In the previous post a justification for the importance of the study of the Yoga Sutras was given, however studying it is no easy task. The subject matter is highly complex and the text is brief and terse to the point of being obscure. In this post two topics are introduced which may help in making sense of the terrain of the Yoga Sutras.

Yoga Bhasya

The sutra writing style was the formal style of writing for darsana texts at the time of Patanjali. Sutras are dense, cryptic, aphorisms - sometimes described as ‘textual minimalism’ - taking as much information and knowledge and condensing it into as few words as possible. As they were primarily composed for oral transmission and memorisation by ascetics, sutras are compact and concise - indeed, the Yoga Sutras themselves contain only about 1200 words over 195 sutras - and as such are at times impossible to make sense of without elaboration. These terse, cryptic aphorisms were traditionally ‘unpacked’ by a guru or commentator.  

There is a tradition of commentary on philosophical texts in India, and while there have been a number of respected commentaries written on the Yoga Sutras over the centuries, it is Vyasa’s Yoga Bhasya that is considered to be both the oldest and most authoritative commentary:

In fact the Yoga Bhasya has attained a status whereby it is considered to be almost as authoritative as the primary text of Patanjali itself. Not only does it clarify the meaning of the sutras, but it simply is not possible to make full sense of the Yoga Sutras without the commentary of Vyasa’s Bhasya.

English translations of Vyasa’s Bhasya are hard to come by, however Swami Hariharananda Aranya’s Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali is a good option. His work consists of the sutra and bhasya commentary presented in Devanagari script, followed by his English translation. His personal commentary is also included as long footnotes, which hold considerable merit considering his decision to turn his back on his wealthy Bengali upbringing and spend the last 21 years of his life meditating in a cave.

Sankhya

Sankhya is another subject that one needs to be aware of when studying the Yoga Sutras. Sankhya is actually another darsana, or Indian philosophical school (see previous post), that proposes a path to liberation through analysing and penetrating what is known as the tattvas, or various layers of reality. Whereas Yoga uses experiential methods, or direct experience, to discern Ultimate Reality, Sankhya proposes a path to liberation through critical discernment and intellectual analysis. Even though they are considered separate darsanas a fundamental relationship exists between Sankhya and Yoga in that Sankhya's philosophy forms the metaphysical blueprint for Yoga. Sankhya tells us about the objects of the world that we interact with and the components of the body, mind and consciousness. It names each part, teaches us its function, how they relate with each other, and how they evolve. It is effectively a map for our yoga practice.

At its core, Sankhya proposes an ontological dualism - two types of entities (or tattvas) that exist in the universe. Firstly there is purusa: pure consciousness the higher self, the inner witness, the Seer, the soul, the atman, what Patanjali calls the drastu, our fundamental identity. Secondly there is prakriti: all of materiality, all things from the gross physical material world (mountains, trees, cars, bodies, etc) to the subtle aspects of the mind, which includes even a thought from one’s own psychological world. (This is quite different from the more familiar Western Cartesian dualism which posits a fundamental ontological dualism between mind and matter. In Sankhya both mind & matter are part of prakrti.)

According to Sankhya both of these entities are ontologically distinct, but somehow purusa and prakrti have become entangled and resulted in the manifest world taking shape. Due to this entanglement, we have developed a case of avidya, or ignorance, which misperceives our true identity (pure consciousness) and falsely identifies with the mind (or citta) and body. At its essence, the goal of Sankhya (and Yoga) is to disentangle, or unyoke, purusa and prakrti, so that one can realise their true nature and obtain freedom (kaivalya).

The catalyst for the interaction of purusa & prakrti are the three gunas - sattva (lucidity, most subtle layer of prakrti), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia, the grossest aspect of prakrti). According to Sankhya the gunas are the fabric, or building blocks, of all of materiality (or prakrti).

The gunas are displayed in the diagram above like this because, just as yellow, red and blue as the 3 primary colours form the basis for the infinite range of colours on a colour spectrum, sattva, rajas and tamas form the basis for all of prakrti, including our bodies & minds (and psychological make-up). Another way of looking at our yoga practice is as an attempt to reduce tamas and rajas, and increase sattva.

The interaction of the gunas also results in the evolution of prakrti, or the appearance of the manifest world as we know it, in the form of the tattvas - a hierarchy of different levels of reality, from subtle to gross layers. The evolution of the various levels of tattvas are represented in the following table: 

As shown in the diagram the tattvas start with the most subtle layers of the mind and evolve through our various organs and senses, to the gross elements of nature.

The Sankhya system is classified as satkarya - the effects of the world are present in their cause. Gross matter is an evolute of subtler levels of tattvas, right back through to the most subtle layer of the mind, buddhi (or intelligence), which underpins all reality. For sankhya the path to liberation consists of the involution of the tattvas - moving through, via metaphysical enquiry & analysis, from the gross to the most subtle layers of the mind until one is able to perceive & realise one’s own true nature as purusa. Sankhya provides the metaphysical or theoretical basis for the realisation of purusa, while yoga provides the practice. Having a basic understanding of Sankhya is indispensable for making sense of the Yoga Sutras and our yoga practice generally.

In conclusion, the study of the Yoga Sutras presents a significant challenge due to its complex subject matter and terse writing style. To navigate through this terrain, the tradition of commentary plays a crucial role, with Vyasa's Yoga Bhasya being the oldest and most authoritative commentary on the Sutras. Additionally, having some basic understanding of Sankhya and the numbered layers of reality which it proposes, is useful, even essential, when studying the Yoga Sutras.

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.

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References

[1] The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation And Commentary, Edwin F Bryant, 2009

[2] Yoga Philosophy Of Patanjali, Swami Hariharananda Aranya, 1963

[3] Learning the Yoga Sutras with Clarity and Rigour, Srineet & Prashant Iyengar (audio)