This is a concise review of the Yoga SUtra that is very useful in meditational practice. While the Yoga SUtra merits careful study in its entirety, the four pAda-s (feet or quarters) of the SUtra contain both practical and conceptual information that are intermixed. For meditational practice or sAdhanA both are necessary. The concepts provide a framework for the sAdhaka to interpret his or her spiritual experience and are described in a separate article under the Concepts section. This article is concerned with the practical aspects of the Yoga SUTra. Integrating these thoughts into daily meditational practice is very useful. There is a certain logic in the sequence of verses selected and they lead the sAdhaka inexorably to the Truth. That logic should be comprehended in order to gain the full benefit of integrating this into sAdhanA.
The logic underlying the sequence is explained below.
Verse 1: Salutation.
Verses 2-3: The second and third verses explain the Goal.
Verse 4: The fourth verse describes the human condition. As long as the Seer who is pure Consciousness or Awareness does not rest in its true state, there is thought. The mind is nothing but a collection of thoughts. The first thought is the "I" thought, which is the state of asmitA in Yoga. From this stem all other thoughts, objects (such as the bodies physical, subtle and causal, and the external world), people, relations and concepts.
Verses 5-11: The fifth verse describes the nature of thoughts. Thoughts are either untainted or tainted with ignorance. The purpose of Yoga is the removal of ignorance. The nature of ignorance and the other taints is then recalled. It is assumed here that the sAdhaka is already convinced of the need for attaining the Goal through the cessation of thought and thinning of the taints. Through life experience the sAdhaka should become convinced of the truth in the verse pariNAma tApa samskAradukhai guNa vRtti virodhAt ca dukham eva sarvam vivekinah: Through being scorched by the sorrowful experience of previous samskAras (tApa here is to be interpreted in the sense of being afflicted, heated, scorched) and through the experience of thoughts arising from conflicting play of the guNas, the wise come to see everything as pain. [cf. the tale of the sage Jaigisivya in Sankara's Yoga SUtra vivaraNa].
Then the methods for the cessation of thought follow, culminating in samAdhi. VyAsa says in his commentary that Yoga is samAdhi.
Verses 12-14: AbhyAsa, or practice, is defined. Then follows the definition of vairAgya, or dispassion.
Verses 15-19: KriyA yoga and its purpose are defined.
Verses 20-25: The yamas and their benefits.
Verses 26-32: The niyamas and their benefits.
Verses 32-43: The six remaining limbs of yoga culminating in samAdhi are recalled.
1. mahaRshi patanjalyai namah
2. yogaschittavRtti nirodhah
3. tadA draShtuh svarUpe avasthAnam
4. vRtti sArUpyam itaratra
5. vRttayah pancatayyah kliShtAkliShtAh
6. avidyA asmitA rAga dvesha abhiniveshah kleshAh
7. anitya ashuchi dukha anAtmasu nitya shuchi sukha AtmakhyAteh avidyA
8. dRg darshanashaktyorekAtmatA iva asmitA
9. sukha anushayI rAgah
10. dukha anushayI dveshah
11. svarasavAhI viduSho 'pi tathArUDhah abhiniveshah
12. abhyAsa vairAgyAbhyAm tannirodhah
13. tatra sthitau yatno 'bhyAsah
14. dRShta anushravika vishaya vitRshnasya vashIkAra sangyA vairAgyam
15. tapah svAdhyAya IshvarapraNidhAnAni kriyA yogah
16. samAdhi bhAvanArthah klesha tanukAraNarthashca
17. kAyendriya siddhir ashuddhi kshayAt tapasah
18. svAdhyAyAt ishta devatA samprayogah
19. samAdhi siddhir IshvarapraNidhAnAt
20. ahimsA satya asteya brahmacarya aparigrahA yamAh
21. ahimsA pratiShThAyAm tatsannidhau vaira tyAgah
22. satya pratiShThAyAm kriyA phala Ashrayatvam
23. asteya pratiShThAyAm sarva ratnopasthAnam
24. brahmacarya pratiShThAyAm vIrya lAbhah
25. aparigraha sthairye janma kathantA sambodhah
26. shauca santosha tapassvAdhyAya IshvarapraNidhAnAni niyamAh
27. shaucAt sva anga jugupsuh parair asamsargah
28. sattva shuddha saumanasya ekAgrya indriya jaya Atma darshana yogyatvAni ca
29. santoshAt anuttama sukha lAbhah
30. kAyendriya siddhir ashuddhi kshayAt tapasah
31. svAdhyAyAt iShta devatA samprayogah
32. samAdhi siddhir IshvarapraNidhAnAt
Asanam:
33. sthira sukham Asanam
34. prayatna shaithilyam ananta samApattibhyAm
prANAyAma
35. shvAsa prashvAsayoh gati vicchedah prANAyAmah
36. bAhya abhyantara stambha vRttir desha kAla samkhyAbhih paridRshto dIrgha sUkshmah
pratyAhara
37. svaviShaya samprayoge cittasya svarUpAnukAra iva indriyANam pratyAhArah
38. pAyoh mRtyu ; upasthA prajApati ; pAdau viShNuh ; pANau indrah ; vAc vahnih
39. GhrANe ashvinau ; jihve varuNah ; netre sUryah ; tvacA vAyuh ; srotram digdevatAh
40. gandha tanmAtra pRthvI, rasa tanmAtra apah, rUpa tanmAtra agnih, sparsha tanmAtra vAyuh, shabda tanmAtra Akashah
1. Salutations to Maharishi Patanjali!
2. Yoga is the stilling of thought.
3. Then the Seer rests in its true state.
4. Else it takes on the form of that thought.
5. Thoughts are five-fold in nature and are either tainted (with ignorance) or untainted.
6. The five taints are avidyA asmitA rAga dvesha and abhinivesha
7. avidyA is seeing that which is transient to be Eternal, that which impure to be pure, that which is sorrowful to be joyous, and that which is the non-Self to be the true Self
8. Mis-identifying the Seer with the power of seeing (mind) is asmitA.
9. From pleasure follows attachment (to the object).
10. From sorrow or unhappiness follows rejection or repulsion towards the object.
11. Even for the wise the flow of guNas is firmly established.
12. Thoughts are stilled by abhyAsa (practice) and vairAgya.
13. The effort to sit in stillness is abhyAsa.
14. Mastery of the absence of thirst for objects seen and heard is vairAgya.
15. KriyA yoga consists of tapah svAdhyAya and IshvarapraNidhAm
16. The purpose of KriyA yoga is to foster the bhAvana of samAdhi and to attenuate the taints.
17. Tapas or austerity results in control of the body and the senses through the decay of impurities.
18. SvAdhyAya culminates in the direct experience of one's Ishta devatA.
19. From surrender to the Lord (defined specifically as Ishvara in Concepts of the YS) is gained samAdhi.
20. Non-harming, truth, non-stealing, ever-resting in Brahman (also celibacy), non-grasping are the yamas.
21. Being firmly established in non-harming results in the absence (giving up) of violence in that presence.
22. Firm establishment in the truth results in the intended fruit of action.
23. Establishment in non-stealing results in the acquisition of all gems.
24. Establishment in brahmacarya leads to gain of inner strength.
25. Firmness in non-grasping results in knowledge of the reason for birth.
26. shauca santosha tapah svAdhyAya and IshvarapraNidhAnam are the niyamas
27. From shauca comes distaste for one's body and that of other bodies.
28. Purified sattva results in an equable mind that is capable of one-pointedness resulting in conquest of the senses and qualification for seeing the Atman.
29. From santosha results the highest happiness.
30. Through austerity the impurities decay and mastery of body and senses is attained.
31. Through study or inquiry into the Self results contact with one's Chosen Deity.
32. From surrender to the Lord Ishvara results samAdhi.
Asana:
33. Steadiness in Asana results in happiness (that is conducive to meditation). [here by Asana is meant padmAsana or sukhAsana or svastikAsana or vajrAsana, from which meditation can be commenced].
34. Through relaxation of effort (in Asana, one attains) oneness with the Infinite.
prANAyAma:
35. Control of the speed of the pUraka and recaka breaths is prANAyAma.
36. Retaining breath outside, inside, or stopping the breath in various ways in space and time to result in a long and fine breath.
pratyAhara:
37. Withdrawing senses from their objects is pratyAhara.
38. The karmendriyas and their respective presiding deities are recalled at their seats in the cakras beginning with mUlAdhAra and ending at vishuddhi. These correspond to raja guNa.
39. The jnAnendriyas and their respective presiding deities are recalled at their seats in the cakras beginning with mUlAdhAra and ending at vishuddhi. These correspond to sattva guNa.
40. The panca mahAbhUtas are recalled at their seats in the cakras beginning with mUlAdhAra and ending at vishuddhi. These correspond to tamo guNa.
41. Concentrating the mind at a fixed spatial location is dhAraNa.
42. There the continuity of thought on one concept (gross object or subtle object) is dhyAnam
43. When only the essence of the object (which is Pure Consciousness) shines forth, as if devoid even of its own form, that is samAdhi
dhAraNA
41. desha cittasya bandhah dhAraNA
dhyAna
42. tatra pratyaya+ekatAnatA dhyAnam
samAdhi
43. tadeva arthamAtranirbhAsam svarUpa shUnyamiva samAdhih