Sky Gazing : Patanjali's Yoga sutras

स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारादरासेवितो दृढभूमिः ॥१४॥ saḥ tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkāra-ādarā-āsevitaḥ dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ ||14|| "It becomes firmly grounded by being continued for a long time with reverence, without interruption." The purpose of this sutra is to show us the value of contnuity and devotedness in the course of practice. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new post...

तत्र स्थितौ यत्नोऽभ्यासः ॥१३॥ tatra sthitau yatnaḥ abhyāsaḥ ||13|| "Of these, practice is the effort to establish steadiness" The purpose of this sutra is to explain the meaning of abhyasa and its aim. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Undertake a systematic, comprehensive & comparative study of the...

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ॥१२॥ abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṃ tat-nirodhaḥ ||12|| “They are restrained by practice and desirelessness.” The purpose of this sutra is the beginning of the explanation of many paths by which the single goal may be attained - the ceasing of the five-fold vrittis. The first four of the ashtanga are practice, and the next four, are detachment. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported...

अनुभूतविषयासंप्रमोषः स्मृतिः ॥११॥ anubhūta-viṣaya-asaṃpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ ||11|| Memory is impressions that haven't escaped. The purpose of this sutra is to show us that through the modification of sleep vrittis become dreams. Memories can be real or unreal. When we remember them and use them well, they can help us affirm correct knowledge. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new...

अभावप्रत्ययालम्बना तमोवृत्तिर्निद्र ॥10॥ abhāva-pratyaya-ālambanā tamaḥ vṛttiḥ nidrā ||10|| "Sleep is the mental modification which has for its objective substratum, the cause of non existence. .” Swami Satyananda says this is one of the most important sutras because its purpose is to show us that while the other vrittis are outwardly oriented towards sense objects, it shows us that sleep is inwar...

शब्दज्ञानानुपाती वस्तुशून्योविकल्पः ॥९॥ śabda-jñāna-anupātī vastu-śūnyaḥ vikalpaḥ ||9|| “Imagination is followed in sequence by verbal expression and knowledge, and is devoid of objective substratum.” The purpose of this sutra is to understand that imagination needs three things: words, knowledge of it, and no object. Also why Vikalpa is not classified under unreal knowledge, and how it is useful...

विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूपप्रतिष्ठम् ॥८॥ viparyayo mithyā jñānam atad rūpa pratiṣṭham ॥8॥ “Unreal cognition is the knowing of the unreal, possessed of a form not its own” The purpose of this sutra is to explain what is wrong knowledge, how it is different from right knowledge or even imagination, and how it affects us. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support...

प्रत्यक्षानुमानागमाः प्रमाणानि॥७॥ Pratyakṣā anumānā agamāḥ pramāṇāni ||7|| “Perception, verbal cognition, and inference are real cognitions” The purpose of this sutra is to explain how we know we are cognizing right knowledge. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Undertake a systematic, comprehensive &...

प्रमाण विपर्यय विकल्प निद्रा स्मृतयः ॥६॥ pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ ॥6॥ “The five-fold modifications of the mind are right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep and memory”. The purpose of this sutra is to explain the modifications or vrittis, to understand to what level our perception is shaped by vrittis, that in fact perception itself is vritti, before undertaking the stu...

वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाऽक्लिष्टाः ॥ vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭā'kliṣṭāḥ || Vrittis modifications are five-fold: painful and non-painful This sutra lays out the modifications of the vrittis which will be explained in detail in the following five sutras. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Undertake a...

Sutra 4 says, वृत्तिसारूप्यमितरत्र ॥ vṛttisārūpyamitaratra || If the Purusa is established in itself, then what is the state of consciousness in the waking state? This sutra answers the other part of the question raised in sutra 3. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Undertake a systematic, comprehensi...

तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥ tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe' vasthānam || The seer is established as the witness. The purpose of this sutra is to answer the question: what is the aim of yoga? It also completes the definition of yoga as begun in the first and second sutras and it reveals the unchanging nature of spirit. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work...

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥ yogaḥs citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ ||2|| Yoga is the cessation of mental modifications. The purpose of this sutra is to work towards the inhibition or cessation of the Citta and to be careful about what it is you are blocking or inhibiting. Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Undert...

अथ योगानुशासनम् ॥१॥ atha yoga-anu-śāsanam ||1|| Now, the study of yoga. The purpose of this sutra is to help us understand: What it is we are about to study? Why do the gurus say 'now'? Is it significant? Why? Sky Gazing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Undertake a systematic, comprehensive & comparative study...

Hello, if you’re following us on YouTube [do subscribe there if you haven’t yet] you will have noticed that we’re on Sutra no 38 now. I will also be updating this newsletter with the sutras for listeners on Spotify, Apple and other sources where you get your podcasts. This will be audio only, but you have the added advantage of using the transcript for your notes. I hope this is useful for those o...