Patanjali Yoga Sutras Samyama on these he knows the past and future. 17. शब्दार्थप्रत्ययानाम् इतरेतराध्यासात् संकरःतत्प्रविभागसंयमात् सर्वभूतरुतज्ञानम् ॥ १७॥ shabdarthapratyayanam itaretaradhyasat sankarah tatpravibhagasanyamat sarvabhootarutajnanam By making Samyama on word, meaning, and knowledge, which are ordinarily confused, comes the knowledge of all animal sounds. The word represents the external cause, the meaning represents the internal vibration that travels to the brain through the channels of the Indriyas, conveying the external impression to the mind, and knowledge represents the reaction of the mind, with which comes perception. These three confused, make our sense objects. Suppose I hear a word; there is first the external vibration, next the internal sensation carried to the mind by the organ of hearing, then the mind reacts, and I know the word. The word I know is a mixture of the three, vibration, sensation, and reaction. Ordinarily these three are inseperable; but by practice the Yogi can separate them. When a man has attained to this, if he makes a Samyama on any sound, he understands the meaning which that sound was intended to express, whether it was made by man or by any other animal. 18. संस्कारसाक्षत्करणात् पूर्वजातिज्ञानम् ॥ १८ ॥ sanskarasakshatkaranat poorvajatijnanam 105

Patanjali Yoga Sutras By perceiving the impressions, knowledge of past life. Each experience that we have comes in the form of a wave in the Chitta, and this subsides and becomes finer and finer, but is never lost. It remains there in minute form, and if we can bring this wave up again, it becomes memory. So, if the Yogi can make a Samyama on these past impressions in the mind, he will begin to remember all his past lives. 19. प्रत्ययस्य परचित्तज्ञानम् ॥ १९॥ pratyayasy parachittajnanam By making Samyama on the signs in another's both knowledge of that mind comes. Suppose each man has particular signs on his body, which differentiate him from others; when the Yogi makes a Samyama on these signs peculiar to a certain man he knows the nature of the mind of that person. 20. न च तत् सालम्बनं,तस्याविषयीभूतत्वात् ॥२०॥ na cha tat salambanan,tasyavishayibhootatvat But not its contents, that not being the object of the Samyama. He would not know the contents of the mind by making a Samyama on the body. There would be required a twofold Samyama, first on the signs in the body, and then on the mind itself. The Yogi would then know everything that is in that 106

mind, past, present, and future. 21. कायरूपसंयमात् तद्ग्राह्यशक्तिस्तम्भे चक्षुःप्रकाशासंप्रयोगेऽन्तर्धानम् ॥२१॥ kayaroopasanyamat tadgrahyashaktistambhe chakshuhprakashasanprayogentardhanam By making Samyama on the form of the body the power of perceiving forms being obstructed, the power of manifestation in the eye being separated, the Yogi's body becomes unseen. A Yogi standing in the midst of this room can apparently vanish. He does not really vanish, but he will not be seen by anyone. The form and the body are, as it were, separated. You must remember that this can only be done when the Yogi has attained to that power of concentration when form and the thing formed have been separated. Then he makes a Samyama on that, and the power to perceive forms is obstructed, because the power of perceiving forms comes from the junction of form and the thing formed. 22. एतेन शब्दाद्यन्तर्धानमुक्तम् ॥२२॥ etena shabdadyantardhanamuktam By this the disappearance or concealment of words which are being spoken is also explained. 107

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 23. सोपक्रमं निरुपक्रमं च कर्म तत्संयमाद् अपरान्तज्ञानम्, अरिष्टेभ्यो वा ॥२३॥ sopakraman nirupakraman cha karma tatsanyamad aparantajnanam,arishtebhyo va Karma is of two kinds, soon to be fructified, and late to be fructified. By making Samyama on that, or by the signs called Aristha, portents, the Yogis know the exact time of separation from their bodies. When the Yogi makes a Samyama on his own Karma, upon those impressions in his mind which are now working, and those which are just waiting to work, he knows exactly by those that are waiting when his body will fall. He knows when he will die, at what hour, even at what minute. The Hindus think very much of that knowledge or consciousness of the nearness of death, because it is taught in the Gita that the thoughts at the moment of departure are great powers in determining the next life. 24. मैत्र्यादिषु बलानि ॥२४॥ maitryadishu balani By making Samyama on friendship, etc., various strength comes. 108

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 25. बलेषु हस्तिबलादीनि ॥२५॥ baleshu hastibaladini By making Samyama on the strength of the elephant, etc., that strength comes to the Yogi. When a Yogi has attained to this Samyama and wants strength, he makes a Samyama on the strength of the elephant, and gets it. Infinite energy is at the disposal of everyone, if he only knows how to get it. The Yogi has discovered the science of getting it. 26. प्रवृत्त्यालोकन्यासात् सूक्ष्मव्यवहितविप्रकृष्टज्ञानम् ॥२६॥ pravrittyalokanyasat sookshmavyavahita- viprakrishtajnanam By making Samyama on that effulgent light comes the knowledge of the fine, the obstructed, and the remote. When the Yogi makes Samyama on that effulgent light in the heart he sees things which are very remote, things, for instance, that are happening in a distant place, and which are obstructed by mountain barriers and also things which are very fine. 27. भुवनज्ञानं सूर्ये संयमात् ॥२७॥ bhuvanajnanan soorye sanyamat By making Samyama on the sun, (comes) the 109

Patanjali Yoga Sutras knowledge of the world. 28. चन्द्रे ताराव्यूहज्ञानम् ॥ २८॥ chandre taravyoohajnanam On the moon, (comes) the knowledge of the cluster of stars. 29. ध्रुवे तद्गतिज्ञानम् ॥ २९॥ dhruve tadgatijnanam On the pole star (comes) the knowledge of the motions of the stars. 30. नाभिचक्रे कायव्यूहज्ञानम् ॥ ३०॥ nabhichakre kayavyoohajnanam On the navel circle (comes) the knowledge of the constitution of the body. 31. कण्ठकूपे क्षुत्पिपासानिवृत्तिः ॥३१॥ kanthakoope kshutpipasanivrittih On the hollow of the throat (comes) cessation of hunger. When a man is very hungry, if he can make Samyama on the pit of the throat hunger ceases. 110

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 32. कूर्मनाड्यां स्थैर्यम् ॥ ३२ ॥ koormanadyan sthairyam On the nerve called Kurma (comes) fixity of the body. When he is practising the body is not disturbed. 33. मूर्धज्योतिषि सिद्धदर्शनम् ॥ ३३ ॥ moordhajyotishi siddhadarshanam On the light emanating from the top of the head sight of the Siddhas. The Siddhas are beings who are a little above ghosts. When the Yogi concentrates his mind on the sop of his head he will see these Siddhas. The word Siddha does not refer to those men who have become free—a sense in which it is often used. 34. प्रातिभाद् वा सर्वम् ॥ ३४ ॥ pratibhad va sarvam Or by the power of Pratibha all knowledge. All these can come without any Samyama to the man who has the power of Pratibha (enlightenment from purity). This is when a man has risen to a high state of Pratibha; then he has that great light. All things are apparent to him. Everything comes to him naturally, without making Samyama on anything. 111

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 35. हृदये चित्तसंवित् ॥ ३५॥ hridaye chittasanvit In the heart, knowledge of minds. 36. सत्त्वपुरुषयोरत्यन्तासंकीर्णयोः प्रत्ययाविशेषो भोगः परार्थत्वात् स्वार्थसंयमात् पुरुषज्ञानम् ॥ ३६ ॥ sattvapurushayoratyantasankeernnayoh pratyayavishesho bhogah pararthatvat svarthasanyamat purushajnanam Enjoyment comes by the non-discrimination of the very distant soul and Sattva. Its actions are for another; Samyama on this gives knowledge of the Purusa. This power of non-attachment acquired through purity gives the Yogi the enlightenment called Pratibha. 37. ततः प्रातिभश्रावणवेदनादर्शास्वादवार्ता जायन्ते ॥ ३७ ॥ tatah pratibhashravannavedanadarshasvadavarta jayante From that arises the knowledge of hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, and smelling, belonging to Pratibha. 38. ते समाधावुपसर्गा व्युत्थाने सिद्धयः ॥ ३८ ॥ te samadhavupasargaa vyutthane siddhayah 112

Patanjali Yoga Sutras These are obstacles to Samadhi; but they are powers in the worldly state. If the Yogi knows all these enjoyments of the world it comes by the junction of the Purusa and the mind. If he wants to make Samyama on this, that they are two different things, nature and soul, he gets knowledge of the Purusa. From that arises discrimination. When he has got that discrimination he gets the Pratibha, the light of supreme genius. These powers, however, are obstructions to the attainment of the highest goal, the knowledge of the pure Self, and freedom; these are, as it were, to be met in the way, and if the Yogi rejects them, he attains the highest. If he is tempted to acquire these, his farther progress is barred. 39. बन्धकारणशैथिल्यात् प्रचारसंवेदनाच्च चित्तस्य परशरीरावेशः ॥ ३९ ॥ bandhakarannashaithilyat pracharasanvedanach ch chittasya parashariraveshah When the cause of bondage has become loosened, the Yogi, by his knowledge of manifestation through the organs, enters another’s body. The Yogi can enter a dead body, and make it get up and move, even while he himself is working in another body. Or he can enter a living body, and hold that man’s mind and organs in check, and for the time being act through the body of that man. That is done by the Yogi coming to this discrimination of Purusa and nature. If he wants to enter another’s body he makes a Samyama on that body and enters it, because, not only is his Soul omnipresent, but his mind also, according to 113

Patanjali Yoga Sutras the Yogi. It is one bit of the universal mind. Now, however, it can only work through the nerve currents in this body, but when the Yogi has loosened himself from these nerve currents, he will be able to work through other things. 40. उदानजयाज्जलपङ्ककण्टकादिष्वसङ्ग उत्क्रान्तिश्च ॥४०॥ udanajayajjalapangkakantakadishvasangg utkrantishch By conquering the current called Udana the Yogi does not sink in water, or in swamps, and he can walk on thorns. Udana is the name of the nerve current that governs the lungs, and all the upper parts of the body, and when he is master of it he becomes light in weight. He cannot sink in water; he can walk on thorns and sword baldes, and stand in fire, and so on. 41. समानजयात् प्रज्वलनम् ॥४१॥ samanajayat prajvalanam By the conquest of the current Samana he is surrounded by blaze. Whenever he likes light flashes from his body. 42. श्रोत्राकाशयोः संबन्धसंयमाद् दिव्यं श्रोत्रम् ॥४२॥ shrotrakashayoh sanbandhasanyamad divyan shrotram By making Samyama on the relation between the ear 114

Patanjali Yoga Sutras and the Akasa comes divine hearing. There is the Akasa, the ether, and the instrument, the ear. By making Samyama on them the Yogi gets divine hearing; he hears everything. Anything spoken or sounded miles away he can here. 43. कायाकाशयोः संबन्धसंयमाल् लघुतूलसमापत्तेश्चाकाशगमनम् ॥४३॥ kayakashayoh sanbandhasanyamal aghutoolasamapatteshchakashagamanam By making Samyama on the relation between the Akasa and the body the Yogi becoming light as cotton wool goes through the skies. This Akasa is the material of this body; it is only Akasa in a certain form that has become the body. If the Yogi makes Samyama on this Akasa material of his body, it acquires the lightness of Akasa, and can go anywhere through the air. 44. बहिरकल्पिता वृत्तिर्महाविदेहा . ततः प्रकाशावरणक्षयः ॥४४॥ bahirakalpita vrittirmahavideha tatah prakashavarannakshayah By making Samyama on the real modifications of the mind, which are outside, called great disembodiness, comes disappearance of the covering to light. The mind in its foolishness thinks that it is working in this body. Why should I be bound by one system of nerves, and put the Ego only in one body, if the mind is omnipresent? 115

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There is no reason why I should. The Yogi wants to feel the Ego wherever he likes. When he has succeeded in that all covering to light goes away, and all darkness and ignorance vanish. Everything appear to him to be full of knowledge. 45. स्थूलस्वरूपसूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद्भूतजयः ॥४५॥ sthoolasvaroopasookshmanvayarthavattva samyamadbhootajayah By making Samyama on the elements, beginning with the gross, and ending with the superfine, comes mastery of the elements. The Yogi make Samyama on the elements, first on the gross, and then on the finer states. This Samyama is taken up more by a sect of the Buddhists. They take a lump of clay, and make Samyama on that, and gradually they begin to see the fine materials of which is is composed, and when they have known all the fine materials in it, they get power over that element. So with all the elements, the Yogi can conquer them all. 46. ततोऽणिमादिप्रादुर्भावः कायसंपत् तद्धर्मानभिघातश्च ॥४६॥ tatoanimadipradurbhavah kayasanpat taddharmanabhighatashch From that comes minuteness, and the rest of the powers, "glorification of the body," and indestructibleness of the bodily qualities. This means that the Yogi has attained the eight powers. He can 116

Patanjali Yoga Sutras make himsef as light as a particle, he can make himself huge, as heavy as the earth, or as light as the air; he will rule everything he wants, he will conquer everything he wants, alion will sit at his feet like a lamb, and all his desires be fulfilled at will. 47. रूपलावण्यबलवज्रसंहननत्वानि कायसंपत् ॥४७॥ roopalavanyabalavajrasanhananatvani kayasanpat The glorifications of the body are beauty, complexion, strength, adamantine hardness. The body becomes indestructible; fire cannot injure it. Nothing can injure it. Nothing can destroy it until the Yogi wishes. “Breaking the rod of time he lives in this universe with his body.” In the Vedas it is written that for that man there is no more disease, death or pain. 48. ग्रहणस्वरूपास्मितान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद् इन्द्रियजयः ॥४८॥ grahannasvaroopasmitanvayarthavattvasanyamad indriyajayah By making Samyama on the objectivity, knowledge and egoism of the organs, by gradation comes the conquest of the organs. In perception of external objects the organs leave their place in the mind and go towards the object; that is followed by knowledge and egoism. When the Yogi makes Samyama on these by gradation he conquers the organs. Take up anything that you see or feel, a book, for instance, and first concentrate 117

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the mind on the thing itself. Then on the knowledge that it is in the form of a book, and then the Ego that sees the book. By that practice all the organs will be conquers. 49. ततो मनोजवित्वं विकरणभावः प्रधानजयश्च ॥४९॥ tato manojavitvan vikarannabhavah pradhanajayashch From that comes glorified mind, power of the organs independently of the body, and conquest of nature. Just as by the conquest of the elements comes glorified body, so from the conquest of the mind will come glorified mind. 50. सत्त्वपुरुषान्यताख्यातिमात्रस्य सर्वभावाधिष्ठातृत्वं सर्वज्ञातृत्वं च ॥५०॥ sattvapurushanyatakhyatimatrasy sarvabhavadhishthatritvam sarvajnatritvan cha By making Samyama on the Sattva, to him who has discriminated between the intellect and the PuruSa comes omnipresence and omniscience. When we have conquered nature, and realised the difference between the PuruSa and nature, that the PuruSa is indestructible, pure and perfect, when the Yogi has realised this, then comes omnipotence and omniscience. 51. तद्वैराग्यादपि दोषबीजक्षये कैवल्यम् ॥५१॥ tadvairajnadapi doshabijakshaye kaivalyam By giving up even these comes the destruction of the very seed of evil; he attains Kaivalya. 118

Patanjali Yoga Sutras He attains aloneness, independence. Then that man is free. When he gives up even the ideas of omnipotence and omniscience, there will be entire rejection of enjoyment, of the temptations from celestial beings. When the Yogi has seen all these wonderful powers, and rejected them, he reaches the goal. What are all these powers? Simply manifestations. They areno better than dreams. Even omnipotence is a dream. It depends on the mind. So long as there is a mind it can be understood, but the goal is beyond even the mind. 52. स्थान्युपनिमन्त्रणे सङ्गस्मयाकरणं पुनः अनिष्टप्रसङ्गात् ॥ ५२॥ sthanyupanimantrane sanggasmayakarannan punah anishtaprasanggat The Yogi should not feel allured or flattered by the overtures of celestial beings, for fear of evil again. There are other dangers too; gods and other beings come to tempt the Yogi. They do not want anyone to be perfectly free. They are jealous, just as we are, and worse than we sometimes. They are very much afraid of losing their places. Those Yogis who do not reach perfection die and become gods; leaving the direct road they go into one of the side streets, and get these powers. Then again they have to be born; but he who is strong enough to withstand these temptations, and go straight to the goal, becomes free. 53. क्षणतत्क्रमयोः संयमाद्विवेकजं ज्ञानम् ॥ ५३॥ kshannatatkramayoh sanyamadavivekajam jnanam By making Samyama on a particle of time and its 119

Patanjali Yoga Sutras multiples comes discrimination. How are we to avoid all these things, these Devas, and heavens, and powers? By discrimination, by knowing good from evil. Therefore a Samyama is given by which the power of discrimination can be strengthened. This is by making Samyama on a particle of time. 54. जातिलक्षणदेशैरन्यताऽनवच्छेदात् तुल्ययोस्ततः प्रतिपत्तिः ॥५४॥ jatilakshannadeshairanyataanavachchhedat tulyayostatah pratipattih Those which cannot be differentiated by species, sign and place, even they will be discriminated by the above Samyama. The misery that we suffer comes from ignorance, from non- discrimination between the real and the unreal. We all take the bad for the good, the dream for the reality. Soul is the only reality, and we have forgotten it. Body is an unreal dream, and we think we are all bodies. This non-discrimination is the cause of misery, and it is caused by ignorance. When discrimination comes it brings strength, and then alone can we avoid all these various ideas of body, heavens, and gods and Devas. This ignorance arises through differentiating by species, sign or place. For instance, take a cow. The cow is differentiated from the dog, as species. Even with the cows alone how do we make the distinction between one cow and another? By signs. If two objects are exactly similar they can be distinguished if they are in different places. When objects are so mixed up that even these differentiæ will not help us, 120

Patanjali Yoga Sutras the power of discrimination acquired by the above-mentioned practice will give us the ability to distinguish them. The highest philosophy of the Yogi is based upon this fact, that the PuruSa is pure and perfect, and is the only “simple” that exists in this universe. The body and mind are compounds, and yet we are ever identifying ourselves with them. That is the great mistake that the distinction has been lost. When this power of discrimination has been attained, man sees that everything in this world, mental and physical, is a compound, and, as such, cannot be the Purusa. 55. तारकं सर्वविषयं सर्वथाविषयम् अक्रमं चेति विवेकजं ज्ञानम् ॥ ५५ ॥ tarakan sarvavishayan sarvathavishayam akraman cheti vivekajan jnanam The saving knowledge is that knowledge of discrimination which covers all objects, all means. Saving, because the knowledge takes the Yogi across the ocean of birth and death. The whole of Prakriti in all its states, subtle and gross, is within the grasp of this knowledge. There is no succession in perfection by this knowledge: it takes in all things simultaneously, at a glance. 56. सत्त्वपुरुषयोः शुद्धिसाम्ये कैवल्यम् इति ॥ ५६ ॥ sattvapurushayoh shuddhisamye kaivalyam iti By the similarity of purity between the Sattva and the PuruSa comes Kaivalya. When the soul realises that it depends on nothing in the 121

Patanjali Yoga Sutras universe, from gods to the lowest atom, that it is called Kaivalya (isolation) and perfection. It is attained when this mixture of purity and impurity called mind has been made as pure as the PuruSa Itself; then the Sattva, the mind, reflects only the unqualified essence of purity, which is the PuruSa 122

Patanjali Yoga Sutras CHAPTER IV – KAIVALYA PADA INDEPENDENCE ॥ चतुर्थः कैवल्यपादः ॥

1. जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः ॥ १॥ janmaushadhimantratapahsamadhijah siddhayah The Siddhis (powers) are attained by birth, chemical means, power of words, mortification or concentration. Sometimes a man is born with the Siddhis, powers, of course from the exercise of powers he had in his previous birth. In this birth he is born, as it were, to enjoy the fruits of them. It is said of Kapila, the great father of the Sankhya Philosophy, that he was a born Siddha, which means, literally, a man who has attained to success. The Yogis claim that these powers can be gained by chemical means. All of you know that chemistry originally began as alchemy; men went in search of the philsopher’s stone, and elixirs of life, and so forth. In Inidia there was a sect called the Rasayanas. Their idea was that ideality, knowledge, spirituality and religion, were all very right, but that the body was the only instrument by which to attain to all these. If the body broke now and then it would take so much more time to attain to the goal. For instance, a man wants to practice Yoga, or wants to become spiritual. Before he has advanced very far he dies. Then he takes another body and begins again, 123

Patanjali Yoga Sutras then dies, and so on, and in this way much time will be lost in dying and in being born again. If the body could be made strong and perfect, so that it would get rid of birth and death, we should have so much more time to become spiritual. So these Rasayanas say, first make the body very strong, and they claim that this body can be made immortal. The idea is that if the mind is manufacturing the body, and if it be true that each mind is only one particular outlet to that infinite energy, and that there is no limit to each particular outlet getting any amount of power from outside, why is it impossible that we should keep our bodies all the time? We shall have to manufacture all the bodies that we shall ever have. As soon as this body dies we shall have to manufacture another. If we can do that why cannot we do it just here and no, without getting out? The theory is perfectly correct. If it is possible that we live after death, and make other bodies, why is it impossible that we should have the power of making bodies here, without entirely dissolving this body, simply changing it continually? They also thought that in mercury and in sulphur was hidden the most wonderful power, and that by certain preparations of these a man could keep the body as long as he liked. Others believed that certain drugs could bring powers, such as flying through the air, etc. Many of the most wonderful medicines of the present day we owe to the Rasayamas, notably the use of metals in medicine. Certain sects of Yogis claim that many of their principal teachers are still living in their old bodies. Patanjali, the great authority on Yoga, does not deny this. The power of words. There are certain sacred words called 124