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Samyama on these he knows the past and future.
17. शब्दार्थप्रत्ययानाम् इतरेतराध्यासात् संकरःतत्प्रविभागसंयमात्
सर्वभूतरुतज्ञानम् ॥ १७॥
shabdarthapratyayanam itaretaradhyasat sankarah
tatpravibhagasanyamat sarvabhootarutajnanam
By making Samyama on word, meaning, and
knowledge, which are ordinarily confused, comes the
knowledge of all animal sounds.
The word represents the external cause, the meaning
represents the internal vibration that travels to the brain
through the channels of the Indriyas, conveying the external
impression to the mind, and knowledge represents the
reaction of the mind, with which comes perception. These
three confused, make our sense objects. Suppose I hear a
word; there is first the external vibration, next the internal
sensation carried to the mind by the organ of hearing, then the
mind reacts, and I know the word. The word I know is a
mixture of the three, vibration, sensation, and reaction.
Ordinarily these three are inseperable; but by practice the
Yogi can separate them. When a man has attained to this, if he
makes a Samyama on any sound, he understands the meaning
which that sound was intended to express, whether it was
made by man or by any other animal.
18. संस्कारसाक्षत्करणात् पूर्वजातिज्ञानम् ॥ १८ ॥
sanskarasakshatkaranat poorvajatijnanam
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By perceiving the impressions, knowledge of past
life.
Each experience that we have comes in the form of a wave in
the Chitta, and this subsides and becomes finer and finer, but
is never lost. It remains there in minute form, and if we can
bring this wave up again, it becomes memory. So, if the Yogi
can make a Samyama on these past impressions in the mind,
he will begin to remember all his past lives.
19. प्रत्ययस्य परचित्तज्ञानम् ॥ १९॥
pratyayasy parachittajnanam
By making Samyama on the signs in another's both
knowledge of that mind comes.
Suppose each man has particular signs on his body, which
differentiate him from others; when the Yogi makes a
Samyama on these signs peculiar to a certain man he knows
the nature of the mind of that person.
20. न च तत् सालम्बनं,तस्याविषयीभूतत्वात् ॥२०॥
na cha tat salambanan,tasyavishayibhootatvat
But not its contents, that not being the object of the
Samyama.
He would not know the contents of the mind by making a
Samyama on the body. There would be required a twofold
Samyama, first on the signs in the body, and then on the mind
itself. The Yogi would then know everything that is in that
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mind, past, present, and future.
21. कायरूपसंयमात् तद्ग्राह्यशक्तिस्तम्भे
चक्षुःप्रकाशासंप्रयोगेऽन्तर्धानम् ॥२१॥
kayaroopasanyamat tadgrahyashaktistambhe
chakshuhprakashasanprayogentardhanam
By making Samyama on the form of the body the
power of perceiving forms being obstructed, the
power of manifestation in the eye being separated, the
Yogi's body becomes unseen.
A Yogi standing in the midst of this room can apparently
vanish. He does not really vanish, but he will not be seen by
anyone. The form and the body are, as it were, separated. You
must remember that this can only be done when the Yogi has
attained to that power of concentration when form and the
thing formed have been separated. Then he makes a Samyama
on that, and the power to perceive forms is obstructed,
because the power of perceiving forms comes from the
junction of form and the thing formed.
22. एतेन शब्दाद्यन्तर्धानमुक्तम् ॥२२॥
etena shabdadyantardhanamuktam
By this the disappearance or concealment of words
which are being spoken is also explained.
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23. सोपक्रमं निरुपक्रमं च कर्म तत्संयमाद् अपरान्तज्ञानम्,
अरिष्टेभ्यो वा ॥२३॥
sopakraman nirupakraman cha karma tatsanyamad
aparantajnanam,arishtebhyo va
Karma is of two kinds, soon to be fructified, and late
to be fructified. By making Samyama on that, or by
the signs called Aristha, portents, the Yogis know the
exact time of separation from their bodies.
When the Yogi makes a Samyama on his own Karma, upon
those impressions in his mind which are now working, and
those which are just waiting to work, he knows exactly by
those that are waiting when his body will fall. He knows when
he will die, at what hour, even at what minute. The Hindus
think very much of that knowledge or consciousness of the
nearness of death, because it is taught in the Gita that the
thoughts at the moment of departure are great powers in
determining the next life.
24. मैत्र्यादिषु बलानि ॥२४॥
maitryadishu balani
By making Samyama on friendship, etc., various
strength comes.
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25. बलेषु हस्तिबलादीनि ॥२५॥
baleshu hastibaladini
By making Samyama on the strength of the elephant,
etc., that strength comes to the Yogi.
When a Yogi has attained to this Samyama and wants strength,
he makes a Samyama on the strength of the elephant, and gets
it. Infinite energy is at the disposal of everyone, if he only
knows how to get it. The Yogi has discovered the science of
getting it.
26. प्रवृत्त्यालोकन्यासात् सूक्ष्मव्यवहितविप्रकृष्टज्ञानम् ॥२६॥
pravrittyalokanyasat sookshmavyavahita-
viprakrishtajnanam
By making Samyama on that effulgent light comes
the knowledge of the fine, the obstructed, and the
remote.
When the Yogi makes Samyama on that effulgent light in the
heart he sees things which are very remote, things, for
instance, that are happening in a distant place, and which are
obstructed by mountain barriers and also things which are
very fine.
27. भुवनज्ञानं सूर्ये संयमात् ॥२७॥
bhuvanajnanan soorye sanyamat
By making Samyama on the sun, (comes) the
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knowledge of the world.
28. चन्द्रे ताराव्यूहज्ञानम् ॥ २८॥
chandre taravyoohajnanam
On the moon, (comes) the knowledge of the cluster of
stars.
29. ध्रुवे तद्गतिज्ञानम् ॥ २९॥
dhruve tadgatijnanam
On the pole star (comes) the knowledge of the
motions of the stars.
30. नाभिचक्रे कायव्यूहज्ञानम् ॥ ३०॥
nabhichakre kayavyoohajnanam
On the navel circle (comes) the knowledge of the
constitution of the body.
31. कण्ठकूपे क्षुत्पिपासानिवृत्तिः ॥३१॥
kanthakoope kshutpipasanivrittih
On the hollow of the throat (comes) cessation of
hunger.
When a man is very hungry, if he can make Samyama on the
pit of the throat hunger ceases.
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32. कूर्मनाड्यां स्थैर्यम् ॥ ३२ ॥
koormanadyan sthairyam
On the nerve called Kurma (comes) fixity of the
body.
When he is practising the body is not disturbed.
33. मूर्धज्योतिषि सिद्धदर्शनम् ॥ ३३ ॥
moordhajyotishi siddhadarshanam
On the light emanating from the top of the head sight
of the Siddhas.
The Siddhas are beings who are a little above ghosts. When
the Yogi concentrates his mind on the sop of his head he will
see these Siddhas. The word Siddha does not refer to those
men who have become free—a sense in which it is often used.
34. प्रातिभाद् वा सर्वम् ॥ ३४ ॥
pratibhad va sarvam
Or by the power of Pratibha all knowledge.
All these can come without any Samyama to the man who has
the power of Pratibha (enlightenment from purity). This is
when a man has risen to a high state of Pratibha; then he has
that great light. All things are apparent to him. Everything
comes to him naturally, without making Samyama on
anything.
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35. हृदये चित्तसंवित् ॥ ३५॥
hridaye chittasanvit
In the heart, knowledge of minds.
36. सत्त्वपुरुषयोरत्यन्तासंकीर्णयोः प्रत्ययाविशेषो भोगः
परार्थत्वात् स्वार्थसंयमात् पुरुषज्ञानम् ॥ ३६ ॥
sattvapurushayoratyantasankeernnayoh
pratyayavishesho bhogah pararthatvat
svarthasanyamat purushajnanam
Enjoyment comes by the non-discrimination of the
very distant soul and Sattva. Its actions are for
another; Samyama on this gives knowledge of the
Purusa.
This power of non-attachment acquired through purity gives
the Yogi the enlightenment called Pratibha.
37. ततः प्रातिभश्रावणवेदनादर्शास्वादवार्ता जायन्ते ॥ ३७ ॥
tatah pratibhashravannavedanadarshasvadavarta
jayante
From that arises the knowledge of hearing, touching,
seeing, tasting, and smelling, belonging to Pratibha.
38. ते समाधावुपसर्गा व्युत्थाने सिद्धयः ॥ ३८ ॥
te samadhavupasargaa vyutthane siddhayah
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These are obstacles to Samadhi; but they are powers
in the worldly state.
If the Yogi knows all these enjoyments of the world it comes
by the junction of the Purusa and the mind. If he wants to
make Samyama on this, that they are two different things,
nature and soul, he gets knowledge of the Purusa. From that
arises discrimination. When he has got that discrimination he
gets the Pratibha, the light of supreme genius. These
powers, however, are obstructions to the attainment of the
highest goal, the knowledge of the pure Self, and freedom;
these are, as it were, to be met in the way, and if the Yogi
rejects them, he attains the highest. If he is tempted to acquire
these, his farther progress is barred.
39. बन्धकारणशैथिल्यात् प्रचारसंवेदनाच्च चित्तस्य परशरीरावेशः ॥ ३९ ॥
bandhakarannashaithilyat pracharasanvedanach ch
chittasya parashariraveshah
When the cause of bondage has become loosened, the
Yogi, by his knowledge of manifestation through the
organs, enters another’s body.
The Yogi can enter a dead body, and make it get up and move,
even while he himself is working in another body. Or he can
enter a living body, and hold that man’s mind and organs in
check, and for the time being act through the body of that
man. That is done by the Yogi coming to this discrimination of
Purusa and nature. If he wants to enter another’s body he
makes a Samyama on that body and enters it, because, not
only is his Soul omnipresent, but his mind also, according to
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the Yogi. It is one bit of the universal mind. Now, however, it
can only work through the nerve currents in this body, but
when the Yogi has loosened himself from these nerve
currents, he will be able to work through other things.
40. उदानजयाज्जलपङ्ककण्टकादिष्वसङ्ग उत्क्रान्तिश्च ॥४०॥
udanajayajjalapangkakantakadishvasangg
utkrantishch
By conquering the current called Udana the Yogi
does not sink in water, or in swamps, and he can walk
on thorns.
Udana is the name of the nerve current that governs the lungs,
and all the upper parts of the body, and when he is master of it
he becomes light in weight. He cannot sink in water; he can
walk on thorns and sword baldes, and stand in fire, and so on.
41. समानजयात् प्रज्वलनम् ॥४१॥
samanajayat prajvalanam
By the conquest of the current Samana he is
surrounded by blaze.
Whenever he likes light flashes from his body.
42. श्रोत्राकाशयोः संबन्धसंयमाद् दिव्यं श्रोत्रम् ॥४२॥
shrotrakashayoh sanbandhasanyamad divyan
shrotram
By making Samyama on the relation between the ear
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and the Akasa comes divine hearing.
There is the Akasa, the ether, and the instrument, the ear. By
making Samyama on them the Yogi gets divine hearing; he
hears everything. Anything spoken or sounded miles away he
can here.
43. कायाकाशयोः संबन्धसंयमाल् लघुतूलसमापत्तेश्चाकाशगमनम् ॥४३॥
kayakashayoh sanbandhasanyamal
aghutoolasamapatteshchakashagamanam
By making Samyama on the relation between the
Akasa and the body the Yogi becoming light as cotton
wool goes through the skies.
This Akasa is the material of this body; it is only Akasa in a
certain form that has become the body. If the Yogi makes
Samyama on this Akasa material of his body, it acquires the
lightness of Akasa, and can go anywhere through the air.
44. बहिरकल्पिता वृत्तिर्महाविदेहा . ततः प्रकाशावरणक्षयः ॥४४॥
bahirakalpita vrittirmahavideha tatah
prakashavarannakshayah
By making Samyama on the real modifications of the
mind, which are outside, called great disembodiness,
comes disappearance of the covering to light.
The mind in its foolishness thinks that it is working in this
body. Why should I be bound by one system of nerves, and
put the Ego only in one body, if the mind is omnipresent?
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There is no reason why I should. The Yogi wants to feel the
Ego wherever he likes. When he has succeeded in that all
covering to light goes away, and all darkness and ignorance
vanish. Everything appear to him to be full of knowledge.
45. स्थूलस्वरूपसूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद्भूतजयः ॥४५॥
sthoolasvaroopasookshmanvayarthavattva
samyamadbhootajayah
By making Samyama on the elements, beginning with
the gross, and ending with the superfine, comes
mastery of the elements.
The Yogi make Samyama on the elements, first on the gross,
and then on the finer states. This Samyama is taken up more
by a sect of the Buddhists. They take a lump of clay, and make
Samyama on that, and gradually they begin to see the fine
materials of which is is composed, and when they have known
all the fine materials in it, they get power over that element.
So with all the elements, the Yogi can conquer them all.
46. ततोऽणिमादिप्रादुर्भावः कायसंपत् तद्धर्मानभिघातश्च ॥४६॥
tatoanimadipradurbhavah kayasanpat
taddharmanabhighatashch
From that comes minuteness, and the rest of the
powers, "glorification of the body," and
indestructibleness of the bodily qualities.
This means that the Yogi has attained the eight powers. He can
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make himsef as light as a particle, he can make himself huge,
as heavy as the earth, or as light as the air; he will rule
everything he wants, he will conquer everything he wants,
alion will sit at his feet like a lamb, and all his desires be
fulfilled at will.
47. रूपलावण्यबलवज्रसंहननत्वानि कायसंपत् ॥४७॥
roopalavanyabalavajrasanhananatvani kayasanpat
The glorifications of the body are beauty,
complexion, strength, adamantine hardness.
The body becomes indestructible; fire cannot injure it.
Nothing can injure it. Nothing can destroy it until the Yogi
wishes. “Breaking the rod of time he lives in this universe
with his body.” In the Vedas it is written that for that man
there is no more disease, death or pain.
48. ग्रहणस्वरूपास्मितान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद् इन्द्रियजयः ॥४८॥
grahannasvaroopasmitanvayarthavattvasanyamad
indriyajayah
By making Samyama on the objectivity, knowledge
and egoism of the organs, by gradation comes the
conquest of the organs.
In perception of external objects the organs leave their place
in the mind and go towards the object; that is followed by
knowledge and egoism. When the Yogi makes Samyama on
these by gradation he conquers the organs. Take up anything
that you see or feel, a book, for instance, and first concentrate
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the mind on the thing itself. Then on the knowledge that it is
in the form of a book, and then the Ego that sees the book. By
that practice all the organs will be conquers.
49. ततो मनोजवित्वं विकरणभावः प्रधानजयश्च ॥४९॥
tato manojavitvan vikarannabhavah
pradhanajayashch
From that comes glorified mind, power of the organs
independently of the body, and conquest of nature.
Just as by the conquest of the elements comes glorified body,
so from the conquest of the mind will come glorified mind.
50. सत्त्वपुरुषान्यताख्यातिमात्रस्य सर्वभावाधिष्ठातृत्वं सर्वज्ञातृत्वं च ॥५०॥
sattvapurushanyatakhyatimatrasy
sarvabhavadhishthatritvam sarvajnatritvan cha
By making Samyama on the Sattva, to him who has
discriminated between the intellect and the PuruSa
comes omnipresence and omniscience.
When we have conquered nature, and realised the difference
between the PuruSa and nature, that the PuruSa is
indestructible, pure and perfect, when the Yogi has realised
this, then comes omnipotence and omniscience.
51. तद्वैराग्यादपि दोषबीजक्षये कैवल्यम् ॥५१॥
tadvairajnadapi doshabijakshaye kaivalyam
By giving up even these comes the destruction of the
very seed of evil; he attains Kaivalya.
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He attains aloneness, independence. Then that man is free.
When he gives up even the ideas of omnipotence and
omniscience, there will be entire rejection of enjoyment, of
the temptations from celestial beings. When the Yogi has seen
all these wonderful powers, and rejected them, he reaches the
goal. What are all these powers? Simply manifestations. They
areno better than dreams. Even omnipotence is a dream. It
depends on the mind. So long as there is a mind it can be
understood, but the goal is beyond even the mind.
52. स्थान्युपनिमन्त्रणे सङ्गस्मयाकरणं पुनः अनिष्टप्रसङ्गात् ॥ ५२॥
sthanyupanimantrane sanggasmayakarannan
punah anishtaprasanggat
The Yogi should not feel allured or flattered by the
overtures of celestial beings, for fear of evil again.
There are other dangers too; gods and other beings come to
tempt the Yogi. They do not want anyone to be perfectly free.
They are jealous, just as we are, and worse than we
sometimes. They are very much afraid of losing their places.
Those Yogis who do not reach perfection die and become
gods; leaving the direct road they go into one of the side
streets, and get these powers. Then again they have to be born;
but he who is strong enough to withstand these temptations,
and go straight to the goal, becomes free.
53. क्षणतत्क्रमयोः संयमाद्विवेकजं ज्ञानम् ॥ ५३॥
kshannatatkramayoh sanyamadavivekajam jnanam
By making Samyama on a particle of time and its
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multiples comes discrimination.
How are we to avoid all these things, these Devas, and
heavens, and powers? By discrimination, by knowing good
from evil. Therefore a Samyama is given by which the
power of discrimination can be strengthened. This is by
making Samyama on a particle of time.
54. जातिलक्षणदेशैरन्यताऽनवच्छेदात् तुल्ययोस्ततः प्रतिपत्तिः ॥५४॥
jatilakshannadeshairanyataanavachchhedat
tulyayostatah pratipattih
Those which cannot be differentiated by species, sign
and place, even they will be discriminated by the
above Samyama.
The misery that we suffer comes from ignorance, from non-
discrimination between the real and the unreal. We all take the
bad for the good, the dream for the reality. Soul is the only
reality, and we have forgotten it. Body is an unreal dream, and
we think we are all bodies. This non-discrimination is the
cause of misery, and it is caused by ignorance. When
discrimination comes it brings strength, and then alone can
we avoid all these various ideas of body, heavens, and gods
and Devas. This ignorance arises through differentiating by
species, sign or place. For instance, take a cow. The cow is
differentiated from the dog, as species. Even with the cows
alone how do we make the distinction between one cow and
another? By signs. If two objects are exactly similar they can
be distinguished if they are in different places. When objects
are so mixed up that even these differentiæ will not help us,
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the power of discrimination acquired by the above-mentioned
practice will give us the ability to distinguish them. The
highest philosophy of the Yogi is based upon this fact, that the
PuruSa is pure and perfect, and is the only “simple” that
exists in this universe. The body and mind are compounds,
and yet we are ever identifying ourselves with them. That is
the great mistake that the distinction has been lost. When this
power of discrimination has been attained, man sees that
everything in this world, mental and physical, is a compound,
and, as such, cannot be the Purusa.
55. तारकं सर्वविषयं सर्वथाविषयम् अक्रमं चेति विवेकजं ज्ञानम् ॥ ५५ ॥
tarakan sarvavishayan sarvathavishayam akraman
cheti vivekajan jnanam
The saving knowledge is that knowledge of
discrimination which covers all objects, all means.
Saving, because the knowledge takes the Yogi across the
ocean of birth and death. The whole of Prakriti in all its states,
subtle and gross, is within the grasp of this knowledge. There
is no succession in perfection by this knowledge: it takes in all
things simultaneously, at a glance.
56. सत्त्वपुरुषयोः शुद्धिसाम्ये कैवल्यम् इति ॥ ५६ ॥
sattvapurushayoh shuddhisamye kaivalyam iti
By the similarity of purity between the Sattva and the
PuruSa comes Kaivalya.
When the soul realises that it depends on nothing in the
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universe, from gods to the lowest atom, that it is called
Kaivalya (isolation) and perfection. It is attained when this
mixture of purity and impurity called mind has been made as
pure as the PuruSa Itself; then the Sattva, the mind, reflects
only the unqualified essence of purity, which is the PuruSa
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CHAPTER IV – KAIVALYA PADA
INDEPENDENCE
॥ चतुर्थः कैवल्यपादः ॥

1. जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः ॥ १॥
   janmaushadhimantratapahsamadhijah siddhayah
   The Siddhis (powers) are attained by birth, chemical
   means, power of words, mortification or
   concentration.
   Sometimes a man is born with the Siddhis, powers, of course
   from the exercise of powers he had in his previous birth. In
   this birth he is born, as it were, to enjoy the fruits of them. It is
   said of Kapila, the great father of the Sankhya Philosophy,
   that he was a born Siddha, which means, literally, a man who
   has attained to success.
   The Yogis claim that these powers can be gained by chemical
   means. All of you know that chemistry originally began as
   alchemy; men went in search of the philsopher’s stone, and
   elixirs of life, and so forth. In Inidia there was a sect called the
   Rasayanas. Their idea was that ideality, knowledge,
   spirituality and religion, were all very right, but that the body
   was the only instrument by which to attain to all these. If the
   body broke now and then it would take so much more time to
   attain to the goal. For instance, a man wants to practice
   Yoga, or wants to become spiritual. Before he has advanced
   very far he dies. Then he takes another body and begins again,
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then dies, and so on, and in this way much time will be lost in
dying and in being born again. If the body could be made
strong and perfect, so that it would get rid of birth and death,
we should have so much more time to become spiritual. So
these Rasayanas say, first make the body very strong, and
they claim that this body can be made immortal. The idea is
that if the mind is manufacturing the body, and if it be true
that each mind is only one particular outlet to that infinite
energy, and that there is no limit to each particular outlet
getting any amount of power from outside, why is it
impossible that we should keep our bodies all the time? We
shall have to manufacture all the bodies that we shall ever
have. As soon as this body dies we shall have to manufacture
another. If we can do that why cannot we do it just here and
no, without getting out? The theory is perfectly correct. If it is
possible that we live after death, and make other bodies, why
is it impossible that we should have the power of making
bodies here, without entirely dissolving this body, simply
changing it continually? They also thought that in mercury
and in sulphur was hidden the most wonderful power, and that
by certain preparations of these a man could keep the body as
long as he liked. Others believed that certain drugs could
bring powers, such as flying through the air, etc. Many of
the most wonderful medicines of the present day we owe to
the Rasayamas, notably the use of metals in medicine.
Certain sects of Yogis claim that many of their principal
teachers are still living in their old bodies. Patanjali, the great
authority on Yoga, does not deny this.
The power of words. There are certain sacred words called
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