पातञ्जल योगसूत्र (स्वामी विवेकानन्द भाष्य एवं सूत्र व्याख्या)

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 29. यमनियमासनप्राणायामप्रत्याहारधारणाध्यानसमाधयोऽष्टाव अङ्गानि ॥ २९॥ yamaniyamasanapranayamapratyaharadharanadhy anasamadhayo-a-shtava anggani Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratya hara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, are the limbs of Yoga. 30. अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः ॥ ३०॥ ahinsasatyasteyabrahmacharyaparigraha yamah Non-killing, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving, are called Yama. A man who wants to be a perfect Yogi must give up the sex idea. The Soul has no sex; why should it degrade itself with sex ideas? Later we shall understand better why these ideas must be given up. Receiving is just as bad as stealing; receiving gifts from others. Whoever receives gifts, his mind is acted on by the mind of the giver, so that the man who receives gifts becomes degenerated. Receiving gifts destroys the independence of the mind, and makes us mere slaves. Therefore, receive nothing. 31. जातिदेशकालसमयानवच्छिन्नाः सार्वभौमा महाव्रतम् ॥ ३१॥ jatideshakalasamayanavachchhinnah sarvabhauma mahavratam 85

Patanjali Yoga Sutras These, unbroken by time, place, purpose, and caste, are (universal) great vows. These practices, non-killing, non-stealing, chastity, and non-receiving, are to be practiced by every man, woman and child, by every soul, irrespective of nation, country or position. 32. शौचसंतोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः ॥ ३२॥ shauchasantoshatapahsvadhyayeshvara- pranidhanani niyamah Internal and external purification, contentment, mortification, study, and worship of God, are the Niyamas. External purification is keeping the body pure; a dirty man will never become a Yogi. There must be internal purification also. That is obtained by the first-named virtues. Of course internal purity is of greater value that external, but both are necessary, and external purity, without internal, is of no good. 33. वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम् ॥ ३३॥ vitarkabadhane pratipakshabhavanam To obstruct thoughts which are inimical to Yoga contrary thoughts will be brought. This is the way to practice all these virtues that have been stated, by holding thoughts of an opposite character in the mind. When the idea of stealing comes, non-stealing should 86

Patanjali Yoga Sutras be thought of. When the idea of receiving gifts comes, replace it by a contrary thought. 34. वितर्का हिंसादयः कृतकारितानुमोदिता लोभक्रोधमोहपूर्वका मृदुमध्याधिमात्रा दुःखाज्ञानानन्तफला इति प्रतिपक्षभावनम्॥ ३४॥ vitarkaa hinsadayah kritakaritanumodita lobhakrodhamohapoorvaka mridumadhyadhimatra duhkhajnananantafala iti pratipakshabhavanam The obstructions to Yoga are killing etc., whether committed, caused, or approved; either through avarice, or anger, or ignorance; whether slight, middling, or great, and result is innumerable ignorances and miseries. This is (the method of) thinking the contrary. If I tell I lie, or cause another to tell a lie, or approve of another doing so, it is equally sinful. If it is a very mild lie, it is still a lie. Every vicious thought will rebound, every thought of hatred which you have thought, in a cave even, is stored up, and will one day come back to you with tremendous power in the form of some misery here. If you project all sorts of hatred and jealousy, they will rebound on you with compound interest. No power can avert them; when once you have put them in motion you will have to bear them. Remembering this, will prevent you from doing wicked things. 87

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 35. अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः ॥ ३५॥ ahimsapratishthayam tatsannidhau vairatyagah Non-killing being established, in his presence all emnities cease (in others). If a man gets the idea of non-injuring others, before him even animals which are by their nature ferocious will become peaceful. The tiger and the lamb will play together before that Yogi and will not hurt each other. When you have come to that state, then alone you will understand that you have become firmly established in non-injuring. 36. सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम् ॥ ३६॥ satyapratishthayam kriyafalashrayatvam By the establishment of truthfulness the Yogi gets the power of attaining for himself and others the fruits of work without the works. When this power of truth will be established with you, then even in dream you will never tell an untruth, in thought, word or deed; whatever you say will be truth. You may say to a man “Be blessed,” and that man will be blessed. If a man is diseased, and you say to him, “Be thou cured,” he will be cured immediately. 37. अस्तेयप्रतिष्ठायां सर्वरत्नोपस्थानम् ॥ ३७॥ asteyapratishthayam sarvaratnopasthanam By the establishment of non-stealing all wealth 88

Patanjali Yoga Sutras comes to the Yogi. The more you fly from nature the more she follows you, and if you do not care for her at all she becomes your slave. 38. ब्रह्मचर्यप्रतिष्ठायां वीर्यलाभः ॥ ३८॥ brahmacharyapratishthayam viryalabhah By the establishment of continence energy is gained. The chaste brain has tremendous energy, gigantic will power, without that there can be no mental strength. All men of gigantic brains are very continent. It gives wonderful control over mankind. Leaders of men have been very continent, and this is what gave them power. Therefore the Yogi must be continent. 39. अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथंतासंबोधः ॥ ३९॥ aparigrahasthairye janmakathantasanbodhah When he is fixed in non-receiving he gets the memory of past life. When the Yogi does not receive presents from others he does not become beholden to others, but becomes independent and free, and his mind becomes pure, because with every gift he receives all the evils of the giver, and they come and lay coating after coating on his mind, until it is hidden under all sorts of coverings of evil. If he does not receive the mind becomes pure, and the first thing it gets is memory of past life. 89

Patanjali Yoga Sutras Then alone the Yogi becomes perfectly fixed in his ideal, because he sees that he has been coming and going so many times, and he becomes determined that this time he will be free, that he will no more come and go, and be the slave of Nature. 40. शौचात् स्वाङ्गजुगुप्सा परैरसंसर्गः ॥ ४० ॥ shauchat svanggajugupsa parairasansargah Internal and external cleanliness being established, arises disgust for one’s own body, and non-intercourse with other bodies. When there is real purification of the body, external and internal, there arises neglect of the body, and all this idea of keeping it nice will vanish. What others call the most beautiful face to the Yogi will appear to be an animal’s face, if there is not intelligence behind it. What the world will call a very common face he will call heavenly, if that spirit shines behind it. This thirst after body is the great bane of human life. So, when this purity is established, the first sign will be that you do not care to think you are a body. It is only when purity comes that we get rid of this body idea. 41. सत्त्वशुद्धिसौमनस्यैकाग्र्येन्द्रियजयात्मदर्शनयोग्यत्वानि च ॥ ४१ ॥ sattvashuddhisaumanasyaikagryendriyajayatmadars hanayojnatvani cha There also arises purification of the Sattva, cheerfulness of the mind, concentration, conquest of 90

Patanjali Yoga Sutras the organs, and fitness for the realisation of the Self. By this practice the Sattva material will prevail, and the mind will become concentrated and cheerful. The first sign that you are become religious is that you are becoming cheerful. When a man is gloomy that may be dyspepsia, but it is not religion. A pleasurable feeling is the nature of the Sattva. Everything is pleasurable to the Sattvika man, and when this comes, know that you are progressing in Yoga. All pain is caused by Tamas, so you must get rid of that; moroseness is one of the results of Tamas. The strong, the well-knit, the young, the healthy, the daring alone are fit to be Yogis. To the Yogi everything is bliss, every human face that he sees brings cheerfulness to him. That is the sign of a virtuous man. Misery is caused by sin, and by no other cause. What business have you with clouded faces; it is terrible. If you have a clouded face do not go out that day, shut yourself up in your room. What right have you to carry this disease out into the world? When your mind has become controlled you will have control over the whole body; instead of being a slave to the machine, the machine will be your slave. Instead of this machine being able to drag the soul down it will be its greatest helpmate. 42. संतोषाद् अनुत्तमः सुखलाभः ॥ ४२ ॥ santoshad anuttamah sukhalabhah From contentment comes superlative happiness. 43. कायेन्द्रियसिद्धिरशुद्धिक्षयात् तपसः ॥ ४३ ॥ kayendriyasiddhirashuddhikhshayat tapasah The result of mortification is bringing powers to the 91

Patanjali Yoga Sutras organs and the body, by destroying the impurity. The results of mortification are seen immediately sometimes by heightened powers of vision, and so on, hearing things at a distance, etc. 44. स्वाध्यायाद् इष्टदेवतासंप्रयोगः ॥ ४४॥ svadhyayad ishtadevatasanprayogah By repetition of the mantram comes the realisation of the intended deity. The higher the beings that you want to get the harder is the practice. 45. समाधिसिद्धिरीश्वरप्रणिधानात् ॥ ४५॥ samadhisiddhirishvarapranidhanat By sacrificing all to Isvara comes Samadhi. By resignation to the Lord, Samadhi becomes perfect. 46. स्थिरसुखम् आसनम् ॥ ४६॥ sthirasukham aasanam Posture is that which is firm and pleasant. Now comes Asana, posture. Until you can get a firm seat you cannot practice the breathing and other exercises. The seat being firm means that you do not feel the body at all; then alone it has become firm. But, in the ordinary way, you will find that as soon as you sit for a few minutes all sorts of 92

Patanjali Yoga Sutras disturbances come into the body; but when you have got beyond the idea of a concrete body you will lose all sense of the body. You will feel neither pleasure nor pain. And when you take your body up again it will feel so rested; it is the only perfect rest that you can give to the body. When you have succeeded in conquering the body and keeping it firm, your practice will remain firm, but while you are disturbed by the body your nerves become disturbed, and you cannot concentrate the mind. We can make the seat firm by thinking of the infinite. We cannot think of the Absolute Infinite, but we can think of the infinite sky. 47. प्रयत्नशैथिल्यानन्तसमापत्तिभ्याम् ॥ ४७॥ prayatnashaithilyanantasamapattibhyam By slight effort and meditating on the unlimited (posture becomes firm and pleasant). Light and darkness, pleasure and pain, will not then disturb you. 48. ततो द्वन्द्वानभिघातः ॥ ४८॥ tato dvandvanabhighatah Seat being conquered, the dualities do not obstruct. The dualities are good and bad, heat and cold, and all the pairs of opposites. 93

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 49. तस्मिन् सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः ॥ ४९॥ tasmin sati shvasaprashvasayorgativichchhedah pranayamah Controlling the motion of the exhalation and the inhalation follows after this. When the posture has been conquered, then this motion is to be broken and controlled, and thus we come to Pranayama; the controlling of the vital forces of the body. Prana is not breath, though it is usually so translated. It is the sum-total of the cosmic energy. It is the energy that is in each obdy, and its most apparent manifestation is the motion of the lungs. This motion is caused by Prana drawing in the breath, and is what we seek to control in Pranayama. We begin by controlling the breaht, as the easiest way of getting control of the Prana. 50. बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिः देशकालसंख्याभिः परिदृष्टो दीर्घसूक्ष्मः ॥ ५०॥ bahyabhyantarastambhavrittih deshakalasankhyabhih paridrishto dirghasookshmah Its modifications are either external or internal, or motionless, regulated by place, time, and number, either long or short. The three sorts of motion of this Pranayama are, one by which we draw the breath in, another by which we throw it 94

Patanjali Yoga Sutras out, and the third action is when the breath is held in the lungs, or stopped from entering the lungs. These, again, are varied by place and time. By place is meant that the Prana is held to some particular part of the body. By time is meant ho wlong the Prana should be confined to a certain place, and so we are told how many seconds to keep on motion, and how many seconds to keep another. The result of this Pranayama is Udghata, awakening the Kundalini. 51. बाह्याभ्यन्तरविषयाक्षेपी चतुर्थः ॥ ५१ ॥ bahyabhyantaravishayakshepi chaturthah The fourth is restraining the Prana by directing it either to the external or internal objects. This is the fourth sort of Pranayama. Prana can be directed either inside or outside. 52. ततः क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम् ॥ ५२ ॥ dharanasu ch yojnata manasah From that, the covering to the light of the Chitta is attenuated. The Chitta has, by its own nature, all knowledge. It is made of Sattva particles, but is covered by Rajas and Tamas particles, and by Pranayama this covering is removed. 95

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 53. धारणासु च योग्यता मनसः ॥ ५३ ॥ The mind becomes fit for Dharana. After this covering has been removed we are able to concentrate the mind. 54. स्वस्वविषयासंप्रयोगे चित्तस्य स्वरूपानुकार इवेन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहारः ॥ ५४॥ svasvavishayasanprayoge chittasy svaroopanukar ivendriyanan pratyaharah The drawing in of the organs is by their giving up their own objects and taking the form of the mind-stuff. These organs are separate states of the mind-stuff. I see a book; the form is not in the book, it is in the mind. Something is outside which calls that form up. The real form is in the Chitta. These organs are identifying themselves with, and taking the forms of whatever comes to them. If you can restrain the mind-stuff from taking these forms the mind will remain calm. This is called Pratyahara. Thence arises supreme control of the organs. When the Yogi has succeeded in preventing the organs from taking the forms of external objects, and in making them remain one with the mind-stuff, then comes perfect control of the organs, and when the orgns are perfectly under control, 96

Patanjali Yoga Sutras every muscle and nerve will be under control, because the organs are the centres of all the senstations, and of all actions. These organs are divided into organs of work and organs of sensation. When the organs are controlled the Yogi can control all feeling and doing; the whole of the body will be under his control. Then alone one begins to feel joy in being born; then one can truthfully say, “Blessed am I that I was born. “ When that control of the organs is obtained, we feel how wonderful this body really is². ²There are 55 sutras in many versions of Patanjali Yoga Sutra. The 55th Sutra is ततः परमा वश्यतेन्द्रियाणाम् ॥५५॥ “Pratyahara results in the absolute control of the sense organs”. Swami Vivekananda has not commented upon this sutra 97

Patanjali Yoga Sutras CHAPTER III – VIBHOOTI PADA THE CHAPTER OF POWERS ॥ तृतीयः विभूतिपादः ॥ We have now come to the chapter which is called the Chapter of Powers.

1. देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा ॥ १॥ deshabandhashchittasya dharana Dharana is holding the mind on to some particular object. Dharana (concentration) is when the mind holds on to some object, either in the body, or outside the body, and keeps itself in that state.
2. तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् ॥ २॥ tatra pratyayaikatanata dhyanam An unbroken flow of knowledge to that object is Dhyana. The mind tries to think of one object, to hold itself to one particular spot, as the top of the head, the heart, etc., and if the mind succeeds in receiving the sensations only through that part of the body, and through no other part, that would be Dharana, and when the mind succeeds in keeping itself in that state for some time it is called Dhyana (meditation). 98

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 3. तद् एवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यम् इव समाधिः ॥ ३॥ tad evarthamatranirbhasan svaroopashoonyam iva samadhih When that, giving up all forms, reflects only the meaning, it is Samadhi. That is, when in meditation all forms are given up. Suppose I were meditating on a book, and that I have gradually succeeded in concentrating the mind on it, and perceiving only the internal sensations, the meaning, unexpressed in any form, that state of Dhyana is called Samadhi. 4. त्रयम् एकत्र संयमः ॥ ४॥ trayam ekatra sanyamah (These) three (when practised) in regard to one object is Samyama. When a man can direct his mind to any particular object and fix it there, and then keep it there for a long time, separating the object from the internal part, this is Samyama; or Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, one following the other, and making one. The form of the thing has vanished, and only its meaning remains in the mind. 5. तज्जयात् प्रज्ञाऽऽलोकः ॥ ५॥ tajjayat prajnaalokah 99

Patanjali Yoga Sutras By the conquest of that comes light of knowledge. When one has succeeded in making this Samyama, all powers come under his control. This is the great instrument of the Yogi. The object of knowledge are infinite, and they are divided into the gross, grosser, grossest, and the fine, finer, finest, and so on. This Samyama should be first applied to gross things, when when you begin to get knowledge of the gross, slowly, by stages, it should be brought to finer things. 6. तस्य भूमिषु विनियोगः ॥ ६॥ tasya bhoomishu viniyogah That should be employed in stages. This is a note of warning not to attempt to go too fast. 7. त्रयम् अन्तरङ्गं पूर्वेभ्यः ॥ ७॥ trayam antaranggan poorvebhyah These three are nearer than those that precede. Before these we had the Pranayama, the Asana, the Yama and Niyama; these are external parts of these three— Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. Yet these latter even are external to the seedless Samadhi. When a man has attained to them he may attain to omniscience and omnipresence, but that would not be salvation. These three would not make the mind Nirvikalpa, changeless, but would leave the seeds for getting bodies again; only when the seeds are, as the Yogi says, “fried,” do they lose the possibility of producing further plants. These powers cannot fry the seed. 100

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 8. तदपि बहिरङ्गं निर्बीजस्य ॥ ८॥ tad api bahiranggan nirbijasy But even they are external to the seedless (Samadhi). Compared with that seedless Samadhi, therefore, even these are external. We have not yet reached the real Samadhi, the highest, but to a lower stage, in which this universe still exists as we see it, and in which are all these power. 9. व्युत्थाननिरोधसंस्कारयोरभिभवप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधक्षणचित्तान्वयो निरोधपरिणामः ॥ ९॥ vyutthananirodhasanskarayorabhibhava- pradurbhavau nirodhakshannachittanvayo nirodhaparinamah By the suppression of the disturbed modifications of the mind, and by the rise of modifications of control, the mind is said to attain the controlling modifications - following the controlling powers of the mind. That is to say, in this first state of Samadhi, the modifications of the mind have been controlled, but not perfectly, because if they were, there would be no modifications. If there is a modification which impels the mind to rush out through the senses, and the Yogi tries to control it, that very control itself will be a modification. One wave will be checked by another wave, so it will not be real Samadhi, when all the waves have 101

Patanjali Yoga Sutras subsided, as control itself will be a wave. Yet this lower Samadhi is very much nearer to the higher Samadhi than when the mind comes bubbling out. 10. तस्य प्रशान्तवाहिता संस्कारात् ॥ १०॥ tasya prashantavahita sanskarat Its flow becomes steady by habit. The flow of this continuous control of the mind becomes steady when practices day after day and the mind obtains the faculty of constant concentration. 11. सर्वार्थतैकाग्रतयोः क्षयोदयौ चित्तस्य समाधिपरिणामः ॥ ११॥ sarvarthataikagratayoh kshayodayau chittasya samadhiparinamah Taking in all sorts of objects and concentrating upon one object, these two powers being destroyed and manifested respectively, the Chitta gets the modifi- cation called Samadhi. The mind is taking up various objects, running into all sorts of things and then there is a higher state of the mind, when it takes up one object and excludes all others. Samadhi is the result of that. 12. ततः पुनः शान्तोदितौ तुल्यप्रत्ययौ चित्तस्यैकाग्रतापरिणामः ॥ १२॥ tatah punah shantoditau tulyapratyayau chittasyaikagrataparinamah 102

Patanjali Yoga Sutras The one-pointedness of the Chitta is when it grasps in one, the past and present. How are we to know that the mind has become concentrated? Because time will vanish. The more time vanishes the more concentrated we are. In common life we see that when were are interested in a book we do not note the time at all, and when we leave the book we are often surprised to find how many hours have passed. All time will have the tendency to come and stand in the one present. So the definition is given, when the past and present come and stand in one, the more concentrated the mind. 13. एतेन भूतेन्द्रियेषु धर्मलक्षणावस्थापरिणामा व्याख्याताः ॥ १३ ॥ etena bhootendriyeshu dharmalakshanavastha parinama vyakhyatah By this is explained the threefold transformations of form, time and state, in fine or gross matter, and in the organs. By this the threefold changes in the mind-stuff as to form, time, and state are explained. The mind-stuff is changing into Vrttis, this is change as to form. To be able to hold the changes to the present time is change as to time. To be able to make the mind-stuff go to the past forms giving up the present even, is change as to state. The concentrations taught in the preceding aphorisms were to give the Yogi a voluntary control over the transformations of his mind-stuff which alone will enable him to make the Samyama before named. 103

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 14. शान्तोदिताव्यपदेश्यधर्मानुपाती धर्मी ॥१४॥ shantoditavyapadeshyadharmanupati dharmi That which is acted upon by transformations, either past, present or yet to be manifested, is the qualified. That is to say, the qualified is the substance which is being acted upon by time and by the Samskaras, and getting changed and being manifested all the time. 15. क्रमान्यत्वं परिणामान्यत्वे हेतुः ॥१५॥ kramanyatvan parinamanyatve hetuh The succession of changes is the cause of manifold evolution. 16. परिणामत्रयसंयमादतीतानागतज्ञानम् ॥१६॥ parinamatrayasanyamadatitanagatajnanam By making Samyama on the three sorts of changes comes the knowledge of past and future. We must not lose sight of the first definition of Samyama. When the mind has attained to that state when it identifies itself with the internal impression of the object, leaving the external, and when, by long practice, that is retained by the mind, and the mind can get into that state in a moment, that is Samyama. If a man in that state wants to know the past and future he has to make a Samyama on the changes in the Samskaras. Some are working now at present, some have worked out, and some are waiting to work; so by making a 104