बाह्याभ्यन्तरविषयाक्षेपी चतुर्थ: ।।५१।।

बाह्य – external, अभ्यन्तर – internal, विषय – the sphere, range, अक्षेपी – surpassing, चतुर्थ – the fourth

The fourth (type of प्राणायाम) surpasses the limits of external and internal

While कुम्भक involves cessation of inhalation and exhalation, the fourth one referred here is called as केवल-कुम्भक by विज्ञानभिक्षु while बृहन्नारदीय पुराण refers to this as शून्यक. These appear to be techniques that can be known by practice rather than academically. व्यास says here that while कुम्भक can be done with single effort, शून्यक can be perfected after years of practice. Unlike कुम्भक, शून्यक is not determined by time and number we referred to in the previous सूत्र. An adept at this stage can suspend his breath for days or even a month and therefore, this stage surpasses the other three stages when the body continues to be maintained by internal प्राण rather than external flow of breath.

विज्ञानभिक्षु states that beginning stages of शून्यक is accompanied by sweating, in higher stages by shivering and in advanced stages by a feeling of flooding. When mastered, सिद्धि like ability to fly or go anywhere at will come about (many more सिद्धि will get covered in सिद्धि पाद). One can recognize these specific steps given here also stated in the पुराण & इतिहास texts when they narrate the तपस्या done by भक्त like ध्रुव & अहल्या to gain दर्शन of श्रीविष्णु and श्रीराम. And we too may consider reading these texts to learn their methods and use such knowledge to add value of ourselves.

तत: क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम् ।। ५२।।

तत: – then, क्षीयते – is weakened, प्रकाशावरणम् – covering of illumination

Then, the covering of the illumination (of knowledge) is weakened.

प्रकाश means सत्व here and प्रकाशावरणम् means covering of सत्व which is कर्म. कर्म is destroyed by प्राणायाम – that is what this सूत्र is stating here. All कर्म stored in our चित्त as संस्कार fructify time and again conditioning one to act in certain ways. Our behavioural patterns and preconditioned attitudes, perspectives, responses to the world, etc is the net of माया that drives us all our lives. And the more we pursue actions, our layer of कर्म is thickened and such कर्म sustains अविद्या which is the covering over सत्व.

While we discussed earlier that ultimately, it is सत्व that descends into बुद्धि that causes अविद्या to be removed fully, the preliminary step is weakening of the कर्म layer over us – प्राणायाम facilitates this. मनुस्मृति also says that प्राणायाम together with ॐ मंत्र ensures that the impurities of the sensory powers are burnt away just as the defiling impurities of metal ore are burnt away in the heat of the furnace

धारणासु च योग्यता मनस: ।।५३।।

धारणासु – for concentration, च – and, योग्यता – fitness, competency, मनस – mind.

Additionally, the mind becomes fit for concentration.

मनस is that aspect of चित्त that interacts with the senses. Awareness must now make a transition from sensory involvements of प्राणायाम to the next अङ्ग viz प्रत्याहार. भोजराजा says that once the mind has been purified of its defects by प्राणायाम, mind is freed up to be fixed where it is directed to. Thus, the mind acquires fitness for धारणा which is the sixth अङ्ग of योग.

स्वविषयासंप्रयोगे चित्तस्य स्वरूपानुकार इवेन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहार: ।।५४।।

स्व – their own, विषय – senses, असंप्रयोगे – not coming into contact with, चित्तस्य – of the चित्त, स्वरूप – nature, अनुकार – resemblance, imitation, इव – as if, इन्द्रियाणां – of the senses, प्रत्याहार – withdrawal

प्रत्याहार, withdrawal from sense objects, occurs when the senses do not come into contact with their sense objects. It corresponds, as it were, to the nature of the mind (when it is withdrawn from the sense objects).

Says व्यास – when mind is in control, the senses are automatically under control, they do not need to be restrained separately. Says a line in प्रश्नोपनिषद् “Just as when queen bee flies, all other bees fly along with her and when she descends, all other bees also descend, so the mind and the senses are interconnected”. Says मनु “If even one of the senses slip away, a person’s knowledge slips away through that sense just as water slips away from a water bag”. However, when the mind is fixed on an object of ध्यान, the senses cease their functioning without any separate endeavour.

तत: परमा वश्यतेन्द्रियाणाम् ।। ५५।।

तत: – then, परमा – highest, वश्यता – control, इन्द्रियाणाम् – of the senses

From this comes the highest control of the senses

What is the highest form of sense control? व्यास gives the following three levels:

1. Sense control means enjoying objects as long as they are not prohibited
2. Sense control means contact with sense objects according to one’s needs rather than being lured by them
3. Sense control involves engaging with objects without attachment or aversion, happiness or distress.

Highest control is when mind is restrained and focussed and then senses are automatically under control.

We discussed ऋषि सौभरी earlier who reached the level of प्राणायाम but still became distracted when he saw fish mating. But when सीता माता was in अशोकवाटिका, so focussed was She on राम that allurements of रावण did not perturb Her – because Her mind was attracted by and immersed in something higher, the lower did not distract Her. She can thus be seen as having attained and gone beyond the state of प्रत्याहार. Unlike a negative depression सौभरी experienced in watching mating of fish, She filled Herself with राम and this positive orientation of Her mind made Her hold Herself completely.

इति पतञ्जलिविरचिते योगसूत्रे द्वितीय: साधनापाद: ।