वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्।।

Patanjal Yoga-Sutra : Sadhanapada --

33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40.

पातञ्जल योग-सूत्र : साधनपाद --

३३-३४-३५-३६-३७-३८-३९-४०.

योग-सूत्र Aphorisms 29-30-31-32 of साधनपाद / sadhanapad point out : Practicing Yoga implies one has to observe the यम / Yama and नियम / niyama carefully with due care and attention, without negligence, because the old habits pose obstructions in the path to this. Now, before coming upon the next योग-सूत्र / Aphorisms, let us once have a quick look on the Aphorisms 29-30-31-32 :

यमनियमासनप्राणायामप्रत्याहारधारणाध्यान-समाधयोऽष्टावङ्गानि।।२९।।

अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहाः यमाः।।३०।।

जातिदेशकालसमयानवच्छिन्ना सार्वभौम महाव्रतम्।।३१।।

शौचसन्तोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः।।३२।।

Now we should go through the following:

वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्।।३३।।

(वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्।।)

While practicing यमाः / Yama, one may face  obstacles in the form of the old conditioning and thinking habits of the mind, and without examining how they are contrary to the fair and just approach to Yoga one can not have any real progress. These contrary mind-set habits and conditioning are called :

वितर्क / vitarka,

This has been pointed out in the next योग-सूत्र / Aphorism :

वितर्का हिंसादयः कृतकारितानुमोदिता लोभक्रोधमोहपूर्वका मृदुमध्याधिमात्रा दुःखाज्ञानान्तफला इति प्रतिपक्षभावनम् - - -  ।।३४।।

(वितर्काः हिंसा-आदयः कृत-कारिता-अनुमोदिता लोभ-क्रोध-मोहपूर्वकाः मृदु-मध्य-अधिमात्रा दुःख-अज्ञान-अनन्तफलाः इति प्रतिपक्षभावनम्।।)

हिंसा / hinsA - The enmity towards any one is called HinsA / hinsA. This is quite different from "non-violence". There is no हिंसा / hinsA as such in the nature. There are needs and motives and all beings spontaneously follow their धर्म / Dharma only. हिंसा / hinsA happens when you kill because of hostility / enmity to any one. When you are not afraid, you will  not like to die / getting killed, and neither / try to kill anyone unnecessarily. The animals too follow this simple understanding.

So हिंसा / hinsA is because of fear and hatred, while अहिंसा / is the intelligence.

हिंसा / hinsA done by one-self or perpetrated through others is equally forbidden for one who is practicing and following the Yoga. 

अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः।।३५।।

(अहिंसा-प्रतिष्ठायां तत्-सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः।।)

One who has no hatred, fear or enmity and is not agitated in mind, is in a way settled in  अहिंसा / ahinsA and those coming into contact with such a man will give up their sense of hatred and enmity before him. This is called  वैरत्यागः / vairatyAgaH. There are examples of this. Buddha is said to be one.

सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम्।।३६।।

(सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफल-आश्रयत्वम्।।)

One who is established in practicing Truth, knows that सत्य / satya is always Reality only, that is immutable, unchangeable, other than subjective or the objective. So Truth is never the objective nor the subjective Reality, but the One that is always the same irrespective of circumstances, time an and place. Truth is always the consciousness only. Therefore the two aspects of Truth / Reality are being and the knowing. Whatever exists is being only, and whatever exists is known only. Being and Knowing are two aspects of the Reality.  This being is knowing and knowing is being. One who has realized this, can't move away from this Reality by what-so-ever means. This is called  सत्यप्रतिष्ठा / abundance in Truth. क्रियाफल / kriyAphala is कारण / kAraNa / cause, कर्म / karma / action, and the फल / phala or the result / consequence. One who abides in the Truth is free from all cause and effect. The Being and the Knowing are how one can see for himself that this Being and Knowing are the only ever abiding Truth and the Reality.

क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम्  is therefore abiding ever in the perception / understanding that action and the effect are in appearance only and have no impact upon the Reality. Reality is ever so unaffected by the action and the consequence that is but the existence that is phenomenal only. 

अस्तेयप्रतिष्ठायां सर्वरत्नोपस्थानम्।।३७।।

(अस्तेयप्रतिष्ठायां सर्व-रत्न-उपस्थानम्।।)

Sanskrit verb-root √ स्त्यै ('शब्दसंघातयोः' स्त्यायति, स्त्यानं) is used to denote : 'become collected',  stored, coagulated, 'अस्तेय' / asteya implies : theft, something gathered in an unlawful way. Theft is because of greed. 

One who is free from greed through insight follows "अस्तेय" without effort. Providence provides for him whatever is needed to support his well-being. Such a one neither hopes nor fears. 

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता  / Shrimadbhagvadgita :

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते।।

तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्।।२२।।

(अध्याय ९, Stanza 22, Chapter 9)

Those who always think of Me  :

"I am He and He is Me only", I always look after and take care if them".

ब्रह्मचर्यप्रतिष्ठायां वीर्यलाभः।।३८।।

(ब्रह्मचर्य-प्रतिष्ठायां वीर्यलाभः।।)

One who looks upon everything as ब्रह्मन् / the Brahman alone, is said to have settled in the ब्रह्मचर्य / Brahmacharya . According to the  श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता / Shrimadbhagvadgita :

विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि।।

शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः।।१८।।

(अध्याय ५, Stanza 18, Chapter 5)

Such a man is well-settled in :

ब्रह्मचर्य / Brahmacharya,

Therefore attains the merits of fearlessness, valor, courage and other such qualities fit for a brave-one.

अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथन्तासम्बोधः।।३९।।

(अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्म-कथन्ता-सम्बोधः।।)

अपरिग्रह / aparigraha denotes : not gathering anything that is not really needed. This is about all wealth, money, and other things that cause unnecessary worry, anxiety and fear at the same time.

Such a one attains the wisdom that makes him understand what is जन्म / janma / "birth", and how one gets caught with this क्लेश / व्याधि / klesha / vyAdhi, and how one can free one-self from this trouble.

Following strictly and practicing obediently all these 

यम  / Yama

results in the above-stated supernatural and miraculous powers in the aspirant.

The योग-सूत्र ३३ / Aphorism 33 is about नियम / niyama, and will be dealt with in the next post along-with the योग-सूत्र ४० / Aphorisms 40 onwards.

To be continued ...

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