The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Chapter 1 The essence of the entire Yoga Sutras is contained in the first four sutras of the first chapter, telling us everything we need to know to awaken to the divine light within. Here are the first four sutras, as translated by Alistair Shearer: 1.1: And now the teaching on yoga begins. 1.2: Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. 1.3: When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness. Self-realization, the knower of all reality. 1.4: Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind. Our daily activity usually keeps us in delusion and suffering. In the first sutra, And now the teaching on yoga begins, Patanjali is essentially saying, Sit up! Pay attention! You re going to learn something now. Next, he says, Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. This is what we do when we meditate. We engage in yogic practices that allow the mind to quiet and settle down. Only when the mind has settled can we transcend thought and experience our essential nature, which is pure, unbounded consciousness. In everyday life, our essential nature is often overshadowed by our activities, habitual thought patterns, and accumulated physical and emotional toxins that keep us in a state of delusion and suffering. But when the mind settles, we experience the freedom and peace of our true self. Having established the foundation of yoga, in the next sutra, Patanjali introduces the five types of mental activity. 1.5: There are five types of mental activity. They may or may not cause suffering. He is saying that the five forms of mental activity are neutral; whether or not they cause suffering depends on the quality of our consciousness and the choices we make about these thoughts. 1.6 1.12: Patanjali describes the five different mental activities: Understanding accurate knowledge based on direct perception or a reliable source
Misunderstanding delusion from a false impression of reality Imagination thoughts based on images conjured up from words, without substance Sleep mental activity that has as its content the sense of nothingness Memory thoughts of past experiences Patanjali then tells us that mental activity can be settled with yoga, which will establish us in a state of freedom. However, we need to be dedicated and practice consistently for a long period of time. 1.13: The practice of yoga is the commitment to become established in the state of freedom. 1.14: The practice of yoga will be firmly rooted when it is maintained consistently and with dedication over a long period. The spiritual tradition of the Vedas teaches that no effort on a spiritual path and no devotion to the divine is ever wasted. This is important to remember on our own spiritual journey. In sutra 15, Patanjali explains that in order to experience freedom, we need to practice detachment from our personal desires. Ultimately, we find that even the desire to be enlightened or to know God is a form of bondage. 1:15: Freedom is that triumphant state of consciousness that is beyond the influence of desire. The mind ceases to thirst for anything it has seen or heard of; even what is promised in the scriptures. As Patanjali describes in the next sutra, we will experience supreme freedom when we awaken to who we really are. 1:16: And supreme freedom is that complete liberation from the world of change that comes of knowing the unbounded Self. Samadhi Sutras 1:17 1:23 Patanjali tells us that the settled mind is known as samadhi, and he describes four levels or states of samadhi:
Gross level we gain knowledge of physical objects Subtle level we understand the abstract nature of things Bliss we go beyond objects and experience only feelings of bliss Pure I-am-ness we experience only the sattvic ego Patanjali says that these states of samadhi come and go. We may experience these states of samadhi when we re deep in our meditation, and they might last for a few seconds, a few minutes, or longer, but we really have to come down from these elevated states of consciousness to function in the world. However, he reminds us that we can access the state of samadhi; it isn t abstract or beyond the realm of possibilities. We live in a world of infinite possibilities. When we meditate, that s where we go. We take our awareness to the field of infinite possibilities. That field is close at any time, depending on our karma and our level of doubt, confusion, and fear. Those things contract us. Yet when we open to the divine, and when we have this love and devotion, the experience of samadhi can become a very real part of our lives. There are other states of samadhi that Patanjali doesn t discuss, such as sahaja samadhi. This is supposedly the highest state of samadhi, which is quite rare for people to reach. In this state, we experience infinite bliss, peace, and ecstasy in every moment, even when we re involved in our daily activities. Nothing distracts us from the experience of wholeness and perfection. Brahman Sutras 1:24 1:29 1.24 1.26: Patanjali describes Brahman, a divine being representing the state of infinite possibilities and the absolute, beyond space and time, beyond suffering, and free from the cause and effects of action 1.27: He [Brahman] is expressed through the sound of the sacred syllable Om. Let s look at sutra 1:27 in more detail. At some point, Brahman, the absolute, wanted to have an experience. Since experience requires contrast, Brahman had to move within itself to experience itself. This movement created friction, and friction creates sound, so this first sound was in the field of the absolute. However, since the absolute, by definition, is silent, the sound couldn t be contained, and so it was pushed out of the field of pure silence and pure consciousness. That first sound was Om. And then that original primordial sound diversified and became all the sounds and all the vibrations of the universe.
When we repeat the mantra Om, it takes our awareness back to the primordial state. In fact, we can t really repeat the mantra Om, because that sound is always there. It s the sound of the universe. It s the cosmic hum. If you re very quiet and very still, you can sometimes hear that deep hum in the background. That s the sound of Om. It s the absolute becoming manifest, the nonlocal becoming local. Patanjali says to meditate on the mantra Om and, of course, we do that. It s part of our Primordial Sound mantra, Om bija namaha. Obstacles to Progress Sutras 1:30 1:32 Patanjali describes the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing our true, unbounded nature or pure consciousness: Illness Fatigue Doubt Carelessness Laziness Attachment Delusion The first six obstacles all contribute to delusion, which prevents us from reaching and maintaining samadhi. We therefore need to be aware of these obstacles in our lives and focus on eliminating them. We will inevitably get sick from time to time, but we can do our best to stay healthy and avoid getting overtired. When doubts arise, we can witness them and avoid getting swept away by them. We can also take conscious steps to avoid carelessness and laziness. We can practice detachment. All of these intentions and actions will help us prevent the delusion that keeps us from experiencing the peace and love that is our true nature. Bringing Clarity and Serenity to the Mind Sutras 1.33 1.39
Patanjali describes how to eliminate the obstacles that prevent us from experiencing our true self. The key is to cultivate the qualities of the heart, which helps the mind become clear and serene. Here are the qualities of the heart: Friendliness towards the joyful celebrate other people s successes rather than being envious Compassion towards the suffering let go of judging others for their hardships and help them when we can Delight towards the pure or virtuous appreciate the virtuous qualities in others and try to cultivate them in our own lives Impartiality towards the impure rather than letting our anger and judgments of people who commit wrongdoing destroy our peace of mind, practice detachment Patanjali also describes other ways to cultivate a clear, serene mind, including: Various breathing exercises (practicing pranayama) Experiences of finer levels of the senses (cultivating higher states of consciousness) Experiences of inner radiance, free from sorrow (cultivating the light of awareness) Being attuned to another mind that is unperturbed by desire (such as studying with a great teacher, a guru, or an enlightened master of samadhi) Witnessing sleep and dreaming (cultivating a witnessing awareness) Practicing any meditation that is held in esteem (the practice of Primordial Sound Meditation is one way to help us step out of suffering and delusion) Further Details About Samadhi Sutras 1.40 1.51 In these sutras, Patanjali gives us a more detailed description of samadhi, or the different levels of mental absorption.
1.40: The sovereignty of the mind that is settled, extends from the smallest of the small to the greatest of the great. Patanjali tells us here that when we go to the deepest, most refined level of awareness, that is the most powerful and wonderful place to be. 1.47: But on the refinement of the fourth state of absorption, there is the dawning of the spiritual light of the Self. In this sutra and the rest of this chapter, Patanjali describes the most refined state of samadhi, where all delusion dissolves and we experience the truth of consciousness. This state is known as ritambhara samadhi, which is the realization of the truth. This isn t the truth we seek in books or study. We can only access this level of truth by going beyond the mind. It is the truth of knowingness. Finally, Patanjali tells us that when even the latent impressions of ritambhara have been brought to a settled state, then all activities cease and nirbija samadhi, the unbounded consciousness of the self, is all that remains. Patanjali tells us that eventually we move beyond everything into this state of unbounded consciousness.