Patanjali Yoga Sutra - 2:3

The five impurities

Avidya Asmita Raga Dwesha Abhiniveshaha Kleshaha

Sutra 2 spoke of the need to do any three parts of Kriya Yoga or the Yoga of Action - Penance, Self-Study and Surrender to the Supreme for achieving a state of Samadhi and to remove impurities. This Sutra outlines the impurities. Patanjali lists five types of impurities of the mind. The first is Avidya or lack of knowledge and right understanding of the one consciousness. The second impurity is Asmita. Asmi means "I am". Asmita is an assertion of myself as the physical ego. Asmita is born of Avidya. Lack of knowledge of the real self which is consciousness leads to an erroneous and arrogant perception of oneself as intelligent, or stupid, rich or poor, handsome or ugly - all the differences. Raga is attachment born out of ego. If I like myself so much, I like to surround myself with people, things and situations that I like. My mind goes berserk in this search and loses its stability. This loss of balance is the impurity or klesha that can be fixed by Kriya Yoga. Dwesha is selective dislike and hatred. If there is a type of food I like, there is a certain thing I may hate. Same with persons, places, things and happenings. This hatred is a mental impurity.

Abhinivesha is the human nature of holding on to life. This is an impurity and impurity here is not the common understanding of uncleanliness but of something that distorts our perception or vision. When I cling on to life, I may do a lot of things that can disturb the balance of mind. Clinging to life means running away from death. Fear, born as a result of Abhinivesha is the greatest destroyer of clear perception. A clear and stable mind allows awareness to shine through. These five impurities don't let that happen. - Swahilya Shambhavi.

(Photo: Patanjali gives even my shaky pictures a chance to be here! This is Pranayama at the Robinson Park in Old Washermenpet, Chennai. The picture is here on account of its shake. To show how a balance of mind and body can result in a distorted perception!)

Patanjali Yoga Sutra - 30/31

Obstacles on the path
and their symptoms

Vyadhi-Styana-Samsyhaya-Pramada-Aalasya-Avirati-
Bhrantidarshana-Alabdha Bhumikatwa Anavasthitathwani
Chitta Vikshepaha Te Antaraya ha
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Dukha Daurmanasya Angamejayathwa Shwasaprashwasaha
Vikshepa Saha Bhuvaha

There are nine obstacles on the path of the unity of the divided individual mind with the one undivided consciousness. The nine impediments can happen to block the success of any work that we undertake - in this context - Yoga or union. In fact, success in anything is ultimately a union with the goal - success for an athelete is union with the gold medal, success for a writer is union with his or her published work and likewise, success in Yoga is realising permanently the one consciousness.

The nine impediments are Vyadhi - disease, styana - sluggishness, a sudden drop in interest towards pursuing a goal or target, Pramada - the "I know it all," or "Been there done that," attitude which stalls the way for further experience, Aalasya - a lazy and nonchalant posture, Avirati - an extraordinary interest in pursuing the pleasures of the sense organs, be it in food, sex, music, reading or interacting with people that is pleasurable to the five senses of sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch - rather getting lost in them, Bhrantidarshana - hallucinations, illusions or seeing and hearing what is not there. For instance, seeing a white shirt in a dark room and thinking it is a ghost is Bhranti Darshana, or being out of tune with the reality.

Alabdha Bhumikathwa is the inability to sustain the moments of truth reached through contemplation - a frequent fall from the glimpse of the one pervading consciousness to the world of dualities, Anavasthitathwani - an inability to remain in one state of mind for long and being in an agitated frame of thought. Chitta Vikshepa is a scattered mind - one part of the mind wants an ice cream, another part wants to run to a bookshop, another to a movie and yet another part to the disco - pieces of mind, rather than peace of mind!

The presence of these nine obstacles will be revealed by either one or all four of the symptoms enumerated in the next Sutra. Patanjali lists them as Dukha - sorrow or sadness, Daurmanasya - a depressed state of mind or a negative shut down mode of the mind commonly referred to as a bad mood, Angamejayathwa or restlessness of the body, fidgeting, unsettled running around and Shwasaprashwasaha - Irregular and often shallow breathing. These four are signs of a scattered state of mind.

(Picture: Sage Patanjali who is rather filling my consciousness these days, author of the Yoga Sutras) - Swahilya Shambhavi (swahilya.soulmate@gmail.com)
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