Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour
Like the Yoga Sutras themselves, a weekly lecture series has been coming out of RIMYI since 2018 with next to no fanfare and without flourish. Conducted by Srineet Iyengar (Guruji’s grandson), with extensive commentary from Prashant Iyengar, these episodes contain a wealth of insight into this famous and abstruse text.
Each lecture is around 60 minutes in duration, and for the most part, covers one sutra. At the time of writing there had been 155 completed lectures and the first few sutras of the final chapter were being addressed. Generally the format consists of Srineet introducing the sutra for that particular lecture. It is recited in Sanskrit and then a translation provided. The Bhasya commentary for that sutra is then recited in Sanskrit, with translation, followed by extensive commentary and insight imparted by Prashant. Occasionally other yoga texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita, are referred to, and the commentary provided by BKS Iyengar in Light On The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali is also cited and commented upon. The Yoga Sutras are presented thoroughly from an Iyengar yoga perspective.
Srineet is very academic, cerebral and terse in his presentation, whereas Prashant can be grandiose but reflective and profound. Together they make for a very effective combination. These lectures convey a fundamental comprehension of the Yoga Sutras that surpasses what any book alone can offer. Three examples of this will be shown here:
Yoga as Union
According to the Yoga Sutras the practice of yoga ultimately involves obtaining samadhi, or the separation, unyoking, or disjunction of one’s purusa (soul) from prakrti (all of materiality). A human being is composed of purusa (soul) and prakrti (body and mind), and through correct yoga practice one obtains a proper understanding of reality, and is thereby able to separate one’s soul from one’s body-mind complex. The soul is disengaged from the fluctuations of the mind and the world, resulting in its liberation.
This idea of yoga can seem rather perplexing when compared with the common definition of yoga as originating from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’, which means ‘union'. Indeed BKS Iyengar would often define yoga as union of mind, body and soul. These two varying explanations actually seem to be the polar opposites of each other. How do we make sense of this? And furthermore, how do these interpretations marry up with what we claim is yoga, our asana practice? Prashant explains:
‘Yoga means 'coming together’ - another meaning. Yoga means 'coming together of things’. Now, we are all in a yoga here, we have come together for one purpose. So that's also yog. And that is also a suitable meaning at some lower hierarchy such as you and me. So, if the essential meaning, as the texts mention, is nirodah, samadhi and we know that we are nowhere close to it. Then what we are doing, in what way it is yoga a question can be asked. Because we are not getting samadhi after a class, we don’t go to samadhi towards the end of the class. Then in what way we do is yoga? So another suitable connotation, or the relevant connotation, is ‘coming together of things’ - the things must come together for actualisation of that yog. So what are the things which come together? So, on our plane, we bring our body, mind, breath, senses, psyche, consciousness together. Therefore it becomes a kind of yog. So, you can question that in Bhagavad Gita nowhere Arjuna stood on his head, like we stand on our head for our yoga. Nowhere Arjuna did trikonasana, parsvakonasana like we do in our yoga. Nowhere he turned his back, turned his spine, but then that was yoga. Coming together - because Arjuna was totally disturbed. If you read, see the first chapter of Gita he was dissuaded from battle, he wanted to go, he said ‘I will go, retire into the forest, I will become an ascetic. Why should I be in the battle? Why should I fight the battle?’ Although he decided to have a battle on the battlefield, he thought of fleeing from the battlefield. So Krishna reinstated him: ‘No, you can’t do that.’ And that is why yoga shastra commences. And therefore first chapter is called Arjuna Vishadayoga. The sorrow in Arjuna, the sorrow in Arjuna and the battlefield launched a yoga in him to bring together the forces, and all the forces came together and he fought the battle and won the battle. And accomplished the dharma of destroying the wicked, and instating the dharma. So the coming together - that’s why the Bhagavad Gita is a yoga shastra which tells you how to bring together the things. Arjuna was in a disarray totally - body was on the battlefield, the mind was going to Himalayas - body was on the battlefield, mind was trying to go to seclusion - so he was in disarray. And that is why he said ‘I don’t understand what to do - please guide me’. So Krishna started giving instruction of yoga shastra, bringing the forces together which are in a disarray. So we bring the forces of ourselves - me, I, mine, in me - together by getting onto the mat. Is that right? That’s why it is yoga, what we do is yoga - we try to bring the body, mind, senses, breath, organs, psyche, wherever there are various aspects of you, yours in you together. That’s why it is yoga. So togetherness is a launch point for yoga. Bring the forces together! When they come together it is a great marvel.’ Prashant Iyengar
Single Minded Effort
In the first chapter of the Yoga Sutras Patanjali lists a number of remedies that can be taken when one faces obstacles to their yoga practice. The first of these remedies is explained in 1.32 - BKS Iyengar translates this sutra as ‘adherence to single-minded effort prevents these impediments’. Prashant explains how this sutra can be applied to our yoga practice:
‘The basis of the sutra is that when we are encountering distractors, obstacles, distractors what happens to our mind is we lose the spiritedness. We lose the focus because the distractors are coming. So you can understand when there are distractors - what are distractors? Those that destroy, mitigate your focus. So this is what happens. This is a general human tendency. See we embark on something: we say ‘I am going to do this, I like this, I know that this is good for me, and I should be doing it’ and we carry out our pursuit. But when obstacles come in, the distractors come in, and then their accompanying factors also come in, we lose the reinforcement to our focus, and then we become a little shaky in our resoluteness. Although you might have resolved to do a particular thing encountering the distractors, encountering the obstacles, encountering the antagonisers, the structure of our focus, resoluteness is enfeebled, weakened. What is the outcome? The human mind has a basic tendency to be divorcing……divorcing. If something goes against, something is opposing, we quickly divorce. When I say divorce don’t just take in the matrimonial aspects and marital status, etc. We divorce with so many things. We accept it, with a resoluteness we start upon, we embark upon that, but when we encounter the distractors, the obstacles, we shift our tracks, we shift our focus, so what would happen usually? ‘Oh, I was trying like this, I was trying this but then I feel I am not succeeding, and I am being attacked by the distractors. Let me try the other option, let me try something else’. And then again if we encounter obstacles there then we say ‘let me try something else’. And then we become rolling stones. That is the human tendency - to become rolling stones. If we don’t get desired results, our expectations are not fulfilled, we don’t reach our aims, we try to roll over to some other thing, and we become rolling stones. So if we become rolling stones, and we keep on rolling then we will not be getting settled anywhere. So this is the human nature and that is to be understood here, that we tend to become rolling stones, and if we are rolling stones then we are nowhere established. So the whole life will be futile. So therefore the suggestion is that you must be steadfast. If you embark on something you must have steadfastness, you must have constancy, and not be alternating, not be looking for options. So this is a very important precept for the human mind particularly. If you don’t see success and if you are seeing failure, you want to change your track. And you go on changing your tracks. And if you go on changing your tracks you will never reach any destination….. you will never reach any destination. So steadfastness, constancy is being suggested. Because if you have opted to take up yoga on your own accord, that is your abhimata, you wanted to do it, you thought it is good, you’re convinced that it is good, you embarked upon it. But when you were attacked by obstacles and distractors you compromised. And we, as I said, we easily divorce and that’s why it can happen. Therefore ekatattvabhyasaha, ekatattva, steadfastness, stick on, persist, perservere! The digrators are coming but don’t get digrated. This is very important for one to become in life. If you want to be successful, do not be looking for convenience and options: ‘If not this, let me try that…if not this, let me try that'. We keep on being rolling stones. So, tatpratisedhārtham ekatattvābhyāsaḥ (sutra 1.32) - be steadfast!’ Prashant Iyengar
Indifference
This final audio excerpt relates to the next sutra, 1.33, a fairly well-known sutra whereby Patanjali is offering another remedy to the obstacles. According to Guruji’s translation Patanjali says (start quote)’Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favourably disposed, serene and benevolent’ (end quote). The bhasya clarifies this sutra by explaining that friendliness be displayed to those who are happy, compassion towards those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are on the path of virtue, and indifference towards those who engage in sin. Prashant makes some comments on this last practice of indifference towards those engaged in sin:
‘You see, because some people are critical about Patanjali’s sutra, this particular sutra, because Patanjali says for papa - those who are in sins - you should be indifferent. So some people, the social reformers say ‘no, no - if somebody is sinning you must help them come out of the sin. Rather than becoming indifferent. Why is it that Patanjali says you should be indifferent to sinisters?' So social reformers don’t like this, this advice of Patanjali, that you should be indifferent to sinning people or the sins of the people. But they do not understand the purport here. He is not a sociologist, he is not speaking from a sociologist’s point of view. He is saying if you want to steady the mind, quieten the mind you must be indifferent to a sinning person. Otherwise a reaction of a missionary would be to help that person. Then in that case you are looking for your mind to be placid and quiet. In that state you should be indifferent. Say, for instance, somebody is in an utter difficulty, suffering. Generally you should go and help. But suppose you yourself are very very ill, almost bedridden, you can’t be doing anything - it is not right for you to go and help and seek help for yourself. Suppose I am weak on a day and somebody is suffering, and if I try to go and help, the situation will be that I will need the help of other people to get me back home. I have gone to help someone, but in such a condition I have gone to help a person that I need help of other people to get me back home. It is not right. So you are not in a condition to help so you should not be helping. So when you are looking for placidity of the mind, quietness of the mind, don’t try and become a social reformer - ‘oh, somebody is sinning, let me reform the person’. That will spoil your own mind. It will become more disturbed because it is not easy to reform such an unscrupulous person, sinister person, sinning person. This is for citta parikarma (steadying and quietening the mind), this is as a means towards samadhi. If you are going for samadhi or yogic pursuits then you need to have a different kind of reaction. Rather than those who are so-called humane people.Patanjali is not trying to make you humane. He is giving instructions for your yoga. And therefore he says ‘be indifferent’. But some of the social reformers don’t like this advice. They don’t understand why this advice is given.’ Prashant Iyengar
This lecture series is vast and not always easy to understand. It is best listened to, and made sense of, in a group setting (satsanga). To go with BKS Iyengar’s translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras, it is also helpful to have a good English authored translation of the Yoga Sutras, as well as an English translation of Vyasa’s Bhasya, and even a transliteration of the Bhasya, as Srineet quotes the texts in their Sanskrit origin extensively (suggested texts are provided in the reference section below). The effort required is worthwhile, however, as ultimately these lectures provide purpose and reason as to to why a daily yoga practice is an essential pursuit.
Interested in learning more about the Yoga Sutras? Check out our monthly Yoga Study Group sessions.
James Hasemer
James Hasemer is the Founder and Director of Central Yoga School and a Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Assessor, and Moderator. He is also currently a Teacher Director on the Iyengar Yoga Australia Board.
References
[1] Suggested English authored Yoga Sutras translation & commentary: The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation And Commentary, Edwin F Bryant, 2009
[2] Suggested translation of Vyasa’s Bhasya: Yoga Philosophy Of Patanjali, Swami Hariharananda Aranya, 1963
[3] Transliteration of Vyasa’s Bhasya link: https://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/6_sastra/3_phil/yoga/patyogbu.htm
[4] Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour, Srineet & Prashant Iyengar link: http://yogasutras-rimyi.blogspot.com/