Old School Yoga

Sutra 2.32

The niyamas are:

• Śauca = Cleansing, purifying
• santoṣa = contentment
• tapaḥ = austerity
• svādhyāya = study of scriptures, chanting of mantras
• iśvara-praṇidhāna = devotion to isvara, the supreme being or god

Śauca - Cleansing

Sutra 2.40

Śaucāt-sva-aṅga-jugupsā parair-asaṁsargaḥ

• Śaucāt = purity, purification, cleansing,
• sva-aṅga = ones own limbs or members
• jugupsā = dislike, aversion, disgust
• parair-asaṁsargaḥ = non-association with others

Through cleansing, [the yogi develops] aversion to his own body [and the desire for] non-association with others.

Cleansing or purification, which can be understood as the process of eliminating undesired traits, has two results.

1. Aversion to one’s own limbs, which is understood as lessening the desire for gratification of the senses.
2. A desire for non-association with others. This flows naturally from the desire to cure old bad habits. There are different degrees of this. The most extreme is the ascetic who lives alone and prefers to maintain a solitary existence. More common are monks and others who live in communities with other like-minded individuals. Even among these there are different degrees of isolation from the outside world. In secular society it is found in people who are recovering from alcohol and drug addiction, who are advised to cut off their association with others who are still actively involved in their vices.

Sutra 2.41

Sattva-śuddhi-saumanasya-aikagrya-indriya-jaya-atma-darśana-yogyatvāni ca

• Sattva = goodness, virtue, excellence; one of the three guna
• śuddhi = purity, cleanness
• saumanasya = satisfaction of mind, pleasure, delight
• aikagrya = intentness on one object
• indriya = the senses and instruments of locomotion, grasping, speech, reproduction, and elimination
• jaya = conquest or subjugation
• atma = the self, soul
• darśana = seeing; knowing, perceiving; discernment, understanding
• yogyatvāni = ability
• ca = and

[Through] purity of sattva, [the yogi gains] a calm mind, and the ability to concentrate, to subdue the impulses of the mind and body, and to know the self.

Sattva requires explanation. In the world view that was common when the Sutras were written, it is one of the three guna or qualities that exist throughout material nature:

• Sattva = lightness or illumination
• Rajas = activity, evolution, and constant change
• Tamas = heaviness, darkness, and inertia

The guna are said to combine in different proportions to produce the various forms of nature. It may be helpful to think of sattva and tamas as opposite ends of a spectrum, such as good and evil or light and darkness. The activity of rajas can be influenced by sattva or tamas.

In the current context, the harmful impulses, thoughts, and actions related to lust, anger, and greed are tamas. The yogi needs to adjust his thoughts and control his impulses toward the sattva end of the spectrum. When he does that he starts to realize the benefits of:

• calm mind,
• control of the impulses of the mind and body,
• ability to concentrate,
• ability to know the self.

These read like the steps of a ladder that the yogi is climbing. Note: sattva can never be completely pure. The three guna are said to be inseparable, and all three are always present to some degree.

Santoṣa - Contentment

Sutra 2.42

Santoṣad-anuttama-sukha-lābhaḥ

• Santoṣa = contentment
• anuttama = unsurpassed, the very best or highest
• sukha = happiness, joy
• lābhaḥ = gaining, obtaining

Through contentment, [he gains] unsurpassed happiness.

Contentment seems like a synonym for greedlessness, except that it is a positive state of mind rather than restraint of a harmful impulse.

Tapaḥ - Austerity

Sutra 2.43

Kāya-indriya-siddhir-aśuddhi-kṣaya-attapasaḥ

• Kāya-indriya-siddhir = perfection of the body and the senses
• aśuddhi-kṣayat = the diminishing of impurity
• tapasaḥ = from austerity

From austerity, [results] perfection of the body and the senses and the diminishing of undesired traits.

Examples of austerity include celibacy, simmple diet, modest clothing, performing asanas and other yoga practices. Modern yoga doesn’t usually consider performing asanas to be an austerity, but the inclusion of “perfection of the body” strongly suggests that yoga practices should be included.

Svādhyāya - Chanting of Mantras

Sutra 2.44

Svādhyayād-iṣṭa-devatā-samprayogaḥ

• Svādhyayād = from chanting of mantras; self study
• iṣṭa-devatā = the desired deity
• samprayogaḥ = union, connection, meeting, contact

From chanting of mantras, contact with the desired deity.

Svadhyaya has a few different meanings. It is sometimes translated as self-study, and people derive all sorts of meaning from that. Svadhyaya can also refer to the ancient practice of memorizing and reciting scriptures for the purpose of transmitting them to others. Here, svadhyaya refers to the chanting of mantras that are associated with specific deities. This type of practice is common in Buddhism and Hinduism but is usually omitted by western yoga practitioners. Compared to Isvara, the ista-devata are lesser deities.

Iśvara-praṇidhāna - Devotion to Isvara

Sutra 2.45

Samādhi-siddhir-īśvara-praṇidhānāt

• Samādhi = the highest of the 8 limbs
• siddhir = Accomplishment, fulfillment, completion, perfection, complete attainment (of an object)
• īśvara = the lord
• praṇidhānāt = profound religious meditation

From Isvara-pranidhana, accomplishment of samadhi.

The explanation of Isvara and Isvara-pranidhana is given in Yoga Sutras chapter one, and is presented here in abbreviated form.

Sutra 1.23

Īśvara-praṇidhānād-vā

In Sutra 1.23 Isvara-pranidhana is introduced with the word va, meaning “or”. This implies that isvara-pranidhana is being offered as an alternative to the more detailed methods of samadhi described in the Jnana portion of the Sutras.

The sutras go on to describe some characteristics of Isvara:

Sutra 1.24

• purusa-visesa = an individual being having characteristics that are peculiar to him and which make him different from other beings.
• aparamstra = in no way connected to [the following]
  • klesa = pain, anguish, trouble or affliction; the causes of pain, etc.
  • karma-vipaka = action and its consequences;
  • asaya = A place of residence, abode, seat, retreat; he does not take on a physical body.

Sutra 1.25

• sarva-jna-bijam = having the seed of all-knowing; he is omniscient.
• tatra niratisayam = he has attained a state that cannot be exceeded or surpassed.

Sutra 1.26

• purvesam-api guruh = he is teacher even of the ancients.
• kalena-anavacchedat = he is not limited by time, that is, he is eternal.

Sutra 1.27

• tasya vacaka = the special word designating him
• pranava = the sacred or mystic syllable, Om.

Sutra 1.28

• tad-japas = repetition of that
• tad-artha-bhavanam = its meaning dwelling in the mind

Patanjali has described isvara-pranidhana as repetition of the syllable “Om” and contemplation of its meaning.

Sutra 1.29

• tatah pratyak-cetana-adhigamo = from that, he acquires inward mindedness
• api-antaraya-abhavas-ca = and also elimination of obstacles

There is some disagreement among translators regarding the first phrase. Here it is taken to mean changing the consciousness, which is usually directed outward, and directing it inward. The second phrase tells us that, along the way to attaining samadhi, isvara-pranidhana helps the yogi to overcome obstacles that may be in his/her path.

The subject of Isvara is deep and wide. It is often interpreted as referring to Saguna Brahman, the universal unity that is central to Advaita Vedanta, which is the dominant philosophy of Hinduism. The Samkhya-Yoga tradition, of which the Yoga Sutras is a part, describes a different type of Isvara. If the reader is not comfortable with Patanjali’s concept of Isvara, it is acceptable to substitute his/her own concept of God. Isvara will be discussed at length elsewhere.