“It’s not the experience that happens to you:
Its what you do with the experience that happens to you.”
Its what you do with the experience that happens to you.”
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The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali Chapter One
Series
The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali
Aphorisms on Yoga compiled by Patañjali
Below you will find a verse by verse translation of each Sūtra, from Saṃskṛta into English, based on my 121 lessons with my Sūtra teachers TKV Desikachar (1979-2003) and S Ramaswami (1979-1985). In addition a sample word by word index is included for the first 4 verses.
A Sūtra study workbook with a verse by verse translation and word by word index for all the verses in this chapter is included as part of the Course Manual for all students participating in cYs Foundation Sūtra Study Courses or cYs Practitioner Training Programmes.
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One Title
sāmadhi-pādaḥ |
samādhi- integration
pādaḥ- section
“The section on Integration.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 1
atha yoga-anu-śāsanam |
atha- now
yoga- the act of yoking
anu- follow
śāsanam- teachings
“Now follow the teachings of Yoga.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 2
yogaḥ-citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ |
yogaḥ- the act of yoking
citta- psyche
vṛtti- movement
nirodhaḥ- containment
“Yoga is the containment of movement in the psyche.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 3
tadā draṣṭuḥ sva-rūpe-avasthānam |
tadā- then
draṣṭuḥ- seer
sva- own
rūpe- character
avasthānam- remains
“Then the seer’s own character remains.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 4
vṛtti-sārūpyam-itaratra |
vṛtti- movement
sārūpyam- identification
itaratra- at other times
“At other times there is identification with the movement.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 5
vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭa-akliṣṭāḥ |
“The movements are fivefold and they afflict or don’t afflict.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 6
pramāṇa-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrā-smṛtayaḥ |
“They are right perception, wrong perception, imagination, deep sleep and memory.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 7
pratyakṣa-anumāna-āgamāḥ pramāṇāni |
“Right perception is through the senses, inference and authentic teachings.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 8
viparyayaḥ mithyā-jñānam-atadrūpa-pratiṣṭham |
“Wrong perception is where the appearance is different from the reality.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 9
śabda-jñāna-anupātī vastu-śūnyaḥ vikalpaḥ |
“Imagination is knowledge as a result of words empty of substance.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 10
abhāva-pratyaya-ālambanā tamaḥ vṛttiḥ nidrā |
“Deep sleep is the movement of obscurity supporting a non-appearance of psychic activity.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 11
anubhūta-viṣaya-asaṃpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ |
“Memory is the recollection of the experience of an object.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 12
abhyāsa-vairāgyābhyāṃ tat-nirodhaḥ |
“By both practice and dispassion that contained.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 13
tatra sthitau yatnaḥ-abhyāsaḥ |
“Practice is the effort to remain there.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 14
saḥ tu dīrgha-kāla-nairantarya-satkāra-ādarā-āsevitaḥ dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ |
“Moreover, this stage become firm when cared for over a long time, without interruption, with respect and enthusiasm.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 15
dṛṣṭa-anuśravika-viṣaya-vitṛṣṇasya vaśīkāra-saṃjñā-vairãgyam |
“Absence of thirst towards objects, either as seen or following heard spiritual teachings, is the acknowledgement of the achievement of dispassion.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 16
tat-paraṃ puruṣa-khyāteḥ-guṇa-vaitṛṣṇyam |
“That highest is recognition of the animating principle resulting in an absence of thirst for the attributes of nature.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 17
vitarka-vicāra-ānanda-asmitā-rūpa-anugamāt-saṃprajñātaḥ |
“Total insight follows the character of profound reasoning, profound reflection, joy and the sense of ‘I’ am-ness.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 18
virāma-pratyaya-abhyāsa-pūrvaḥ saṃskāra-śeṣaḥ-anyaḥ |
“Different from this is the cessation of psychic activities, even as the tendencies preceding practice remain.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 19
bhava-pratyayaḥ videha-prakṛti-layānām |
“Psychic activities will re-emerge for those beyond their body or absorbed in the process of matter.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 20
śraddhā-vīrya-smṛti-samādhi-prajñā-pūrvakaḥ itareśām |
“For others faith precedes energy, remembrance, integration and insight.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 21
tīvra-saṃvegānām-āsannaḥ |
“It is near for those with extreme ardour.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 22
mṛdu-madhya-adhimātravāt-tataḥ-api viśeṣaḥ |
“Hence also the distinctions of mildness, moderateness and intensity.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 23
īśvara-praṇidhānāt-vā |
“Or from contemplation on the divine.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 24
kleśa-karma-vipāka-āśayaiḥ-aparāmṛṣṭaḥ puruṣa-viśeṣa īśvaraḥ |
“The divine is the distinctive animating principle untouched by afflictions, actions, results and seeds.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 25
tatra niratiśayaṃ sarva-jña-bījam |
“There the source of all understanding is unsurpassed.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 26
sa eśa pūrveṣām-api guruḥ kālena-anavacchedāt |
“That, which uninterrupted by time, was also the teacher for all preceeding teachers.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 27
tasya vācakaḥ praṇavaḥ |
“Its expression is sacred.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 28
tat-japaḥ-tat-artha-bhāvanam |
“That repetition is for realisation of its purpose.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 29
tataḥ pratyak-cetanā-adhigamaḥ-api-antarāya-abhāvaḥ-ca |
“From that turning inwards awareness is attained and also the non-appearance of the interventions.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 30
vyādhi-styāna-saṃśaya-pramāda-ālasya-avirati-bhrānti-darśana-alabdha-bhūmikatva-anavasthitatvāni citta-vikṣepāḥ-te-antarāyāḥ |
“These interventions which distract the psyche are disorder, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, over-indulgence, false view, non-attainment of a stage and losing stability.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 31
duḥkha-daurmanasya-aṅgam-ejayatva-śvāsa-praśvāsāḥ-vikṣepa-sahabhuvaḥ |
“Suffering, negative thinking and unsteadiness in body and inhalation and exhalation accompany the distractions.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 32
tat-pratiṣedha-artham-eka-tattva-abhyāsaḥ |
“For that purpose of counteracting them practice one principle.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 33
maitrī-karuṇā-muditā-upekṣānāṃ sukha-duḥkha-puṇya-apuṇya-viṣayāṇāṃ bhāvanātaḥ citta-prasādanam I
“Serenity in the psyche is by cultivating as an object friendliness, compassion, gladness and patience within pleasantness, suffering, right and wrong.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 34
pracchardana-vidhāraṇābhyāṃ vā prāṇasya I
“Or, through both lengthening the exhale and holding out of the breath.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 35
viṣayavatī vā pravṛttiḥ-utpannā manasaḥ sthiti-nibandhinī I
“Or, on finer cognition as an object arises steady binding of the mind.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 36
viśokā vā jyotiśmatī I
“Or, on that luminescence which is free from sorrow.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 37
vīta-rāga-viṣayaṃ vā cittam I
“Or, as an object, a psyche free from attraction.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 38
svapna-nidrā-jñāna-ālambanaṃ vā I
“Or, by staying with knowledge of dreams and deep sleep.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 39
yathā-abhimata-dhyānād-vā I
“Or, from meditation on what is appropriate.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 40
parama-aṇu-parama-mahattva-antaḥ-asya vaśīkāraḥ I
“A person has achievement from the most minute to the most greatest.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 41
kṣīṇa-vṛtteḥ-abhijātasya-iva maṇeḥ-grahītṛ-grahaṇa-grāhyeṣu tat-stha-tad-añjanatā samāpattiḥ I
“When movement is reduced, as if a precious gem that assumes the colour of an object, that staying with that which is grasping, the process of grasping and that which is grasped, is unity.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 42
tatra śabda-artha-jñāna-vikalpaiḥ saṃkīrṇā savitarkā samāpattiḥ |
“In that place the unity, a mixture of word, purpose, knowledge and imagination, is unrefined profound reasoning.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 43
smṛti-pariśuddhau sva-rūpa-śūnya-iva-artha-mātra-nirbhāsā nirvitarkā I
“Refined profound reasoning is when the memory is purified, as if empty of its own character, so that only the purpose shines forth.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 44
etayā-eva savicārā nirvicārā ca sūkṣma-viṣayā vyākhyātā |
“By this, thus the process of profound reflection without and with refinement for subtle objects is explained.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 45
sūkṣma-viṣayatvaṃ ca-aliṅga-paryavasānam |
“And the ultimate limit of subtle objects is the unmanifest.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 46
tāḥ eva sabījaḥ samādhiḥ |
“These thus are integration with seed.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 47
nirvicāra-vaiśāradye-adhyātma-prasādaḥ |
“On the maturity of refined profound reflection the serenity is from the inner essence.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 48
ṛtaṃ-bharā tatra prajñā |
“There the insight bears truth.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 49
śruta-anumāna-prajñābhyām-anya-viṣayā viśeṣa-arthatvāt |
“It is different from the insight based on verbal testimony and inference, as the purpose of the object is distinct.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 50
tat-jaḥ saṃskāra-anya-saṃskāra-pratibandhī |
“The tendencies arising from that oppose other tendencies.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 51
tasya-api nirodhe sarva-nirodhāt-nirbījaḥ samādhiḥ ||
“When even that is contained, all is contained; this is integration without seed.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One Closing Verse
iti pātañjala yoga darśane samādhi-pādaḥ ||
“Thus Patañjali’s view of Yoga in the section on Integration.”
- v2.0 updated October 30th 2011
Available as a Downloadable PDF or referenced as a resource within Dharma Downloads offering a full translation for Samādhi Pādaḥ or Book One of Patañjali‘s Yoga Sūtra with English translations drawn from Paul Harveys many one to one lessons with his teacher TKV Desikachar over 20 years.
Available as a Downloadable PDF or referenced as a resource within Dharma Downloads offering Western Reflections as a contrast to the aphorisms in Samādhi Pādaḥ or Book One of Patañjali‘s Yoga Sūtra with English translations drawn from Paul Harveys many one to one lessons with his teacher TKV Desikachar over 20 years.
Yoganjali Yoga Centre, Princes Place, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8NP. Phone: 07768 278 728
Email: info@yogastudies.org