The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali 23-29

An Alternative Path to Samadhi

In this episode, we talk about the fifth group of sutras, 23-29, where Patanjali offers an alternative to the arduous path of independently trying to stop the movements of the mind and attain samadhi, resting in the self.

The alternative is to absorb oneself in Isvara, a special self. Isvara is a way to speak about God, but Patanjali does not speak of Isvara as a creator.

Transcript

Hello Yogi!

Welcome to my podcast.

I'm Aiko and on this show we explore ways to put spiritual theory into sustainable practice.

Hey,

Sam,

Welcome again!

Thank you!

Here we are speaking about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

We are reading the version from Edwin Bryant and today we're going to speak about the Sutra 23 to 29 which are the definition of God,

Right?

Yes,

It's the section about devotion to God and God will be defined.

So maybe we can give a brief recap about the section we said last time?

Yes,

It was talking about the kind of different stages of samadhi and also the kind of stages before samadhi,

You know,

Like leading,

The stages leading up to samadhi.

And samadhi,

Which is this kind of final resting in one's own self,

Like liberated from suffering,

It is described how one gets there by applying oneself very fervently with kind of determination to eradicate all thought.

So it's kind of,

It's like a kind of a tough path.

It means to kind of peel off all the layers from ourselves,

Everything that is not like really us,

Just all kind of impressions we have from the past that are just there.

Defining us.

Yeah.

So then in this section,

An alternative is presented.

So like you can either like try by your own determination to kind of just separate out your pure self from all the superfluous things surrounding it.

Or it says here in this first sutra here,

Like,

Or you can like absorb yourself in Ishvara.

So Ishvara will be defined here.

Yeah,

Usually Patanjali is very kind of specific and quote unquote scientific,

But,

And here is the only part where he actually speak about devotion and bhakti.

So what he's saying about Ishvara.

Yeah.

So after this,

The first sutra in this section,

Which maybe I should say the Sanskrit also,

Ishvara Pranidhanathva,

Which this translates to,

Or from devotion to the Lord,

Meaning like you can attain all those states simply by devotion to the Lord.

So now he begins to define in,

Define Ishvara in three sutras.

So he begins by saying,

Klesha karma vipaka shayair aparam rista purusa vishesha Ishvara The Lord is a special soul.

He is untouched by the obstacles karma,

The fructification of karma,

And subconscious predispositions.

So this is the first sutra defining Ishvara.

So it's saying he's a special soul because earlier here in the yoga sutras,

It has been said that our goal is to rest in the self,

To kind of live in one's own self.

And so here it's saying that,

Like when it says that the Lord is a special soul,

It means he is like us,

But he is special.

And he's special in the sense that he is untouched by the obstacles,

Like the obstacles we face to yoga practice,

Like he is meaning that he is resting in his own self all the time.

And so he is untouched by karma and the fructification of karma,

Like actions and the reactions to the actions and subconscious predispositions.

And those are all those things that we are entangled in.

In the next sutra,

Patanjali says,

Tatra nirati shayam sarvajya bhijam.

In him,

The seed of omniscience is unsurpassed.

So the seed of omniscience,

Like the term seed here is used,

Everyone knows something.

So you have the seed and what grows from the seed grows through many stages.

And everyone is somewhere along that kind of continuum.

But in Ishvara,

The seed is unsurpassed,

Meaning that he is at the very end of that continuum.

So he knows everything,

Like he knows what everyone else knows and more.

Here it says also that in the seed,

All the knowledge is contained.

So everything is inside actually,

This seed,

But in our process,

We can't see it fully.

But Ishvara who is inside,

Who is the seed,

He knows the absolute truth,

Right?

Yes,

Like he is the absolute truth and he knows himself,

So he knows the absolute truth.

Right.

Then in the next sutra,

Sutra 26,

Patanjali says,

Sa purvesham api guru kalena nava chedat.

Ishvara is also the teacher of the ancients because he is not limited by time.

So this reminds us of something we read in the Bhagavad Gita,

Where Krishna tells Arjuna,

I was teaching this to the sun god at the beginning of creation.

And Arjuna asks him,

But like,

How can you be like you are like you and I are the same age?

How can how can how could you be have been teaching this to the sun god?

And Krishna says,

You and I have had many,

Many lives,

But the difference between you and me is that I remember them and you don't.

And that's very similar here to this section.

Like it's like,

There's not a big distinction made made by God and other souls.

Like he is like us,

But he's a bit special.

So he's the ultimate teacher.

Basically,

He has been the teacher of all our teachers.

Yes,

Because he has eternally been in that state,

Which is the goal for of yoga practice.

So everyone who has anyone who has ever practice,

Practiced yoga,

He has always been before them in the place where they want to go.

And one beautiful thing about these defining sutras here is that they're kind of general that they make very important points about the differences between us and Ishwara.

But it doesn't go too much into detail.

So it could work for any for anyone of any religion,

Really,

A Christian could could apply these things to and like while thinking of Jesus,

And of course,

All different types of Hindus like Shaivites or Vaishnavas or any other.

So it's like the kind of general things are given and Monsprouwe commented that the specifics will be figured out in the dynamic between the student and the teacher.

Beautiful.

So the next sutra is describing Ishvara as a Pranava,

Which is the first sound sound.

Oh,

Yes,

The first sound it's it's kind of thought to be the kind of original sound vibration in the universe.

And also,

That it is actually coming from beyond this universe.

The sutra says,

Tassiya Vachakapranava,

The name designating Ishvara is the mystical syllable Om.

So even though Om appears to be made of like,

Like a syllable made of sounds that we we recognize from from this world,

Like that is said to be only in appearance,

That actually Om,

Like when you when you say Om and meditate on Ishvara,

It's it's not just a conventional word.

Like like when we say book,

And we think of this thing with pages and,

And,

And so on,

That it's just a word that we have decided that that means that we could just use some other word or say it in some other language.

But this Om is thought to be like actually,

Directly connected with Ishvara himself,

Or being directly Ishvara himself.

So the next sutra is saying what what we should do with this Om.

Tad japa stad artha bhavanam,

Its repetition and the contemplation of its meaning should be performed.

So that the Sanskrit word here for repetition is japa.

And japa is ultimately something that is done silently in the mind,

One can do and also and actually,

It is recommended to first do it verbally,

And then kind of whisperingly.

So first you do it verbally until you have the focus,

Then you can do it more quietly,

Whispering.

And then when you have the focus in that method,

Then you can do it just in the mind.

And it will be more,

More powerful because you will be more focused.

And you should also do this while contemplating the meaning of Om,

Which which would be these details that were stated here in the previous sutras.

Like,

Like the meaning,

Like the definition of Ishvara as this special soul who has always been resting in his own being and beyond time.

And Monspru mentioned that if it is if it is done without contemplating its meaning,

So it may either become kind of dry and mechanic or it may become something naive.

Yeah.

And I guess whoever is listening our podcast knows the power of the mantra Om and the chanting of the mantra Om.

I often say this story to my students when I explain the meaning of the mantra Om and the chanting that once when I was in India,

We went to visit an Ayurvedic farm where this Ayurvedic doctor had all his herbs and plants and this and that.

And we went in his little cabin for for a class and we we all chanted the mantra Om together.

And after we chanted,

He pointed at someone and say,

What you have in mind now?

What are you thinking?

And he said,

Nothing.

And then he pointed at someone else and say,

What are you thinking?

And she also say nothing.

And he said,

And this is the power of the mantra Om.

And that's why we I always want to chant it before starting a class because it has the power to cleanse out all our thoughts and everything.

So we can start the class with the purified mind.

Thank you for sharing that.

And yes,

Like we also are like before we record these podcast sessions,

We first the same untrusted like just you know,

You and me without recording them.

Let's kind of clear the clear clear the atmosphere clear the mind and so we can get an auspicious beginning to our session.

So the last sutra for today is text 29 here.

Tatha pratyak cetanadhi gamopi antaraya bhavas ca From this comes the realization of the inner consciousness and freedom from all disturbances.

And here I found also Mons Bruce commentary,

Inspiring his he says that because Ishvara is like us,

When we meditate on him through this syllable home,

Then like as we get to know him through that we also get to know ourselves because we are of a similar nature.

So it's beautiful,

Like this is kind of alternative to the other path mentioned in the previous set of sutras that require so much kind of arduous effort to try to liberate yourself from all the constraints.

You meditate on him who is has always been free of those,

You get to know him.

And then at the same time you get to know yourself and the things will,

The outer coverings will kind of come off from you as a byproduct sort of.

Yeah.

And in the next section,

We're gonna speak more about what these obstacles are from sutra 30 to 39.

But we're gonna first have a Christmas break.

So I guess the next episode is gonna be in January,

Right?

Yeah,

We say that.

Yeah,

Yeah,

We will start fresh with the new year.

Hopefully a better year for the world with less war and more happy people.

Yes.

And yeah,

So until then,

Merry Christmas,

Happy New Year,

Or whichever traditions you follow,

Maybe Happy Hanukkah.

Yeah,

And see you soon.

Thank you for listening.

Bye.

I hope this episode fulfilled its purpose of inspiring you.

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