Sutra 21) The object of experience (Prakriti) exists only to serve the purpose of the Self.
Prakriti has no power of its own; it borrows it from the Purusha just as the moon’s light is borrowed from the sun.
Sutra 22) Though the object of experience becomes unreal to him who has the state of illumination, it remains real to all other beings.
The whole activity of nature is to make the Self know, that it is entirely separate from nature. When the Self knows this, nature has no more attractions for it. The whole of nature vanishes for him only who is free.
Sutra 23) The Self, the experience is identified with Prakriti, the object of experience, in order that the true nature of both Prakriti and Self may be known.
In this Sutra the power of both the Self and nature (that is the experiencer and the experienced) become manifest when they are combined. It is then that the phenomenal universe occurs. Ignorance is the result of the Self being identified with Prakriti or nature.
One can observe every day in one’s life, that the cause of pain and pleasure is the result of identifying with the body. If one would be convinced, that he is not the body, he would concern himself little about it being cold or hot.
Sutra 24) This identification is caused by ignorance.
Through ignorance we identify ourselves with the body which opens us to ignorance. It is our duty to rise above superstition and become free.
Sutra 25) When ignorance has been destroyed, this identification ceases. Then bondage is at an end and the experiencer is independent and free.
The aim is to rid ourselves of nature’s control. This should be the goal of all religions. Each Self (soul) is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling one’s external as well as internal nature. This can be achieved through spiritual discipline with its aim of liberation and freedom. Rajas yoga is one of the spiritual path to liberation.
Doctrines, dogma, temples, forms or rituals are secondary details.
Sutra 26) Ignorance is destroyed by awakening to knowledge of the Self until no trace of illusion remains.
Sutra 27) The experiencer gains his knowledge in seven stages, advancing toward the highest.
The seven stages by which knowledge of the Atman is gained are as follows:
a. The realization that the source of all spiritual wisdom is within oneself; the kingdom of heaven is within (Luke 17-21). Swami Vivekananda said: “After long searches here and there, in temples and in churches, at last you come to realize, your soul is yourself.” Yet this realization that all wisdom is within, is not that easy to achieve. It is not enough to accept it intellectually; one needs to reach a point where he is continuously aware of his soul and that no external obstacles can prevent him from this knowing.
b. The cessation of pain. Pain is caused through attachment or aversion to phenomenon of the external. As the mind turns inward toward the Self, these attachments and aversions lose their power.
c. Samadhi or complete realization of and union with the Self or God. When the Self is realized, the idea of an objective universe disappears. Only the Self is experienced as total existence, consciousness and joy. In this experience all sense of separateness and differentiation vanishes.
d. When one comes out of samadhi, and returns to the consciousness of the objective world, he sees the world from a higher perspective. It is as though the world has changed. One sees the world as a mere appearance, a reflection of God, lacking independent existence.
e. Now one arrives at the realization that the mind and the objective world have both ended their service to the experiencer. The mind has been the instrument and the world the object of experience. The experiencer has come to know the Self, his real nature. The mind has been used to transcend the mind, just as one may use a ladder to go the step beyond the ladder; at that stage, the ladder is no longer needed.
f. Now the stored up impressions in the mind and the gunas disappear forever.
g. The final stage is reached. The stage of eternal existence in union with the Self is at hand. Now, there is no more returning from samadhi to partial sense consciousness, no more identification with mind or body. Being established in the Self, one requires nothing else, for the Self is wholeness, everlasting love, joy and eternal peace. The peace that surpasses all understanding.
Sutra 28) As soon as all impurities have been removed by the practice of spiritual disciplines of the limbs of yoga, a man’s spiritual vision opens to the light giving knowledge of the Self.
Patanjali now begins a detailed description of the limbs of yoga that need to be practiced in order to clear the mind of its impurities. To remove the impurities, to the obstacles to the Self is the main purpose of spiritual discipline in order for the innate wisdom of the Self to be revealed.
Sutra 29) The eight limbs of yoga are: yama (abstention, Niyama (observances), asana (postures), Pranayama (life force control), pratyahara (internalization of the mind), Dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), samadhi (absorption in the Self).
Sutra 30) Non killing (harmlessness), none-stealing, falsehood, incontinence (self indulgence) and abstention from greed.
One ought to live without causing harm by one’s thoughts, words or deeds to any other being. In a positive sense this means that one should cultivate love for all and try to see the Self in everyone.
One must be truthful in words and deeds. It is important not to intentionally hurt others with cruel comments, even if the discretion happens to be true. On such occasions it is best to be silent.
It is not enough to abstain from theft; one should not harbor any feeling of covetousness either toward persons or objects.
Continence is chastity in words, thoughts and deeds.
Abstention from greed can also be interpreted as abstention from receiving gifts. Vivekananda:”The mind of the man who receives gifts is acted upon by the mind of the giver”.
Sutra 31) The forms of abstention are basic rules of contact. They must be practiced without any reservation as to time, place, or purpose,
Patanjali admits to no excuses or exceptions. When he tells us to abstain from harming others, he means exactly what he says. He would have no patience with someone who assures him, that he would abstain from killing, except in time of war.
Sutra 32) The Niyamas (observances) are purity, contentment, mortification (dishonor), study and devotion to God.
Purity implies cleanliness of body and mind. St. Francis de Sales said:” Cleanliness of mind can only maintained by constant alertness. Once thrown off balance, the heart is no longer its own master.”
One should always keep one’s mind on God and read holy books whenever possible. This should become a way of life.
Sutra 33) To be free from thoughts that distract one from yoga, thoughts of the opposite kind must be cultivated.
This is the technique of raising an opposing thought wave in the mind. See first 5 Sutras of chapter I.
Sutra 34) The obstacles to yoga such as acts of violence and untruth may be directly created or indirectly caused or approved. They may be motivated by greed, anger or self interest; they may be small, or moderate, or great, but they never cease to result in pain and ignorance. One should overcome distracting thoughts by remembering this.
Everything we do, say or think, or even indirectly cause or passively sanction, will inevitably produce consequences, which will react in some measure on ourselves. This is a law of nature.
Sutra 35) When a man becomes steadfast in his abstention from harming others, then all living creatures will cease to feel enmity in his presence.
The word is ahimsa, harmlessness as practiced by enlightened people. When violence is truly renounced in thoughts and actions one creates a peaceful aura around oneself.
Swami Vivekananda:” The so called great men of the world may all be seen to become jealous of each other for a small name, for a little fame, and for a few bits of gold. So long as this jealousy exists in a heart, it is far away from the perfection of ahimsa”.
Sutra 36) When a man becomes steadfast in his abstention from falsehood he get the power of obtaining for himself and others the fruits of good deeds, without having to perform the deeds himself.
The ordinary person is said to be truthful when his words correspond to the facts of which he speaks, but when a person becomes perfect in truthfulness, he gains control of the truth. He cannot even think or dream a lie; everything he says becomes true. If he says to another be blessed, he will be blessed, if he says to a sick person be cured, he will be cured. Being established in truth is very powerful.
Sutra 37) When a man becomes steadfast in abstention from theft, all wealth comes to him.
When a person curbs his desires for things, he opens himself to the flow of attracting all that which is required for his legitimate needs. He will no longer experiences a lack of anything,
Sutra 38) When a man becomes steadfast in his abstention from incontinence (indulgence), he acquires spiritual energy.
Sexual activity and thoughts of sex can use up a great portion of our vital forces. When that force is restrained, it becomes sublimated as spiritual energy.
Sutra 39) When a man becomes steadfast in his abstention from greed, he gains knowledge of his past, present and future existence.
Attachment and the anxiety which accompanies attachment to things or ideas impede the free flow of knowledge. Freedom from attachment will result in knowledge of the course of our human journey, through past and future existences.
Sutra 40) As a result of purity, there arises indifference toward the body and disinterest in physical relationships with others.
Sutra 41) Moreover, one achieves purification of the heart, cheerfulness of the mind, the power of concentration, control of the passions and fitness for the vision of the Self.
Patanjali now describes the results which are obtained by practicing the various observances.
The physical body is the grossest and most outward manifestation of consciousness. As the mind becomes purified, one loses one’s sense of identification with the body. One grows indifferent to it, regarding it as a mere external garment. He ceases to desire the bodies of others, since he no longer identifies those bodies with the consciousness that inhabit them. If one truly loves the Self within others, the sexual act would be meaningless. When the Self is known to be everywhere and always a unity, why should two outer coverings embrace?
Purity of mind show itself in a person’s mood. He becomes increasingly influenced by sattva. “The first sign of one becoming religious, according to Vivekananda, is that one becomes cheerful. To the yogi everything is bliss”.
Sutra 42) As a result of contentment, one gains supreme happiness.
It is worthwhile analyzing the circumstances under which one experiences happiness. When we are happy, we may find that we had experienced the depth of the present moment and that any anxiety about past or future had ceased to exist.
There is also the happiness which comes from the satisfaction of fulfilled desire, however short it may be, for the satisfaction of one desire often gives rise to another and the result may be renewed anxiety.
Logically, there is no reason why contentment should cause happiness. One might suppose that an absence of desire would produce a dull, joyless way of life. The fact that this is not so, is proof that the joy of the Self is always within us, and that it can be released at any time by giving up selfish desires.
Sutra 43) As a result of mortification (affront), impurities are removed. Then special powers com into the body and the sense organs.
The power of self discipline refines sense perception. This can bring out latent psychic powers.
Sutra 44) As the result of study one obtains the vision of that aspect of God which one has chosen to worship.
As has already be notes in chapter II, study means the reading of scriptures and repetition of mantras.
Sutra 45) As the result of devotion to God, one achieves samadhi.
The path of devotion refers to bhakti yoga. It is the path of loving God. It is expressed in a relationship between worshipers and worshiped. To Jesus God was a Father, to Ramakrishna God was a mother; Brother Lawrence regarded himself a servant of God. The bhakti approach is the most popular of the majority of believers. Christianity is primarily bhakti, yet amongst its saints we find jnana types like Thomas Aquinas.
Karma yoga is the path of selfless, God dedicated action. One dedicates the fruits achieved by right action to God. By ultimately realizing, that one is not the doer, one escapes karma. Karma yoga is the path best suited to vigorous temperaments which feel the call to duty in service in the world of human affairs.
Jana yoga is the path of intellectual discrimination, the way of finding God through analysis of the real nature of phenomena. The jnana yogi rejects all that is transient, apparent and superficial, saying “not this, not this” until he comes to God by the process of elimination. This is a difficult path calling for tremendous will power and clarity of mind.
Rajas yoga, also called the Royal Path is also often called the yoga of meditation. It is not so easy to define as the other yogas, since it is, in a way, a combination of all of them. The different yogas are often practiced together, with an emphasis on one or the other in accordance with one’s temperament and the circumstances in which one finds himself.
No one who follows a path can do without love, discrimination and dedicated action. No one should dispense with meditation. Love without discrimination lapses into sentimentality. Discrimination without love may lead to spiritual pride. We need to remember, that all of us are involved in action.
Sutra 46) Posture (asana) is to be seated in a position which is firm and relaxed.
Asana means two things: the place on which the yogi sits and the manner in which he sits. The most famous posture is the lotus posture in which the yogi sits cross legged. Western and elderly people may find it best for them to sit upright on a chair.
Sutra 47) Posture becomes firm and relaxed through control of the natural tendencies of the body, and through meditation on the Infinite.
We can make the posture firm by thinking of the Infinite. To facilitate this in our own mind, we can think of the limitless expanse of the sky.
Sutra 48) Thereafter one is no longer troubled by the dualities of sense experience.
The objective is to transcend duality and become absorbed in the consciousness of God.
Sutra 49) After mastering posture, one must practice control of the prana (pranayama) by controlling the motion of inhalation and exhalation.
When posture has been conquered, the motion of the prana is to be broken, that is stopped and then controlled. This leads to pranayama, the controlling of the vital forces of the body. Prana is more than breath even though, it often translated as breath. Prana is the sum total of cosmic energy. It is also the energy that is in each body, and its most apparent manifestation in the motion of the lungs.
This motion is caused by prana drawing in the breath and it is what we seek to control by pranayama. We begin by controlling the breath as the easiest way of getting control of the prana.
Sutra 50) The breath may be stopped externally, or internally, or checked in mid-motion, and regulated according to place, time and a fixed number of moments, so that the stoppage is either protracted or brief.
There are three kinds of motion in pranayama: one by which we draw the breath in, another by which we expel it and the third by which the breath is held in the lungs or stopped from entering the lungs. These again vary from place or time.
Regulated by place refers to some particular part of the body where the prana is to be held.
Regulated by time refers to how long the prana should be confined to a certain place. That is how many seconds to keep up one motion and how many seconds another.
The result of pranayama is the awakening of the Kundalini.
Sutra 51) The fourth kind of pranayama is the stoppage of the breath which is caused by concentration upon an external or internal objects.
The two preceding Sutras have defined three operations of pranayama: inhalation, exhalation and suspension of the breath for a certain fixed number of moments. These operations are all controlled by the conscious will; they are part of a deliberate exercise. But the fourth operation is involuntary and natural. When one has gained complete control of prana through exercises, or when he has reached a certain stage of spiritual development through devotion to God without practicing pranayama, then his breathing may cease of its own accord at any time while he is deeply absorbed in concentration. This natural stoppage of the breath may continue for many seconds or minutes; one will not even be aware of it. In the state of samadhi, the breathing ceases altogether for hours at a time. This kind of suspension of breath is not dangerous, because it can only take place when a person has sufficiently developed.
Sutra 52) As a result of this, the covering of the inner light is removed.
The inner light is the light of spiritual discrimination between the Real and the unreal. The covering is made up of ignorance produced by past karma. As the mind becomes purified through the practice of pranayama, this ignorance is gradually dispelled.
Sutra 53) The mind gains the power of concentration (Dharana).
Patanjali will define concentration in the next chapter.
Sutra 54) When the mind is withdrawn from sense objects, the sense organs also withdraw themselves from their respective object and thus are said to imitate the mind. This is known as pratyahara (internalization).
Sutra 55) Thence arises complete mastery over the senses.
In order to control the mind, we have to get to know it. Few know what the inside of their mind is like. Our dominant fears and desires have become so familiar to us, that we do not even notice them; they are like reoccurring drumbeats going on in the background of our thoughts. As a preliminary exercise, it is good to spend some time every day simply watching our mind, listening to those drumbeats. We likely will not like what we hear or see, but we must remain patient, objective and none attached. The mind which finding itself watched that way, will gradually grow calm, as it does not like to be observed. It becomes embarrassed by its own greed and silliness. No amount of outside criticism is as effective and as penetrating, as this simple self-inspection. If we continue this exercise regularly for several months, we shall certainly advance toward mental control.
