Sruti basis for Patanjali Yoga Sutra - Yogah Chitti Vritti Nirodah..

[Guest guest]

Namaste All Advaitins,

 

 

Recently there has been lots of discussions in the group about

Patanjali Yoga and whether it is advaitic and so on.

 

Here are some interesting observations I found regarding the

`root' or basis of Yoga (I can't get credit for all of it!)

 

1. Definition of Yoga in Gita

 

Lord Krishna defines Yoga in the 6th chapter of Gita as

 

taM vidyaad.h duHkhasa.nyogaviyogaM yogasa.nGYitam.h .

One should know that severance of contact with sorrow to be what is

called Yoga

 

There are actually three other definitions of Yoga you find in the

Gita (I think) but please follow along with this definition for now.

 

Sankara in His Gita Bhasya explains as follows:

Vidyat, one should know; tat, that; duhkha-samyoga-viyogam,

severance (viyoga) of contact (samyoga) with sorrow (duhkha); to be

verily yoga-sanjnitam, what is called Yoga- i.e. one should know it

through a negative definition.

 

2. Definition of Yoga in Katha Upanishad

 

Now let us move on to the Sruti and see how the Upanishads define

Yoga

 

Let us consider this mantra from Katha Upanishad:

 

yadaa paJNchaavatishhThante GYaanaani manasaa saha .

buddhishcha na vicheshhTate taamaahuH paramaaM gatim.h .. 2.3.10..

 

taaM yogamiti manyante sthiraamindriyadhaaraNaam.h .

 

2-III-10. When the five senses of knowledge are withdrawn from their

respective objects and remain still together with the mind, and the

intellect is not active , that state they call the highest.

 

2-III-11. That steady restraint over the senses they

regard AS YOGA.

 

taaM yogamiti manyante is explained by Sankara as

 

that Avastha (condition) they call Yoga which is indeed Viyoga or

Disunion, for this Avastha, the state of the Yogis is indeed

characterized by separation from contact with all evil.

 

Please note the word 'Avastha' is used twice here by Sankara.

>From Sankara's usage it should be clear that a special

state (or condition) that of Yoga or Samadhi is being spoken of by

the Upanishads.

 

Another interesting point: Sankara's explanation 'that what is

termed yoga is viyoga from all evil' echoes the words of Lord

Krishna in the Gita after describing Samadhi (see 1 above)

 

"Tam Vidyat Dukha SamyogaViyogam Yoga Samhitam" One should

know

Viyoga severance of contact with sorrow to be what is termed yoga.

 

3. Source of Yoga Sutra!

 

Interestingly it is this mantra of the Katha Upanishad that is

deemed to be the basis of the Yoga Sutra `Yogah Chitta Vritti

Nirodhah' – Yoga is the restraint of the Vrittis of the

Chitta.

 

You may ask – says Who? How do you know?

 

 

Sri Madhusudana Saraswati cites in his commentary Gudharta Dipika of

the Gita, this mantra of the Katha Upanishad (yadaa

paJNchaavatishhThante..),

 

and categorically states

 

`Etam mulakha meva cha yogah chitta vritti nirodhah iti

sutram'

 

This mantra indeed is the source of the sutra `Yogah Chitta

Vritti

Nirodhah' - Yoga is the restraint of the Vrittis of the Chitta

 

Amazing that the very mantra that defines Yoga of the Upanishads is

deemed to be the moolam (root) of Patanjali Yoga Sutras. And this is

not a casual observation - it comes directly from one of the

Greatest Advaitic Acharyas.

 

That is not all

 

Keeping the significance of the word 'Avastha' in mind please read

the following sentence from Sankara's Bhasya on the Katha

Upanishad mantra under consideration

 

He indeed ethasyam

hyaVasthayam in this Avastha state

Atma the Atman

Svarupa prathistayam established in its own nature

Avidyaropavarjita bereft of the superimposition of Avidya

 

Please compare this statement of Sankara with the Yoga Sutra that

comes immediately after Yogah Chitta Vritti Nirodhah –

that sutra is `Tada drastuh Svarupe Avasthanam' –

then the Seer (that is the Atma) is established in its own nature

 

I leave you to judge whether this definition of Yoga fits into the

Advaitic framework or not

 

Things to note are:

1. Sankara echoes the Gita definition of Yoga in His Bhasya on the

Katha Upanishad mantra

2. The mantra that defines Yoga in the Upanishads is also the basis

for Patanjali's Yoga Sutra!

 

regards

Sundar Rajan