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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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Mantrams, which have power, when repeated under proper
conditions, to produce these extraordinary powers. We are
living in the midst of such a mass of miracles, day and night,
that we do not think anything of them. There is no limit to
man's power, the power of words and the power of mind.
Mortification. You will find that in every religion
mortifications and asceticisms have been practised. In these
religious conceptions the Hindus always go to the extremes.
You will find men standing with their hands up all their lives,
until their hands wither and die. Men sleep standing, day and
night, until their feet swell, and, if they live, the legs become
so stiff in this position that they can no more bend them, but
have to stand all their lives. I once saw a man who had raised
his hands in this way, and I asked him how it felt when he did
it first. He said it was awful torture. It was such torture that he
had to go to a river and put himself in water, and that allayed
the pain for a little. After a month he did not suffer much.
Through such practices powers (Siddhis) can be attained.
Concentration. The concentration is Samadhi, and that is
Yoga proper; that is the principle theme of this science, and it
is the highest means. The preceding ones are only secondary,
and we cannot attain to the highest through them. Samadhi is
the means through which we can gain anything and
everything, mental, moral or spiritual.
2. जात्यन्तरपरिणामः प्रकृत्यापूरात् ॥ २॥
jatyantaraparinamah prakrityapoorat
The change into another species is by the filling in of
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nature.
Patanjali has advanced the proposition that these powers
come by first, sometimes by chemical means, or they may be
got by mortification and he has admitted that this body can be
kept for any length of time. Now he goes on to state what is
the cause of the change of the body into another species,
which he says is by the filling in of nature. In the next
aphorism he will explain this.
3. निमित्तम् अप्रयोजकं प्रकृतीनां वरणभेदस्तु ततः क्षेत्रिकवत्॥३॥
nimittam aprayojakan prakritinan varannabhedastu
tatah kshetrikavat
Good deeds, etc., are not the direct causes in the
transformation of nature, but they act as breakers of
obstacles to the evolutions of nature, as a farmer
breaks the obstacles to the course of water, which
then runs down by its own nature.
When a farmer is irrigating his field the water is already in the
canals, only there are gates which keep the water in. The
farmer opens these gates, and the water flows in by itself, by
the law of gravitation. So, all human progress and power are
already in everything; this perfection is every man’s nature,
only it is barred in and prevented from taking its proper
course. If anyone can take the bar off in rushes nature. Then
the man attains the powers which are his already. Those we
called wicked become saints, as soon as the bar is broken and
nature rushes in. It is nature that is driving us towards
perfection, and eventually she will bring everyone there. All
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these practices and struggles to become religious are only
negative work to take off the bars, and open the doors to that
perfection which is our birthright, our nature.
To-day the evolution theories of the Yogis will be better
understood in the light of modern research. And yet the theory
of the Yogis is a better explanation. The two causes of
evolution advanced by the moderns, viz., sexual selection and
survival of the fittest, are inadequate. Suppose human
knowledge to have advanced too much as to eliminate
competition, both from the function of acquiring physical
sustenance and of acquiring a mate. Then, according to the
moderns, human progress will stop and the race will die. And
the result of this theory is to furnish every oppressor with an
argument to calm the qualms of conscience, and men are not
lacking, who, posing as philosophers, want to kill out all
wicked and incompetent persons (they are, of course, the only
judges of competency), and thus preserve the human race!
But the great ancient evolutionist, Patanjali, declares that the
true secret of evolution is the manifestation of the perfection
which is already in every being; that this perfection has been
barred, and the infinite tide behind it is struggling to express
itself. These struggles and competitions are but the results of
our ignorance, because we do not know the proper way to
unlock the gate and let the water in. This infinite tide behind
must express itself, and it is the cause of all manifestation, not
competition for life, or sex gratification, which are only
momentary, unnecessary, extraneous effects, caused by
ignorance. Even when all competition has ceased this perfect
nature behind will make us go forward until everyone has
become perfect. Therefore there is no reason to believe that
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competition is necessary to progress. In the animal the man
was suppressed, but, as soon as the door was opened, out
rushed man. So, in man there is the potential god, kept in by
the locks and bars of ignorance. When knowledge breaks
these bars the god becomes manifest.
4. निर्माणचित्तान्यस्मितामात्रात् ॥ ४॥
nirmannachittanyasmitamatrat
From egoism alone proceed the created minds.
The theory of Karma is that we suffer for our good or bad
deeds, and the whole scope of philosophy is to approach the
glory of man. All the Scriptures sing the glory of man, of the
soul, and then, with the same breath, they preach this Karma.
A good deed brings such a result, and a bad deed such a result,
but, if the soul can be acted upon by a good or a bad deed it
amounts to nothing. Bad deeds put a bart to the manifestation
of our nature, of the Purusa, and good deeds take the
obstacles off, and its glory becomes manifest. But the PuruSa
itself is never changed. Whatever you do never destroys
your own glory, your own nature, because the soul cannot be
acted upon by anything, only a veil is spread before it, hiding
its perfection.
5. प्रवृत्तिभेदे प्रयोजकं चित्तम् एकम् अनेकेषाम् ॥ ५॥
pravrittibhede prayojakam chittam ekam anekesham
Though the activities of the different created minds
are various, the one original mind is the controller of
them all.
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These different minds, which will act in these different
bodies, are called made-minds, and the bodies made-bodies;
that is, manufactured bodies and minds. Matter and mind are
like two inexhaustible storehouses. When you have become a
Yogi you have learned the secret of their control. It was yours
all the time, but you had forgotten it. When you become a
Yogi you recollect it. Then you can do anything with it,
manipulate it any way you like. The material out of which that
manufactured mind is created is the very same material which
is used as the macrocosm. It is not that mind is one thing and
matter another, but they are different existences of the same
thing. Asmita, egoism, is the material, the fine state of
existence out of which these made-minds and made-bodies of
the Yogi will be manufactured. Therefore, when the Yogi has
found the secret of these energies of nautre he can
manufacture any number of bodies, or minds, but they will all
be manufactures out of the substance known as egoism.
6. तत्र ध्यानजम् अनाशयम् ॥ ६॥
tatra dhyanajam anashayam
Among the various Chittas that which is attained by
Samadhi is desireless.
Among all the various minds that we see in various men, only
that mind which has attained to Samadhi, perfect
concentration, is the highest. A man who has attained certain
powers through medicines, or through words, or through
mortifications, still has desires, but that man who has attained
to Samadhi through concentration is alone free from all
desires.
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7. कर्माशुक्लाकृष्णं योगिनः त्रिविधम् इतरेषाम् ॥ ७॥
karmashuklakrishnnam yoginah trividham itaresham
Works are neither black nor white for the Yogis; for
others they are threefold, black, white, and mixed.
When the Yogi has attained to that state of perfection, the
actions of that man, and the Karma produced by those actions,
will not bind him, because he did not desire them. He just
works on: he works to do good, and he does good, but does
not care for the result, and it will not come to him. But for
ordinary men, who have not attained to that highest state,
works are of three kind, black (evil actions), white (good
actions), and mixed.
8. ततस्तद्विपाकानुगुणानाम् एवाभिव्यक्तिर्वासनानाम् ॥ ८॥
tatastadvipakanugunanam evabhivyaktirvasananam
From these threefold works are manifested in each
state only those desires (which are) fitting to that state
alone. (The others are held in abeyance for the time
being.)
Suppose I have made the three kinds of Karma, good, bad,
and mixed; and suppose I die and become a god in heaven; the
desires in a god body are not the same as the desires in a
human body. The god body neither eats nor drinks; what
becomes of my past unworked Karmas, which produce as
their effect the desire to eat and drink? Where would these
Karmas go when I became a god? The answer is that desires
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can only manifest themselves in proper environments. Only
those desires will come out for which the environment is
fitted; the rest will remain stored up. In this life we have many
godly desires, many human desires, many animal desires. If I
take a god body, only the god desires will come up, because
for them the environments are suitable. And if I take an
animal body, only the animal desires will come up, and the
god desires will wait. What does that show? That by means
of environment we can check these desires. Only that Karma
which is suited to and fitted for the environments will come
out. These proves that the power of environment is the great
check to control even Karma itself.
9. जातिदेशकालव्यवहितानाम् अप्यानन्तर्यं, स्मृतिसंस्कारयोः
एकरूपत्वात् ॥ ९॥
jatideshakalavyavahitanam apyanantaryam
smritisanskarayoh ekaroopatvat
There is connectiveness in desire, even though
separated by speices, space and time, there being
identifi-cation of memory and impressions.
Experiences becoming fine become impressions; impressions
revivified become memory. The word memory here includes
unconscious co-ordination of past experience, reduced to
impressions, with present conscious action. In each body the
group of impressions acquired in a similar body only will
become the cause of action in that body. The experiences of
dissimilar bodies will be held in abeyance. Each body will act
as if it were a descendant of a series of bodies of that species
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only; thus, consecutiveness of desires will not be broken.
10. तासाम् अनादित्वं चाशिषो नित्यत्वात् ॥१०॥
tasam anaditvam chashisho nityatvat
Thirst for happiness being eternal, desires are without
beginning.
All experience is preceded by desire for becoming happy.
There was no beginning of experience, as each fresh
experience is built upon the tendency generated by past
experience; therefore desire is without beginning.
11. हेतुफलाश्रयालम्बनैः संगृहीतत्वाद् एषाम् अभावे तदभावः ॥११॥
hetufalashrayalambanaih sangrihitatvad esham
abhave tadabhavah
Being held together by cause, effect, support, and
objects, in the absence of these is its absence.
These desires are held together by cause and effect; if a desire
has been raised it does not die without producing its effect.
Then again, the mind-stuff is the great storehouse, the support
of all past desires, reduced to Samskara form; until they have
worked themselves out they will not die. Moreover, so long as
the senses receive the external objects fresh desires will arise.
If it be possible to get rid of these, then alone desires will
vanish.
12. अतीतानागतं स्वरूपतोऽस्त्यध्वभेदाद् धर्माणाम् ॥१२॥
atitanagatan svaroopatostyadhvabhedad
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dharmanam
The past and future exist in their own nature, qualities
having different ways.
13. ते व्यक्तसूक्ष्मा गुणात्मानः ॥ १३ ॥
te vyaktasookshma gunatmanah
They are manifested or fine, being of the nature of the
Gunas.
The Gunas are the three substances, Sattva, Rajas, and
Tamas, whose gross state is the sensible universe. Past and
future arise from the different modes of manifestation of these
Gunas.
14. परिणामैकत्वाद् वस्तुतत्त्वम् ॥ १४ ॥
parinamaikatvad vastutattvam
The unity in things is from the unity in changes.
Though there are three substances their changes
being co-ordinated all objects have their unity.
15. वस्तुसाम्ये चित्तभेदात् तयोर्विभक्तः पन्थाः ॥ १५ ॥
vastusamye chittabhedat tayorvibhaktah panthah
The object being the same, perception and desire vary
according to the various minds.
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16. तदुपरागापेक्षत्वात् चित्तस्य वस्तु ज्ञाताज्ञातम् ॥ १६ ॥³
taduparagapekshatvat chittasya vastu jnatajnatam
Things are known or unknown to the mind, being
de-pendent on the colouring which they give to the
mind.
17. सदा ज्ञाताश्चित्तवृत्तयस्तत्प्रभोः पुरुषस्यापरिणामित्वात् ॥ १७ ॥
sada jnatashchittavrittayastatprabhoh
purushasyaparinamitvat
The states of the mind are always known because the
lord of the mind is unchangeable.
The whole gist of this theory is that the universe is both
mental and material. And both the mental and material worlds
are in a continuous state of flux. What is this book?
It is a combination of molecules in constant change. One lot is
going out, and another coming in; it is a whirlpool, but what
makes the unity? What makes it the same book? The changes
are rhythmical; in harmonious order they are sending
impressions to my mind, and these pieced together make a
continuous picture, although they parts are continuously
³ Swami Vivekananda does not comment on the sutra which is 16ᵗʰ sutra
in most versions of Patanjali Yoga Sutra. This sutra is: न चैकचित्ततन्त्रं वस्तु
तदप्रमाणकं तदा किं स्यात् ॥ “An object exists independent of its cognizance by
any one consciousness. What happens to it when that consciousness is
not there to perceive it?”
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changing. Mind itself is continuously changing. The mind and
body are like two layers in the same substance, moving at
different rates of speed. Relatively, one being slower and the
other quicker, we can distinguish between the two motions.
For instance, a train is moving, and another carriage is
moving slowly alongside it. It is possible to find the motion of
both these, to a certain extent. But still something else is
necessary. Motion can only be perceived when there is
something else which is not moving. But when two or three
things are relatively moving, we first perceive the motion of
the faster one, and then that of the slower ones. How is the
mind to perceive? It is also in a flux. Therefore another thing
is necessary which moves more slowly, then you must get to
something in which the motion is still slower, and so on, and
you will find no end. Therefore logic compels you to stop
somewhere. You must complete the series by knowing
something which never changes. Behind this never ending
chain of motion is the Purusa, the changeless, the colourless,
the pure. All these impressions are merely reflected upon it, as
rays of light from a camera are reflected upon a white sheet,
painting hundreds of pictures on it, without in any way
tarnishing the sheet.
18. न तत् स्वाभासंदृश्यत्वात् ॥ १८ ॥
na tat svabhasandrishyatvat
Mind is not self-luminous, being an object.
Tremendous power is manifested everywhere in nature, but
yet something tells us that it is not self-luminous, not
essentially intelligent. The Purusa alone is self-luminous, and
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gives its light to everything. It is its power that is percolating
through all matter and force.
19. एकसमये चोभयानवधारणम् ॥ १९॥
ekasamaye chobhayanavadharannam
From its being unable to cognise two things at the
same time.
If the mind were self-luminous it would be able to cognise
everything at the same time, which it cannot. If you pay deep
attention to one thing you lose another. If the mind were
self-luminous there would be no limit to the impressions it
could receive. The PuruSa can cognise all in one moment;
therefore the PuruSa is self-luminous, and the mind is not.
20. चित्तान्तरदृश्ये बुद्धिबुद्धेरतिप्रसङ्गः स्मृतिसंकरश्च ॥ २०॥
chittantaradrishye buddhibuddheratiprasanggah
smritisankarashcha
Another cognising mind being assumed there will be
no end to such assumptions and confusion of
memory.
Let us suppose that there is another mind which cognises the
first, there will have to be something which cognises that, and
so there will be no end to it. It will result in confusion of
memory, there will be no storehouse of memory.
21. चितेरप्रतिसंक्रमायास्तदाकारापत्तौ स्वबुद्धिसंवेदनम् ॥ २१ ॥
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chiterapratisankramayastadakarapattau
svabuddhisanvedanam
The essence of knowledge (the PuruSa) being
un-changeable, when the mind takes its form, it
becomes conscious.
Patanjali says this to make it more clear that knowledge is not
a quality of the PuruSa. When the mind comes near the
PuruSa it is reflected, as it were, upon the mind, and the mind,
for the time being, becomes knowing and seems as if it were
itself the PuruSa.
22. द्रष्टृदृश्योपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम् ॥ २२ ॥
drashtridrishyoparaktan chittan sarvartham
Coloured by the seer and the seen the mind is able to
understand everything.
On the one side the external world, the seen, is being
reflected, and on the other, the seer is being reflected; thus
comes the power of all knowledge to the mind.
23. तदसंख्येयवासनाचित्रम् अपि परार्थं संहत्यकारित्वात् ॥ २३ ॥
tadasankhyeyavasanachitram api pararthan
sanhatyakaritvat
The mind through its innumerable desires acts for
another (the PuruSa), being combinations.
The mind is a compound of various things, and therefore it
cannot work for itself. Everything that is a combination in this
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world has some object for that combination, some third thing
for which this combination is going on. So this combination
of the mind is for the PuruSa.
24. विशेषदर्शिन आत्मभावभावनाविनिवृत्तिः ॥२४॥
visheshadarshin aatmabhavabhavanavinivrittih
For the discriminating the perception of the mind as
Atman ceases.
Through discrimination the Yogi knows that the PuruSa is not
mind.
25. तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भारं चित्तम् ॥२५॥
tada vivekanimnan kaivalyapragbharan chittam
Then bent on discriminating the mind attains the
previous state of Kaivalya (isolation).
Thus the practice of Yoga leads to discriminating power, to
clearness of vision. The veil drops from the eyes, and we see
things as they are. We find that this nature is a compound, and
is showing the panorama for the PuruSa, who is the witness;
that this nature is not the Lord, that the whole of these
combinations of nature are simply for the sake of showing
these phenomena to the PuruSa, the enthroned king within.
When discrimination comes by long practice fear ceases, and
the mind attains isolation.
26. तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः ॥२६॥
tachchhidreshu pratyayantarani sanskarebhyah
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The thoughts that arise as obstructions to that are
from impressions.
All the various ideas that arise making us belive that we
require something external to make us happy are obstructions
to that perfection. The Purusa is happiness and blessedness
by its own nature. But that knowledge is covered over by past
impressions. These impressions have to work themselves out.
27. हानम् एषां क्लेशवदुक्तम् ॥ २७ ॥
hanam esham kleshavaduktam
Their destruction is in the same manner as of
ignorance, etc., as said before.
28. प्रसंख्यानेऽप्यकुसीदस्य सर्वथाविवेकख्यातेर्धर्ममेघः समाधिः ॥ २८ ॥
prasankhyanepyakusidasy sarvathavivekakhyater
dharmameghah samadhih
Even when arriving at the right discriminating
knowledge of the senses, he who gives up the fruits,
unto him comes as the result of perfect
discrimination, the Samadhi called the cloud of
virtue.
When the Yogi has attained to this discrimination, all these
powers will come that were mentioned in the last chapter, but
the true Yogi rejects them all. Unto him comes a peculiar
knowledge, a particular light called the Dharma Megha, the
cloud of virtue. All the great prophets of the world whom
history has recorded had this. They had found the whole
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foundation of knowledge within themselves. Truth to them
had become real. Peace and calmness, and perfect purity
became their own nature, after they had given up all these
vanities of powers.
29. ततः क्लेशकर्मनिवृत्तिः ॥ २९ ॥
tatah kleshakarmanivrittih
From that comes cessation of pains and works.
When that cloud of virtue has come, then no more is there fear
of falling, nothing can drag the Yogi down. No more will there
be evils for him. No more pains.
30. तदा सर्वावरणमलापेतस्य ज्ञानस्याऽनन्त्याज्ज्ञेयम् अल्पम् ॥ ३० ॥
tada sarvavarannamalapetasy
jnanasyaanantyajgyeyam alpam
Then knowledge, bereft of covering and impurities,
becoming infinite, the knowable becomes small.
Knowledge itself is there; its covering is gone. One of the
Buddhistic scriptures sums up what is meant by the Buddha
(which is the name of a state). It defines it as infinite
knowledge, infinite as the sky. Jesus attained to that state and
became the Christ. All of you will attain to that state, and
knowledge becoming infinite, the knowable becomes small.
This whole universe, with all its knowable, becomes as
nothing before the Purusa. the ordinary man thinks himself
very small, because to him the knowable seems to be so
infinite.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutras
31. ततः कृतार्थानां परिणामक्रमपरिसमाप्तिर्गुणानाम् ॥३१॥
tatah kritarthanan parinamakramapari
samaptirgunanam
Then are finished the successive transformations of
the qualities, they having attained the end.
Then all these various transformations of the qualities, which change
from species to species, cease forever.
32. क्षणप्रतियोगी परिणामापरान्तनिग्राह्यः क्रमः ॥३२॥
kshannapratiyogi parinamaparantanigrarhyah
kramah
The changes that exist in relation to moments, and
which are perceived at the other end (at the end of a
series) are succession.
Patanjali here defines the word succession, the changes that
exist in relation to moments. While I am thinking, many
moments pass, and with each moment there is a change of
idea, but we only perceive these changes at the end of a series.
So, perception of time is always in the memory. This is called
succession, but for the mind that has realised omnipresence
all these have finished. Everything has become present for
it; the present alone exists, the past and future are lost. This
stands controlled, and all knowledge is there in one second.
Everything is known like a flash.
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