(Paper 1)

Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali: its Purpose, Effects, and Significance

Bahiranga is a Sanskrit term which means ‘external’ or ‘outside’. In the 8-fold path of
yoga, it is associated with the first 4 limbs, that are- Yama, Niyama, Asana &
Pranayama. Pratyahara is the fifth limb that acts as a bridge connecting the external
to the internal.
Bahiranga yoga practices complement and lead to Antaranga yoga, or the inner path,
which typically is described as the final three or four limbs, culminating in samadhi,
the state of enlightenment and ecstasy.

Patanjali Yoga Sutra II:29

Yamaniyamâsanâprânâyâ-mapratyâhâradhâranadhyânasamâdhayo shtâvamgani.

Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras propounds yoga with eight limbs, i.e., Ashtanga Yoga.
These eight limbs as given in the above Sutra are as follows:

1. Yamas: it is derived from the verb root yam which means to control and
restrain.Yamas are forms of attitude training through the ethical commitment to self.

The observance of Yamas should be at three levels KAYIKA by(bodily), VACHIKA

by(speech) and MANASIKAY by (mental).These observances are recommended to
produce a comparatively peaceful condition of the mind.

The five yamas given by Patanjali are as follows:

i. Ahimsa (non-violence in thought, word and deed)-
It means not only not causing injury to others ,but to avoid the evil effect of himsa
that is produced in the mind and disturbs it. Himsa in thought is also himsa, probably
the wrost part of himsa. Thinking of injurying others is as bad as or even worse than
actually injuring.
Ahimsa means love, harmlessness, non-killing, non-violence. It means absence of
enemity, hostility and harm.

For the spiritual aspirant it should mean absence of any harmful intention. When one
is established in ahimsa ,there develops a kind of magnetism around one that
influence anybody that magnetism is called Vairatyaga.

ii. Satya (truthfulness)-

Satya is truthfulness. It is more than just telling the truth. One’s actions should be in
accordance with one’s words and thoughts. God and man’s true Self are truth, and in
order to tune in with that consciousness we need to live truthfully at all times.
Furthermore lying creates many thoughts in the mind which go against the raja yoga
objective of calming the mind.

iii. Asteya (non-stealing of material as well as non-material things)-

Asteya is non-stealing. This one is pretty self-explanatory. However, it is good to bear

in mind that there are many subtle ways to appropriate what does not belong to us.
As for the other yamas, much self-analysis will be necessary to catch the subtle lower
tendencies of our mind.

iv. Brahmacharya (celibacy) –Brahma means supreme being and charya means
living.but here the word brahmacharya means eight kind of sexual contentment.
According to Patanjali ,veerya is indomitable courage, which is essential for sadhana,
thus when firmly established in brahmacharya ,the yogi gains vigour,energy and
courage, where by he becomes free of the fear of death. Thus brahmacharya is an
important way of overcoming the kliesha called abhinivesha. It is eight fold. It is
necessary to conserve physical energy, known as Ojas, for spiritual potentiality.

Brahmacharya has two main meanings. In the broad sense it means control of the
senses or indriyas. More specifically it refers to celibacy or chastity.
v. Aparigraha – non-possessiveness or non-hoarding- it is one of the most important
virtues. It means giving up the tendency to accumulate objects of utility and
enjoyment.the aspirants keeps only those objects that are essential for living.this
keeps the mind unoccupied and also he doesnot have to worry about anything
because there is nothimg there to be protected.
"parigraha." meaning "taking things". "Aparigraha" is the opposite of it, not trying to
get anything from anybody.
Aparigraha is one of the main lessons in the Bhagavad Gita, which states that a yogi
should give up possessions that hinder his/her yogic path. Doing so frees the yogi
from dependence on sensual and bodily demands, allowing experience of the true
Self at a deeper level.

2. Niyamas:
Niyamas means a thing or activity to be done regularly or daily. It refers to
observances and restraints which govern an individual’s personal life. Therefore, they
can be practised by the practitioner.

These niyamas are as follows:

i. Shaucha (physical and mental purity/ hygiene)
Saucha is purity.
How can one purify one’s body.
1. bathing purify the body externally.
2. by consuming nutritious diet one can make the internal environment pure.
3. cleanliness of the body, which for hatha yogis includes the internal cleansing
practices known as kriyas.
4.The practice of asana tones the entire body and removes the toxins and impurities.
Pranayama cleanses the lungs ,oxygenates the blood and purifies the visceras.
How can one purify the mind
The deepest and most subtle aspect of Saucha is purity of thoughts and feelings.
The impurities of mind such as anger, hatred, greed, pride, impure thoughts,
unwanted feelings and emotions can be washed off or burned off by allowing only
healthy thoughts and emotions.
By mantras, prayers, bhakti and self realisation one can cleanses one’s thought
process.
But it also means A yogi must also keep his surroundings (home, car, workplace, etc.)
very tidy and clean. Purity is the essence of the sattvo guna, of paramount
importance to meditate successfully.

ii. Santosha (contentment – an ever-present happy state of mind)

Santosha is contentment or satisfaction.it is primarily a mental attitude.

Patanjali wants to emphasize that this mental attitude of contentment should be
reflected in the behaviour of the sadhaka in his day today practical life.
This is the ability to recognize that although it is important to try to better our
environment and life situation through proper effort, the world around you is never
going to be perfect and absolutely to our liking. Therefore the raja yogi should be
happy with what he has and endeavour to do the best he can with what he has got.

iii. Tapa (austerities, penances, vows, etc.)

Tapas is austerity. The luxury and comfort of our modern society, with all its
advantages, makes our mind soft and weak. To strengthen ourselves physically and
mentally we must practice austerities. The highest tapas is meditation on God or the
divine Self. Daily practice of yogic disciplines is considered tapas. A very good
practice is fasting.

iv. Swadhyay – Self-study.

Swadhyaya literally means study of the Self. The main practice is the study of the
yogic scriptures but it also includes japa (mantra repetition). This may comprise study
of scriptures, following the Guru’s dictates, listening to discourses of Saints/ wise
people, satsang (company of truth or like-minded people), etc.
Swadhaya means closing the eyes and observing one’s own self, as in antarmouna.
When it is practiced one is able to concentrate deeply on the god or goddess of
choice.

v. Ishwara Pranidhana (complete surrender to Ishwara)

Ishwarapranidhana is surrender to God’s will and devotion. In otherwords to

surrender everything-body, mind, soul, right action, wrong action, karma phala, all
kinds of material and spiritual pleasure near to god, guru or deity. In kriya yoga
pujana, yajna etc. come under iswarpranidhana.
All ethical and moral precepts of yoga culminate here.

3. Asanas:
Patanjali devotes only three Sutras for asanas out of his 195 Sutras!
He defines asana as ‘sthira sukham asanam’ – ‘asana is a posture which is stable
and comfortable’.
Obviously, Patanjali’s emphasis is on asanas which should be stable and comfortable
for carrying on meditation undisturbed for a decent period of time.
As regards methodology of doing asanas, Patanjali says ‘prayatna shaitilya ananta
samapattibhyam’ –asana performance should be graceful and mind should be
concentrated.

As regards the effects of asanas, Patanjali says, ‘tataha dvandva anabhighata’ – the
effect of asanas according to Patanjali is mental in nature, i.e., freedom from all kinds
of conflicts.
Keeping in mind that the objective of raja yoga is to calm the mind down, this is only
possible if one has control of the physical body. Body and mind are intimately
connected and if the body is agitated the mind will be agitated as a result.
In order to meditate successfully one must develop a very steady posture.
Furthermore the posture must be kept still for a long time and therefore it needs to be
extremely comfortable. When the meditator is not able to control his mind, he is
advised to practice the asanas of hatha yoga in order to gain the needed mastery.

4. Pranayama:
It is an important yoganga which is widely entertained from earliest times. It is a
subtle life force which provides energy to different organs and also controls many vital
life processes.

“Tasminsati shwasaprashwasayorgativicchedaha pranayamaha’’

 (II Sutra 49)

"Pranayama is control of Breath". "Prana" is Breath or vital energy in the body. On

subtle levels prana represents the pranic energy responsible for life or life force,
and "ayama" means control. So Pranayama is "Control of Breath". Patanjali says
that pranayama happens when there is a break in the pace between inhalation and
exhalation.

“Bahyabhyantarastambhavruttirdeshakalasankhyabhihi paridrashto

dirghasukshmaha’’ (II Sutra 50)

Accordingly, he talks about four types of pranayama –bahya (exhalation or external),

avyantara (inhalation or internal), stambha (no inhalation or no exhalation means hold
the breath inside),visayaksepi(which is different from above three pranayama and
subjected to experience).
Pranayama has three stages called puraka, kumbhaka and rechaka. Practice
depend upon the place of practice, local diet. Time means the relative duration of
puraka ,rechaka and kumbhaka. It also means the time of the year.
If you practice twenty rounds during winter you should practice ten rounds during
summer. Thus pranayama is regulated by desha, kala and samkhya.

According to Patanjali, tatah ksiyate prakasavaranam” (Sutra-52)

means pranayama practices make the mind fit for dharana. Also, with pranayama
practices, the psychic centres are activated and as a result, the covering of
knowledge is removed. Prakash here means the psychic centres. It means that when
you have practised pranayama, something happens in you by which the psychic
powers are released from the veil or control or obstruction of the physical mechanism
of the brain.
According to patanjali pranayama helps to remove the covering of the illumination.

5. Pratyahara:

Pratyahara refers to the withdrawal of sense organs from their respective objects, like
the tortoise withdrawing its limbs into the safety of its shell. Pratyahara forms the
bridge between the first four limbs (Bahiranga Yoga) and the last three limbs
(Antaranga Yoga).

In other words, pratyahara marks the transition of the mind from its extrovertedness to
inward-going process. Pratyahara is the withdrawal of the senses from their objects.
The natural tendency of the senses is to go out towards the objects of the world. In
doing so they pull the mind out and away from the inner Self and create powerful
waves on the lake-mind. Therefore, the yogi must be able to pull the senses within if
he is to keep a balanced and peaceful mind.

Antaranga sadhana is the name of a yogic practice, or set of practices, which

encourage progress on a yogi’s spiritual path. In Ashtanga yoga, the antaranga
sadhana are the last three limbs of the eight-limbed path of yoga, and they are
considered internal aids to Self-realization.
These three limbs are dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation)
and samadhi (unity).
In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, he encourages yogis to go beyond their external practices
of the first five limbs of yoga and develop their antaranga sadhana, which works to
transform the mind itself. It is said that these practices will change the chitta, or
fluctuations of the mind, permanently. They also strengthen the positive habits of the
mind by excluding distractions.

There are many kinds of pratyahara, for example, trataka, nada yoga, japa, music,
kirtan and so on. They are all meant for purifying the sense awareness and making it
turn inward.

6. Dharana:
Patanjali defines dharana as ‘desh bandha chittasya dharana’ – (III-sutra -
1)‘confinement of the chitta to one desh (place or object) is dharana’.
Dharana means concentration.
This is the first stage of meditation in Patanjali’s Yoga. In an earlier Sutra, Patanjali
says that mediation can be done on any object. The only condition is that the
meditator should be favourably disposed towards the object of meditation, or like the
object. Concentration. One-pointedness. The meditator is fully focused on the object
of concentration, his mind as still as the flame of a lamp in a windless room. When
this state is maintained long enough, it will lead to dhyana.

7. Dhyana:
Dhyana means meditation. Patanjali defines dhyana as ‘tattra pratyayaikatanata
dhyanam”

Prataya means the basis of consciousness ,which may be an idea ,

a sound or any object, subtle or gross. If in dharana the consciousness becomes
continuous so that there is no break or interruption due to any other thought, then
dharana is replaced by or turned into dhyana.
In dhyana there is an uninterrupted flow of consciousness.
Dhyana is translated as meditation. It is a natural flow of thought or consciousness
between the meditator and the object of meditation. It is a very joyous state and is
compared to the flow of oil from one vessel to the next,very natural and effortless.
When maintained long enough this state will lead to the highest rung of the ladder of
ashtanga yoga which is samadhi.

8. Samadhi:
Samadhi refers to spiritual absorption. Patanjali defines Samadhi as ‘tat eva artha
matra nirbhasam swaroopa shoonyam iva samadhihi’ – ‘that itself is Samadhi when
the self-nature is as if not there and the object shines forth or reveals itself

This is the last and most important stage of yoga. The above seven stages are only
preparatory steps to reach this stage. When the process of concentration and this
object become one,without any difference between the subject and object,this
oneness is known as Samadhi or in other words there is an absence of form (rupa),
only artha or meaning will be present in Samadhi.

Patanjali explicitly mentions three types of samadhi, namely Sabeeja Samadhi,

Nirbeeja Samadhi, and Dharma MeghaSamadhi. It is in the last named Samadhi that
kaivalya happens, wherein chitta vriiti nirodha finally takes place.
The three Angas – Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi – together comprise meditation in
Patanjali’s Yoga and when they happen together, it is referred to as samyama by
Patanjali. It is this samyama which leads to the various siddhis/vibhutis (supernatural
accomplishments) in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
The practice of Ashtanga Yoga, according to Patanjali, when done with fervour and
determination, leads to the diminution of impurities to the extent of disappearance the
illumination of knowledge develops to the point of viveka khyati (enlightened
discrimination between purusa and prakriti).
Short Questions
1. What is the definition of yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras?
2. Name the Ashtangas of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
3. Write down the five yamas and niyamas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
4. Name the five kleshas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
5. What are the five Chitta Bhumis?
6. Name the four states of kleshas.
7. What are the different types of Samadhi?
8. Name the nine antarayas and four vikshepa sahabhuvas.
Long Questions
1. Discuss the definition of Yoga in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
2. Discuss the theory of kleshas.
3. Describe meditation in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
4. Describe the concepts of Ishwara and Ishwara Pranidhana.
5. Interprete the technique of Chitta Prasadana in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.