देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा ।।१।।

देश – place, बन्ध: – bound, fixed, चित्तस्य – of the चित्त, धारणा

धारणा is the fixing of the चित्त in one place

(There first five अङ्ग are referred to as external अङ्ग and the last three are internal अङ्ग).

From धारणा (6th अङ्ग), we get into a deeper engagement with ideas on what concentration as per योग really entails. One may see first 5 अङ्ग as preparatory practices for doing concentration. There are various passages in इतिहास/ पुराण texts ( महाभारत, मार्कन्डेय पुराण, etc) that provide an outline about different kinds of धारणा directed towards parts of the anatomy or external objects. व्यास mentions circle of the navel, the lotus in the heart, the light in the brain, the tip of the nose, the tip of the tongue or any other place upon which the mind can be fixed.

Some of you may be aware that विष्णुसहस्रनाम (and many other स्तोत्र) begins with a ध्यान श्लोक that provide imagery of the सगुण रूप of विष्णु – eyes, face, arms, etc which needs to be focussed upon while chanting सहस्रनाम. And with focus on the सगुण रूप, one must contemplate on the meaning of each नाम to use these as keys to penetrate deeper and eventually reach the essence or सार of the रूप, viz the Truth, the Reality. But those of us who may be chanting this know how difficult it is to focus on the image or even contemplate on the meaning of the नाम even for a short time.

तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् ।।२।।

तत्र – there, in that, प्रत्यय – conception, idea, thought,bएकतानता – fixed on one point only; ध्यानम्

ध्यानम् is the one-pointedness of the mind on one image

ध्यान (7th अङ्ग) is also to be seen as concentration of the mind but is a degree higher than धारणा. Says हरिहरानन्द, in धारणा, the attention on the object is intermittent or distracted and is akin to uneven trickle of water that flows in a series of distinct droplets, each one similar but interrupted by gaps. In ध्यान, the focus is unbroken and undistracted when the mind flows on an object without any distraction just as smooth and even flow of oil or honey that flows as uninterrupted stream. विज्ञानभिक्षु says that धारणा can be disrupted if the senses that come into contact with the योगी are extremely dear but this does not occur in ध्यान (just as an arrow-maker wholly engrossed in making the arrow may not be aware of the king standing next to him).

तद् एवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यम् इव समाधिः ।।३।।

तद् – that (practice of ध्यान from the previous सूत्र), एव – same, the very one, अर्थ – object, मात्र – alone, निर्भासं – shining forth, स्वरूप – own form/ nature, शून्यम् – devoid of, इव – as if, समाधिः

समाधि is when the same ध्यान shines forth as the object alone and (the mind) is devoid of its own (reflective) nature.

व्यास says that when the mind is so fully absorbed in the object of ध्यान that it loses all notions of itself as a self-conscious, reflective mind, one has reached the last state of योग viz समाधि. Here, the mind is no longer aware of itself as meditating on something external to itself – all distinctions between the योगी as a meditator, act of meditation and the object of meditation have disappeared.

Any subconscious awareness that “I am meditating on this object” also ceases. भोजराज says that out of threefold aspect of knowledge – object itself , name of the object and idea of the object in the mind, the last two are eliminated in समाधि. The object alone shines forth in its own right as raw uninterpreted presence without any mental recognition of what the object is. It constitutes योगी’s entire universe of experience.

Just as the pure crystal loses its self-identity and reflects the flower fully, in समाधि, योगी is no longer self-aware and is conscious only of the object of meditation rather than its utility or relevance in the practical scheme of things. With this background, if one reads of the state of अहल्या just before she sees श्रीराम or how विश्वामित्र becomes a ब्रह्मऋषि or the famous dialogue of ऋषि कपिल and his mother in श्रीमद्भागवतम्, the language of योग that we have learnt here makes these parts intelligible (though very useful, I am not reproducing this here owing to difficulty in reading the long narratives on WhatsApp).

त्रयम् एकत्र संयम: ।।४।।

त्रयम् – three, एकत्र – together, संयम

When these three are performed together, it is called संयम.

तज्जयात् प्रज्ञालोक:।।५।।

तत् – that, जयात् – from mastery, प्रज्ञा – wisdom, अलोक: – wisdom, light

From संयम comes insight

When all three viz धारण, ध्यान & समाधि are performed together on an object, such an act is called as संयम. It is not clear that once a योगी reaches state of समाधि, why does the योगी need to resort of the previous two stages? The only answer appears to be that all these three stages occur simultaneously and there is often overlapping for a योगी across these states. Hence, a collective term, संयम, has been defined by पतंजलि for a योगी going through these states.

तस्य भूमिषु विनियोग: ।।६।।

तस्य – its, भूमिषु – on the stages or planes, विनियोग – application

संयम is applied on the (different) stages (of समाधि)

त्रयम् अंतरङ्ग: पूर्वेभ्य: ।।७।।

त्रयम् – three, अंतरङ्ग: – internal limbs, पूर्वेभ्य – than the previous ones

These three (धारणा, ध्यान & समाधि) are referred to as internal अंङ्ग compared to the previous अंङ्ग of योग

An archer can pierce subtle targets only after he has mastered larger ones, says विज्ञानभिक्षु, and one can climb stairs only step by step. Simply put, योगी insight is attained in stages. The only exception, say a few commentators, is when कृपा of ईश्वर is showered on us.

विज्ञानभिक्षु quotes a verse from गरूड पुराण which states that the goal of योग is समाधि and adds that आसनम् and such other external practices, in and of themselves, do not lead to the goal of योग – this is why they are referred to as external अङ्गं. Internal अङ्ग is the goal for a योगी who must attain capability to do संयम on objects viz focus on an object without distraction on a continuous basis. Such ability will give the योगी a complete insight about the object (more details on the nature of this insight will be taken up later).

Our tradition has unusual examples where the trigger for focus can be negative but still the Highest is gained by the aspirant – in the श्रीमद्भागवत् पुराण, both कंस & शिशुपाल were constantly thinking of श्रीकृष्ण but while their motivation was hatred, they attained वैकुंठ since they were able to attract attention of परमात्मा. Reading even श्रीरामायण this way, some Gurus say that रावण ignored all good counsel of everyone close to him since his जीव wanted श्रीराम to give him मुक्ति – thus forcing परमात्मा to come (like ध्रुव or मार्कन्डेय). Which raises a question – is unadulterated concentration on ईश्वर more essential than धर्म/ अधर्म that we indulge in? What does श्रीकृष्ण really mean when He says – “सर्वधर्मान् परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज”? (Leave aside all धर्म and Surrender all actions to Me). I do not have an answer to this 😊🙏

The enormity of the सूत्र being discussed now must be understood clearly. योग means union. समाधि refers to absorption. How do we see the world today? We are the subject and everything else is an object (including other humans). From the perspective of other humans, they are the subject while I become the object. So when I decide to attain unity with a car or a TV, I seek it in the mind, work hard, earn money and then I buy the car or TV. But do I attain unity with them? I merely experience them through the senses – TV and me are next to each other but there is no unity. Even unity in sex is via skin meaning senses. Any such synthetic unity does not last long – sensual unity is merely an experience with the idea intact in the mind of subject-object distinction with the object being viewed from the lens of name, form and utility.

A plug may be plugged into the socket but until electricity is switched on, both plug and the socket are separate. A wave in the ocean near Mumbai and a wave near New York remain distinct and separate – separate by time and space. A kidney or a tube lying outside my body is an object – I may know a kidney by a name and its utility as well as all related scientific knowledge. But it remains something outside me and I do not ever know it for what it really is since it is “seen” as separate from me – it is an “object” while I am the subject. And who makes this distinction which is soooo fundamental to our world view? It is अस्मिता, it is our ego, it is our mind. It is always there and never gives up its presence in anything I do or in whatever I engage with.

माया means to measure. And who does this measuring? It is ego which sees everything else as an object. And owing to this “objectification” of everything else, we see the other as a name, form and having a certain value. The value is not intrinsic to the object just like paper currency is merely paper but value is assigned to it by social customs or psychological crap in our mind. Ego ensures that we do not see an object for what it is but only in terms of its utility to us. Even marriage is secular if we value our partner by their ability to give me happiness – ego thus keeps even a marriage secular even though the partners live in the same house for many years because both see each other as “objects” – distinct and separate from themselves.

When we think of a pen, a shape, a form and its function comes into our mind. And we assign a value to it depending on our need aided by social customs. What is missed is that the same primary source material from the big bang worked its way to reach the stage of a pen in front of me. And the same primary source material also has worked its way over millennia to create me today. The universe is in the pencil as much as it is within me. But ego measures a pencil or a mountain or a car in a certain way that is peculiar and unnatural. “Objectification” devalues everything that we see. Ego is unable to see the universe within the pen. And this peculiar limited unnatural way of seeing everyone and everything in the world is the impact of माया.

It is only when ego dies, योग happens. And when the wave in Mumbai plunges into the ocean just as the wave in NY, they become one. And in this, the attain unity in which there is oneness. And in this oneness, one knows everything. When ego dies, there is unity of subject-object. Everything is a subject only. But this is not easy just as body does not accept a new kidney easily – it resists. But if and when ego dies, there is no object – and “objectification” and measurement does not happen. Head and toe may be separated by distance but function as one. Kidney also becomes thus a subject when placed inside us, time & space too become a subject. This is why it is said that once we plunge into ourselves, once our ego dies, we will know everything. समाधि is a process by which we enter into objects and people. We enter a zone where there is no object – and we attain पुरुष.

Love is sacred. Marriage is sacred. Unity is sacred. It is sacred because there is no ego, no separation. Subject and object distinction does not exist. शिव & उमा are sacred because they are one. We read about नल-दमयन्ति, सत्यवान्-सावित्री, अत्रि-अनसूया or more recently, एकनाथ-गिरिजा etc., because they exhibited unity in their conduct throughout life. Where there is no unity, there is the “secular”, there is “individuality”, there is separation. योग strives to break this separation and ego is the major impediment. And this is why योग is difficult. But all the यम, नियम, etc., that we are asked to cultivate is for one goal only viz negation of ego. Take ego away and we become one with the whole – we attain the whole. That is the idea here.

तद् अपि बहिरंङ्ग: निर्बीजस्य ।। ८।।

तद्स- these, अपि – also, even, बहिरंङ्ग: – external अङ्ग, निर्बीजस्य – to seedless

Yet even these are external अङ्ग to the निर्बीज समाधि

Even the last three अङ्ग (धारणा, ध्यान & समाधि) are directed to an object; however, both the object as well as mind are प्राकृतिक. There is thus is state beyond these अष्टाङ्ग called as निर्बीज समाधि. The entire अष्टाङ्ग is thus divided into three – first five being preparatory causes of संप्रज्ञात समाधि, next three being direct causes of संप्रज्ञात समाधि and finally the ultimate goal being असंप्रज्ञात समाधि.

Note: More complex सूत्र to follow later and since yesterday evening barrage of words may have been intense, I am keeping this morning a lighter affair 😊

व्युत्थाननिरोधसंस्कारयोरभिभवप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधक्षणचित्तान्वयो निरोधपरिणामः ।। ९।।

व्युत्थान – outgoing, emerging, निरोध – restraint, control, suppression, संस्कारयो: – of the संस्कार, अभिभव – overpowering, suppression, disappearance, प्रादुर्भावौ – manifestation, appearance, निरोध, क्षण – moment, instant, चित्त, अन्वयो – connected, निरोध, परिणामः – development

The state of restraint, निरोध, is when there is disappearance of outgoing संस्कार and appearence of restraining संस्कार. These emerge in the mind at the moment of restraint.

What exactly are we? What defines our personality? Simply put, we are nothing other than that defined by our past conduct. This past conduct has led to accumulation of वासना and some part of this अव्यक्त वासना gets downloaded onto this life as an अव्यक्त संस्कार which in turn becomes व्यक्त as our कर्म (thought & action). Our व्यक्तित्व (personality) is nothing else but that which manifests (becomes व्यक्त) making us a व्यक्ति.

This limited expression is our individuality and instead of being embarrassed by living a limited life driven by past conduct, we celebrate it as assertion of individuality😊. To climb Everest or to become a CEO is not an achievement, to win an Olympic medal or Olympiad is not the pinnacle of life – these petty attainments are merely an outcome of our past orientation. Real goal of life is to be all-inclusive – why not make all reach the peak of Everest, why not make all become a CEO, why not make all earn a gold medal…? To celebrate an individual achievement is an embarrasment, something to be ashamed of – a योगी will keep away from such pursuits. He is yearning to attain his own real state in which there is no “other”, there is no object – all are subjects.

चित्त is composed of गुण, गुण are always in a state of flux, so चित्त should also always be in a state of flux. Can चित्त ever be restrained since change is its very essential nature? पतंजलि says here that the चित्त is composed of two kinds of संस्कार, व्युत्थान viz outgoing, emerging, etc where one is seeking objects to whet sensual appetite and निरोध viz restraint, control, suppression, etc where one ceases the outside orientation but seeks to include all. There is always a tension between the two. Thus, when चित्त takes to ध्यान, the निरोध संस्कार take over and we are returning to becoming an integral being. However, when चित्त is engaging with the world, the व्युत्थान संस्कार take charge.

निरोध परिणाम is that परिणाम or transformation which is equivalent to the suppression of the वृत्ति which are distracting in nature. With practice, we are able to put down वृत्ति of रजस् & तमस् – the moment of interception of the वृत्ति with which the mind identifies itself is called as निरोध परिणाम. The transformation of the mind in respect of the inhibition of the restlessness (or external वृत्ति) is the mood of योग one is expected to cultivate – whenever there is free time, activate निरोध संस्कार like we cultivate a hobby. And once this mood sets in, निरोध संस्कार activated day in and day out will deepen the सत्व and weaken the outgoing tendencies. And this transformation that the mind undergoes deliberately in the practice of संयम.

तस्य प्रशान्तवाहिता संस्कारात् ।। १०।।

तस्य – its (mind), प्रशान्त – peaceful, वाहिता – flow, संस्कारात् – from संस्कार

The mind’s undisturbed flow occurs due to संस्कार

There is always movement in प्रकृति even when the mind appears to be fully restrained and fixed. This is because संस्कार are not destroyed, they are latent or active and thus even when a particular sense cognition is checked, the store of previous संस्कार does not just disappear, says वाचस्पति, just as the cloth is not destroyed when the weaver is absent or a spring pushed down does not lose its springing potential and can always get activated.

One point to note here is that even the निरोध संस्कार are in actuality a continuing series of संस्कार. They may be seen as ongoing sequence of similar संस्कार, like a movie reel of identical stills. Nothing is static. Even in deep meditation, a continuous sequence of निरोध संस्कार is in motion in the controlled mind. Hence, while पतंजलि uses the word प्रशांत which suggests steadiness, the next word that follows is वाहिता which suggests a flow. The reason to mention this technical point is that while act of ध्यान is an effort since we are activating संस्कार within us for a certain outcome, in the final state of निर्बीज समाधि, there is no संस्कार since they have all been burnt up and one is established in their own real state without any effort.