Portion of Yoga-Sūtras
Kaivalya Pāda
themes:
unlimitedness, experience of absoluteness, cosmic root
synopsis:
talks about the experience of absoluteness, which is also classified as unlimitedness
aim of this portion -- recognize the cosmic root that is without qualities or conditions, while realizing the quality of kevala is called kaivalya
Portion on Absoluteness
Janmauṣadhi mantra tapaḥ samādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ.
Jātyantarapariṇāmaḥ prakṛtyāpūrāt.
Nimittam aprayojakam prakṛtīnām varaṇabhedastu tataḥ kṣetrikavat.
Nirmāṇa cittānyasmitāmātrāt.
Pravṛttibhede prayojakam cittamekamanekeṣām.
Tatra dhyānajam anāśayaṃ.
Karmāśuklākṛṣṇam yoginastrividhamitareṇām.
Tatastadvipākānuguṇānāmevābhivyaktirvāsanānām.
Jāti deśa kāla vyavahitānām apyānantaryam smṛti saṃskārayorekarūpatvāt.
Tāsāmanāditvam cāśiṣo nityatvāt.
Heat phalāśrayālambanaiḥ saṃgṛhītatvādeṣāmabhāve tadabhāvaḥ.
Atītānāgatam svarūpato’styadhvabhedāddharmāṇām.
Te vyaktasūkṣmāḥ guṇātmānaḥ.
Pariṇām aikatvādvastutattvam.
Vastusāmye città bhedāta tayorvibhaktaH panthāḥ.
Na caika citta tantram fastu tad apramāṇakam tadā kim syāt?
Taduparāgāpekṣitvāccittasya vasta jñātājñātaṃ.
Sadā jñātāścittavṛttayastatprabhoH puruṣasyāpariṇānitvāt.
Na tat svābāsam dṛśyatvāt.
Ekasamaye cobhayānavadhāraṇaṃ.
Cittāntara dṛśye buddhibuddheratiprasaṇgaḥ smṛtisaṃkaraśca.
Citerapratisaṃkramāyāstadākārāpattau svabuddhisaṃvedanam.
Draṣṭṛ dṛśyoparaktam citato sarvārtham.
Tad asaṃkhyeyavāsanābhiścittamapi parārtham saṃhatyakāritvāt.
Viśeṣadarśina ātmabhāva bhāvanā vinivṛttiḥ.
Tadā hi vivekanimnam kaivalya prāgbhāram cittam.
Tacchidreṣu pratyayāntarāṇi saṃskārebhyaḥ.
Hānameṣām kleśavaduktaṃ.
Prasaṃkhyāne’pyakusīdasya sarvathā viveka khyāterdharmameghaH samādhiḥ.
Tataḥ kleśa karma nivṛttiḥ.
Tadā sarvāvaraṇamalāpetasya jñānasyānantyājjñeyamalpam.
Tataḥ kṛtārthānām pariṇāmakramasamāptirguṇānām.
Kṣaṇapratiyogī pariṇāmāparāntanirgrāhyaḥ kramaḥ.
Puruṣārthaśūnyānām guṇānām pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyam svarūpa pratiṣṭhā vā citiśakter iti.
Siddhis are born of practices performed in previous births, or by herbs, mantra repetition, asceticism or by samādhi.
The transformation of one species into another is brought about by the inflow of Nature.
Incidental events do not directly cause natural evolution; they just remove the obstacles as a farmer [removes the obstacles in the water course running to the field].
A Yogi’s ego sense alone is the cause of [other] artificially created minds.
Although the functions in the many created minds may differ, the original mind-stuff of the Yogi us the director of them all.
Only the minds born of meditation are free from karmic impressions.
The actions of the Yogi are neither white [good] nor black [bad]; but the actions of others are of three kinds: good, bad and mixed.
Of these [actions], only those vasanas (subconscious impressions) of which there are favorable conditions for producing their fruits will manifest in a particular birth.
Although desires are separated from their fulfillments by class, space and time, they have an uninterrupted relationship because the impressions [of desires] and memories of them are identical.
Since the desire to live is eternal, impressions are also beginning less.
The impressions being held together cause, effect, basis and support, they disappear with the disappearance of these four.
The past and future exist in the real form of objects which manifest due to differences in the conditions of their characteristics.
Whether manifested or subtle, these characteristics belong to the nature of the guṇas.
The reality of things is due to the uniformity of the guṇas’ transformations.
Due to differences in various minds, perception of even the same object may vary.
Nor does an object’s existence depend upon a single mind, for if it did, what would become of that object when that mind did not perceive it?
An object is known or unknown dependent on whether or not the mind gets colored by it.
Due to Its changelessness, changes in the mind-stuff are always known to the Puruṣa, who is its master.
The mind-stuff is not self-luminous because it is an object of perception by the Puruṣa.
The mind-stuff cannot perceive both subject and object simultaneously [which proves it is not self-luminous].
If the perception of one mind by another mind be postulated, we would have to assume an endless number of them and the result would be confusion of memory.
The consciousness of the Puruṣa is unchangeable; by getting the reflection of it, the mind-stuff becomes conscious of the Self.
The mind-stuff, when colored by both Seer and seen, understands everything.
Though having countless desires, the mind-stuff exists for the sake of another [the Puruṣa] because it can act only in associate with It.
To one who see the distinction between the mind and the Ātman, thoughts of mind as the Ātman cease forever.
Then the mind-stuff is inclined toward discrimination and gravitates toward Absoluteness.
In-between, distraction thoughts may arise due to past impressions.
They can be removed, as in the case of the obstacles explained before.
One who, due to his or her perfect discrimination, is totally disinterested even in the highest rewards, remains in the constant descriptive discernment, which is called dharmamegha (cloud of dharma) samādhi. [Note: the meaning of dharma includes virtue, justice, law, duty, morality, religion, religious merit and steadfast decree.]
From that samādhi all afflictions and karmas cease.
Then all the coverings and impurities of knowledge are totally removed. Because of the infinity of this knowledge, what remains to be known is almost nothing.
Then the guṇas terminate their sequence of transformations because they have fulfilled their purpose.
The sequence [referred to above] means an uninterrupted succession of moments which can be recognized at the end go their transformations.
Thus, the supreme state of Independence manifests while the guṇas reabsorb themselves into Prakṛti, having no more purpose to serve the Puruṣa. Or [to look from another angle] the power of pure consciousness settles in its own pure nature.