre fits in with the definition of DHYAANA: as given in the text.
Yet, on the whole, considering the conventional uses of the two words it seems best to render DHAARANAA: by concentration and DHYAANA: by contemplation
SAMAADHAYO - (and) trance
ASHTAAV - (are) the eight
ANGAANI - limbs; constituent parts.
Self-restraints, fixed observances, posture, regulation of breath, abstraction, concentration, contemplation, trance are the eight parts (of the self-discipline of Yoga)
AHIMSAA - non-violence; harmlessness
SATYA - truthfulness
ASTEYA - honesty; non -misappropriativeness
BRAHMACHARYA - sexual continence
APARI-GRIHAA - (and) non-possessiveness; no-acquisitiveness
YAMAAH - (are) self-restraints; vows of abstention.
Vows of self-restraint comprise abstention from violence, falsehood, theft, incontinence and acquisitiveness.
JAATI - (by) class; birth-type DESH: place
KAALA - time
SAMAYA - (and) occasion; circumstance;condition
ANAVACHCHHINNAAH - not-limited; qualified or conditioned
SAARVABHAUMAAH - extending or applying to all stages
MAHAA-VRATAM - the Great Vow.
These (the five vows), not conditioned by class, place, time or occasion and extending to all stages constitute the Great Vow.
SHOUCHA - cleanliness
SAMTOSHA - contentment
TAPAH: austerity SVAADHYAA: self-study; study which leads to knowledge of the Self YESHVARA PRANIDHAANAANI - (and) self-surrender; resignation to God
NIYAAMAAH - (fixed) observances.
Purity, contentment austerity, self-study and self-surrender constitute observances.
VITARKA - evil thoughts; evil passions
BAADHANE - on oppression by; on disturbance by
PRATIPAKSA - the opposites
BHAUVANAM - dwelling (in mind) on; (constant) pondering over.
When the mind is disturbed by improper thoughts constant pondering over the opposites (is the remedy).
VITARKA -Evil or improper thoughts and emotions
HIMSAADAYAH - (of) violence, etc.
KRITA - done by self
KAARITA - done through others
ANUMODITAA - (and) abetted; approved LOBHA: greed; avarice KRODA: anger MOHA: confusion; delusion
POORVAKAA - preceded by; caused by
MRIDU - mild MADHYA: medium
ADHIMAATRAA - (and) intense
DUHKHA - pain; misery
AJYNAANA - ignorance
ANANTA - endless
PHALAA - fruit; result
ITI - thus; so; in this way
PRATIPAKSA - (on) the opposites
BHAVANAM - dwelling in mind.
As improper thoughts, emotions (and actions) such as those of violence etc., whether they are done (indulged in), caused to be done or abetted, whether caused by greed, anger or delusion, whether present in mild, medium or intense degree, result in endless pain and ignorance; so there is the necessity of pondering over the opposites.
AHIMSAA - (in) non-violence
PRATISHTHAMYAAM - on being firmly established
TAT- SAMNIDHAU - in his (Yogi's) vicinity VAIRA: of hostility
TYAAGAH - abandonment.
On being firmly established in non-violence there is abandonment of hostility in (his) presence.
SATYA - (in) truthfulness
PRATISHTHAYAAM - on being firmly established
KRIYAA - (of) action
PHAL - fruit; result
AASRAYAVATVAM - state of being a substratum.
On being firmly established in truthfulness fruit (of action) rests on action (of the Yogi) only.
ASTEYA -(in) honesty; non-mis-appropriativeness
PRATISHTHAAYAAM - on being firmly established SARVA: (of) all
RATNA - gems; precious things
OPASTHAANAM - self-presentation; coming up.
On being firmly established in honesty all kinds of gems present themselves (before the Yogi).
BRAHMACHARYA - sexual continence
PRATISHTHAAYAAM - on being firmly established
VEERYA - (of) vigour; energy
LAABHAH - gain.
On being firmly established in sexual continence vigour (is) good.
APARIGRAHA - (in) non-possessiveness
STHAIRYE - on becoming steady or confirmed
JANAM - (of) birth
KATHAMTAA - (of) the 'how' and 'wherefore'
SAMBODHAH - knowledge.
Non-possessiveness being confirmed there arises knowledge of the 'how' and 'wherefore' of existence.
SHOUCHAAT - from purity
SVAANGA - (with) one's limbs, i.e. body
JUGUPSAA - disgust
PARAIR - with others
ASAMSARGAH - non-contact; non-intercourse.
From physical purity (arises) disgust for one's own body and disinclination to come in physical contact with others.
SATTVASHUDDHI - purity of Sattva; purity of Antah-karana
SAUMANASYA - cheerful-mindedness
YAIKAAGRYE - one-pointedness; fixity of attention
INDRAYAJAYA - control of the senses
AATMADARSHANA - vision of the Self or Aatmaa
YOGYATVAANI - (and) fitness for
CHA - and; also (follow).
From mental purity (arises) purity of Sattva, cheerful-mindedness, one-pointedness, control of the senses and fitness for the vision of the Self.
SANTOSHAD - from contentment
ANUTTAMAH - unexcelled; unsurpassed
SUKH - (of) happiness
LAABHAH - gain.
Superlative happiness from contentment.
KAAYA - The body
ENDRIYA - sense-organs
SIDDHIR - occult powers; perfection
ASHUDDHI - impurity
KSAYAAT - on (gradual) destruction
TAPAH - from austerities.
Perfection of the sense-organs and body after destruction of impurity by austerities.
SVAADHYAAYAAD - from self-study (the study which leads to knowledge of the Self)
ISHTADEVATAA - (with) the desired deity
SAMPRAYOGAH - union or communion; coming in touch.
By (or from) self-study union with the desired deity.
SAMAADHI - trance
SIDDHIR - success; accomplishment; perfection
ISHVARA - (to) God
PRANIDHAANAAT - from self-surrender; from resignation.
Accomplishment of Samaadhi from resignation to God.
STHIRA - steady
SUKHAM - (and) comfortable
AASANAM - posture.
Posture (should be) steady and comfortable.
PRAYAMA - (of) effort
HAITHILYA - (by) relaxation
ANANTA - (on) the 'Endless'
SAMAAPATTIBHYAM - (and) by meditation
By relaxation of effort and meditation on the 'Endless' (posture is mastered).
TATO - from that (mastery of posture)
DVANDVA - (from pairs) of opposites
ANABHIGHAATAH - no assaults.
From that no assaults from the pairs of opposites.
TASMIN - on this (perfection of Aasana)
SATI - having been (accomplished)
SHVAASAPRASHVAASAYOR - of in-breathing and out-breathing; of inspiration and expiration
GATI - (of) movement
VICHCHHEDAH - cessation or break
PRAANAAYAAM - (is) regulation of breath (fourth constituent part of Yoga).
This having been (accomplished) Praanaayaama which is cessation of inspiration and expiration (follows).
BAAHY - outer; external
AABHYANTARA - internal
STABHAVRITTIR - suppressed; paralyzed; (stopped suddenly) modification
DESH - (by) place
KAAL - time
SAMKHYAABHIH - (and) number
PARIDRISHTO - measured; regulated
DEERGHA - prolonged
SOOKHSMAH - (and) subtle; attenuated.
(It is in) external, internal or suppressed modification; is regulated by place, time and number, (and becomes progressively) prolonged and subtle.
BAAHYA - external
ABHYANTAR - (and) internal
VISHAY - range; sphere; domain
AAKSEPEE - going beyond
CHATURTHAH -(is) the fourth (variety of Praanaayaama).
That Praanaayaama which goes beyond the sphere of internal and external is the fourth (variety).
TATAH - then; from that
KSEEYATE - dissolves; disappears
PRAKAASH - (of) light
AAVARANAM - covering.
From that is dissolved the covering of light.
DHAARANAASU - for (stages of) concentration
CHA - and
YOGYATAA - fitness
MANASAH - of the mind.
And the fitness of the mind for concentration.
SVA - (with) their own; their respective
VISHAYA - objects
ASAMPRAYOGE - not coming into contact
CHITT - (of) the individual mind's
SVAROOP - own form; nature
ANUKAARA - the imitating or functioning according to
EVA - as if; like
INDRIYAANAAM - by the senses
PRATYAAHAARAH - abstraction (fifth constituent of Yoga).
Pratyahaara or abstraction is, as it were, the imitation by the senses of the mind by withdrawing themselves from their objects.
TATAH - then; from that
PARMAA - the highest; the greatest
VASHYAT - mastery
ENDRIYAANAAM - over the senses.
Then follows the greatest mastery over the senses.
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