In the words of T.K.V. Desikachar, “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are more universal than any other text because it focuses on the mind – what it’s qualities are and how we can influence it.” Although the 196 yoga sutras may feel intimidating, overwhelming and incomprehensible to many students, they are not meant to be followed religiously, rather they are to be used as a guide to enhance your personal practice and way of life. According to I.K. Taimni, the author of “The Science of Yoga”, “A system of philosophy however lofty and true it may be should not be expected to give us an absolutely correct picture of the transcendent truths as they really exist. The wise student of yoga takes the various doctrines of philosophy and religion lightly, as tentative explanations and interpretations of truth beyond the realm of the intellect, but uses them as best as he can in his direct discovery of those truths.” I.K. Taimni provides an example to explain this. He says that if you want to know a country you need to see it with your own eyes. That does not mean that you should throw away the maps and plans which are meant to give us a rough idea with regard to the country. These do not give us true knowledge, but they do help us in finding the country and seeing it. In other words, substituting theory for practice or practicing without any knowledge of theory could hinder a student of yoga from the attainment of their objective.
Yoga Sutra 2.17 states, “Drastr-drsyayoh samyogo heya-hetuh” or “The cause of that unavoidable pain is the union of the Seer (Purusha) and the Seen (Prakriti, or Nature)”. According to Samkhya philosophy (a mathematical philosophy, which is the basis of most of the Sutras) Purusha is one of twenty-five “tattvas” or meta-physical elements and the rest of the twenty-four elements basically belong to Prakriti. Nicolai Bachman, the author of “The Path of the Yoga Sutras” has dedicated a whole chapter in his book to the definition of the Purusha. He sums it up by stating a shloka from the Bhagavad Gita, “Weapons cannot cut this, fire cannot burn this, water cannot wet this, nor can wind make it dry.” The Purusha is the true self, the pure observer, the soul inhabiting the body, it is constant, and unlike Prakriti, does not change. In this sutra it states that the cause of misery is the union of Purusha with Prakriti. When Purusha starts identifying itself with Prakriti, and does not understand that it is separate, this creates Samyoga or non-separation of Purusha and Prakriti, which causes confusion (Klesh). T.K.V. Desikachar has provided an example to explain this in his book, “The Heart of Yoga”, in a section appropriately named constancy (Purusha) and change (Prakriti). “When we are swimming in a river and cannot see the bank, it is difficult to notice the current. We are moving so much with the river that we may scarcely see its flow. But if we go to the bank where we have firm ground it is much easier to see how the river is flowing.” This describes the entanglement of pure consciousness (Purusha) with matter (Prakriti). When Purusha is submerged in Prakriti, it cannot see how it is influencing it, however, if it is standing apart then it can observe its movements, and not be a part of it. A worldly example is provided by Swami Satchidananda, “It seems we always identify ourselves with what is seen, with what we possess. As the self, all things are possessed by us. That’s why we say – my body, my mind, my language, my knowledge. Everything we call ours cannot be us.” For example, a mother identifies herself with her thoughts and opinions. She thinks, “This is my thought, and this is who I am.” Her daughter also identifies herself with her thoughts and opinions. She thinks, “Well, this is my thought and this is who I am.” Since, they have differing opinions, they feel as if they cannot get along with each other, which causes misery. If both of them could understand that they are not their thoughts, which change from one fleeting moment to the next, rather they are the eternal light that resides inside of them, the same well of love and pure consciousness, then they would not feel so different. They would be able to see each other as manifestations of the same eternal light and become more kind and compassionate towards each other. Of course, you are entitled to have your own thoughts and opinions, but that is not you. It is this understanding that can help you see others as you see yourself.
After distinguishing between Purusha and Prakriti, Patanjali states in Yoga Sutra 2.20, “Drasta drisimatrah suddho ‘pi pratyayanupasyah”. This is translated as, “The Seer is pure consciousness (the power of seeing) but though pure, appears to see through the mind.” The Purusha is referred to as pure consciousness by I.K. Taimni and “the power of seeing” by Swami Satchidanda, which is essentially the same, but the similar point that they are trying to stress on is that even though the Purusha is pure, it still relies on the mind (Citta – a part of Prakriti) to see. The question that arises here is why does Purusha need Prakriti to see? This question is answered beautifully in Sutra 2.23. For now, it is important to understand the relationship between Purusha and the mind (Citta). When the mind is influenced by Avidya, which is defined by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait as our irresistible desire to see and find what our deeply rooted habits demand we see and find, and to reject discovering truth beyond the domain of our projections, then the mind is colored or not clear. When the mind is not clear then Purusha cannot see clearly. The less Avidya there is, the easier it is for Purusha to see accurately. Jiddu Krishnamurthi talks about the same conditioning of the mind in his book, “Freedom from the Known” which is a liberation from your Samskaras (what is deeply embedded in your psyche). According to T.K.V. Desikachar, “As the Purusha observes through and with the help of the mind, the quality of its observation depends totally on the quality of the mind. Since, we cannot work directly with the Purusha, we focus on the mind. Through yoga, the mind steadily becomes more transparent, so the Purusha is able to see more clearly and make this seeing more accessible to us.” An example of this, is the mind judging someone by their looks or what they have heard about them. This hinders them from seeing who they actually are. The yogic (clear) mind can see the whole of humanity as its own – and embrace all without any exceptions.
According to I.K. Taimni, Yoga Sutra 2.23 sums up the theory of evolution, for which Darwin is considered the Father. “Sva-svami-saktyoh svarupopalabdhi-hetuh samyogah”, this is translated in simple words as “The Union of Purusha and Prakriti causes the recognition of the nature and powers of them both.” In the previous Sutra we wanted to know why Purusha, which is pure, needs to be yoked to Prakriti. The answer is to enable Purusha to attain Self-realization and to unfold the powers latent in Prakriti. The ultimate purpose of Purusha is to be established in its own state of Kaivalyam, which is the final state of emancipation, where we are not affected by any conditioning at all in the Citta. This is a gradual process, which requires the Purusha to go through many stages. The Purusha transcends to one plane, masters that plane, and then moves on to the next one. Prakriti changes itself according to Purusha so that it may learn the lessons that it needs to learn and the Purusha in turn adapts itself to Prakriti as it evolves. In Science, a unicellular Amoeba becomes more and more complex, until it reaches the stage of Mammals and finally Homo Sapiens. The environment it lives in causes it to evolve in order to survive (“Survival of the Fittest” – Spencer). A worldly example of this is that there are many things for us to learn from the Universe. In our lifetimes, we meet many people, the true Yogi believes that every person has something to teach them. If we approach life with an open mind, much can be learned, from everyone and every situation that we are placed in. It is this learning that will make us more tolerant, and enable us to see others as ourselves.
In the next Sutra, 2.24, Swami Satchidananda says that Patanjali laughs at the idea he has just expressed. “Tasya hetur avidya” or “The cause of this union is ignorance.” It is as if Purusha forgot its essential nature due to Avidya, made a mistake, and merged with Prakriti. Even though this Samyoga is essential for its evolution, the act of yoking with Prakriti was under the influence of Avidya, so it was a blind union, or simply a mistake on the part of the Purusha. If the Union occurred in the full light of knowledge, which only happens in the case of very enlightened Purushas, then it is not blind union (according to Pandit Tigunait) however, this is very rare. From this Sutra we learn that making a mistake is part of the whole learning process. We all make mistakes, if we did not, we would not learn from them. When you understand that making mistakes is a part of evolving, as opposed to feeling intense regret over making one, or treating a mistake as if it were a hindrance to your progress, then only will you be able to learn from them. Once you learn from them, you become wiser, and this helps you to forgive others who make mistakes. This reminds me of the famous quotation by Alexander Pope, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Once you understand that making mistakes is a part of learning and that the realization of the mistake is what counts, then it is very easy to forgive.
Yoga Sutra 2.25, “Tad-abhavat samyogabhavo hanam tad drseh kaivalyam”, or “The dissociation of Purusha and Prakriti brought about by the dispersion of Avidya is the real remedy and that is the Liberation of the Seer.” Now that we understand why Purusha needs to yoke with Prakriti, and that this blind union creates misery, at this point we need to understand, what needs to be done after that. Let’s take the example of the mother and daughter. The mother knows that her identifying with her thought gives her grief. So, for a fraction of a second she is able to separate herself from that thought and her heart wells up with love for her daughter. As soon as the next thought enters her mind, she identifies with it again, and once more is plunged into misery. It is not enough to understand that associating yourself with your thought gives you grief, you have to practice to dissociate yourself from it all the time which is very difficult. Once, the Purusha is able to dissociate itself from Prakriti eternally, then that is true Emancipation or Kaivalyam. Realization of this fact is the first step and practice is the second step. This could take many lifetimes, but every step you take will reduce your misery, and bring you closer to your goal.
Yoga Sutra 2.26 is an extension of the previous Sutra. “Viveka-khyatir aviplava hanopayah” or “The uninterrupted practice of the awareness of the Real is the means of dispersion (of Avidya)”. How do we permanently dissociate Purusha from Prakriti or permanently remove Avidya? In this Sutra the concept of Viveka-khyati is introduced. Viveka-khyati is an actual awareness of Reality, a direct, immediate contact with the innermost spiritual consciousness. In this state there is complete knowledge of Reality which does not go away, or is not intermittently clouded by Avidya. Before entering a state of Viveka-khyati it is important to practice Viveka, which is knowing and consciously discerning one object from another. We use Viveka in our day to day lives. In the previous example, I referred to learning something from everyone. However, before you do that you must be able to distinguish between the good characteristics of that person and their bad habits. You may have a favorite teacher, but you do not want to imbibe their bad habits (everyone has them), you just want to inculcate their good characteristics, such as dedication, persistence and perseverance into yourself. Minimizing contact with those who bring us down and influence us in a harmful way, while maximizing our time spent in the company of people who support our chosen path, is also practicing Viveka. Practicing Viveka helps to reduce Avidya.
Yoga Sutra 2.27 states, “Tasya saptadha pranta-bhumih prajna” or “In his case the highest stage of enlightenment is reached by seven stages.” This Sutra points out that the state of uninterrupted awareness of Reality is attained though seven stages. This particular sutra boggles many yoga students. Remember that these are the seven stages after the Purusha has already reached the first stage of Samadhi. Swami Satchidananda says, “The teachings may help you slightly, but too much learning may just muddle your mind. We should learn a little and just work with that.” I will mention the seven stages and explain them as briefly as possible: Experience of the end of 1) desire to know anything more; 2) desire to stay away from anything; 3) desire to gain anything new; 4) desire to do anything; 5) sorrow; 6) fear; 7) delusion. The first stage refers to turning towards your inner teacher and stop searching for an external guru. The second stage refers to all pleasure and pain as being a manifestation of the mind. It does not come from the outside, but the inside. The third stage states that all learning must come from inside; not from books or any external factor. In the fourth stage Purusha is at peace with itself, and feels as if nothing needs to be done. In the fifth stage Citta lets go of its ego and in the sixth stage it completely loses itself. In the seventh stage, the Purusha rests in itself in a state of Kaivalyam. This Sutra basically tells you to turn your awareness inside. Your best teacher is your inner teacher, so always listen to your intuitions.
Yoga Sutra 2.28, “Yoganganusthanad asuddhi-ksaya jnana-diptir a viveka-khyateh” or “From the practice of the component exercises of yoga, on the destruction of impurity, arises spiritual illumination which develops into awareness of Reality.” This means that the same inner teacher, which you are listening to, becomes an illuminating light, which in turn develops into awareness of Reality. Your inner teacher is not just your intuition, it is your guiding light, without which you will not be able to attain the awareness of Reality. Never underestimate the power of your inner light. It is this light that will set you free.
Yoga Sutra 2.29 states, “Yama-niyamasana-pranayama-pratyahara-dharana-dhyana-samadhayo’stavangani.” The system of yoga put forth by Patanjali has eight parts (limbs) and is therefore called Ashtanga Yoga. These limbs are related to each other, but whether they are to be practiced sequentially or not depends upon the objective of the yogi (they may be practiced simultaneously). Yama, the first limb, refers to social ethics and can be practiced anytime one person interacts with another. Niyama refers to personal self-care where we observe ourselves and implement changes into our lives that can transform our personalities and increase our level of contentment and happiness. This is the equivalent to nourishing the Purusha. Asana refers to refinement of the body, and is much more than performing physical postures. As we perform asanas, impurities are churned up and released, which allows our life force (Prana) to flow more easily, improving our overall well being. The function of Pranayama, or regulation of breath is to open up the energy channels (Nadis) so that Prana may flow freely through them. Pratyahara is the tuning out of sensory input, for example, when you practice asanas you draw your senses inwards, and may not see or hear disturbances around you. Dharana is chosing a focus when the attention is held in one direction. Dhyana is when a link is established between the observer and observed and Samadhi is when the observer and observed become one.
According to I.K. Taimni, “The Science of Yoga cannot be mastered in one life but only in a succession of strenuous lives devoted exclusively to the yogic ideal.” This may seem discouraging to the impatient yogi, but that yogi must remember that, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” as stated by Lao Tzu and Confucius. Swami Satchidananda states that, “Yoga helps in every aspect of our lives. It’s not something to be experienced after sixty years of practice, but something that can benefit everyone now.” For every step that you take, there is something to gain. Whether Prakriti is Maya (an illusion) as stated in the Vedantas or an independent existence of its own as stated in Samkhya philosophy, it does not matter, its purpose is to help the Purusha evolve. Prakriti could be compared to the woods in Robert Frost’s poem, and Purusha could be the traveller that is tempted to enjoy the woods (as Bhokta – the enjoyer) but is constantly reminded of his task at hand and tries to just observe the woods as remotely as possible. The last stanza of the poem is as follows:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Life is a learning experience. Do not get lost in the woods. Remember your true purpose, and let your inner light shine.