This obstacles are disease, idleness, doubt, heedlessness, sloth, lack of detachment, erroneous conception, not attaining any yogic stage, and instability to stay in a yogic stage. They are the distractions of the mind.

“Anything that prevents the yogin from cultivating the attitude of inward-mindedness [pratyakcetana] is considered an obstacle, be it physical or illness or psychic disorder”, says the indologist Feuerstein when explaining this sutra. This obstacles are removed by devotion to ishvara, says Patañjali in the previous sutra. And Vyasa, the commentator par excellence, notes that these obstacles prevent us from attaining the state of yoga because they occur along with the vrttis: ” These occur along with the modifications of the mind. In their absence the above said modifications of the mind do not take place“.

But this is not just for Yoga; it seems to be true for every dimension of our life; it’s not possible to settle down in a relationship if there is doubt or apathy; or to accomplish any important task with carelessness or laziness. I think that this sutra it’s self-explained. I just would like to comment on two points:

First, I’m not sure how devotion to ishvara  could help us to prevent these disturbances, mainly when Patañjali held such a pragmatic view of yoga practice. I found two interesting comments that, in some way, help me to understand it. The first is from Swami Hariharananda Aranya:

Bodily disturbance and illness should be removed by wholesome and measured diet taken only after the food previously taken is digested. This is the sure way of killing illness. By special devotion to God, refinement and good sense will come which will prompt the yogin to take good and limited quantity of food at proper intervals and he will take proper care of his health, so that he will never lose that good sense.

The next comment is from “Changing Minds” a book that looks at yoga sutra from the point of view of cognitive neuroscience:

Therefore, repetition of pranava, that is, mantra style or other form of meditation, may be helpful in remedying some of the antarayas (disturbances) and visepas (distractions), at least in terms of providing relief from stress and over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

And stress is a major cause for the rest of the obstacles. So, in my skeptic point of view, ishvara works like an “inspiration”… we do all the job to get better, to remove this obstacles, thinking that anything else is helping us, but it’s only based on faith (sraddha), some kind of hidden self-confidence that works like a charm… some kind of useful but inert placebo pill.

Second. A couple of weeks ago I read an article entitled: They’ve cracked it at last! The chicken DID come before the egg; in this article, the researchers said that the chicken comes first, because the formation of egg shells relies on a protein found only in a chicken’s ovaries. Therefore, an egg can exist only if it has been inside a chicken. What it has to do with Patañjali and this sutra?

Vyasa notes in his commentary to this sutra that “These nine distractions of the mind are known as impurities of yoga, foes of yoga (and) obstacles to yoga”. For me, and for most of the people that I know in the tiny “yoga world”, these nine OBSTACLES that prevent us from attaining the state of yoga are also, in our time and this corner of the world, the main forces that drive us to get in touch with yoga at first time: most of the people I know approached to yoga because was told that it would help them to relief some backache, or to recover from surgery (disease), or to relax, or overcome some depression (languor), or to improve their concentration (idleness), and a long list of etc. So, it seems that these obstacles are the reasons that push us toward yoga in the first place.

vyadhi – sickness, disease, disorder, ailment

styana – languor, idleness, apathy

samshaya – doubt, indecision, irresolution , hesitation

pramada – heedlessness, carelessness, negligence

alasya – sloth

avirati – lack of detachment, dissipation, incontinence

bhranti – false, confusion, error

darshana – vision, perception

alabdha – not obtaining

bhumikatva – stage, ground

anavasthitatva – instability, unsteadiness

citta – consciousness, mind

vikshepa – distraction

te –they, these

antaraya – obstacle, disturbance, impediment

The pursuit of Yoga requires a journey to go inward, which helps overcome the obstacles.

If any of us think that the path to Yoga is extremely difficult, then we are not alone. Patañjali repeatedly says that this is a difficult journey fraught with interruptions and obstacles. It requires extreme dedication, energy and will power that one can muster. When the mind is taught to go inwards, the obstacles tend to disappear. Going inwards is having faith in oneself, restricting oneself, understanding the self and always in touch with what is important. What are the obstacles that live on the path of Yoga? The next sutra will let us in on what can crash our plan of Yoga.

tatas – thence

pratyak-cetana – reverse/inward-mindedness (from prati + ac is to bend + cit is to be conscious)

adhigama – attainment (from adhi + gam is to go)

api – also

antaraya – impediment, obstacle ( from antar is between + i is to go, lit. get between)

abhava – disappearance (from a + bhu is to become)

ca – and

Iśvara is someone like god and that he is a special being, quite extraordinary. He is untouched by delusion, agitations, actions, afflictions, consequences and time. He represents past, present and future. He knows everything that is to be known. He is simply the teacher of all the teachers. He is addressed by a special symbol Pranava that specifies the qualities of Iśvara . By meditating on Iśvara, one can realize oneself (or go nearer). By meditating on an object, one imbibes the qualities of the object. How can meditating on Iśvara make oneself realize themselves? Iśvara is within all of us and one needs to be able to see for themselves. Iśvara is part and parcel of all of us.

You can read all the sutras that have been discussed on this blog.

[Yogins having understood the relationship between pranava (om) and the thing expressed will ] repeat it and contemplate upon its meaning.

In his commentary, Vyasa remembers what is said in Vishnu Purana:

“After the repetition of Om let him meditate on Isvara. After meditation on Isvara let him repeat Om. Through attainment of perfection in both the repetition of Om and in meditating on Isvara, the Supreme Self shines forth”

The repetition of a mantra is known as japa, and it is meant to perfect the faculty of concentration. This ancient technique is used in many religions: in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism it’s used a japa mala, a kind of prayer bead, to count the repetitions, usually 108. In Islamism and Sufism, the practice is known as tasbih (dhikr), and involves the repetition of the 99 names of God; to keep track of counting is used the right hand or a misbaha. Catholics use the rosary to repeat a prayer 150 times, and Orthodox Church use a komboskine to repeat a Jesus prayer a number between 300 and 1500 times.

Why the practice of japa is so widely used for meditation? We could find the answer in a study of 2001, published in the British Medical Journal, which found that Ave Maria and yoga mantra repetition had similar effects on people, slowing respiration to around 6/min and thus having a marked effect on synchronization in cardiovascular rhythm; and to slow respiration, improves concentration, and induces calm. That is the first aim of this sutra: through the repetition (japa) of the pranava (om), we get fixed in yoga (meditation), which makes the mind one-pointed. When the mind gets one-pointed, the inner meaning (artha) of the mantra is realized; and then, again we go on repeating the mantra, but this time we remember its inner meaning, realizing a more subtle and pure meaning, and then again we repeat… and this way we will increase gradually the concentration, until it’s firmly established.

From the whole sequence of sutras on isvara (from sutra  I.23 to sutra I.28) we finally find out why isvara is a mean for yoga: because from the repetition of his name, (the primal sound of the universe – the gateway – om) and then the contemplation on its meaning, and then the new repetition, etc. we can reach our innermost being, gradually going from outside to inside us, from the gross to the subtle, using the (psychophysical) power of the japa practice to calm our mind and to experience higher planes of consciousness, to experience our true Self.

taj (tat) – that
japas – recitation, repetition (from jap= whisper, mutter)
tad (tat) – that
artha – meaning, aim, purpose
bhāvanam – realization, causing to be; contemplation.

Symbol of Iśvara is the Praṇava, which is Oṃ.

Praṇava is a special symbol that specifies the qualities of Iśvara.  The sound Oṃ is composite of the letters a + u + m and a fourth element of the peculiar humming of ṃ. Humming of Om is one of the oldest techniques of Yoga and is a gateway to the goals of Yoga. I have blogged about Om here.

tasya – his
vācaka – symbol (from root word ‘to speak; literally ’speaking denoting’)
praṇava – lit. ‘pronouncement’ (from pra + root word ‘to shout exult’)

Here’s one man who has impressed me so much. Nobody knows who he was or much details about him. His work is compiled under a pseudonym. His work on Yoga is what I consider the best and many others do. When there is a such brilliant piece of work written by someone, the natural tendency for people many centuries ago was to associate this person with some divine powers. Hence Patañjali was known as reincarnation of Adisesa, the serpent used by Vishnu during meditation. Adisesa provides sthiram and sukham. Vishnu also has Garuda the eagle to take him anywhere he wants. The serpent and the eagle are such opposite forces, but they coexist here for Vishnu. The reasoning why Adisesa was chosen for Vishnu’s support for meditation was that Adisesa was associated with a mature personality who has gone through a lot in life. Adisesa is also supporting the Earth on his head and taking care of Vishnu, who has an important job to perform as the Preserver of the Universe. Vishnu  needs a strong support and wisdom as a guide in Adisesa. A lot of stories are symbolic in Hinduism. Kausthub Desikachar writes Patañjali Unplugged, an interesting article on Patañjali .

Yoga Sutra says Īśvara is the teacher of teachers. Īśvara is a fine object of meditation and how important it is for this object to be flawless. When you constantly meditate on something, it simply has to be perfect. For one imbibes the qualities of the object of meditation. I have searched long and hard to have a guru. But, Patañjali will be my guru and Īśvara. Human beings don’t cut it for me.  Here’s the prayer to Patañjali as taught by KYM.

]]> http://www.yogzilla.com/2010/04/20/my-isvara/feed/ 0 http://www.yogzilla.com/2010/04/04/primeval-teacher/ http://www.yogzilla.com/2010/04/04/primeval-teacher/#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:25:33 +0000 Hanuman http://www.yogzilla.com/?p=2065

[Īśvara] was also the teacher of the former [teachers], because with him there is no limitation by time.

This sūtra reinforces the idea of the previous ones. From YS I.24 we got that  Īśvara is the only one untouched by the wheel of existence, and we quoted Vyasa “he isn’t one who has attained liberation, because he has been always free”. Here Patañjali says that this god is not limited by time, he is eternal. And in YS I.25 it said that he is the uppermost limit for knowledge, he’s omniscient,“He knows everything there is to be known” , and that is only possible if Īśvara is the teacher of teachers, the primal guru.

How could a transcendental being be somebody’s teacher?. Because being the teacher of the first sages means that he was their inspiration, their guru (which is considered also an incarnation of the divine), their Īśvara in the sense that we ascribed to him early in YS I.25: someone who you looks up to, like someone who has reached mastery in your field. He is a teacher, and we need to learn from someone; and the things that he teaches us are eternal, the knowledge that we learn from him is always valid for everyone.

If some self-called “guru” brings us brand new teachings, secrets that nobody knows, that means that his knowledge isn’t eternal, and probably that he isn’t a guru… at least you should think twice before choosing him as your own private Īśvara, otherwise he could let you down.

pūrva – former , prior , preceding , previous to , earlier than

api – and, also, moreover

guru – a spiritual parent or preceptor

kāla – a period of time, time, during a long time

anavaccheda (an + avanccheda) – not limited, not interrupted, continuity

The Lord is the upper limit of the knowledge innate in man. Although Patañjali offered īśvara as a choice to attain Yoga, he talks about perfection of īśvara in six sutras. This is the third one to discuss the qualities of īśvara, who is supreme. His existence serves the yogin a model and a standard.

tatra – in that, here: in Him (from ta)
niratiśaya – unsurpassed
sarva – all
jña – knowing
bīja – seed

Untouched by taints or karma-s or their fruition or their latent stocks is the Lord, who is a special kind of Puruṣa.

Who is this īśvara who is neither pradhana nor puruṣa?, He is a special kind of Self, untouched by the causes-of-affliction, action, its fruition or their deposit.

Patañjali begins to unveil the mystery about this īśvara, who enables in us the attainment of the state of yoga . We can notice that this “Lord” doesn’t belong to the kind of gods we are used to: neither he is a western style kind of god, an almighty, omnipresent superhero (who watch, judge and punish or rewards us) nor the “whole”, the “thatness”, used to describe eastern Brahman (even when later commentators of the Yoga-sutra, immersed in the bhakti medieval movement, tried to explain īśvara as Brahman). He is a special kind of puruṣa, meaning in sanskrit “the personal and animating principle in men and other beings , the soul or spirit” but also “a man , male , human being (pl. people , mankind)” according to monier-williams dictionary. Yoga darṣana says that all of us are a puruṣa who doesn’t know that is free, until he realizes it, at “liberation”.

What is special about this puruṣa? That it has been always free from delusion; that he was, is, and will be untouched for afflictions (that moves us to) acts (that produces) fruits (or consequences that remain in our mind, stored as subliminal impressions in the) deposit (of our memory); in other words, he is free from the wheel of existence, samsara, beyond the mechanisms of Nature; this puruṣa doesn’t suffer because he has always known that he is free. Vyāsa underline that he isn’t one who has attained liberation, because he has been always free (introducing the idea that he has existed from the time without beginning, which will be reinforced in sutra I.26); he is the only being never touched for the bondage experience, and that makes him supreme, he is perfect and it is not surpassed  by any other power, because whatever other power would surpass it, would be that itself, says Vyāsa. So, Vyāsa defines this lord as the highest, the most powerful puruṣa, “primus inter pares”.

My yoga philosophy teacher said that īśvara not necessarily means god, and that could be a guru, or even someone who you looks up to, like someone who has reached mastery in your field (a “Prima ballerina assoluta” would be an īśvara for a ballet dancer). I think that my teacher wanted to highlight that īśvara is someone who inspires you, the highest person for you, someone who you can trust and who moves you, increasing your faith. We will see later that when you meditate on something you become one with the object of meditation; so, if you meditate in something positive, perfect, omniscient you acquire those qualities; that’s why īśvara has to be perfect, for us to become like him, reaching the knowledge that will drive us to self-actualizing. It’s not important what is īśvara, phenomenologically or ontologically speaking, in terms of yoga what really matters is how its “existence” helps us to attain “liberation”.

kleśa – cause-of affliction, taint, pain.

karman – action, work.vipāka – fruition, ripening; effect. Result.

āśaya – deposit, residue, balance of fruits from past actions.

aparāmṛṣṭa – untouched.

puruṣa –man, human, primeval man as source of everything, highest self; sometimes translated as soul or spirit

viśeṣa – distinct, special

īśvara – lord

One of the ways to attain the state of Yoga is through devotion to God.

Offering regular prayers to God with a feeling of submission to his power, surely enables the state of Yoga to be achieved.

This probably is one of the most controversial sutras. There are so many interpretations to what this sutra can mean and the definition of īśvara. Yoga was derived from Sankhya, which is one of the six fundamental systems of Indian thought collectively known as darśana (vision). Sankhya was a philosophy that outright rejected God. Each of the philosophies gained significant popularity, but would fall eventually when people debated its merits and rejected them. After the time that Sankhya had fallen, Yoga philosophy  was beginning to gain popularity. One of the key differences between Sankhya and Yoga is that Yoga brought in the concept of God. Although God was brought back, God was only offered as a choice. One of the ways to attain Yoga is through devotion to God. This optional choice of God appealed to some and did not to others. This again may be one of the key reasons for the fall of Yoga as a darśana. Yoga had a possibility of becoming a religion back in the ancient times. It had everything going for it. When Patañjali made God optional, this upset many people and it waned in popularity. Of course, this happened over a lengthy period  of time.

In my opinion, Patañjali should have stuck with the concept of God. Making God a choice sounds like someone who cannot take a stance. I feel that he was trying to please two opposing groups of people and eventually took a fall.

īśvara pranidhānād va

īśvara – lord, from root word ‘iś’ is to own, be master of vara ‘choices’ from root word vr is to choose
pranidhānā – resolution, here it means devotion, from pra + ni + root word dhā is to put
va  – or