तत्प्रतिषेधार्थमेकतत्वाभ्यासः।।

Patanjal Yoga-Sutra

Samadhipad 32-33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40

पातञ्जल योगसूत्र,

समाधिपाद ३२-३३-३४-३५-३६-३७-३८-३९-४०

--

तत्प्रतिषेधार्थमेकतत्त्वाभ्यासः।।३२।।

(तत् प्रतिषेधार्थं एकतत्त्व-अभ्यासः।।)

कस्य प्रतिषेधार्थं? अन्तरायस्य वा विघ्नानाम्।

The last two Aphorisms (30 and 31) describe the (अन्तराय / विघ्न) -obstacles one comes across while practicing the Yoga.

To remove them one may try the following means:

The first is : एकतत्त्वाभ्यास - ekatattwAbhyAsa

Fixing and Focusing the attention on one single object.

As suggested in the Aphorism 25, This may be the single syllable एकाक्षर ॐ.

The next is : four-fold approach in dealing with the people / the society.

Though everyone is not always happy, sad, noble or ignoble, still at times everyone is liable to go through these phases from time to time.

मैत्री Happy, To have a sense of friendliness  - 

While coming across one who is happy, one may be friendly to him. For such a man has no worry or fear at least for the time being, and will not spoil your mood in any way. 

करुणा Compassion towards the dejected :

We always find such people though we like or not. While coming across any, one should have sympathy and try to understand their sorrow. One may or may not be in a situation to help them, but this will some-how console, help, pacify him.

मुदिता : Rejoice -

To feel happy and to rejoice. While coming across those, who are generous, kind and noble of character, auspicious पुण्यकर्म deeds, one should admire appreciate them and feel happy to be with them.

उपेक्षा : Ignore, To avoid. 

While coming across people or persons not very good (ignoble / inauspicious / पापकर्म) in their character and actions, deeds, arrogant, audacious, agressive, shrewd, cunning, may be highly educated, well-learned, and may have sharp intellect, successful, wealthy and wield power and influence, one should keep a safe distance with them.

This above is the gist of the Aphorism :

मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम्।।३३।।

 (मैत्री-करुणा-मुदिता-उपेक्षाणां सुख-दुःख-पुण्य-अपुण्य-विषयाणां भावनातः चित्तप्रसादनम्।।)

Such an approach in social behavior gives us mental peace and calm. There is yet another way :

प्रच्छर्दनविधारणाभ्यां प्राणस्य।।३४।।

(प्रच्छर्दन-विधारणाभ्यां प्राणस्य।।)

Practicing the regulation and control of the breath, - for breath is life and life is breath. Consciously or unconscious, one breaths the entire life almost effortlessly.

There is a power (प्राण / prANa) that controls the breath, because it is involuntary, though we can control it for a short time - may be a few minutes only. But soon we get exhausted and the power (प्राण / prANa) that is really the life itself, forces the breath to resume and go on its normal mode. One can because of the circumstances, kill oneself or someone else by suffocation and strangulating, in a fit of rage or depression, attempt suicide, that is quite another matter.

The next Aphorism explains the reason :

विषयवती वा प्रवृत्तिरुत्पन्ना मनसः स्थितिनिबन्धिनी।।३५।।

(विषयवती वा प्रवृत्तिः उत्पन्ना मनसः स्थिति-निबन्धिनी।।)

विषयवती - The object-focused state of mind, वा - or प्रवृत्तिः the tendency (of the mind) that उत्पन्ना emerges out time to time forces the mind to  indulge in an activity according to that state of mind.

This tendency is called :

मनसः स्थितिनिबन्धिनी  - that binds the mind with a certain meaningful / senseless activity. In contrast and comparison, when the mind is calm, collected and peaceful, there is a quite  another kind of the light that illuminates the mind.

The same is referred to in the श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता /  Shrimadbhagvad-gita as follows :

प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव।।

न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति।।२२।।

(अध्याय १४, Chapter 14)

This light is referred to here in the next Aphorism as : विशोका -- that makes free from grief, the same is ज्योतिष्मती illuminating, also. 

विशोका वा ज्योतिष्मती।।३६।।

(विशोका वा ज्योतिष्मती।।)

Having contemplated this light that is kind of अन्तर्दृष्टि / insight, one definitely gets stable in the practice of Yoga.

Because as the Sage /  महर्षि Patanjali defines the pure mind (चित्तं) in this next Aphorism :

वीतरागविषयं वा चित्तम्।।३७।।

(वीतरागविषयं वा चित्तम्।)

The pure mind is : which has transcended the objects and also the attachment (राग) to all them. 

स्वप्ननिद्राज्ञानालम्बनं वा।।३८।।

(स्वप्न-निद्रा-अज्ञान-आलम्बनं वा।।)

Another means is to contemplate over the nature of the three kinds of the states of the mind, namely : the waking, the dream and the deep dreamless sleep state.

The three states happen to consciousness or the mind that is pure and as is stated in the last Aphorism :

वीतरागविषयं वा चित्तम्।।

These three however get contaminated by memory that binds the pure mind with these apparent three states and one / ego because of the distorted perception thinks one goes through them.

Awareness of oneself as the underlying Self आत्मन् that is ever so immutable, helps one see, how to have an insight into this Self.

The same is the subject matter of the sacred text the :

माण्डूक्य उपनिषद् / mAnDUkya upaniShad.

The last but not the least important is as is described in the next Aphorism 39 below :

यथाभिमतध्यानाद्वा।।३९।।

(यथा अभिमत ध्यानात् वा) 

There is yet another option. One can think of and meditate about what auspicious form of God, a thought, fascinates, attracts, interests him and one can instantly get peace from it.

An aspirant can try all these and can see for himself what indeed a great a spiritual boon is Yoga.

The reward (फलश्रुति) has been expressed in the following Aphorism :

परमाणु परममहत्त्वान्तोऽस्य वशीकारः।।४०।।

(परमाणु परम-महत्त्व-अन्तः अस्य वशीकारः।।)

This ultimately results in mastery over all  the elements beginning from the महत् / mahat to the innermost core of the very being itself.

To be continued. 

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