Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 26

Meditate on the sun to know about the world

Bhuvana Jnanam Surye Samyamath|

By doing meditation on the sun without in its rising and setting or on the solar energy channel that flows in and out through the right nostril, the yogi gains an understanding of the functioning of the Earth and the different worlds of consciousness in and above the earth plane. These secrets are not for boasting, but to gain a wholesome understanding about the world we live in. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 25

Clairvoyance and hidden secrets

Pravrithyalokanyasat Sukshmavyavahita Viprakrishta Jnanam|

The mind is constantly engaged in activities called thoughts. When these thoughts cease to be influenced by the sense objects of the world through the sense organs, they become internalised contemplations. When such a powerful thought is happening and one practices Samyama on that then, it begins to reveal subtle secrets of the world outside and in the consciousness within. This also gives the mind the power to view events and situations happening in distant lands too. The supra-physical apprehension of the mind is a direct result of many types of Sadhana. – SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 24

Gaining power

Maitryadishu Balani

Earlier Patanjali Maharshi explained the qualities such as practice of Maitri Karuna Mudita and Upeksha for Sukha, Dukha, Punya and Apunya respectively. Be friendly towards those who mean well, show compassion towards those who are sorrowful, express happiness towards those who do good deeds and indifference to those who trouble us. Meditating on these qualities make the mind strong and steady. This is the mental attitude to be taken towards these kinds of people. Qualities such as competitiveness, jealousy, hatred, anger and untruthfulness can fritter away our mental energies and leave us without any peace of mind. – SS.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – 23

Watch what you do

Sopakramam nirupakramam cha karma tatsamyamadaparantha jnanam arishtebhyaha||

We are all the time doing actions. When we bring our mind’s attention to the actions that are happening within the body and the actions performed with the body, the results produced by those actions and our response to them, there is a subtle knowledge that is generated about the functions of the body. This meditative observation will also reveal to us the latent experience and actions that we may go through in the future.

This knowledge in due course of time will reveal to us the time of death through signs and omens. These siddhis need not be specially practised. They are a natural result of a slow, meditative, aware and experiential living. – SS

Patanjali Yoga SUTRA – II – 22

 Same for the other senses too

Etena Shabdaadi Antardanam Uktam|

By the same process mentioned in the previous sutra, one can meditate on one’s own experiences of sound, taste, smell and touch. When the focus is brought to the vibrations caused in the mind, the disconnection with the outside source soon makes us disconnect with all the sounds, taste, touch and smell. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 21

 The Invisible Man

Kaya Rupa Samyamath Tadagrahya Shakti Sthambhe Chakshuh Prakasha Samprayoge Antardhanam|

When the yogi is meditating on his own body first with eyes open, either seeing the form in the mirror or seeing directly and then with the eyes closed, bringing the form to the mind’s eye – it soon dissolves in consciousness. With constant practice, the consciousness of a physical form vanishes for the Sadhaka. This invisibility of the body experienced by oneself, with constant practice, will soon begin to influence other minds too and they also experience that invisibility. The aim of this practice is to simply transcend body consciousness and not make any H.G. Wells science fiction attempt of becoming invisible! No separate time needs to be set apart for this too. Each day we do take a look at the mirror to set ourselves right. Instead of getting lost in the image in the mirror, we can take a few seconds to keep the eyes closed and see that the form is actually not there! – SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 20

No general images can be known

Na cha tat salambanam tasyavishayi bhutathwath|

Continuing from the previous Sutra, Patanjali Maharshi says that while knowing the general repetition of thoughts and emotions can reveal only a general nature of another’s mind, it is not possible to know all the specific thoughts as even the other person’s mind has not full grasped the specific details. There is hence an objectless state of existence for such thoughts.

For instance, a person’s anger, hatred and jealousy can be easily seen as a repeated thought as it has an object to focus on. Without such an object, the general thoughts of another’s mind cannot be understood. If I am angry with someone it is easy for the one who knows this anger movement. If I am contemplating on the nature of human life, then it is very difficult as it is a general idea.
To know another”s mind is to know the contents of one”s own mind. Then it is worth the effort to know only the mind of God and the saints. Staying in tune with the repeated thought of the Lord or the Guru, uplifts us to their heights. Tuning in to ordinary minds with their ego< hatred and greed drags us down -  SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 19

Knowing the mind better

Pratyayasya Parachitta Jnanam

When the Sadhaka perceives the repeated flow of thoughts, he gets a knowledge of what is going on in another personn’s mind. What is going on in our mind when we are in a group or with another person, reveals what is oing on in the other mind too. This is not to jump into the dirty job of reading others’ minds. No respectful yogi would risk his sadhana by indulging in such wastage of mental energy. Patanjali Maharshi outlines the process of how the mind works and this knowledge can be applied in uplifting ourselves from difficult situations and helping others who approach us for guidance. – SS.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 18

Watching your impressions

Samskara Sakshathkaranath Purva Jati Jnanam|

By constantly watching one’s own Samskara or deep thought impressions, the Yogi gets to know one’s own past birth or lives. By focussing on our own Samskaras, the perception soon extends to a similar knowledge about others’ past lives too.

What one has been constantly thinking in a lifetime gets stored as a Samskara or a deep thought impression. Our past actions gave  us our Samskaras or impressions that govern the present life and our present Samskaras or thought formations that we make will govern our future life or lifetimes. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 17

Separate the sound, form and meaning

Shabdartha Pratyayanam Itaretaradhyasath Sankaram Tatpravibhagasamyamath Sarva Bhoootha Rupa Jnanam

Every object, person or creature has three things in them. They have a name, a form and together they generate an idea in the mind of the perceiver. For instance – take a guava fruit. It has a name – Guava which is a sound vibration. It has an almost round shape and is either green, yellow or a mixed colour. It brings up many ideas in the mind – sweet, sour, seeds that can get caught between the teeth – the ideas are different according to our different preferences and past experiences with the fruit.

This practice of samyama which Patanjali Maharshi tells us to do is to meditate on the word of an object alone, on its form alone or the idea it brings to our mind separately. Usually, there is a confusion born out of a natural superimposition of the name, form and our ideas.

This practice when done constantly gives rise to a knowledge of the sounds produced by humans, animals and even inert objects which are constantly communicating through sound vibrations. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 16

Powers of yogic practice

Parinama Thraya Samyamath Ateeto Anagata Jnanam

By the union of the three states of the mind – Dharma or its basic nature, Lakshana or its quality and Avastha or its state, the Yogi is able to know the past and the future.

 Samyama means Samyak Yamayati or in good control, Whether it is in a state of nirodha or arrested thoughts, when it is throroughly concentrated or in Samadhi where the mind is totally absorbed, the one who practises Samyama brings his awareness to the state of mind. Such a practitioner is able to easily look into the past history of a situation or person and into the future too. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra – III – 15

It all happens in a sequence

Kramaanyatwam Parinamanyatve Hetuhu

The Chitta or mind keeps constantly transforming itself. The transformation is faster when there is practice and is slow, taking even lifetimes, without practice. The reality however is that, constant change is happening. The change in one state of the Chitta leads to the changes in the next. It is a continuous process that goes back and forth endlessly. – SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III - 14

The qualities and their substratum

Shantoditaavyapadeshya Dharmanupaati Dharmi|

Born out of a quiet mind, the qualities of the subcoscious mind follow a nature of their own, which is in tune with the changeless sustratum called the self. Dharma is the quality and Dharmi is the substratum. Heat is the Dharma of fire and fire is the Dharmi of heat. When the chitta becomes Satwic, it is well established in the Dharmi or the Atman, which is the changeless substratum that has witnessed all the changes of babyhood, childhood, youth, adoloscence, middle age and later old age.- SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III - 13

What is within changes without too

Etena Bhutendriyeshu Dharma Lakshanaavastha Parinamaha Vyakhyathaha|

When the mind is modified through constant practice of the Yama, Niyama, Asana Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi into three states - Samadhi, an experience of dense consciousness, one-pointedness of mind and a cessation of thoughts, the functioning of the sense organse are also transformed.
What happens within is also expressed outside as Dharma, Lakshana and Avastha. With the mental transformation, the sense organs of perception and action also function according to thair dharma or nature and not according to the whims and fancies of the mind. They gain a proper definition of purpose and hence do not go astray. They are well settled in their own positions, contente to be where they are. There is no unchecked desire of its own to be fulfilled. They quieten down their role and obey the wisdom of the intellect-supported mind. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra III - 12

All thoughts become one thought

Tatah Punaha Shantauditau Tulya Pratyayau Chittasyaikagrataparimanaha||

The next step in transformation of the mind is Ekagrata Chitta. The sub-conscious mind will become one-pointed with constant practice. In the earlier Sutra, Sri Patanjali says that there is an alternating of one good thought with a series of distractive thoughts. With practice of concentration on the one uplifting thought of a divine image or a mantra, that thought is very strong and even when that subsides, the other thought that rises is also the same uplifting thought. So this Sutra outlines the process of what happens step-by-step in meditation. - SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III - 11

A mind game all the way

Sarvarthathaikagrathayoho Kshayaudayau Chittasya Samadhi Parinamaaha||

The Chitta is your sub-conscious mind which is a repository of millions of thought impressions that it has encountered through countless births. The moment you sit for meditation and try to make the mind one-pointed, all the other impressions will try to break loose and distract the mind into mindless pieces. But with consistent effort, it will again become one-pointed. So the play of one-pointedness and multi-pronged thoughts will continue until the practice deepens and the mind is able to gather itself completely and be firmly established. This is the mind game that we are all up to. Just like the little boy when told to sit down to study, would want to go to the toilet, then close the window, then switch on the fan and then sit down, open the book to hopefully study! this mind plays around like a little kid in the initial stages of meditation.
- SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra III - 10

तस्य  परशान्त वाहित  संस्कारात् 

Tasya Prashanta Vahita Samskarath||

When the mind is stilled and quietened by restraint, it flows quietly like a river due to constant practice. At this stage, when the mind flows with a unified thought, no other disturbance can affect it. Samskara means to cleanse, purify and make good something. You take a stone and do enough Samskara to it and becomes a polished statue. In the same way, with constant practice of Vairagya - dispassion, the mind ceases to go behind likes and dislikes and flows with unity. Ramana Maharishi compares such a mind to a fall of melted ghee which is smooth and uninterrupted as it is viscous. Long periods of observation and training brings out this transformation.
- SS

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III - 9



Vyuthana Nirodha Samskarayorabhibhavapradurbhavau Nirodhakshanacchittanvayo Nirodha Parinamaha||

व्युत्थाननिरोधसम्स्करयोरभिभावप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधाक्षनाच्चित्थान्वयो  निरोधपरिणामः 

The mind is fundamentally energy. It performs two types of actions - Vyuthana and Nirodha. Vedanta explains these two qualities of the mind as the Vikshepa and Avarana shakti of maya. Nirodha is like drawing   a circumference and Vyuthana is to project and throw thoughts, words and actions from the centre. The job of the circumference is like a fielder in cricket who prevents the ball from crossing the boundary. In a constant process of projecting from the centre and compressing from the circumference, the mind is transformed into a steady state of Nirodha or stillness. Another example - you have seen people at home or in hotels making dough for rotis - the flour is the mind and water is the vyuthana shakti. It is used in the motion of mixing, churning and rotating the flour evenly. Around the vessel, one hand keeps pushing all the dry flour into the watery content. At the end of this process, the flour and water join well to form a steady dough. That is Nirodha. Samskara means a constant and conscious action that creates a positive transformation of the object on which it is applied and in this case, it is the mind. It attains the primary requirement of a steady and controlled state if it has to be applied for any useful venture.
- SS.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III - 8

तदआपि बहिरंगम निर्बीजस्य
Even that is without

Even the earlier three states of concentration, meditation and merging with the object of meditation - Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are only an outward act when compared to Nirbeeja Samadhi - the absorbtion of the mind into a seedless state or a space in awareness where the seeds of thought even cease to exist, except the thought of "I Am," Seeds can survive only a little below the surface to have a possibility of sprouting.
- S.S.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - III VI

Trayam Antarangam Purvebhyaha

The three paths of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are classified as inner Sadhana.
We see many things in this world, made of names and forms. They create reactions in our mind too. So the names, forms and reactions, ultimately leave corresponding impressions in the chittam or the sub-conscious storehouse of memories. The impressions totally belong to us, though they have come from without.
It is a totally internal sadhana to meditate upon the self within upon which these impressions are super-imposed, just as a movie is projected on a white screen.
Dharana is steady concentration on the self. Dhyana is a contemplative meditation which is much more relaxed and softer than Dharana. Samadhi is a total absorbption in that self. All these are happening within the individual's mind and hence together, they become an antaranga sadhana. In short, you can practice these three and no one will ever know!
- Swahilya Shambhavi.