योगसूत्र
196 aphorisms defining the 8-limbed path of yoga — from ethical restraints to samadhi.
अथ योगानुशासनम्
atha yogānuśāsanam
Now, the discipline of yoga is presented.
Commentary
The word 'atha' means 'now' — implying readiness. Yoga begins when you are ready. Patanjali doesn't persuade; he states. If you're ready, here is the path.
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
Commentary
The defining sutra of yoga. Yoga is not exercise — it is the stilling of the mind so that the seer rests in their own nature. When thoughts stop, you see reality as it is.
तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम्
tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe 'vasthānam ||
Then the seer abides in their own true nature.
Commentary
When the mind is still, you don't become something new — you return to what you always were. The seer (drashta) rests in their own form (svarupa). This is moksha.
वृत्तिसारूप्यमितरत्र
vṛtti-sārūpyam itaratra ||
At other times, the seer identifies with the fluctuations of the mind.
Commentary
When you're not in yoga, you mistake your thoughts for yourself. You think 'I am angry' instead of 'anger is passing through me.' Identification with thoughts is bondage; detachment is liberation.
अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः
abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṁ tan-nirodhaḥ ||
The cessation of mind-fluctuations is achieved through practice and detachment.
Commentary
Patanjali gives two tools: Abhyasa (consistent practice) and Vairagya (letting go). You need both — practice without detachment becomes attachment; detachment without practice becomes laziness.
ईश्वरप्रणिधानाद्वा
īśvara-praṇidhānād vā ||
Or samadhi is attained through surrender to God.
Commentary
Patanjali offers a shortcut. You can reach samadhi through years of practice — or through complete surrender to God. The path of devotion (bhakti) is acknowledged even in this technical yoga text.
यमनियमासनप्राणायामप्रत्याहारधाराणध्यानसमाधयोऽष्टावङ्गानि
yama-niyama-āsana-prāṇāyāma-pratyāhāra-dhāraṇā-dhyāna-samādhayo 'ṣṭāv aṅgāni
Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi — these are the eight limbs of yoga.
Commentary
The Ashtanga (eight-limbed) path. Most people only know Asana (postures). But yoga is ethics (yama/niyama), breath (pranayama), withdrawal (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and absorption (samadhi). Asana is just step 3 of 8.
अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः
ahiṁsā-satya-asteya-brahmacarya-aparigrahā yamāḥ ||
Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, and non-possessiveness — these are the five yamas.
Commentary
The ethical foundation of yoga. Ahimsa (non-violence) comes first — not just physical, but mental. Don't harm anyone in thought, word, or deed. This is the moral bedrock of Sanatan Dharma.
स्थिरसुखमासनम्
sthira-sukham āsanam ||
The posture should be steady and comfortable.
Commentary
Patanjali's definition of asana in two words: sthira (steady) and sukha (comfortable). Not painful, not restless. If you can sit still and comfortable, you've mastered asana. No headstands required.
देशबन्धः चित्तस्य धारणा
deśa-bandhaḥ cittasya dhāraṇā ||
Dharana is the binding of the mind to one place.
Commentary
Concentration — the sixth limb. Fix the mind on one point: a candle flame, the breath, a mantra. The mind is a monkey; dharana is the chain.
तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम्
tatra pratyaya-ekatānatā dhyānam ||
Dhyana is the continuous flow of cognition toward that same object.
Commentary
Meditation — the seventh limb. When concentration (dharana) becomes unbroken, it becomes meditation (dhyana). The stream of awareness flows without interruption. One-pointed becomes no-pointed.
तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिव समाधिः
tad eva artha-mātra-nirbhāsaṁ svarūpa-śūnyam iva samādhiḥ ||
When only the essence of the object shines forth, as if devoid of its own form, that is samadhi.
Commentary
Absorption — the eighth and final limb. In samadhi, the meditator disappears. Only the object of meditation remains. The subject-object duality dissolves. This is the goal of all yoga.
वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः
vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ ||
The mind-fluctuations are five-fold, and they are either painful or not painful.
Commentary
Patanjali classifies all mental activity into five categories — right knowledge, wrong knowledge, imagination, sleep, and memory. Each can be a source of suffering or freedom, depending on your relationship to it.
प्रमाणविपर्ययविकल्पनिद्रास्मृतयः
pramāṇa-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrā-smṛtayaḥ ||
The five fluctuations are: right knowledge, misconception, verbal delusion, sleep, and memory.
Commentary
The complete map of the mind. Pramana (direct perception, inference, testimony), viparyaya (error), vikalpa (fantasy), nidra (sleep), smriti (memory). Every moment of consciousness fits into one of these five.
स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः
sa tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkāra-āsevito dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ ||
Practice becomes firmly grounded when continued for a long time, without interruption, and with earnest devotion.
Commentary
Three conditions for success in yoga: long time (years, not weeks), without interruption (daily, not when convenient), and with devotion (not mechanically). This applies to any practice — meditation, music, art, anything worth mastering.
दृष्टानुश्रविकविषयवितृष्णस्य वशीकारसंज्ञा वैराग्यम्
dṛṣṭānuśravika-viṣaya-vitṛṣṇasya vaśīkāra-saṁjñā vairāgyam ||
Detachment is the mastery of one who has no thirst for objects seen or heard about.
Commentary
Vairagya is not rejection of the world — it is freedom from craving. You can enjoy without clinging. The sage sees, hears, experiences — but doesn't grasp. This is the supreme freedom.
तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः
tasya vācakaḥ praṇavaḥ ||
His expression is the sacred syllable Om (Pranava).
Commentary
Ishvara (God) is expressed through Om. The sound of the universe, the primordial vibration. Chanting Om connects the individual consciousness to the cosmic consciousness. Every tradition has its sacred sound — Om is the original.
तज्जपस्तदर्थभावनम्
taj-japas tad-artha-bhāvanam ||
One should repeat it (Om) and meditate on its meaning.
Commentary
Japa (repetition) of Om with understanding of its meaning — this is the practice. Not mechanical repetition, but contemplative repetition. Each repetition should deepen your understanding of what Om represents.
व्याधिस्त्यानसंशयप्रमादालस्याविरतिभ्रान्तिदर्शनालब्धभूमिकत्वानवस्थितत्वानि चित्तविक्षेपास्तेऽन्तरायाः
vyādhi-styāna-saṁśaya-pramāda-ālasyāvirati-bhrānti-darśana-alabdha-bhūmikatva-anasthitatvāni citta-vikṣepās te 'ntarāyāḥ ||
Disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground, and slipping from ground gained — these distractions of the mind are the obstacles.
Commentary
Patanjali lists 9 obstacles to yoga with brutal honesty. Disease, mental laziness, doubt, carelessness, craving, delusion, false progress, inability to hold gains, and regression. Every meditator faces these. Naming them is the first step to overcoming them.
मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम्
maitrī-karuṇā-muditopekṣāṇāṁ sukha-duḥkha-puṇyāpuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaś citta-prasādanam ||
By cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion toward the suffering, joy toward the virtuous, and equanimity toward the wicked, the mind becomes purified and serene.
Commentary
Patanjali's formula for mental peace in one verse. Four attitudes for four situations: be friendly to happy people (don't envy), compassionate to suffering people (don't avoid), joyful for the virtuous (don't be jealous), and equanimous toward the wicked (don't hate). This single sutra can transform your entire life.
तपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः
tapas-svādhyāya-īśvara-praṇidhānāni kriyā-yogaḥ ||
Austerity, self-study, and surrender to God constitute Kriya Yoga (the yoga of action).
Commentary
Kriya Yoga — the practical path. Tapas (discipline, burning impurities), Svadhyaya (study of scriptures and self-reflection), Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to God). These three purify body, mind, and soul. Simple, complete, actionable.
समाधिभावनार्थः क्लेशतनूकरणार्थश्च
samādhi-bhāvanārthaḥ kleśa-tanū-karaṇārthaś ca ||
Its purpose is to cultivate samadhi and to weaken the kleshas (afflictions).
Commentary
Two purposes of Kriya Yoga: build toward samadhi AND weaken the five kleshas (ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, clinging to life). You can't just meditate — you must also remove the obstacles.
अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः
avidyā-asmitā-rāga-dveṣa-abhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ ||
The five kleshas are: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life.
Commentary
The five root causes of all suffering. Avidya (ignorance of the true self) is the root — the other four grow from it. Asmita (I-am-ness), Raga (attachment to pleasure), Dvesha (aversion to pain), Abhinivesha (fear of death). Remove ignorance and the rest fall away.
सुखानुशयी रागः
sukhānuśayī rāgaḥ ||
Attachment is that which follows the experience of pleasure.
Commentary
When you experience pleasure, the mind says 'I want this again.' That wanting is raga. Not the pleasure itself — the clinging to it. Pleasure is natural; attachment to pleasure is the trap.
दुःखानुशयी द्वेषः
duḥkhānuśayī dveṣaḥ ||
Aversion is that which follows the experience of pain.
Commentary
The mirror of attachment. When you experience pain, the mind says 'never again.' That avoidance is dvesha. Both raga and dvesha are reactions to past experiences — they keep you trapped in the past instead of living in the present.
ध्यानहेयास्तद्वृत्तयः
dhyāna-heyās tad-vṛttayaḥ ||
Their active fluctuations are to be destroyed through meditation.
Commentary
The kleshas manifest as mental patterns (vrittis). These patterns are destroyed through meditation — not through willpower, not through avoidance, but through the steady light of awareness. Meditation is the solvent for all afflictions.
सति मूले तद्विपाको जात्यायुर्भोगाः
sati mūle tad-vipāko jāty-āyur-bhogāḥ ||
As long as the root (karma) exists, it manifests as birth, lifespan, and experiences.
Commentary
Karma determines three things: what kind of body you get (jati), how long you live (ayur), and what you experience (bhoga). The seeds of karma are in the subconscious — they sprout when conditions are right. This is why some people are born into suffering and others into ease.
योगाङ्गानुष्ठानादशुद्धिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिराविवेकख्यातेः
yogāṅga-anuṣṭhānād aśuddhi-kṣaye jñāna-dīptir āviveka-khyāteḥ ||
By the practice of the limbs of yoga, impurities are destroyed and the light of knowledge shines forth, leading to discriminative wisdom.
Commentary
The result of practicing all eight limbs: impurities dissolve, knowledge dawns, and viveka (discriminative wisdom) arises. You can finally see the difference between what is real and what is illusion. This is the fruit of yoga — not flexibility, but clarity.
त्रयमेकत्र संयमः
trayam ekatra saṁyamaḥ ||
When these three (dharana, dhyana, samadhi) are applied to one object, that is called Samyama.
Commentary
When concentration, meditation, and absorption are directed at one object sequentially, it becomes Samyama — the most powerful tool in yoga. Through Samyama, the yogi gains knowledge and powers (siddhis) related to whatever they focus on.
व्युत्थाननिरोधसंस्कारयोरभिभवप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधक्षणचित्तान्वयो निरोधपरिणामः
vyutthāna-nirodha-saṁskārayor abhibhava-prādurbhāvau nirodha-kṣaṇa-cittānvayo nirodha-pariṇāmaḥ ||
The transformation toward cessation occurs when the impressions of rising thought are suppressed and the impression of cessation appears in the mind.
Commentary
The moment of transformation: when one thought-wave subsides and the mind becomes momentarily still, that gap is nirodha-parinama. The yogi learns to extend that gap until it becomes the default state. This is how samadhi develops — one gap at a time.
सर्वार्थतैकाग्रतयोः क्षयोदयौ चित्तस्य समाधिपरिणामः
sarvārthatā-ekāgratayoḥ kṣayodayau cittasya samādhi-pariṇāmaḥ ||
The transformation toward samadhi occurs when there is a decline of distraction and the rise of one-pointedness.
Commentary
When scattered attention decreases and focus increases — that is samadhi-parinama. The mind moves from many-pointed to one-pointed to no-pointed. The natural state of the mind is one-pointed; distraction is the acquired state.
परिणामत्रयसंयमादतीतानागतज्ञानम्
pariṇāma-traya-saṁyamād atīta-anāgata-jñānam ||
By performing Samyama on the three transformations, knowledge of the past and future arises.
Commentary
Through Samyama on how things change (the three parinamas), the yogi gains knowledge of past and future. This is not magic — it's understanding the laws of transformation so deeply that you can see where things came from and where they're going.
जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः
janma-oṣadhi-mantra-tapaḥ-samādhi-jāḥ siddhayaḥ ||
Siddhis (powers) arise from birth, herbs, mantras, austerities, or samadhi.
Commentary
Patanjali acknowledges five sources of supernatural powers: innate (from past lives), substances (herbs/drugs), sound (mantras), discipline (tapas), and meditation (samadhi). He lists these not to encourage pursuit of powers, but to explain them — and warn against attachment to them.
निमित्तमप्रयोजकं प्रकृतीनां वरणभेदस्तु ततः क्षेत्रिकवत्
nimittam aprayojakaṁ prakṛtīnāṁ varaṇa-bhedas tu tataḥ kṣetrikavat ||
The cause does not set nature in motion — it merely removes the obstacles, like a farmer removing a dam to let water flow.
Commentary
One of the most profound verses in yoga. God doesn't 'cause' anything — God removes obstacles so that nature can flow. Like a farmer who doesn't create water but removes the dam to let it irrigate the field. Grace works by removing barriers, not by forcing outcomes.
अतीतानागतं स्वरूपतोऽस्त्ध्यवेशेषभेदात्
atīta-anāgataṁ svarūpato 'sty adhva-aviṣeṣa-bhedāt ||
The past and the future exist in their own nature — their difference is due to the variety of paths.
Commentary
Time is not linear — it's a property of consciousness. Past and future exist simultaneously in the eternal present. The yogi who understands this can access any point in time. Einstein's 'block universe' theory mirrors this 2000-year-old insight.
विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः
viveka-khyātir aviplavā hānopāyaḥ ||
Uninterrupted discriminative knowledge is the means to liberation.
Commentary
The final teaching of the Yoga Sutras: viveka-khyati — the unbroken awareness of the difference between Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter). When this awareness never wavers, that is kaivalya (liberation). Not an experience — a permanent shift in perception.
पुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानां प्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति
puruṣārtha-śūnyānāṁ guṇānāṁ pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṁ svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā vā citi-śaktir iti ||
Kaivalya (liberation) is when the gunas, having fulfilled their purpose for Purusha, return to their source — or the establishment of the power of consciousness in its own nature.
Commentary
The very last sutra of the Yoga Sutras. Kaivalya — absolute freedom. The gunas return to their source because they have nothing left to offer the Purusha. The consciousness rests in its own nature. No more birth, no more death, no more becoming. Just being. This is the end of the journey.