4.15Vastusamye cittabhedat tayoh vibhaktah panthah “Due to the variance in the quality of mind-content, each person may view the same object differently, according to his own way of thinking.” Long time ago, there were a group of blind men. They wanted to learn what an elephant is like, so they
4.13 te vyakta suksmah gunatmanah These (states) have manifested or subtle constituent forces of nature. The forms of nature (prakrti) may be manifested (vyakta) or subtle (suksma). If an object can be perceived by the senses, we call it material or manifested. If an object cannot be perceived, it remains
4.10 Tasam anaditvam ca asisah nityatvat In sutra 4.9, Patanjali mentions about subconscious imprints (samskara) and memory. This sutra continues to explain that these samskaras and memories have existed eternally, as the desire to live is eternal. Desire is an earnest longing for attaining some object or goal. All living
4.7 Karma asukla akrsnam yoginah trividham itaresam In this verse, Patanjali tells us the karma of the yogi is neither white nor black; but the karma of the others is threefold. Law of Karma states that for every action performed, there is another reaction created, which in turn produces a
3.53 Ksana tatkramayoh samyamat vivekajam jnanam “By samyama on moment and on the continuous flow of moments, the yogi gains exalted knowledge, free from the limitations of time and space.” This is the last practice of samyama, which is discussed in the Vibhuti Pada. Ksana, or a moment, is defined
3.45 Sthula svarupa suksma anvaya arthavatva samyamat bhutajayah “By samyama on the elements – their mass, forms, subtlety, conjunction and purposes, the yogi becomes Lord over them all.” Objects in the universe exist at various levels, but they are all made from the five basic elements: earth (prthvi), water (ap),
3.40 Udanajayat jala panka kantakadisu asangah utkrantih ca “By mastery of udana vayu, the yogi can walk over water, swamps and thorns without touching them. He can also levitate.” Vayu is usually defined as wind or air. Actually vayu is not merely air, but the medium in which air exists
3.32 Kurmanadyam sthairyam “By samyama on kurma nadi, the yogi can make his body and mind firm and immobile like a tortoise.” Kurma means tortoise. In Hinduism, kurma is the second incarnation of Vishnu who, in the form of a great turtle, carried the world on his back. There is
3.7 Trayam antarangam purvebhyah In this verse, Patanjali says that the practice of dharana, dhyana and samadhi are more internal, compared to the first five limbs – yama, niyama, asana, pranayama and pratyahara – as explained in the sadhana pada. These first five limbs are also called “external quest”. Yama
It is said that yoga brings us to our “True Self,” which Sanskrit captures as “Sat-Chit-Ananda.” Since I started to take a serious look at meditation several months ago, I noticed that this particular triplet of words appear over and over in different texts and curiously, these words are translated
