Patanjali Yoga Sutras Samadhi Pada - 24
Katha Vivekananda Kendra
From this sutra, that is from 24th sutra, Maharshi Patanjali will be describing, explaining the nature of īśvara. As we saw in the 23rd sutra, the definition of īśvara. And now from the 24th, 25th and 26th, these three sutras, he will be giving what are the qualities, what is the nature of the īśvara.
As we saw, in the 23rd sutra, that īśvara is not a being, not a human being, or not a person, a personality. It is that state, that stage within ourself, which is indescribable, but we have to describe. That particular stage, a state, but for all our understandings and common transactions, we have to point, we have to use our words and sentences, so that we can comprehend and understand it.
So the 24th Yoga Sūtra of the Samādhi Pāda, of the Yoga Darśana, Maharshi Patanjali gives the qualities. In fact, no qualities. guṇas of the guṇa-rahita. Nirguṇatva. And what is the nature? The 24th Sutra is That is,
क्ले॒शक॒र्मवि॒पा॒का॒श॒यैर॒प॒रामृष्टः पुरुषविशेष॑ ईश्व॒रः ॥ १.२४॥
Kleśa-karma-vipākāśayair aparamṛṣṭaḥ puruṣa-viśeṣa īśvaraḥ || 1.24 ||
Kleśa-karma-vipākāśayair aparamṛṣṭaḥ puruṣa-viśeṣa īśvaraḥ - That is puruṣa and īśvaraḥ, that is, the differentiation. Both were used in the same sutra. But this puruṣa and the īśvara, that is the differentiation, but that īśvara has a particular puruṣa, for explanation only. It is for the understanding purpose. And what is the nature of the īśvara? īśvara is a particular puruṣa, who is untouched by the afflictions of life, actions, and results and impressions produced by these actions. That is, īśvara is a special, unique puruṣa. The word meanings are also very deep, but quite easily understandable.
Kleśa. Kleśa is the cause of pain, cause of misery. The immediate cause for any pain, for any misery, we may find out. We may point to a particular incident, to a particular circumstance, to a particular person, to a particular object and a being. We can say this is the cause. That is the cause. But if you keep on going to the root, the first one, the primordial one, the beginning one, the ultimate one, that is the kleśa. The deduction of all resultants of the causes, the last one, that is the kleśa. Kleśa is a word which comes from kṛś, which means pain, misery. There are sutras in which Patanjali describes what are all the kleśas. But here, let us confine for this particular meaning and understanding, kleśa is the cause of pain.
Vipāka, vipāka, pāka and vipāka. pāka is matured, maturation. Vipāka is fructification, the resultant, the final product, the final result. The fruit is matured, fully fructified, fully ripened. That is vipāka.
Then āśayaiḥ, āśayaḥ, āśayai is a storehouse. Jalāśayam means a storehouse of water, a water tank, a lake, where water stays. Āśayaiḥ, very beautiful word in this, śayai is there, śayai means sleep. Āśayaiḥ, in a slept form, a wonderful word it is. Generally we know āśā is the desire, an urge. If the urge is in its sleep form, dormant form, that is āśayaiḥ, storehouse.
Aparamṛṣṭaḥ, aparamṛṣṭaḥ, untouched, not afflicted, that is aparamṛṣṭaḥ. puruṣaḥ is puruṣa of course, viśeṣaḥ is the special, unique and īśvaraḥ is īśvara.
So this īśvara is a special puruṣa, a unique puruṣa who is untouched, not afflicted by kleśa, karma, vipāka and āśayaiḥ. That is, is not touched, is not afflicted by karma, that is the action, work, functions, not afflicted by karma. Not only affected by karma, not even affected by the karma vipāka, the results of the karma, the products of the karma and not even that, even the karma āśaya.
So vipāka, karma and kleśa. So it is not only kleśa aparamṛṣṭaḥ, not affected, but is also karma aparamṛṣṭaḥ, karma vipāka aparamṛṣṭaḥ and karma āśaya aparamṛṣṭaḥ. How beautifully the Sutra goes. So īśvara is very clear, īśvara is not a physical body, a physical person, a physical being because if he is a being, a physical person, it cannot be untouched by action, cannot be untouched by the results of the action, cannot be affected by storehouse of the actions, expressed actions, unexpressed actions, actions which are done, actions which are to be done. Then there cannot be a person like that, there cannot be a human being like that.
The fact that īśvara is untouched by all this, that means it is not a human being, not a person. See the difference between īśvara of the Yoga tradition and normally we understand īśvara as a God sitting somewhere controlling the whole humanity. There is a difference, a major difference.
When īśvara has no body, when the īśvara is not having any framework, it is unbound, then only it is unbound. It can be free only if it has no limitations and as it is explained beautifully, he has not bound, not afflicted, not touched by the karma. karma aparamṛṣṭaḥ.
You should also remember different actions, different karmas take different times for vipāka, for the results and for the storehouse.
Same karma may give different result at different time and different times will produce different vipākas. vipākas means results, fruits, fructification and no karma vipāka, so no karma-āśraya. How beautiful it is! So God is beyond karma.
Naiṣkarmyam. That's why this īśvara explained from this Sutra to the 29th Sutra is really unique and we should remember that when it is not explained or defined that it is something outside ourself, this stage is within ourself. A very positive dimension that we can be an īśvara. We can be untouched by the karma, karma vipāka and karma āśaya and even by the kleśa.
That īśvara within ourself, that state which is within ourself, which we are true in our nature, thus īśvaratvam in ourself. This is the beauty of the entire Yoga Darśana that though it is the nature of the īśvara, it is the nature of our real true nature. Not just this physical body, physical being.
So the Sutra though it defines, describes the nature of the īśvara, it is actually a description and a pointer what we are. Īśvaratattvam of ourself, īśvaratattvam within ourself. kleśa karma vipākāśaya aparamṛṣṭaḥ puruṣa viśeṣa īśvaraḥ, viśeṣaḥ, special puruṣa within ourself.
And these are the qualities and the guṇas of the guṇātīta. Guṇas of the nirguṇa. That is the funny, that is the speciality. Because we have to understand these qualities have been told. Qualities of the qualitylessness. And what are the other dimensions and the description of the īśvara which we shall see in the next Sutra.
The 25th Sutra. Let us see that.
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||To Be Continued.. ----------------------------------------
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji. Audio Link - https://youtu.be/lGTym-iytu8?si=r3zoUMACEqac1RGr
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26