Yoga Sutras · Book 1

Samadhi Pada: Concentration: Its Spiritual Uses

1. 1.1The book begins by saying it will now teach about concentration, which is the heart of yoga.
2. 1.2Yoga means stopping the mind (Chitta) from forming waves of thought (Vrittis). The teacher explains that the eyes alone do not see; the mind must join in, so the mind is what we must learn to steady.
3. 1.3When the thought-waves stop, the seer, our true Self (Purusha), rests in its own natural state. It is like a lake going still so you can see the bottom.
4. 1.4At other times, we mistake ourselves for our passing thoughts and feelings. For example, if someone blames me, I take on that hurt as if it were me, and I suffer.
5. 1.5There are five kinds of thought-waves in the mind. Some cause pain and some do not.
6. 1.6The five kinds of thought-waves are right knowledge, mistaken knowledge, ideas built only on words, sleep, and memory.
7. 1.7We know things truly in three ways: seeing for ourselves, reasoning from clues, and trusting people who have truly seen the truth. The teacher says true knowledge does not contradict other true knowledge.
8. 1.8Mistaken knowledge is believing something that does not match what is really there, like mistaking a shiny shell for silver.
9. 1.9Some thoughts come from words that point to nothing real. The teacher says we often jump to conclusions from words without thinking, and we should ask why some news is making us angry or upset.
10. 1.10Sleep is also a thought-wave, one filled with a feeling of emptiness. We remember having slept, which shows the mind was still active.
11. 1.11Memory is when past experiences do not fade away but come back to mind. The teacher says dreams are memories stirred up during sleep.
12. 1.12The mind's waves are controlled by steady practice and by letting go of attachment. The teacher says our character is made of habits, so we can change it by building new ones.
13. 1.13Practice means making a steady effort to keep the mind calm and free of thought-waves.
14. 1.14Practice becomes strong only through long, steady effort done with real love for the goal. Self-control does not come in a day.
15. 1.15Non-attachment is the strength of someone who no longer craves the things they see or hear about, and who stays master of them. The teacher gives the example of not letting anger rise even when someone steals your watch.
16. 1.16The highest non-attachment lets go even of the basic forces of nature, called the three qualities, and comes from knowing the true Self (Purusha). The teacher explains these qualities are dullness, restless activity, and balance.
17. 1.17The first kind of deep concentration (samadhi) comes with reasoning, careful insight, joy, and a pure sense of 'I am'. The teacher says it has four stages, focusing on finer and finer objects.
18. 1.18There is a higher samadhi, reached by steadily stopping all mental activity, where only hidden impressions remain. The teacher says this gives true freedom but warns that emptying the mind without training is risky.
19. 1.19If this samadhi lacks full non-attachment, people may become gods or merge into nature for a time, but they come back again. The teacher says such gods are high positions, not perfect beings.
20. 1.20For others, true samadhi comes through faith, energy, memory, concentration, and seeing what is real. The teacher says these people do not want power or high positions; they reach freedom.
21. 1.21People who put great, steady energy into their practice reach the goal quickly.
22. 1.22How fast a yogi succeeds depends on how hard they practice: gently, moderately, or with full intensity.
23. 1.23Another way to reach this deep state of meditation (Samadhi) is through loving devotion to Ishvara, which means God or the Supreme Lord.
24. 1.24Ishvara, the Supreme Ruler, is a special soul (Purusha) who is never touched by suffering, by actions and their results, or by desires. The teacher explains that yoga speaks of God this way, not mainly as the creator of the world.
25. 1.25In God, knowledge has no limit, while in us it is only a small seed. The teacher explains that thinking of our little knowledge makes us also think of unlimited knowledge, and yogis call that unlimited knowledge God.
26. 1.26God is the teacher of even the oldest teachers, because God is not limited by time. The teacher explains that knowledge inside us must be awakened by another knowing being, and God is the first teacher of all.
27. 1.27The word that stands for God is Om. The teacher explains that every thought is joined to a word, and Om is the sound that expresses God.
28. 1.28The practice is to repeat Om and think about its meaning. The teacher explains that repeating it builds good impressions in the mind that awaken holy thoughts.
29. 1.29Repeating Om and thinking on its meaning helps you look inward and clears away the obstacles in body and mind.
30. 1.30The things that block a yogi are: illness, a lazy mind, doubt, lack of enthusiasm, heaviness, craving pleasures, seeing things wrongly, not being able to focus, and losing focus after finding it. The teacher says to care for the body and keep practicing when doubts come.
31. 1.31When concentration slips away, it comes with sadness, mental upset, shaking of the body, and uneven breathing. The teacher says not to worry about the shaking and to keep practicing, with Om and surrender to God.
32. 1.32To fix these problems, practice focusing on one single thing. The teacher says each person should find by experience which method helps them most.
33. 1.33The mind becomes calm when we are friendly to happy people, kind to suffering people, glad about good people, and do not get caught up with wicked people.
34. 1.34The mind can also be calmed by breathing out and holding the breath. The teacher explains that the Sanskrit word Prana means the life energy in everything, not just breath.
35. 1.35Concentration that brings unusual sense experiences helps the mind keep going. The teacher says that strange smells, sounds, or sights from focusing end a beginner's doubts.
36. 1.36The mind can also be calmed by meditating on a shining inner light that is beyond all sorrow. The teacher says to picture a lotus in the heart with a bright light inside it.
37. 1.37Or calm the mind by meditating on the heart of someone who has let go of craving for worldly things. The teacher says to think of a saint you respect.
38. 1.38Or meditate on what you knew in sleep. The teacher says to recall a blissful, holy dream and meditate on it as if real.
39. 1.39Or meditate on anything good that you love. The teacher says it can be a favorite place, view, or idea, as long as it is good and helps you focus.
40. 1.40By meditating this way, the yogi's mind can focus easily on anything, from the tiniest to the biggest thing. The teacher adds that the mind's waves grow weaker.
41. 1.41When the yogi has calmed the mind's restless waves (vrittis), the mind becomes like a clear crystal that takes on the color of whatever is placed near it. It can focus fully on any object, whether that is the self who knows, the mind that does the knowing, or the things being known.
42. 1.42In the first level of deep meditation (samadhi), the word for a thing, the thing itself and our idea of it are still mixed together. This is called samadhi "with question" (savitarka), because thinking and labels are still present.
43. 1.43A higher meditation comes when memory is cleaned of labels and old associations. Then only the object itself shines in the mind. This is called samadhi "without question" (nirvitarka).
44. 1.44The same two levels, one with thinking and one without, also apply when meditating on subtler, finer things instead of physical objects. These are called meditation with and without discrimination (savichara and nirvichara).
45. 1.45These finer objects of meditation go all the way back to Pradhana, the first root of all nature. The teacher explains that everything except the true Self, including the mind and ego, counts as part of nature.
46. 1.46All these kinds of meditation are "with seed." This means they still leave the seeds of past actions in place. So they do not yet bring full freedom.
47. 1.47When the highest of these meditations becomes pure, the mind (chitta) becomes steady and firmly settled. Inner clarity follows.
48. 1.48The knowledge that comes in that steady state is called "filled with truth." It is true and not mixed with error.
49. 1.49What we learn from other people's words or from reasoning only covers ordinary things. The knowledge from this deep meditation goes further, to places reason and reports cannot reach. The teacher adds that reading scripture is not enough; you must practice it to truly know.
50. 1.50The deep impression left by this meditation blocks all other mental impressions. The teacher explains that this is how the old habits that make our thoughts wander during meditation are held back.
51. 1.51When even this last impression is stilled, everything in the mind is at rest. Then comes "seedless" samadhi, where no seeds of past actions remain and the true Self is seen.