Patanjali Yoga Sutra - Chapter One Samadhi Pada (51 Sutras)

Sutra 1: Introduction to yoga

Atha yogānuśāsanam
 Atha: now therefore
 yoga: (regarding) yoga
 anuśāsanam: complete instructions
Now, therefore, complete instructions regarding yoga.

Sutra 2: What is yoga?

Yogaschitta vṛtti nirodhaḥ
 Yogah: yoga
 chitta: consciousness
 vṛtti: patterns or circular patterns
 nirodhaḥ: blocking, stopping
To block the patterns of consciousness is yoga.

Sutra 3: The culmination of yoga

Tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe'vasthānam
 Tadā: then
 draṣṭuḥ: seer
 svarūpe: one’s own essential nature
 avasthānam: establishment
Then the seer is established (abides) in his own essential nature.

Sutra 4: What happens otherwise to purusha?

Vṛtti sārūpyamitaratra
 Vṛtti: modification, pattern
 sārūpyam: identification
 itaratra: in other state
Or there is identification with the modifications of chitta.

Sutra 5: Vrittis – main classification

Vṛttayaḥ pañchatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ
 Vṛttayaḥ: modifications of mind
 pañchatayyaḥ: fivefold
 kliṣṭā: painful, lit. hard, difficult
 akliṣṭāḥ: not painful
Modifications of mind are fivefold; they are painful or not painful.

Sutra 6: Five kinds of vrittis

Pramāṇa-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrā smṛtayaḥ
Pramāṇa: right knowledge
viparyaya: wrong knowledge
vikalpa: fancy, imagination
nidrā: sleep
smṛtayaḥ: memory
The fivefold modifications of mind are right knowledge, wrong knowledge, fancy, sleep and memory.

Sutra 7: (i) Pramana – sources of right knowledge

Pratyakṣānumānāgamāḥ pramāṇāni
 Pratyakṣa: direct cognition, sense evidence
1
 anumāna: inference
 āgama: testimony, revelation
 pramāṇāni: the sources of right knowledge
Direct cognition, inference and testimony are the sources of knowledge.

Sutra 8: (ii) Viparyaya – misconception

Viparyayo mithyājñānamatadrūpapratiṣṭham
 Viparyayah: misconception
 mithyā: false, illusory
 jñānam: knowledge
 atat: not its own
 rūpa: form
 pratiṣṭham: based
Wrong conception is false knowledge which is not based on its own form.

Sutra 9: (iii) Vikalpa – unfounded belief

Śabdajñānānupāti vastu-śūnyo vikalpaḥ
 Śabda: word, sound
 jñāna: cognition
 anupāti: following upon
 vastu: object
 śūnyaḥ: empty
 vikalpaḥ: fancy, imagination
Following upon knowledge through words but empty of an object is fancy.

Sutra 10: (iv) Nidra – state of sleep

Abhāva-pratyayālambanā vṛttirnidrā
 Abhāva: absence
 pratyaya: content of mind
 ālambana: support
 vṛttih: modification
 nidrā: sleep
Sleep is the vritti of absence of mental contents for its support.
Sutra 11: (v) Smriti – memory
Anubhūtaviṣayāsaṃpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ
 Anubhūta: experienced
 viṣaya: objects of sense perception
 asampramoṣaḥ: not letting escape
 smṛtiḥ: memory
Not letting the experienced objects escape from the mind is memory.

Sutra 12: Necessity of abhyasa and vairagya

Abhyāsavairāgyābhyāṃ tannirodhaḥ
 Abhyāsa: repeated practice
 vairāgyābhyāṃ: by vairagya
 tat: that
 nirodhaḥ: stopping, blocking
The stopping of that (five vrittis) by repeated practice and vairagya.

Sutra 13: Abhyasa means constant practice

Tatra sthitau yatno'bhyāsaḥ
2
 Tatra: there, out of the two
 sthitau: being fixed, established
 yatnah: effort
 abhyāsaḥ: practice
Of the two (mentioned in the previous sutra) ‘to be established in the endeavour’ is abhyasa.

Sutra 14: Foundation of abhyasa

Sa tu di rghakāla nairantaryasatkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ
 Sah: that (abhyāsa)
 tu: but; di rgha: long
 kāla: time; nairantarya: without interruption
 satkāra: reverence
 āsevitaḥ: practised
 dṛḍha: firm
 bhūmiḥ: ground
It becomes firmly grounded by being continued for a long time with reverence, without interruption.

Sutra 15: Lower form of vairagya

Dṛṣṭānuśravika-viṣayāvitṛṣṇasya vaśi kāra-sañjñā vairāgyam
 Dṛṣṭa: seen
 anuśravika: heard
 viṣaya: object
 vitṛṣṇasya: of the one who is free of desire (tṛṣṇā: craving, desire)
 vaśi kāra: control
 sañjñā: awareness
 vairāgyam: absence of craving
When an individual becomes free of craving for the sense objects which he has experienced as well as
those of which he has heard, that state of consciousness is vairagya.

Sutra 16: Higher form of vairagya

Tatparaṃ puruṣakhyāterguṇavaitṛṣṇyam
 Tat: that
 paraṃ: highest
 puruṣakhyāteh: true knowledge of purusha
 guṇavaitṛṣṇyaṃ: freedom from the desire for gunas
That is highest in which there is freedom from the desire for gunas on account of the knowledge of
purusha.

Sutra 17: Definition of samprajnata samadhi

Vitarka-vichārānandāsmitānugamāt samprajñātaḥ
 Vitarka: reasoning
 vichāra: reflection
 ānanda: bliss
 asmitā: sense of individuality
 anugamāt: by association
 samprajñātaḥ: samadhi with prajna
Samprajnata yoga constitutes association respectively with reasoning, reflection, bliss and sense of
individuality.

Sutra 18: Definition of asamprajnata samadhi

Virāmapratyayābhyāsapūvaḥ saṃskāraśeṣo'nyaḥ
 Virāma: stopping
3
 pratyaya: content of mind
 abhyāsa: continued practice
 pūvaḥ: coming before
 saṃskāraśeṣa: in which only the traces remain
 anyaḥ: the other samadhi
The other samadhi (asamprajnata) is preceded by a continued study of stopping the content of mind. In it
the mind remains in the form of traces.

Sutra 19: Past merits needed for asamprajnata samadhi

Bhavapratyayo videhaprakṛtilayānām
 Bhavapratyayah: birth is the cause
 videha: disembodied yogis
 prakṛtilayānām: the yogis who are merged into prakriti

The videha and prakritilaya yogis have birth as the cause of asamprajnata samadhi. (This is bhavapratyaya
asamprajnata samadhi.

Sutra 20: Otherwise, merits needed for asamprajnata samadhi

Śraddhāvi ryasmṛtisamādhiprajñāpūvaka itareṣām
 Śraddhā: faith
 vi rya: energy, strong will
 smṛti: memory
 samādhiprajñā: intelligence arising from samadhi
 pūvaka: preceded by
 itareṣām: of others
Others (other than those disembodied and merged into prakriti) attain to asamprajnata samadhi through
the stages of faith, strong will, memory and intelligence derived from samprajnata samadhi respectively.

Sutra 21: Quicker is intensity of eagerness

Ti vrasaṃvegānāmāsannaḥ
 Ti vra: intense
 saṃvega: urge
 āsannaḥ: quite near
Those who have an intense urge attain asamprajnata samadhi very soon.

Sutra 22: Three degrees of eagerness

Mṛdumadhyādhimātratvāt tato'pi viśeṣaḥ
 Mṛdu: mild
 madhya: medium
 adhimātra: extremely strong
 tvāt: due to
 tatoapi: also, more than that
 viśeṣaḥ: special, peculiar
With the intensity of urge rising through the mild, medium and strong conditions, asamprajnata samadhi
can be achieved sooner.

Sutra 23: Or by devotion to Ishwara

Īśvarapraṇidhānādvā
 Īśvara: Lord
 praṇidhānāt: devotion
 vā: or
Or by devotion to the Lord (asamprajnata samadhi can be attained).
4
Sutra 24: Definition of Ishwara
Kleśakarmavipākāśayairaparāmṛṣṭaḥ puruṣaviśeṣa Īśvaraḥ
 Kleśa: afflictions
 karmavipāka: fruits of acts
 āśaya: store of the traces of past karma
 aparāmṛṣṭaḥ: untouched
 puruṣaviśeṣa: special kind of soul
 Īśvaraḥ: God
God is a special soul untouched by afflictions, acts, their traces and their fruits.

Sutra 25: Attribute of Ishwara

Tatra niratiśayaṃ sarvajñabi jam
 Tatra: there (in God)
 niratiśayaṃ: limitless
 sarvajña: omniscient
 bi jam: principle, seed
In Ishwara there is the seed of limitless omniscience.

Sutra 26: Ishwara is the jagatguru

Pūrveṣāmapi guruḥ kālenānavachchhedāt
 Pūrveṣām: of those who came before
 api: even
 guruḥ: greater, teacher
 kālena: by time
 anavachhedāt: because unlimited by time
Not being limited by time he is the guru of the earliest gurus.

Sutra 27: Pranava is verily Ishwara

Tasya vāchakaḥ praṇavaḥ
 Tasya: of it
 vāchakaḥ: designator, indicator
 praṇavaḥ: Aum
Aum is the word denoting God.

Sutra 28: Sadhana for Ishwara

Tajjapastadarthabhāvanam
 Tat: that
 japa: repetition of the word
 tat: that
 artha: meaning
 bhāvanam: dwelling upon mentally
That (the word Aum) should be recited repeatedly while dwelling mentally on its meaning.

Sutra 29: Result of this sadhana

Tataḥ pratyakchetanādhigamo'pyantarāyābhāvaścha
 Tataḥ: from that (practice of meditation on Aum)
 pratyak: turned in, in opposite direction
 chetanā: consciousness
 adhigama: attainment
 api: also
 antarāya: obstacle
5
 abhāva: absence
 cha: and
From that practice the consciousness turns inward and the obstacles are overcome.

Sutra 30: Obstacles in the path of yoga

Vyādhistyānasaṃśayapramādālasyāviratibhrānti- darśanālabdhabhūmikatvānavasthitatvāni
chittavikṣepāste'ntarāyāḥ
 Vyādhi: disease
 styāna: dullness
 saṃśaya: doubt
 pramāda: procrastination
 ālasya: laziness
 avirati: craving for enjoyment
 bhrāntidarśana: erroneous perception
 alabdhabhūmikatva: inability to achieve a finer state
 anavasthitatva: instability
 chittavikṣepāh: obstacle to the mind; te: they
 antarāyāḥ: obstacles
Disease, dullness, doubt, procrastination, laziness, craving, erroneous perception, inability to achieve finer
stages and instability are the obstacles.

Sutra 31: Other obstructions

Duḥkhadaurmanasyāṅgamejayatvaśvāsapraśvāsā vikṣepasahabhuvaḥ
 Duḥkha: pain
 daurmanasya: depression
 aṅgamejayatva: shaking of the body
 śvāsapraśvāsā: inhalations and exhalations
 vikṣepa: distraction
 sahabhuvaḥ: accompanying symptom
Pain, depression, shaking of the body and unrhythmic breathing are the accompanying symptoms of
mental distraction.

Sutra 32: Removal of obstacles by one-pointedness

Tatpratiṣedhārthamekatattvābhyāsaḥ
 Tat: that
 pratiṣedhārtham: for removal
 eka: one
 tattva: principle
 abhyāsaḥ: practice
For removal of those (obstacles and accompanying symptoms) the practice of concentration on one
principle (is to be done).

Sutra 33: (ii) Or by cultivating opposite virtues

Maitri karuṇāmuditopekṣāṇāṃ sukhaduḥkhapuṇyāpuṇyaviṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaśchittaprasādanam

 Maitri : friendliness
 karuṇā: compassion
 muditā; gladness
 upekṣāṇāṃ: indifference
 sukha: happiness
 duḥkha: misery
 puṇya: virtue
6
 apuṇya: vice
 viṣayāṇāṃ: of the objects
 bhāvanātaḥ: attitude
 chitta: mind
 prasādanam: purification, making peaceful
In relation to happiness, misery, virtue and vice, by cultivating the attitudes of friendliness, compassion,
gladness and indifference respectively, the mind becomes purified and peaceful.

Sutra 34: (iii) Or by controlling prana

Prachchhardanavidhāraṇābhyāṃ vā prāṇasya
 Prachchhardana: expiration or rechaka
 vidhāraṇābhyāṃ: holding
 kumbhaka
 vā: or
 prāṇasya: of breath
Or by expiration and retention of breath (one can control the mind).

Sutra 35: (iv) Or by observing sense experience

Viṣayavati vā pravṛttirutpannā manasaḥ sthitinibandhani
 Viṣayavati :sensuous
 vā: or
 pravṛttih: functioning
 utpannā: arisen
 manasaḥ: of the mind
 sthiti: steadiness
 nibandhani : which binds
Or else the mind can be made steady by bringing it into activity of sense experience.

Sutra 36: (v) Or by inner illumination

Viśokā vā jyotiṣmati
 Viśokā: without sorrow
 vā: or
 jyotiṣmati :luminous, full of light
Or the luminous state which is beyond sorrow (can control the mind).

Sutra 37: (vi) Or by detachment from matter

Vi tarāgaviṣayaṃ vā chittam
 Vi tarāga: passionless person who has transcended
 raga
 viṣayaṃ: object
 vā: or, also
 chittam: mind
Or else the mind can be brought under control by making passionless persons the object for concentrating
the mind.

Sutra 38: (vii) Or by knowledge of dream and sleep

Svapnanidrājñānālambanaṃ vā
 Svapna: dream
 nidrā: sleep
 jñāna: knowledge
 ālambana: support
7
 vā: or, also
Or else (the mind can be made steady) by giving it the knowledge of dream and sleep for support.

Sutra 39: (viii) Or by meditation as desired

Yathābhimatadhyānādvā
 Yathā: as
 abhimata: desired
 dhyanāt: by meditation
 vā: or
Or else by meditation as desired (mind can be steadied).

Sutra 40: Fruits of meditation

Paramāṇuparamamahattvānto'sya vaśi kāraḥ
 Paramāṇu: ultimate atom
 paramamahattva: ultimate largeness
 antah: ending
 asya: of his
 vaśi kāraḥ: mastery
So the yogi is given mastery over all objects for meditation ranging from the smallest atom to the
infinitely large.

Sutra 41: Oneness of chitta with object

Kṣi ṇavṛtterabhijātasyeva maṇergrahi tṛgrahaṇagrāhyeṣu
tatsthatadañjanatā samāpattiḥ
 Kṣi ṇavṛtteh: whom the vrittis have weakened
 abhijātasya: well- polished, purified
 iva: just like
 maṇeḥ: of the crystal
 grahitṛ: cognizer
 grahaṇa: senses
 grāhyeṣu: in the objects of cognition
 tatstha: on which it stays or rests
 tadañjanatā: taking the colour of that
 samāpattiḥ: complete absorption
Samapatti is a state of complete absorption of the mind which is free from vrittis into (the three types of
objects such as) cognizer, cognized and the senses, just as a polished crystal takes the colour of that on
which it rests.

Sutra 42: Savitarka samadhi

Tatra śabdārthajñānavikalpaiḥ saṅki rṇā savitarkā samāpattiḥ
 Tatra: there, in that state
 śabda: word, sound: artha: true knowledge
 jñana: reasoning
 vikalpaiḥ: by alternation
 saṇki rṇa: mixed up, confused
 savitarkā: with worded thinking
 samāpattiḥ: complete absorption
In that state (of samadhi) on account of alternating consciousness between word, true knowledge and
sense perception, the mixed state of mind is known as savitarka samapatti.

Sutra 43: Nirvitarka samadhi

Smṛtipariśuddhau svarūpaśūnyevārthamātranirbhāsā nirvitarkā
8
 Smṛti: memory
 pari: complete
 śuddhau: purification
 svarūpa: one’s own form
 śūnya: devoid of
 I: as if
 artha: object, purpose
 mātra: only
 nirbhāsā: shining
 nirvitarkā: without vitarka
After the clarification of memory, when the mind is as if devoid of self- awareness and the true
knowledge of the object is alone shining within, that is nirvitarka.

Sutra 44: Other forms of samadhi

Etayaiva savichārā nirvichārā cha sūkṣmaviṣayā vyākhyātā
 Etaya: by this
 eva: itself, alone
 savichāra: samadhi with reflection
 nirvichāra: samadhi without reflection
 cha: and
 sūkṣmaviṣayā: subtle objects
 vyākhyātā: explained
By this explanation alone savichara samadhi, nirvichara samadhi and subtler stages of samadhi have been
explained.

Sutra 45: Extent of samadhi

Sūkṣmaviṣayatvaṃ chāliṅgaparyavasānam
 Sūkṣmaviṣayatvaṃ: the subtle stages of samadhi
 cha: and
 aliṅga: prakriti
 paryavasānam: extension
The stages of samadhi in respect to subtle objects extend up to prakriti.

Sutra 46: Samadhi with seed

Tā eva sabi jaḥ samādhiḥ
 Tāh: those
 eva: only
 sabi jaḥ: with seed
 samādhiḥ: samadhi
Those (stages which have been explained before) are only samadhi with seed.

Sutra 47: Then spiritual light dawns

Nirvichāravaiśāradye'dhyātmaprasādaḥ
 Nirvichāra: nirvichara samadhi
 vaiśāradye: after becoming absolutely expert
 adhyātma: spiritual
 prasādaḥ: illumination, or purity
After becoming absolutely perfect in nirvichara samadhi the spiritual light dawns.

9
Sutra 48: Cosmic experience
Ṛtambharā tatra prajñā
 Ṛtambharā: full of experience
 tatra: there
 prajñā: superconsciousness
There (at the borderline of nirvichara samadhi) the superconsciousness becomes full with cosmic
experience.

Sutra 49: Characteristics of this experience

Śrutānumānaprajñābhyāmanyaviṣayā viśeṣārthatvāt
 Śruta: heard
 anumāna: inference
 prajñābhyām: from the two types of consciousness
 anyaviṣaya: another object
 viśeṣārthatvāt: because of having a particular object
This knowledge is different from the knowledge acquired through testimony and inference because it
has a special object.

Sutra 50: Dynamic form of consciousness in samadhi

Tajjaḥ saṃskāro'nyasaṃskārapratibandhi
 Tajjaḥ: born of that
 saṃskārah: dynamic consciousness
 anya: of other
 saṃskāra: dynamic consciousness
 pratibandhi : that which prevents
Dynamic consciousness born of that (sabeeja samadhi) prevents other states of consciousness.

Sutra 51: Then one attains samadhi without seed

Tasyāpi nirodhe sarvanirodhānnirbi jaḥ samādhiḥ
 Tasya: of that
 api: also
 nirodha: by blocking
 sarva: all
 nirodhān: by blocking
 nirbi jaḥ: seedless
 samādhiḥ: samadhi
After blocking of even that due to blocking of all chitta vrittis, seedless samadhi is attained.

10