Judge, WQ - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali

7/28/2019 Judge, WQ - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali

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THEYOGA APHORISMS

OF

PATANJALI

An Interpretation by

WILLIAM Q. JUGEThe Theosophy Company, Los Angeles 90007

Copyright 1987 by Theosophy Company

Printed to the United States of Ameria!S"# 0$9%8998$11$0

EI!ATION

This "oo& is Laid 'pon the Altar

of (asters) Ca'se,

and is *ediated to Their Ser+ant

- P- "la+ats&y-

All onern for its .r'its or /es'lts

is Abandoned

They are left in Charge of arma

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and the (embers of the

Theosophial Soiety-

PREFA!E

TO THE FIRST EITION

This edition of Patan2ali)s 3oga Aphorisms is not p't forth as a ne4 translation, nor as a literal

rendering into 5nglish of the original-

!n the year 1886 an edition 4as printed at "ombay by (r- Too&eram Tatya, a .ello4 of the

Theosophial Soiety, 4hih has been sine 4idely ir'lated among its members in all parts of

the 4orld- "'t it has been of 'se only to those 4ho had eno'gh a'aintane 4ith the !ndian

system of philosophy to enable them to grasp the real meaning of the Aphorisms not4ithstandingthe great and pe'liar obstales d'e to the n'mberless bra&ets and interpolated sentenes 4ith

4hih not only are the Aphorisms ro4ded, b't the so$alled eplanatory notes as 4ell- .or the

greater n'mber of readers these diffi'lties ha+e been an almost ins'rmo'ntable barrier and s'h

is the onsideration that has led to the preparation of this edition, 4hih attempts to lear 'p a

4or& that is tho'ght to be of great +al'e to earnest st'dents-

!t may be said by some aptio's ritis that liberties ha+e been ta&en 4ith the tet, and if this

4ere emitted as a tet'al translation the harge 4o'ld be tr'e- !nstead of this being a translation,

it is offered as an interpretation, as the tho'ght of Patan2ali lothed in o'r lang'age- #o liberties

ha+e been ta&en 4ith the system of the great Sage, b't the endea+or has been faithf'lly to

interpret it to :estern minds 'nfamiliar 4ith the ind' modes of epression, and e'ally'na'stomed to their philosophy and logi-

Abo't Patan2ali)s life +ery little, if anything, an be said- !n the Rudra Jamala, the

Vrihannandikeshwara and the Padma-Purana are some meager statements, more or less

legendary, relating to his birth- !la+rita$;arsha is said to ha+e been his birthplae, his mother

being Sati the 4ife of Angiras- The tradition r'ns that 'pon his birth he made &no4n things past,

present and f't're, sho4ing the intellet and penetration of a sage 4hile yet an infant- e is said

to ha+e married one Lol'pa, 4hom he fo'nd in the hollo4 of a tree on the north of S'mer', and

thereafter to ha+e li+ed to a great age-


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to aid and benefit man- "'t there is also another Patan2ali mentioned in the !ndian boo&s- e 4as

born in !ndia at Bonarda, in the east, and from there be 4ent to reside temporarily in ashmir-

Prof- Boldst'&er has onl'ded that this later Patan2ali 4rote abo't 10 "-C- is 4ritings 4ere

ommentaries 'pon the great grammarian Panini, and it is in respet to the Sans&rit lang'age that

he is regarded as an a'thority- e m'st not be onfo'nded 4ith o'r Patan2ali of the latter all that4e ha+e is the Philosophy set forth in the Aphorisms-

!n regard to the systems of 3oga, 4e annot do better than to 'ote some introd'tory remar&s

made by Col- - S-


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do'bt of its tr'th, b't only bea'se 4e see abo't 's those 4ho ne+er heard of s'h a dotrine,

4ho, ed'ated 'nder the frightf'l dogmas of Christian priestraft, imagine that 'pon 'itting this

life they 4ill en2oy hea+en or be damned eternally, and 4ho not one pa'se to as& 4here 4as

their so'l before it ame into the present body-

:itho't /einarnation Patan2ali)s Aphorisms are 4orthless- Ta&e #o- 18, "oo& !!!, 4hihdelares that the aseti an &no4 4hat 4ere his pre+io's inarnations 4ith all their

ir'mstanes or #o- 1%, "oo& !!, that 4hile there is a root of 4or&s there is fr'tifiation in

ran& and years and eperiene- "oth of these infer reinarnation- !n Aphorism 8, "oo& !;,

reinarnation is a neessity- The manifestation, in any inarnation, of the effets of mental

deposits made in pre+io's li+es, is delared to ens'e 'pon the obtaining of 2'st the &ind of bodily

and mental frame, onstit'tion and en+ironment as 4ill bring them o't- :here 4ere these

deposits reei+ed if not in preeding li+es on earth or e+en if on other planets, it is still

reinarnation- And so on all thro'gh the Aphorisms this la4 is taitly admitted-

!n order to 'nderstand the system epo'nded in this boo& it is also neessary to admit the

eistene of so'l, and the omparati+e 'nimportane of the body in 4hih it d4ells- .or Patan2aliholds that #at're eists for the so'l)s sa&e, ta&ing it for granted that the st'dent belie+es in the

eistene of so'l- ene he does not go into proof of that 4hih in his day 4as admitted on e+ery

hand- And, as he lays do4n that the real eperiener and &no4er is the so'l and not the mind, it

follo4s that the (ind, designated either as =internal organ,= or =thin&ing priniple,= 4hile higher

and more s'btle than the body, is yet only an instr'ment 'sed by the So'l in gaining eperiene,

2'st in the same 4ay as an astronomer 'ses his telesope for a'iring information respeting the

hea+ens- "'t the (ind is a most important fator in the p'rs'it of onentration one indeed

4itho't 4hih onentration annot be obtained, and therefore 4e see in the first boo& that to

this s'b2et Patan2ali de+otes attention- e sho4s that the mind is, as he terms it, =modified= by

any ob2et or s'b2et bro'ght before it, or to 4hih it is direted- This may be 4ell ill'strated by

'oting a passage from the ommentator, 4ho says =The internal organ is there= in the

Vedanta Paribhasha =ompared to 4ater in respet of its readiness to adapt itself to the form

of 4hate+er mold it may enter- )As the 4aters of a reser+oir, ha+ing iss'ed from an apert're,

ha+ing entered by a hannel the basins, beome fo'r$ornered or other4ise shaped, 2'st li&e

them so the manifesting internal organ ha+ing gone thro'gh the sight, or other hannel, to 4here

there is one ob2et, for instane a 2ar, beomes modified by the form of the 2ar or other ob2et- !t

is this altered state of the internal organor mind that is alled its modifiation-)= :hile the

internal organ th's molds itself 'pon the ob2et it at the same time reflets it and its properties to

the so'l- The hannels by 4hih the mind is held to go o't to an ob2et or s'b2et, are the organs

of sight, to'h, taste, hearing, and so on- ene by means of hearing it shapes itself into the form

of the idea 4hih may be gi+en in speeh, or by means of the eye in reading, it is molded into theform of that 4hih is read again, sensations s'h as heat and old modify it diretly and

indiretly by assoiation and by reolletion, and similarly in the ease of all senses and

sensations-

!t is f'rther held that this internal organ, 4hile ha+ing an innate disposition to ass'me some

modifiation or other depending 'pon onstantly re'rring ob2ets4hether diretly present or

only s'h as arise from the po4er of reprod'ing tho'ghts, 4hether by assoiation or other4ise,

may be ontrolled and stilled into a state of absol'te almness- This is 4hat he means by

=hindering the modifiations-= And 2'st here it is seen that the theory of the so'l)s being the real

eperiener and &no4er is neessary- .or if 4e are b't mind, or sla+es of mind, 4e ne+er an

attain real &no4ledge bea'se the inessant panorama of ob2ets eternally modifies that mind


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4hih is 'nontrolled by the so'l, al4ays pre+enting real &no4ledge from being a'ired- "'t as

the So'l is held to be s'perior to (ind, it has the po4er to grasp and hold the latter if 4e b't 'se

the 4ill to aid it in the 4or&, and then only the real end and p'rpose of mind is bro'ght abo't-

These propositions imply that the 4ill is not 4holly dependent on the mind, b't is separable from

it and, f'rther, that &no4ledge eists as an abstration- The 4ill and mind are only ser+ants forthe so'l)s 'se, b't so long as 4e are 4rapped 'p in material life and do not admit that the real

&no4er and only eperiener is the so'l, 2'st so long do these ser+ants remain 's'rpers of the

so'l)s so+ereignty- ene it is stated in old ind' 4or&s, that =the So'l is the friend of Self and

also its enemy and, that a man sho'ld raise the self by the self-=

!n other 4ords there is a onstant str'ggle bet4een the lo4er and the igher Self, in 4hih the

ill'sions of matter al4ays 4age 4ar against the So'l, tending e+er to dra4 do4n4ard the inner

priniples 4hih, lying mid4ay bet4een the 'pper and the lo4er, are apable of reahing either

sal+ation or damnation-

There is no referene in the Aphorisms to the 4ill- !t seems to be inferred, either as 4ell'nderstood and admitted, or as being one of the po4ers of so'l itself and not to be dis'ssed-

(any old ind' 4riters hold, and 4e inline to the same +ie4, that :ill is a spirit'al po4er,

f'ntion or attrib'te onstantly present in e+ery portion of the Uni+erse- !t is a olorless po4er,

to 4hih no 'ality of goodness or badness is to be assigned, b't 4hih may be 'sed in 4hate+er

4ay man pleases- :hen onsidered as that 4hih in ordinary life is alled =4ill,= 4e see its

operation only in onnetion 4ith the material body and mind g'ided by desire loo&ed at in

respet to the hold by man 'pon life it is more reondite, bea'se its operation is beyond the &en

of the mind analyEed as onneted 4ith reinarnation of man or 4ith the persistene of the

manifested 'ni+erse thro'gho't a (an+antara, it is fo'nd to be still more remo+ed from o'r

omprehension and +ast in its sope-

!n ordinary life it is not man)s ser+ant, b't, being then g'ided solely by desire, it ma&es man a

sla+e to his desires- ene the old abalisti maim, ="ehind :ill stands *esire-= The desires

al4ays dra4ing the man hither and thither, a'se him to ommit s'h ations and ha+e s'h

tho'ghts as form the a'se and mold for n'mero's reinarnations, ensla+ing him to a destiny

against 4hih he rebels, and that onstantly destroys and re$reates his mortal body- !t is an error

to say of those 4ho are &no4n as strong$4illed men, that their 4ills are 4holly their ser+ants, for

they are so bo'nd in desire that it, being strong, mo+es the 4ill into ation for the ons'mmation

of 4ished for ends- 5+ery day 4e see good and e+il men pre+ailing in their se+eral spheres- To

say that in one there is good, and in the other e+il 4ill is manifestly erroneo's and d'e to

mista&ing 4ill, the instr'ment or fore, for desire that sets it in motion to4ard a good or badp'rpose- "'t Patan2ali and his shool 4ell &ne4 that the seret of direting the 4ill 4ith ten

times the ordinary fore might be diso+ered if they o'tlined the method, and then bad men

4hose desires 4ere strong and onsiene 4anting, 4o'ld 'se it 4ith imp'nity against their

fello4s or that e+en sinere st'dents might be arried a4ay from spirit'ality 4hen daEEled by

the 4onderf'l res'lts flo4ing from a training of the 4ill alone- Patan2ali is silent 'pon the s'b2et

for this reason among others-

The system post'lates thatIshwara, the spirit in man, is 'nto'hed by any tro'bles, 4or&s, fr'it

of 4or&s, or desires, and 4hen a firm position is ass'med 4ith the end in +ie4 of reahing 'nion

4ith spirit thro'gh onentration, e omes to the aid of the lo4er self and raises it grad'ally to

higher planes- !n this proess the :ill by degrees is gi+en a stronger and stronger tendeny to at

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'pon a different line from that indiated by passion and desire- Th's it is freed from the

domination of desire and at last s'bd'es the mind itself- "'t before the perfetion of the pratie

is arri+ed at the 4ill still ats aording to desire, only that the desire is for higher things and

a4ay from those of the material life- "oo& !!! is for the p'rpose of defining the nat're of the

perfeted state, 4hih is therein denominatedIsolation.

Isolation of the oul in this philosophy does not mean that a man is isolated from his fello4s,

beoming old and dead, b't only that the So'l is isolated or freed from the bondage of matter

and desire, being thereby able to at for the aomplishing of the aim of #at're and So'l,

inl'ding all so'ls of all men- S'h, in the Aphorisms, is learly stated to be the p'rpose- !t has

beome the habit of many s'perfiial readers and thin&ers, to say nothing of those 4ho oppose

the ind' philosophy, to assert that @i+anm'&tas or Adepts remo+e themsel+es from all life of

men, from all ati+ity, and any partiipation in h'man affairs, isolating themsel+es on

inaessible mo'ntains 4here no h'man ry an reah their ears- S'h a harge is diretly

ontrary to the tenets of the philosophy 4hih presribes the method and means for reahing

s'h a state- These "eings are ertainly remo+ed from h'man obser+ation, b't, as the philosophy

learly states, they ha+e the 4hole of nat're for their ob2et, and this 4ill inl'de all li+ing men-They may not appear to ta&e any interest in transitory impro+ements or ameliorations, b't they

4or& behind the senes of tr'e enlightenment 'ntil s'h times as men shall be able to end're

their appearane in mortal g'ise-

The term =&no4ledge= as 'sed here has a greater meaning than 4e are a'stomed to gi+ing it- !t

implies f'll identifiation of the mind, for any length of time, 4ith 4hate+er ob2et or s'b2et it

is direted to- (odern siene and metaphysis do not admit that the mind an ogniEe o'tside of

ertain gi+en methods and distanes, and in most 'arters the eistene of so'l is denied or

ignored- !t is held, for instane, that one annot &no4 the onstit'ents and properties of a piee of

stone 4itho't mehanial or hemial aids applied diretly to the ob2et and that nothing an be

&no4n of the tho'ghts or feelings of another person 'nless they are epressed in 4ords or ats-

:here metaphysiians deal 4ith so'l they are +ag'e and appear to be afraid of siene, bea'se

it is not possible to analyse it and 4eigh its parts in a balane- So'l and (ind are red'ed to the

ondition of limited instr'ments 4hih ta&e note of ertain physial fats spread before them

thro'gh mehanial aids-


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To ma&e it possible to admit all this, it is first re'ired that the eistene, 'se and f'ntion of an

ethereal medi'm penetrating e+ery4here, alled Astral Light or A&asa by the ind's, sho'ld be

admitted- The Uni+ersal distrib'tion of this as a fat in nat're is metaphysially epressed in the

terms =Uni+ersal "rotherhood= and =Spirit'al !dentity-= !n it, thro'gh its aid, and by its 'se, the

'alities and motions of all ob2ets are 'ni+ersally ogniEable- !t is the s'rfae, so to say, 'pon

4hih all h'man ations and all things, tho'ghts and ir'mstanes are fied- The 5aster !slanderomes of a sto& 4hih has left its imprint in this Astral Light, and arries 4ith him in indelible

4riting the history of his rae- The aseti in onentration fies his attention 'pon this, and then

reads the reord lost to Siene- 5+ery tho'ght of erbert Spener, (ill, "ain, or 'ley is

fastened in the Astral Light together 4ith the respeti+e systems of Philosophy form'lated by

them, and all that the aseti has to do is to obtain a single point of depart're onneted 4ith

either of these thin&ers, and then to read in the Astral Light all that they ha+e tho'ght o't- "y

Patan2ali and his shool, s'h feats as these relate to matter and not to spirit, altho'gh to :estern

ears they 4ill so'nd either abs'rd, or if belie+ed in, as relating to spirit-

!n the things of the spirit and of the mind, the modern shools seem, to the sinere st'dent of this

Philosophy, to be 4oef'lly ignorant- :hat spirit may be is absol'tely 'n&no4n, and indeed, itannot yet be stated 4hat it is not- 5'ally so 4ith mental phenomena- As to the latter there is

nothing b't a medley of systems- #o one &no4s 4hat mind is-


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T"e Yo#a Ap"ori$%$

o&Patan'a(i

"oo& !Conentration "oo& !!!

"oo& !! (eans of Conentration "oo& !; The 5ssential #at're of !solation

)OO* I.

!ON!ENTRATION1- Ass'redly, the eposition of 3oga, or Conentration, is no4 to be made-

The Sans&rit partile atha,4hih is translated =ass'redly,= intimates to the disiple that a

distint topi is to be epo'nded, demands his attention, and also ser+es as a benedition-

(onier :illiams says it is =an a'spiio's and inepti+e partiiple often not easily

epressed in 5nglish-=

- Conentration, or 3oga, is the hindering of the modifiations of the thin&ing priniple-

!n other 4ords, the 4ant of onentration of tho'ght is d'e to the fat that the mindHhere alled =the thin&ing priniple=His s'b2et to onstant modifiations by reason of its

being diff'sed o+er a m'ltipliity of s'b2ets- So =onentration= is e'i+alent to the

orretion of a tendeny to, diff'seness, and to the obtaining of 4hat the ind's all

=one$pointedness,= or the po4er to apply the mind, at any moment, to the onsideration

of a single point of tho'ght, to the el'sion of all else-

Upon this Aphorism the method of the system hinges- The reason for the absene of

onentration at any time is, that the mind is modified by e+ery s'b2et and ob2et that

omes before it it is, as it 4ere, transformed into that s'b2et or ob2et- The mind,

therefore, is not the s'preme or highest po4er it is only a f'ntion, an instr'ment 4ith

4hih the so'l 4or&s, feels s'bl'nary things, and eperienes- The brain, ho4e+er, m'stnot be onfo'nded 4ith the mind, for the brain is in its t'rn b't an instr'ment for the

mind- !t therefore follo4s that the mind has a plane of its o4n, distint from the so'l and

the brain, and 4hat is to be learned is, to 'se the 4ill, 4hih is also a distint po4er from

the mind and brain, in s'h a 4ay that instead of permitting the mind to t'rn from one

s'b2et or ob2et to another 2'st as they may mo+e it, 4e shall apply it as a ser+ant at any

time and for as long a period as 4e 4ish, to the onsideration of 4hate+er 4e ha+e

deided 'pon-

%- At the time of onentration the so'l abides in the state of a spetator 4itho't a spetale-

This has referene to the perfetion of onentration, and is that ondition in 4hih, by

the hindering of the modifiations referred to in Aphorism , the so'l is bro'ght to a state

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of being 4holly de+oid of taint of, or impression by, any s'b2et- The =so'l= here referred

to is not Atma, 4hih is spirit-

- At other times than that of onentration, the so'l is in the same form as the modifiation of

the mind-

This has referene to the ondition of the so'l in ordinary life, 4hen onentration is notpratised, and means that, 4hen the internal organ, the mind, is thro'gh the senses

affeted or modified by the form of some ob2et, the so'l alsoH+ie4ing the ob2et

thro'gh its organ, the mind H is, as it 4ere, altered into that form as a marble stat'e of

sno4y 4hiteness, if seen 'nder a rimson light 4ill seem to the beholder rimson and so

is, to the +is'al organs, so long as that olored light shines 'pon it-

6- The modifiations of the mind are of fi+e &inds, and they are either painf'l or not painf'l

F- They are, Corret Cognition, (isoneption, .any, Sleep, and (emory-

7- Corret Cognition res'lts from Pereption, !nferene, and Testimony-

8- (isoneption is 5rroneo's #otion arising from la& of Corret Cognition-

9- .any is a notion de+oid of any real basis and follo4ing 'pon &no4ledge on+eyed by 4ords-

.or instane, the terms =a hare)s horns= and =the head of /ah',= neither of 4hih has

anything in nat're orresponding to the notion-

A person hearing the epression =the head of /ah'= nat'rally fanies that there is a /ah'

4ho o4ns the head, 4hereas /ah'Ha mythial monster 4ho is said to a'se elipses by

s4allo4ing the s'nHis all head and has no body and, altho'gh the epression =a hare)s

horns= is fre'ently 'sed, it is 4ell &no4n that there is no s'h thing in nat're- ('h inthe same 4ay people ontin'e to spea& of the s'n)s =rising= and =setting,= altho'gh they

hold to the opposite theory-

10- Sleep is that modifiation of the mind 4hih ens'es 'pon the 'itting of all ob2ets by the

mind, by reason of all the 4a&ing senses and fa'lties sin&ing into abeyane-

11- (emory is the not letting go of an ob2et that one has been a4are of-

1- The hindering of the modifiations of the mind already referred to, is to be effeted by means

of 5erise and *ispassion-

1%- 5erise is the 'ninterr'pted, or repeated, effort that the mind shall remain in its 'nmo+edstate-

This is to say that in order to a'ire onentration 4e m'st, again and again, ma&e

efforts to obtain s'h ontrol o+er the mind that 4e an, at any time 4hen it seems

neessary, so red'e it to an 'nmo+ed ondition or apply it to any one point to the

el'sion of all others-

1- This eerise is a firm position obser+ed o't of regard for the end in +ie4, and perse+eringly

adhered to for a long time 4itho't intermission-

The st'dent m'st not onl'de from this that he an ne+er a'ire onentration 'nless

he de+otes e+ery moment of his life to it, for the 4ords =4itho't intermission= apply b't

to the length of time that has been set apart for the pratie-

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16- *ispassion is the ha+ing o+erome one)s desires-

That is H the attainment of a state of being in 4hih the onsio'sness is 'naffeted by

passions, desires, and ambitions, 4hih aid in a'sing modifiations of the mind-

1F- *ispassion, arried to the 'tmost, is indifferene regarding all else than so'l, and this

indifferene arises from a &no4ledge of so'l as disting'ished from all else-

17- There is a meditation of the &ind alled =that in 4hih there is distint ognition,= and 4hih

is of a fo'r$fold harater bea'se of Arg'mentation, *eliberation, "eatit'de, 5goism-

#he sort of meditation referred to is a $ondering wherein the nature of that whi%h is to be

$ondered u$on is well known, without doubt or error, and it is a distin%t %ognition whi%h

e&%ludes ever' other modifi%ation of the mind than that whi%h is to be $ondered u$on.

1- The Arg'mentati+e di+ision of this meditation is a pondering 'pon a s'b2et 4ith

arg'ment as to its nat're in omparison 4ith something else as, for instane, the 'estion

4hether mind is the prod't of matter or preedes matter-

- The *eliberati+e di+ision is a pondering in regard to 4hene ha+e ome, and 4here is

the field of ation, of the s'btler senses and the mind-

%- The "eatifi ondition is that in 4hih the higher po4ers of the mind, together 4ith

tr'th in the abstrat, are pondered 'pon-

- The 5goisti di+ision is one in 4hih the meditation has proeeded to s'h a height

that all lo4er s'b2ets and ob2ets are lost sight of, and nothing remains b't the ognition

of the self, 4hih then beomes a stepping$stone to higher degrees of meditation-

The res'lt of reahing the fo'rth degree, alled 5goism, is that a distint reognition of

the ob2et or s'b2et 4ith 4hih the meditation began is lost, and self$onsio'snessalone res'lts b't this self$onsio'sness does not inl'de the onsio'sness of the

Absol'te or S'preme So'l-

18- The meditation 2'st desribed is preeded by the eerise of tho'ght 4itho't arg'mentation-

Another sort of meditation is in the shape of the self$reprod'tion of tho'ght after the depart're

of all ob2ets from the field of the mind-

19- The meditati+e state attained by those 4hose disrimination does not etend to p're spirit,

depends 'pon the phenomenal 4orld-

0- !n the pratie of those 4ho are, or may be, able to disriminate as to p're spirit, theirmeditation is preeded by .aith, 5nergy, !ntentness >'pon a single point?, and *isernment, or

thoro'gh disrimination of that 4hih is to be &no4n-

It is remarked here b' the %ommentator, that (in him who has )aith there arises *nerg',

or $erseveran%e in meditation, and, thus $ersevering, the memor' of $ast sub+e%ts

s$rings u$, and his mind be%omes absorbed in Intentness, in %onseuen%e of the

re%olle%tion of the sub+e%t, and he whose mind is absorbed in meditation arrives at a

thorough dis%ernment of the matter $ondered u$on.(

1- The attainment of the state of abstrat meditation is speedy, in the ase of the hotly

impet'o's-

10


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- "ea'se of the mild, the medi'm, and the transendent nat're of the methods adopted, there

is a distintion to be made among those 4ho pratise 3oga-

%- The state of abstrat meditation may be attained by profo'nd de+otedness to4ard the

S'preme Spirit onsidered in its omprehensible manifestation asIshwara.

It is said that this $rofound devotedness is a $reeminent means of attaining abstra%tmeditation and its fruits. (Ishwara( is the $irit in the bod'.

-Ishwarais a spirit, 'nto'hed by tro'bles, 4or&s, fr'its of 4or&s, or desires-

6- !nIshwarabeomes infinite that omnisiene 4hih in man eists b't as a germ-

F-Ishwarais the preeptor of all, e+en of the earliest of reated beings, for e is not limited by

time-

7- is name is


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%%- Thro'gh the pratising of "ene+olene, Tenderness, Complaeny, and *isregard for ob2ets

of happiness, grief, +irt'e, and +ie, the mind beomes p'rified-

#he %hief o%%asions for distra%tion of the mind are 0ovetousness and 2version, and what

the a$horism means is, not that virtue and vi%e should be viewed with indifferen%e b' the

student, but that he should not fi& his mind with $leasure u$on ha$$iness or virtue, nor

with aversion u$on grief or vi%e, in others, but should regard all with an eual mind4 andthe $ra%ti%e of Benevolen%e, #enderness, and 0om$la%en%' brings about %heerfulness of

the mind, whi%h tends to strength and steadiness.

%- *istrations may be ombated by a reg'lated ontrol or management of the breath in

inspiration, retention, and ehalation-

%6- A means of pro'rement of steadiness of the mind may be fo'nd in an immediate sens'o's

ognition

%F-


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- The Arg'mentati+e and #on$Arg'mentati+e onditions of the mind, desribed in the

preeding t4o aphorisms, also obtain 4hen the ob2et seleted for meditation is s'btile, or of a

higher nat're than sens'o's ob2ets-

6- That meditation 4hih has a s'btile ob2et in +ie4 ends 4ith the indissol'ble element alled

$rimordialmatter.

F- The mental hanges desribed in the foregoing, onstit'te =meditation 4ith its seed-=

(editation with its seed( is that kind of meditation in whi%h there is still $resent before

the mind a distin%t ob+e%t to be meditated u$on.

7- :hen :isdom has been reahed, thro'gh a'irement of the non$deliberati+e mental state,

there is spirit'al learness-

8- !n that ase, then, there is that no4ledge 4hih is absol'tely free from 5rror-

9- This &ind of &no4ledge differs from the &no4ledge d'e to testimony and inferene bea'se,

in the p'rs'it of &no4ledge based 'pon those, the mind has to onsider many parti'lars and is

not engaged 4ith the general field of &no4ledge itself-

60- The train of self$reprod'ti+e tho'ght res'lting from this p'ts a stop to all other trains of

tho'ght-

It is held that there are two main trains of thought4 8a; that whi%h de$ends u$on

suggestion made either b' the words of another, or b' im$ression u$on the senses or

mind, or u$on asso%iation4 8b; that whi%h de$ends altogether u$on itself, and re$rodu%es

from itself the same thought as before. 2nd when the se%ond sort is attained, its effe%t is

to a%t as an obsta%le to all other trains of thought, for it is of su%h a nature that it re$els

or e&$els from the mind an' other kind of thought. 2s shown in 2$horism 97, the mental

state %alled (non-argumentative( is absolutel' free from error, sin%e it has nothing to do

with testimon' or inferen%e, but is knowledge itself, and therefore from its inherent nature

it $uts a sto$ to all other trains of thought.

61- This train of tho'ght itself, 4ith b't one ob2et, may also be stopped, in 4hih ase

=meditation 4itho't a seed= is attained-

(editation without a seed( is that in whi%h the brooding of the mind has been $ushed to

su%h a $oint that the ob+e%t sele%ted for meditation has disa$$eared from the mental

$lane, and there is no longer an' re%ognition of it, but %onseuent $rogressive thought

u$on a higher $lane.

)OO* II.

MEANS OF !ON!ENTRATION

1%


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1- The pratial part of Conentration is, (ortifiation, ('ttering, and /esignation to the

S'preme So'l-

5hat is here meant b' (mortifi%ation( is the $ra%ti%e laid down in other books, su%h as

the 1harma hastra, whi%h in%ludes $enan%es and fastings4 (muttering( is the sem-

audible re$etition of formulae also laid down, $re%eded b' the m'sti% name of the

u$reme Being given in 2$horism 6


15/28

1%- :hile that root of merit and demerit eists, there is a fr'tifiation d'ring eah s'eeding

life 'pon earth in ran&, years, pleas're, or pain-

1- appiness or s'ffering res'lts, as the fr'it of merit and demerit, aordingly as the a'se is

+irt'e or +ie-

16- "'t to that man 4ho has attained to the perfetion of spirit'al 'lti+ation, all m'ndane things

are ali&e +eatio's, sine the modifiations of the mind d'e to the nat'ral 'alities are ad+erse to

the attainment of the highest ondition bea'se, 'ntil that is reahed, the o'pation of any form

of body is a hindrane, and aniety and impressions of +ario's &inds easelessly ontin'e-

1F- That 4hih is to be sh'nned by the disiple is pain not yet ome-

#he $ast %annot be %hanged or amended4 that whi%h belongs to the e&$erien%es of the

$resent %annot, and should not, be shunned4 but alike to be shunned are disturbing

anti%i$ations or fears of the future, and ever' a%t or im$ulse that ma' %ause $resent or

future $ain to ourselves or others.

17- .rom the fat that the so'l is on2oined in the body 4ith the organ of tho'ght, and th's 4ith

the 4hole of nat're, la& of disrimination follo4s, prod'ing misoneptions of d'ties and

responsibilities- This misoneption leads to 4rongf'l ats, 4hih 4ill ine+itably bring abo't

pain in the f't're-

18- The Uni+erse, inl'ding the +isible and the in+isible, the essential nat're of 4hih is

ompo'nded of p'rity, ation, and rest, and 4hih onsists of the elements and the organs of

ation, eists for the sa&e of the so'l)s eperiene and emanipation-

19- The di+isions of the 'alities are the di+erse, the non$di+erse, those 4hih may be resol+ed

one b't no farther, and the irresol+able-

#he (diverse (are su%h as the gross elements and the organs of sense4 the (non-diverse,(

the subtile elements and the mind4 the (on%e resolvable,( the intelle%t, whi%h %an be

resolved into undifferentiated matter but no farther4 and the (irresolvable,( indis%rete

matter.

0- The so'l is the Perei+er is ass'redly +ision itself p're and simple 'nmodified and loo&s

diretly 'pon ideas-

1- .or the sa&e of the so'l alone, the Uni+erse eists-

#he %ommentator adds> (!ature in energi=ing does not do so with a view to an' $ur$ose

of her own, but with the design, as it were, e&$ressed in the words /let me bring about the

soul/s e&$erien%e./(

- Altho'gh the Uni+erse in its ob2eti+e state has eased to be, in respet to that man 4ho has

attained to the perfetion of spirit'al 'lti+ation, it has not eased in respet to all others, bea'se

it is ommon to others besides him-

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%- The on2'nt're of the so'l 4ith the organ of tho'ght, and th's 4ith nat're, is the a'se of its

apprehension of the at'al ondition of the nat're of the Uni+erse and of the so'l itself-

- The a'se of this on2'nt're is 4hat is to be 'itted, and that a'se is ignorane-

6- The 'itting onsists in the easing of the on2'nt're, 'pon 4hih ignorane disappears, andthis is the !solation of the so'l-

#hat whi%h is meant in this and in the $re%eding two a$horisms is that the %on+un%ture of

soul and bod', through re$eated rein%arnations, is due to its absen%e of dis%riminative

knowledge of the nature of the soul and its environment, and when this dis%riminative

knowledge has been attained, the %on+un%ture, whi%h was due to the absen%e of

dis%rimination, %eases of its own a%%ord.

F- The means of 'itting the state of bondage to matter is perfet disriminati+e &no4ledge,

ontin'o'sly maintained-

#he im$ort of thisamong other thingsis that the man who has attained to the

$erfe%tion of s$iritual %ultivation maintains his %ons%iousness, alike while in the bod', atthe moment of uitting it, and when he has $assed into higher s$heres4 and likewise when

returning %ontinues it unbroken while uitting higher s$heres, when re-entering his bod',

and in resuming a%tion on the material $lane.

7- This perfet disriminati+e &no4ledge possessed by the man 4ho has attained to the

perfetion of spirit'al 'lti+ation, is of se+en &inds, 'p to the limit of meditation-

8- Until this perfet disriminati+e &no4ledge is attained, there res'lts from those praties

4hih are ond'i+e to onentration, an ill'mination more or less brilliant 4hih is effeti+e for

the remo+al of imp'rity-

9- The praties 4hih are ond'i+e to onentration are eight in n'mber .orbearane,

/eligio's


17/28

%F- :hen +eraity is omplete, the 3ogee beomes the fo's for the arma res'lting from all

4or&s good or bad-

%7- :hen abstinene from theft, in mind and at, is omplete in the 3ogee, he has the po4er to

obtain all material 4ealth-

%8- :hen ontinene is omplete, there is a gain of strength, in body and mind-

It is not meant here that a student $ra%tising %ontinen%e solel', and negle%ting the other

$ra%ti%es en+oined, will gain strength. 2ll $arts of the s'stem must be $ursued

%on%urrentl', on the mental, moral, and $h'si%al $lanes.

%9- :hen o+eto'sness is eliminated, there omes to the 3ogee a &no4ledge of e+erything

relating to, or 4hih has ta&en plae in, former states of eistene-

(0ovetousness( here a$$lies not onl' to %oveting an' ob+e%t, but also to the desire for

en+o'able %onditions of mundane e&isten%e, or even for mundane e&isten%e itself.

0- .rom p'rifiation of the mind and body there arises in the 3ogee a thoro'gh disernment of

the a'se and nat're of the body, 4here'pon he loses that regard 4hih others ha+e for the

bodily form and he also eases to feel the desire of, or neessity for, assoiation 4ith his fello4$

beings that is ommon among other men-

1- .rom p'rifiation of the mind and body also ens're to the 3ogee a omplete predominane of

the 'ality of goodness, omplaeny, intentness, s'b2'gation of the senses, and fitness for

ontemplation and omprehension of the so'l as distint from nat're-

- .rom ontentment in its perfetion the 3ogee a'ires s'perlati+e feliity-

%- :hen a'sterity is thoro'ghly pratised by the 3ogee, the res'lt thereof is a perfeting and

heightening of the bodily senses by the remo+al of imp'rity-

- Thro'gh ina'dible m'ttering there is a meeting 4ith one)s fa+orite *eity-

B' $ro$erl' uttered invo%ationshere referred to in the signifi%ant $hrase (inaudible

mutterings,( the higher $owers in nature, ordinaril' unseen b' man, are %aused to reveal

themselves to the sight of the "ogee4 and inasmu%h as all the $owers in nature %annot be

evoked at on%e, the mind must be dire%ted to some $arti%ular for%e, or $ower in nature

hen%e the use of the term (with one/s favorite 1eit'.(

6- Perfetion in meditation omes from perse+ering de+otion to the S'preme So'l-

F- A post're ass'med by a 3ogi m'st be steady and pleasant-

)or the %learing u$ of the mind of the student it is to be observed that the ($ostures( laid

down in various s'stems of ("oga( are not absolutel' essential to the su%%essful $ursuit

of the $ra%ti%e of %on%entration and attainment of its ultimate fruits. 2ll su%h ($ostures,(

as $res%ribed b' ?indu writers, are based u$on an a%%urate knowledge of the

$h'siologi%al effe%ts $rodu%ed b' them, but at the $resent da' the' are onl' $ossible for

?indus, who from their earliest 'ears are a%%ustomed to assuming them.

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7- :hen ommand o+er the post'res has been thoro'ghly attained, the effort to ass'me them is

easy and 4hen the mind has beome thoro'ghly identified 4ith the bo'ndlessness of spae, the

post're beomes steady and pleasant-

8- :hen this ondition has been attained, the 3ogee feels no assa'lts from the pairs of

opposites-B' ($airs of o$$osites( referen%e is made to the %on+oined %lassifi%ation, all through the

?indu $hiloso$hi%al and meta$h'si%al s'stems, of the o$$osed ualities, %onditions, and

states of being, whi%h are eternal sour%es of $leasure or $ain in mundane e&isten%e, su%h

as %old and heat, hunger and satiet', da' and night, $overt' and ri%hes, libert' and

des$otism.

9- Also, 4hen this ondition has been attained, there sho'ld s'eed reg'lation of the breath, in

ehalation, inhalation, and retention-

60- This reg'lation of the breath, 4hih is in ehalation, inhalation, and retention, is f'rther

restrited by onditions of time, plae, and n'mber, eah of 4hih may be long or short-

61- There is a speial +ariety of breath reg'lation 4hih has referene to both that desribed in

the last preeding aphorism and the inner sphere of breathing-

2$horisms 9@, A, AC allude to regulation of the breath as a $ortion of the $h'si%al

e&er%ises referred to in the note u$on 2$horism 9D, a%uaintan%e with the rules and

$res%ri$tions for whi%h, on the $art of the student, is inferred b' Patan+ali. 2$horism A

refers merel' to the regulation of the several $eriods, degrees of for%e4 and number of

alternating re%urren%es of the three divisions of breathinge&halation, inhalation, and

retention of the breath. But 2$horism AC alludes to another regulation of the breath,

whi%h is its governan%e b' the mind so as to %ontrol its dire%tion to and %onseuent

influen%e u$on %ertain %enters of nerve $er%e$tion within the human bod' for the

$rodu%tion of $h'siologi%al, followed b' $s'%hi% effe%ts-

6- "y means of this reg'lation of the breath, the obs'ration of the mind res'lting from the

infl'ene of the body is remo+ed-

6%- And th's the mind beomes prepared for ats of attention-

6- /estraint is the aommodation of the senses to the nat're of the mind, 4ith an absene on

the part of the senses of their sensibility to diret impression from ob2ets-

66- Therefrom res'lts a omplete s'b2'gation of the senses-

)OO* III

1- .iing the mind on a plae, ob2et, or s'b2et is attention-

This is alled1harana.

- The ontin'ane of this attention is ontemplation-

This is alled1h'ana.

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%- This ontemplation, 4hen it is pratised only in respet to a material s'b2et or ob2et of sense,

is meditation-

This is alled amadhi.

- :hen this fiedness of attention, ontemplation, and meditation are pratised 4ith respet to

one ob2et, they together onstit'te 4hat is alled an'ama.5e have no word in *nglish %orres$onding to an'ama. #he translators have used the

word restraint, but this is inadeuate and misleading, although it is a %orre%t translation.

5hen a ?indu sa's that an as%eti% is $ra%tising restraint a%%ording to this s'stem in

res$e%t to an' ob+e%t, he means that he is $erforming an'ama, while in *nglish it ma'

indi%ate that he is restraining himself from some $arti%ular thing or a%t, and this is not

the meaning of an'ama. 5e have used the language of the te&t, but the idea ma'

$erha$s be better %onve'ed b' ($erfe%t %on%entration.(

6- "y rendering an'amaHor the operation of fied attention, ontemplation, and meditationH

nat'ral and easy, an a'rate diserning po4er is de+eloped-

This =diserning po4er= is a distint fa'lty 4hih this pratie alone de+elops, and is notpossessed by ordinary persons 4ho ha+e not p'rs'ed onentration-

F- an'amais to be 'sed in proeeding step by step in o+eroming all modifiations of the mind,

from the more apparent to those the most s'btle-

%9

Eee note to 2$horism 6, Book I.F #he student is to know that after he has over%ome the

affli%tions and obstru%tions des%ribed in the $re%eding books, there are other

modifi%ations of a re%ondite %hara%ter suffered b' the mind, whi%h are to be got rid of b'

means of an'ama. 5hen he has rea%hed that stage the diffi%ulties will reveal themselves

to him.

7- The three pratiesHattention, ontemplation, and meditationHare more effiaio's for theattainment of that &ind of meditation alled, =that in 4hih there is distint ognition,= than the

first fi+e means heretofore desribed as =not &illing, +eraity, not stealing, ontinene, and not

o+eting-=

See2$horism C


20/28

fastened 'pon the ob2et itself, it is then said to be intent 'pon a single pointHa state tehnially

alled*kagrata.

1%- The three ma2or lasses of pereption regarding the harateristi property, distinti+e mar&

or 'se, and possible hanges of 'se or relation, of any ob2et or organ of the body ontemplated

by the mind, ha+e been s'ffiiently eplained by the foregoing eposition of the manner in4hih the mind is modified-

It is ver' diffi%ult to $ut this a$horism into *nglish. #he three words translated as

(%hara%teristi% $ro$ert', distin%tive mark or use, and $ossible %hange of use( are

1harma, akshana, and 2vastha, and ma' be thus illustrated> 1harma, as, sa', the %la'

of whi%h a +ar is %om$osed, akshana, the idea of a +ar thus %onstituted, and 2vastha, the

%onsideration that the +ar alters ever' moment, in that it be%omes old, or is otherwise

affe%ted.

1- The properties of an ob2et presented to the mind are first, those 4hih ha+e been onsidered

and dismissed from +ie4 seond, those 'nder onsideration and third, that 4hih is inapable of

denomination bea'se it is not speial, b't ommon to all matter-#he third %lass above s$oken of has referen%e to a tenet of the $hiloso$h' whi%h holds

that all ob+e%ts ma' and will be finall' (resolved into nature( or one basi% substan%e4

hen%e gold ma' be %onsidered as mere matter, and therefore not differentnot to be

se$aratel' denominated in final anal'sisfrom earth.

16- The alterations in the order of the three$fold mental modifiations before desribed, indiate

to the aseti the +ariety of hanges 4hih a harateristi property is to 'ndergo 4hen

ontemplated-

1F- A &no4ledge of past and f't're e+ents omes to an aseti from his performing an'amain

respet to the three$fold mental modifiations 2'st eplained-ee 2$horism 9, where (an'ama( is e&$lained as the use or o$eration of attention,

%ontem$lation, and meditation in res$e%t to a single ob+e%t.

!7- !n the minds of those 4ho ha+e not attained to onentration, there is a onf'sion as to 'ttered

so'nds, terms, and &no4ledge, 4hih res'lts from omprehending these three indisriminately

b't 4hen an aseti +ie4s these separately, by performing =an'ama(respeting them, he attains

the po4er of 'nderstanding the meaning of any so'nd 'ttered by any sentient being-

18- A &no4ledge of the o'rrenes eperiened in former inarnations arises in the aseti from

holding before his mind the trains of self$reprod'ti+e tho'ght and onentrating himself 'pon

them-

19- The nat're of the mind of another person beomes &no4n to the aseti 4hen he onentrates

his o4n mind 'pon that other person-

0- S'h onentration 4ill not, ho4e+er, re+eal to the aseti the f'ndamental basis of the other

person)s mind, bea'se he does not =perform an'ama= 4ith that ob2et before him-

1- "y performing onentration in regard to the properties and essential nat're of form,

espeially that of the h'man body, the aseti a'ires the po4er of a'sing the disappearane of

his orporeal frame from the sight of others, bea'se thereby its property of being apprehended

0


21/28

by the eye is he&ed, and that property of attwa 4hih ehibits itself as l'mino'sness is

disonneted from the spetator)s organ of sight-

2nother great differen%e between this $hiloso$h' and modern s%ien%e is here indi%ated.

#he s%hools of toda' la' down the rule that if there is a health' e'e in line with the ra's

of light refle%ted from an ob+e%tsu%h as a human bod'the latter will be seen, and that

no a%tion of the mind of the $erson looked at %an inhibit the fun%tions of the o$ti% nervesand retina of the onlooker. But the an%ient ?indus held that all things are seen b' reason

of that differentiation of atwaone of the three great ualities %om$osing all things

whi%h is manifested as luminousness, o$erating in %on+un%tion with the e'e, whi%h is also

a manifestation of atwa in another as$e%t. #he two must %on+oin4 the absen%e of

luminousness or its being dis%onne%ted from the seer/s e'e will %ause a disa$$earan%e.

2nd as the ualit' of luminousness is %om$letel' under the %ontrol of the as%eti%, he %an,

b' the $ro%ess laid down, %he%k it, and thus %ut off from the e'e of the other an essential

element in the seeing of an' ob+e%t.

- !n the same manner, by performing an'amain regard to any parti'lar organ of senseHs'h

as that of hearing, or of feeling, or of tasting, or of smellingHthe aseti a'ires the po4er toa'se essation of the f'ntions of any of the organs of another or of himself, at 4ill-

#he an%ient %ommentator differs from others with regard to this a$horism, in that he

asserts that it is a $ortion of the original te&t, while the' affirm that it is not, but an

inter$olation.

%- Ation is of t4o &inds first, that aompanied by antiipation of onse'enes seond, that

4hih is 4itho't any antiipation of onse'enes- "y performing onentration 4ith regard to

these &inds of ation, a &no4ledge arises in the aseti as to the time of his death-

Harma, resultant from a%tions of both kinds in $resent and in $revious in%arnations,

$rodu%es and affe%ts our $resent bodies, in whi%h we are $erforming similar a%tions. #he

as%eti%, b' steadfastl' %ontem$lating all his a%tions in this and in $revious in%arnations8see 2$horism C7;, is able to know absolutel' the %onseuen%es resultant from a%tions he

has $erformed, and hen%e has the $ower to %al%ulate %orre%tl' the e&a%t length of his life.

- "y performing onentration in regard to bene+olene, tenderness, omplaeny, and

disinterestedness, the aseti is able to a'ire the friendship of 4homsoe+er he may desire-

6- "y performing onentration 4ith regard to the po4ers of the elements, or of the animal

&ingdom, the aseti is able to manifest those in himself-

F- "y onentrating his mind 'pon min'te, onealed or distant ob2ets, in e+ery department of

nat're, the aseti a'ires thoro'gh &no4ledge onerning them-

7- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the s'n, a &no4ledge arises in the aseti onerning all

spheres bet4een the earth and the s'n-

8- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the moon, there arises in the aseti a &no4ledge of the

fied stars-

9- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the polar star, the aseti is able to &no4 the fied time and

motion of e+ery star in theBrahmandaof 4hih this earth is a part-

(Brahmanda( here means the great s'stem, %alled b' some (universe,( in whi%h this

world is.

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%0- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the solar ple's, the aseti a'ires a &no4ledge of the

str't're of the material body-

%1- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the ner+e enter in the pit of the throat, the aseti is able to

o+erome h'nger and thirst-

%- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the ner+e enter belo4 the pit of the throat, the aseti is

able to pre+ent his body being mo+ed, 4itho't any resistant eertion of his m'sles-

%%- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the light in the head the aseti a'ires the po4er of seeing

di+ine beings-

#here are two inferen%es here whi%h have nothing to %orres$ond to them in modern

thought. ne is, that there is a light in the head4 and the other, that there are divine

beings who ma' be seen b' those who thus %on%entrate u$on the (light in the head.( It is

held that a %ertain nerve, or $s'%hi% %urrent, %alled Brahmarandhra-nadi, $asses out

through the brain near the to$ of the head. In this there %olle%ts more of the luminous

$rin%i$le in nature than elsewhere in the bod' and it is %alled +'otisthe light in the

head. 2nd, as ever' result is to be brought about b' the use of a$$ro$riate means, the

seeing of divine beings %an be a%%om$lished b' %on%entration u$on that $art of the bod'

more nearl' %onne%ted with them. #his $ointthe end of Brahmarandhra-nadiis also

the $la%e where the %onne&ion is made between man and the solar for%es.

%- The aseti an, after long pratie, disregard the +ario's aids to onentration hereinbefore

reommended for the easier a'irement of &no4ledge, and 4ill be able to possess any

&no4ledge simply thro'gh the desire therefor-

%6- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the?rida'a,the aseti a'ires penetration and &no4ledgeof the mental onditions, p'rposes, and tho'ghts of others, as 4ell as an a'rate omprehension

of his o4n-

?rida'a is the heart. #here is some disagreement among m'sti%s as to whether the

mus%ular heart is meant, or some nervous %enter to whi%h it leads, as in the %ase of a

similar dire%tion for %on%entrating on the umbili%us, when, in fa%t, the field of nerves

%alled the solar $le&us is intended.

%F- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the tr'e nat're of the so'l as being entirely distint from any

eperienes, and disonneted from all material things, and dissoiated from the 'nderstanding, a

&no4ledge of the tr'e nat're of the so'l itself arises in the aseti-

%7- .rom the parti'lar &ind of onentration last desribed, there arises in the aseti, and

remains 4ith him at all times, a &no4ledge onerning all things, 4hether they be those

apprehended thro'gh the organs of the body or other4ise presented to his ontemplation-

%8- The po4ers hereinbefore desribed are liable to beome obstales in the 4ay of perfet

onentration, bea'se of the possibility of 4onder and pleas're flo4ing from their eerise, b't

are not obstales for the aseti 4ho is perfet in the pratie en2oined-

=Pratie en2oined,= see2$horisms:D,:


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%9- The inner self of the aseti may be transferred to any other body and there ha+e omplete

ontrol, bea'se he has eased to be mentally attahed to ob2ets of sense, and thro'gh his

a'isition of the &no4ledge of the manner in and means by 4hih the mind and body are

onneted-

2s this $hiloso$h' holds that the mind, not being the result of brain, enters the bod' b' a

%ertain road and is %onne%ted with it in a $arti%ular manner, this a$horism de%lares that,when the as%eti% a%uires a knowledge of the e&a%t $ro%ess of %onne%ting mind and bod',

he %an %onne%t his mind with an' other bod', and thus transfer the $ower to use the

organs of the o%%u$ied frame in e&$erien%ing effe%ts from the o$erations of the senses.

0- "y onentrating his mind 'pon, and beoming master of, that +ital energy alled 3dana,the

aseti a'ires the po4er of arising from beneath 4ater, earth, or other s'perin'mbent matter-

3dana is the name given to one of the so-%alled (vital airs.( #hese, in fa%t, are %ertain

nervous fun%tions for whi%h our $h'siolog' has no name, and ea%h one of whi%h has its

own offi%e. It ma' be said that b' knowing them, and how to govern them, one %an alter

his bodil' $olarit' at will. #he same remarks a$$l' to the ne&t a$horism.

1- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the +ital energy alled amana, the aseti a'ires the

po4er to appear as if blaEing 4ith light-

E#his effe%t has been seen b' the inter$reter on several o%%asions when in %om$an' with

one who had a%uired the $ower. #he effe%t was as if the $erson had a luminousness

under the skin. 5. . J.F

- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the relations bet4een the ear and2kasa,the aseti a'ires

the po4er of hearing all so'nds, 4hether 'pon the earth or in the Kther, and 4hether far or near-

#he word 2kasa has been translated both as (ther( and (astral light.( In this a$horism

it is em$lo'ed in the former sense. ound, it will remembered, is the distin%tive $ro$ert'

of this element.%- "y onentrating his mind 'pon the h'man body, in its relations to air and spae, the aseti

is able to hange at 4ill the polarity of his body, and onse'ently a'ires the po4er of freeing

it from the ontrol of the la4s of gra+itation-

- :hen the aseti has ompletely mastered all the infl'enes 4hih the body has 'pon the

inner man, and has laid aside all onern in regard to it, and in no respet is affeted by it, the

onse'ene is a remo+al of all obs'rations of the intellet-

6- The aseti a'ires omplete ontrol o+er the elements by onentrating his mind 'pon the

fi+e lasses of properties in the manifested 'ni+erse as, first, those of gross or phenomenal

harater seond, those of form third, those of s'btle 'ality fo'rth, those s'septible of

distintion as to light, ation, and inertia fifth, those ha+ing infl'ene in their +ario's degrees for

the prod'tion of fr'its thro'gh their effets 'pon the mind-

F- .rom the a'irement of s'h po4er o+er the elements there res'lts to the aseti +ario's

perfetions, to 4it, the po4er to pro2et his inner$self into the smallest atom, to epand his inner$

self to the siEe of the largest body, to render his material body light or hea+y at 4ill, to gi+e

indefinite etension to his astral body or its separate members, to eerise an irresistible 4ill

'pon the minds of others, to obtain the highest eellene of the material body, and the ability to

preser+e s'h eellene 4hen obtained-

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7- 5ellene of the material body onsists in olor, lo+eliness of form, strength, and density-

8- The aseti a'ires omplete ontrol o+er the organs of sense from ha+ing performed

an'ama>onentration? in regard to pereption, the nat're of the organs, egoism, the 'ality of

the organs as being in ation or at rest, and their po4er to prod'e merit or demerit from the

onneion of the mind 4ith them-

9- Therefrom spring 'p in the aseti the po4ers to mo+e his body from one plae to another

4ith the 'i&ness of tho'ght, to etend the operations of his senses beyond the trammels of

plae or the obstr'tions of matter, and to alter any nat'ral ob2et from one form to another-

60- !n the aseti 4ho has a'ired the a'rate disriminati+e &no4ledge of the tr'th and of the

nat're of the so'l, there arises a &no4ledge of all eistenes in their essential nat'res and a

mastery o+er them-

61- !n the aseti 4ho a'ires an indifferene e+en to the last mentioned perfetion, thro'gh

ha+ing destroyed the last germs of desire, there omes a state of the so'l that is alled !solation-

ISee note on !solation in "oo& !;-J

6- The aseti o'ght not to form assoiation 4ith elestial beings 4ho may appear before him,

nor ehibit 4onderment at their appearane, sine the res'lt 4o'ld be a rene4al of afflitions of

the mind-

6%- A great and most s'btile &no4ledge springs from the disrimination that follo4s 'pon

onentration of the mind performed 4ith regard to the relation bet4een moments and their

order-

In this Patan+ali s$eaks of ultimate divisions of time whi%h %annot be further divided, and

of the order in whi%h the' $re%ede and su%%eed ea%h other. It is asserted that a $er%e$tion

of these minute $eriods %an be a%uired, and the result will be that he who dis%riminates

thus goes on to greater and wider $er%e$tion of $rin%i$les in nature whi%h are so

re%ondite that modern $hiloso$h' does not even know of their e&isten%e. 5e know that we

%an all distinguish su%h $eriods as da's or hours, and there are man' $ersons, born

mathemati%ians, who are able to $er%eive the su%%ession of minutes and %an tell e&a%tl'

without a wat%h how man' have ela$sed between an' two given $oints in time. #he

minutes, so $er%eived b' these mathemati%al wonders, are, however, not the ultimate

divisions of time referred to in the 2$horism, but are themselves %om$osed of su%h

ultimates. !o rules %an be given for su%h %on%entration as this, as it is so far on the road

of $rogress that the as%eti% finds the rules himself, after having mastered all the anterior$ro%esses.

6- Therefrom res'lts in the aseti a po4er to disern s'btile differenes impossible to be

&no4n by other means-

66- The &no4ledge that springs from this perfetion of disriminati+e po4er is alled

=&no4ledge that sa+es from rebirth-= !t has all things and the nat're of all things for its ob2ets,

and perei+es all that hath been and that is, 4itho't limitations of time, plae, or ir'mstane, as

if all 4ere in the present and the presene of the ontemplator-

u%h an as%eti% as is referred to in this and the ne&t a$horism, is a Jivanmukta and is notsub+e%t to rein%arnation. ?e, however, ma' live 'et u$on earth but is not in an' wa'


25/28

sub+e%t to his bod', the soul being $erfe%tl' free at ever' moment. 2nd su%h is held to be

the state of those beings %alled, in theoso$hi%al literature, 2de$ts, ahatmas, asters.

6F- :hen the mind no longer onei+es itself to be the &no4er, or eperiener, and has beome

one 4ith the so'lHthe real &no4er and eperienerH!solation ta&es plae and the so'l is

emanipated-

)OO* I+.

THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF ISOLATION

1- Perfetions of body, or s'perh'man po4ers are prod'ed by birth, or by po4erf'l herbs, or by

inantations, penanes, or meditations-

#he sole %ause of $ermanent $erfe%tions is meditation $erformed in in%arnations $rior to

that in whi%h the $erfe%tion a$$ears, for $erfe%tion b' birth, su%h as the $ower of birds to

fl', is im$ermanent, as also are those following u$on in%antations, eli&irs and the like.But as meditation rea%hes within, it affe%ts ea%h in%arnation. It must also follow that evil

meditation will have the result of begetting $erfe%tion in evil.

- The hange of a man into another lass of beingHs'h as that of a elestial beingHis effeted

by the transf'sion of nat'res-

#his alludes to the $ossibilit'admitted b' the ?indusof a man/s being altered into

one of the 1evas, or %elestial beings, through the for%e of $enan%es and meditation.

%- Certain merits, 4or&s, and praties are alled =oasional= bea'se they do not prod'e

essential modifiation of nat're b't they are effeti+e for the remo+al of obstr'tions in the 4ay

of former merit, as in the ase of the h'sbandman 4ho remo+es impediments in the o'rse of theirrigating stream, 4hih then flo4s for4ard-

#his is intended to further e&$lain 2$horism 6 b' showing, that in an' in%arnation

%ertain $ra%ti%es Ee.g. those $reviousl' laid downF will %lear awa' the obs%urations of a

man/s $ast Harma, u$on whi%h that Harma will manifest itself4 whereas, if the $ra%ti%es

were not $ursued, the result of $ast meditation might be dela'ed until 'et another life.

- The minds ating in the +ario's bodies 4hih the aseti +ol'ntarily ass'mes are the

prod'tion of his egoism alone-

6- And for the different ati+ities of those +ario's minds, the aseti)s mind is the mo+ing a'se-

F- Among the minds differently onstit'ted by reason of birth, herbs, inantations, penanes, and

meditation, that one alone 4hih is d'e to meditation is destit'te of the basis of mental deposits

from 4or&s-

#he a$horism a$$lies to all %lasses of men, and not to bodies assumed b' the as%eti%4

and there must alwa's be ke$t in view the do%trine of the $hiloso$h' that ea%h life leaves

in the *go mental de$osits whi%h form the basis u$on whi%h subseuent vi%issitudes

follow in other lives.

7- The 4or& of the aseti is neither p're nor dar&, b't is pe'liar to itself, 4hile that of others is

of three &inds-

6


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#he three kinds of work alluded to are 8C; $ure in a%tion and motive4 86; dark, su%h as

that of infernal beings4 8:; that of the general run of men, $ure-dark. #he 9th is that of

the as%eti%.

8- .rom these 4or&s there res'lts, in e+ery inarnation, a manifestation of only those mental

deposits 4hih an ome to fr'tifiation in the en+ironment pro+ided-

9- Altho'gh- the manifestation of mental deposits may be interepted by 'ns'itable

en+ironments, differing as to lass, plae, and time, there is an immediate relation bet4een them,

bea'se the memory and the train of self$reprod'ti+e tho'ght are idential-

#his is to remove a doubt %aused b' 2$horism 7, and is intended to show that memor' is

not due to mere brain matter, but is $ossessed b' the in%arnating ego, whi%h holds all the

mental de$osits in a latent state, ea%h one be%oming manifest whenever the suitable

bodil' %onstitution and environment are $rovided for it.

10- The mental deposits are eternal bea'se of the fore of the desire 4hih prod'ed them-

In the Indian edition this reads that the de$osits remain be%ause of the (benedi%tion.(

2nd as that word is used in a s$e%ial sense, we do not give it here. 2ll mental de$osits

result from a desire for en+o'ment, whether it be from a wish to avoid in the ne&t life

%ertain $ain suffered in this, or from the $ositive feeling e&$ressed in the desire, (ma'

su%h and su%h $leasure alwa's be mine.( #his is %alled a (benedi%tion.( 2nd the word

(eternal( has also a s$e%ial signifi%ation, meaning onl' that $eriod embra%ed b' a (da'

of Brahma,( whi%h lasts for a thousand ages.

11- As they are olleted by a'se, effet, s'bstrat'm, and s'pport, 4hen those are remo+ed, the

res'lt is that there is a non$eistene of the mental deposits-

#his a$horism su$$lements the $re%eding one, and intends to show that, although thede$osits will remain during (eternit'( if left to themselvesbeing alwa's added to b'

new e&$erien%es and similar desires'et the' ma' be removed b' removing $rodu%ing

%auses.

1- That 4hih is past and that 4hih is to ome, are not red'ed to non$eistene, for the

relations of the properties differ one from the other-

1%-


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?en%e, through all the %hanges to whi%h the mind and soul are sub+e%t, the s$iritual soul,

Ishwara, remains unmoved, (the witness and s$e%tator.(

18- The mind is not self$ill'minati+e, bea'se it is an instr'ment of the so'l, is olored and

modified by eperienes and ob2ets, and is ogniEed by the so'l-

19- Conentrated attention to t4o ob2ets annot ta&e plae sim'ltaneo'sly-

0- !f one pereption be ogniEable by another, then there 4o'ld be the f'rther neessity for

ognition of ognition, and from that a onf'sion of reolletion 4o'ld ta&e plae-

1- :hen the 'nderstanding and the so'l are 'nited, then self$&no4ledge res'lts-

#he self-knowledge s$oken of here is that interior illumination desired b' all m'sti%s, and

is not merel' a knowledge of self in the ordinar' sense.

- The mind, 4hen 'nited 4ith the so'l and f'lly on+ersant 4ith &no4ledge, embraes

'ni+ersally all ob2ets-

%- The mind, tho'gh ass'ming +ario's forms by reason of inn'merable mental deposits, eists

for the p'rpose of the so'l)s emanipation and operates in o$operation there4ith-

- !n him 4ho &no4s the differene bet4een the nat're of so'l and mind, the false notion

regarding the so'l omes to an end-

#he mind is merel' a tool, instrument, or means, b' whi%h the soul a%uires e&$erien%es

and knowledge. In ea%h in%arnation the mind is, as it were, new. It is a $ortion of the

a$$aratus furnished to the soul through innumerable lives for obtaining e&$erien%e and

rea$ing the fruit of works $erformed. #he notion that the mind is either knower ore&$erien%er is a false one, whi%h is to be removed before eman%i$ation %an be rea%hed b'

soul. It was therefore said that the mind o$erates or e&ists for the %arr'ing out of the

soul/s salvation, and not the soul for the mind/s sake. 5hen this is full' understood, the

$ermanen%' of soul is seen, and all the evils flowing from false ideas begin to disa$$ear.

6- Then the mind beomes defleted to4ard disrimination and bo4ed do4n before !solation-

F- "'t in the inter+als of meditation other tho'ghts arise, in onse'ene of the ontin'ane of

old impressions not yet ep'nged-

7- The means to be adopted for the a+oidane and elimination of these are the same as before

gi+en for ob+iating the afflitions-

8- !f the aseti is not desiro's of the fr'its, e+en 4hen perfet &no4ledge has been attained,

and is not inati+e, the meditation tehnially alled 1harmaeghaHlo'd of +irt'eHta&es

plae from his absol'tely perfet disriminati+e &no4ledge-

#he %ommentator e&$lains that, when the as%eti% has rea%hed the $oint des%ribed in

2$horism 6A, if he bends his %on%entration toward the $revention of all other thoughts,

and is not desirous of attaining the $owers resulting +ust at his wish, a further state of

meditation is rea%hed whi%h is %alled (%loud of virtue,( be%ause it is su%h as will, as it

were, furnish the s$iritual rain for the bringing about of the %hief end of the soulentire

7


28/28

eman%i$ation. 2nd it %ontains a warning that, until that %hief end is obtained, the desire

for fruits is an obsta%le.

9- Therefrom res'lts the remo+al of the afflitions and all 4or&s-

%0- Then, from infinity of &no4ledge absol'tely free from obs'ration and imp'rity, that 4hih

is &no4able appears small and easy to grasp-

%1- There'pon, the alternation in the modifiations of the 'alities, ha+ing aomplished the

so'l)s aimHeperiene and emanipationHomes to an end-

%- !t is then perei+ed that the moments and their order of preedene and s'ession are the

same-

#his is a ste$ further than 2$horism A:, Book III, where it is stated that from

dis%rimination of ultimates of time a $er%e$tion of the ver' subtle and re%ondite

$rin%i$les of the universe results. ?ere, having arrived at Isolation, the as%eti% sees

be'ond even the ultimates, and the', although %a$able of affe%ting the man who has notrea%hed this stage, are for the as%eti% identi%al, be%ause he is a master of them. It is

e&tremel' diffi%ult to inter$ret this a$horism4 and in the original it reads that (the order

is %ounter$art of the moment.( #o e&$ress it in another wa', it ma' be said that in the

s$e%ies of meditation adverted to in 2$horism A:, Book III, a %al%ulative %ognition goes

forward in the mind, during whi%h, the %ontem$lator not 'et being thoroughl' master of

these divisions of time, is %om$elled to observe them as the' $ass before him.

%%- The reabsorption of the 'alities 4hih ha+e ons'mmated the aim of the so'l or the abiding

of the so'l 'nited 4ith 'nderstanding in its o4n nat're, is !solation-

#his is a general statement of the nature of Isolation, sometimes %alled *man%i$ation.

#he ualities before s$oken of, found in all ob+e%ts and whi%h had hitherto affe%ted anddela'ed the soul, have %eased to be mistaken b' it for realities, and the %onseuen%e is

that the soul abides in its own nature unaffe%ted b' the great ($airs of o$$osites(

$leasure and $ain, good and evil, %old and heat, and so forth.

"et it must not be dedu%ed that the $hiloso$h' results in a negation, or in a %oldness,

su%h as our *nglish word (Isolation( would seem to im$l'. #he %ontrar' is the %ase. 3ntil

this state is rea%hed, the soul, %ontinuall' affe%ted and defle%ted b' ob+e%ts, senses,

suffering, and $leasure, is unable to %ons%iousl' $artake universall' of the great life of

the universe. #o do so, it must stand firml' (in its own nature(4 and then it $ro%eeds

further as is admitted b' the $hiloso$h'to bring about the aim of all other souls still

struggling on the road. But manifestl' further a$horisms u$on that would be out of $la%e,as well as being su%h as %ould not be understood, to sa' nothing of the uselessness of

giving them.

(ay !sh4ara be near and help those 4ho read this boo&-

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Judge, WQ - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali

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