The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali
Chapter IV

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Chapter IV
पतञ्जलयोगसूत्रानि
The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali

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अथ पतञ्जलयोगसूत्रे कैवल्यपादः चतुर्थः

atha patañjalayogasūtre kaivalyapādaḥ caturthaḥ

Herein from the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali:
Chapter 4 “On Perfect Freedom”

[IV:1]

जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः॥१॥

Janmauṣadhimantratapaḥsamādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ

Powers or skills are gained by being born with them, by using potions, by incantations, through various kinds of practices, or by becoming enlightened.

[IV:2]

जात्यन्तरपरिणामः प्रकृत्यापूरात्॥२॥

Jātyantarapariṇāmaḥ prakṛtyāpūrāt

A change from one state or style of being into another takes place through redirecting energy into that state or style.

[IV:3]

निमित्तमप्रयोजकं प्रकृतीनां वरणभेदस्तु ततः क्षेत्रिकवत्॥३॥

Nimittamaprayojakaṁ prakṛtīnāṁ varaṇabhedastu tataḥ kṣetrikavat

Life energies are never the cause of these changes, but merely act — like a gardener — through the removal of obstacles.

[IV:4]

निर्माणचित्तान्यस्मितामात्रात्॥४॥

Nirmāṇacittānyasmitāmātrāt

All minds that are in existence are results only of the process of being.

[IV:5]

प्रवृत्तिभेदे प्रयोजकं चित्तमेकमनेकेषाम्॥५॥

Pravṛttibhede prayojakaṁ cittamekamanekeṣām

There are numberless, different, active minds, but they all have one identical nature behind them.

[IV:6]

तत्र ध्यानजमनाशयम्॥६॥

Tatra dhyānajamanāśayam

Of these only that mind which is born from meditation is free from desires.

[IV:7]

कर्माशुक्लाकृष्णं योगिनस्त्रिविधमितरेषाम्॥७॥

Karmāśuklākṛṣṇaṁ yoginastrividhamitareṣām

The motivations behind the actions of those who have become enlightened are neither things of darkness nor things of light. Others are driven to their actions by three forces.

[IV:8]

ततस्तद्विपाकानुगुणानामेवाभिव्यक्तिर्वासनानाम्॥८॥

Tatastadvipākānuguṇānāmevābhivyaktirvāsanānām

Of these only those causes that are due to produce effects do actually in fact produce effects.

[IV:9]

जातिदेशकालव्यवहितानामप्यानन्तर्यं स्मृतिसंस्कारयोरेकरूपत्वात्॥९॥

Jātideśakālavyavahitānāmapyānantaryaṁ smṛtisaṁskārayorekarūpatvāt

Even though there may be differences in ways, customs or styles of living, differences in locale, or even gaps in time, both memories to be recalled and deep subconscious root-causes continue to have the same kinds of cause-effect relationships.

[IV:10]

तासामनादित्वं चाशिषो नित्यत्वात्॥१०॥

Tāsāmanāditvaṁ cāśiṣo nityatvāt

Furthermore, these drives and relationships have no beginning. The desire to indulge in being exists eternally.

[IV:11]

हेतुफलाश्रयालम्बनैः सङ्गृहीतत्वादेषामभावे तदभावः॥११॥

Hetuphalāśrayālambanaiḥ saṅgṛhītatvādeṣāmabhāve tadabhāvaḥ

Root-causes and drives coalesce in a symbiosis of object, cause, process and effect. When this no longer exists, the drives vanish.

[IV:12]

अतीतानागतं स्वरूपतोऽस्त्यध्वभेदाद्धर्माणाम्॥१२॥

Atītānāgataṁ svarūpato’styadhvabhedāddharmāṇām

Both past and future exist in the present, each in its own way, although there are differences in the manifestation of their characteristics.

[IV:13]

ते व्यक्तसूक्ष्मा गुणात्मानः॥१३॥

Te vyaktasūkṣmā guṇātmānaḥ

They are made manifest. They are subtle. They follow laws similar to natural laws.

[IV:14]

परिणामैकत्वाद्वस्तुतत्त्वम्॥१४॥

Pariṇāmaikatvādvastutattvam

Objects become the same when the processes within them are the same.

[IV:15]

वस्तुसाम्ये चित्तभेदात्तयोर्विभक्तः पन्थाः॥१५॥

Vastusāmye cittabhedāttayorvibhaktaḥ panthāḥ

When an object is the same and awareness of it is different, then different processes produced these different realizations.

[IV:16]

न चैकचित्ततन्त्रं वस्तु तदप्रमाणकं तदा किं स्यात्॥१६॥

Na caikacittatantraṁ vastu tadapramāṇakaṁ tadā kiṁ syāt

If an object were dependent on only one mind for its existence and were not perceived by that mind, would it then exist?

[IV:17]

तदुपरागापेक्षित्वाच्चित्तस्य वस्तु ज्ञाताज्ञातम्॥१७॥

Taduparāgāpekṣitvāccittasya vastu jñātājñātam

Things become known or unknown by the way in which they colour the mind.

[IV:18]

सदा ज्ञाताश्चित्तवृत्तयस्तत्प्रभोः पुरुषस्यापरिणामित्वात्॥१८॥

Sadā jñātāścittavṛttayastatprabhoḥ puruṣasyāpariṇāmitvāt

All movements of the mind are always known to the Spirit, which is sovereign, because it is itself changeless.

[IV:19]

न तत्स्वाभासं दृश्यत्वात्॥१९॥

Na tatsvābhāsaṁ dṛśyatvāt

The mind has no light or knowledge of its own. Rather — it is itself seeable and knowable.

[IV:20]

एकसमये चोभयानवधारणम्॥२०॥

Ekasamaye cobhayānavadhāraṇam

It cannot be aware of both simultaneously.

[IV:21]

चित्तान्तरदृश्ये बुद्धिबुद्धेरतिप्रसङ्गः स्मृतिसङ्करश्च॥२१॥

Cittāntaradṛśye buddhibuddheratiprasaṅgaḥ smṛtisaṅkaraśca

If one mind were able to see directly into another, there could then be an infinite number of minds seeing into each other, and there would also be a confusion of memories.

[IV:22]

चितेरप्रतिसङ्क्रमायास्तदाकारापत्तौ स्वबुद्धिसंवेदनम्॥२२॥

Citerapratisaṅkramāyāstadākārāpattau svabuddhisaṁvedanam

Real pure consciousness is changeless and immutable, but due to its constantly changing appearance it identifies with its own workings.

[IV:23]

द्रष्टृदृश्योपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम्॥२३॥

Draṣṭṛdṛśyoparaktaṁ cittaṁ sarvārtham

The mind, being coloured by both the seer and the thing seen, knows all things.

[IV:24]

तदसङ्ख्येयवासनाभिश्चित्रमपि परार्थं संहत्यकारित्वात्॥२४॥

Tadasaṅkhyeyavāsanābhiścitramapi parārthaṁ saṁhatyakāritvāt

Although the mind is infinite in the number of causes and drives it has, since it can be moulded in one homogeneity it can exist for another purpose.

[IV:25]

विशेषदर्शिन आत्मभावभावनाविनिवृत्तिः॥२५॥

Viśeṣadarśina ātmabhāvabhāvanāvinivṛttiḥ

Those who have seen this distinction cease all speculation regarding the nature or form of Reality.

[IV:26]

तदा विवेकनिम्नङ्कैवल्यप्राग्भारञ्चित्तम्॥२६॥

Tadā vivekanimnaṅkaivalyaprāgbhārañcittam

Then the mind is inclined to become discriminating, and gravitates towards the liberated state.

[IV:27]

तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः॥२७॥

Tacchidreṣu pratyayāntarāṇi saṁskārebhyaḥ

At those moments when this attraction is inoperative, the mind is directed by other thoughts which have their origin in deep-seated drives and root-causes.

[IV:28]

हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम्॥२८॥

Hānameṣāṁ kleśavaduktam

The way to be rid of these, as well as other afflictions, has already been spoken of.

[IV:29]

प्रसङ्ख्यानेऽप्यकुसीदस्य सर्वथा विवेकख्यातेर्धर्ममेघः समाधिः॥२९॥

Prasaṅkhyāne’pyakusīdasya sarvathā vivekakhyāterdharmameghaḥ samādhiḥ

When there is no selfish attachment or ulterior motive, even at these highest reaches of the mind, and when there is a ceaseless effort to distil what is wise—then does the Most High Knowing fall like a cloud.

[IV:30]

ततः क्लेशकर्मनिवृत्तिः॥३०॥

Tataḥ kleśakarmanivṛttiḥ

When this happens, all afflictions and driving forces fall away.

[IV:31]

तदा सर्वावरणमलापेतस्य ज्ञानस्यानन्त्याज्ज्ञेयमल्पम्॥३१॥

Tadā sarvāvaraṇamalāpetasya jñānasyānantyājjñeyamalpam

After all the obscuring veils or impurities have been removed, the knowable world seems minuscule because of the endlessness of pure knowing.

[IV:32]

ततः कृतार्थानां परिणामक्रमसमाप्तिर्गुणानाम्॥३२॥

Tataḥ kṛtārthānāṁ pariṇāmakramasamāptirguṇānām

Since, as a result of this, they have had their last and final effect, all natural causal laws cease to produce effects as a result of their changes or processes.

[IV:33]

क्षणप्रतियोगी परिणामापरान्तनिर्ग्राह्यः क्रमः॥३३॥

Kṣaṇapratiyogī pariṇāmāparāntanirgrāhyaḥ kramaḥ

A process is a continuously merging succession of moments, the different stages of which are seen when it comes to an end.

[IV:34]

पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानां प्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति॥३४॥

Puruṣārthaśūnyānāṁ guṇānāṁ pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṁ svarūpapratiṣṭhā vā citiśaktiriti

Liberation occurs when natural causal laws become inactive and the Spirit has nothing in itself; or when the power of pure awareness remains exactly as it is and is unchangeable.

इति पतञ्जलयोगसूत्रे कैवल्यपदः चतुर्थः समाप्थः

iti patañjalayogasūtre kaivalyapadaḥ caturthaḥ samāptaḥ

Here lies Chapter 4, “On Perfect Freedom”,
in the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | PDF Version


इति योगमनोविज्ञानदार्शनं समाप्तम्

iti yogamanovijñānadārśanaṁ samāptam

Here lies the revelation of the wisdom that is yoga

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