The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali

A Modern Interpretation

Translated and Interpreted by

Ajay Pal Singh

Edited by Evan Walker

 First published in the year 2019.

All rights reserved.

© 2019 Evan Walker.

Evan Walker asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means,
including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the prior permission of the publisher
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For more information and to contact Ajay;

http://www.ajaypalsingh.in

For more information and to contact Evan;

http://www.freemeditationinfo.com
 CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

First Section

Second Section

Third Section
 PREFACE

This book is a transcribed conversation between a Teacher and a student. As such it is not
intended to be an academic work, and should be read as a free flowing discussion of the
points that Patanjali raises. It is more a practical guide to inner states and meditation
practices than a straight translation of the text. Those looking for a more rigorous and
academic “word by word” style of translation from the original Sanskrit may find other
books more suitable.

Considerable editing has occurred to make it a readable text. Repetition, interruptions, and
the numerous things that happen when two people are speaking have been edited,
although I endeavored to accurately maintain the flavor of the conversation. Any edits
were for ease of reading, or to further clarify points which may not have been fully
explained at the time. I have also rearranged some of Ajay’s “Indian English” but have
hopefully retained the feel of Ajay’s speaking style.

There is an Australian film called The Castle in which a Lawyer is speaking to a High Court
Judge. When the Judge queries which point of law is being raised the Lawyer replies, “no
specific law, it’s just the vibe”. That’s how Ajay translates. Although he has a degree in
Sanskrit he is more interested in communicating “the vibe” to the listener in a practical
way that can be put into practice, rather than quibbling over terminology.

Not all sutras are discussed in this book which ends at sutra 3.15. Patanjali’s later sutras
from 3.16 onwards that describe the siddhis, or “super powers”, were deliberately left out
as Ajay preferred to focus on only those sutras that are specific to spiritual practices and
advancement.

Ajay speaks from his own personal experience and tailors the message to whomever he is
speaking to. In this instance he was speaking to me, but we deliberately endeavored to
make the questions asked and answers given as broad as possible so as to be accessible to
all readers. Ajay and I both apologize if at times his translation or my editing is not perfect,
but we did our best. Any inspiration the reader may draw from this material is entirely
attributable to Ajay, and any errors in expression of his words are entirely my own. We
both hope that you, the reader, find something of value in what follows.
 INTRODUCTION

The following is a brief discussion and general overview of the book, and how the different
sections of the book should be approached.

Q: Is Patanjali’s yoga sutras written for everyone?

Ajay: Yes, it’s for everyone that has started to feel the wish to find out who they really are.
Even the people for whom this wish is not very strong, he even has teachings for them. So
it’s from the physical level right through until the end, so it’s helpful for many people.

Q: Is it true that these books are almost structured in “reverse” order, with the first section
containing the most advanced practices?

Ajay: Generally the Teachers don’t want to waste the time of the brilliant students. So they
speak for the brilliant ones first, so that they can go away and practice and their time is not
“spoiled” by hearing what they already know. They can then use that saved time efficiently
by putting the teaching into practice.

Then there is the second category of student, followed by the general category.

So if you find a section difficult to understand then keep on reading, until you get to the
section that is for you.

Q: So the earlier you are in the book, that’s for the most advanced practitioners?

Ajay: Yes. I think also that the “grasping power” that we have is very different, in each
person. So it’s not a matter of experience, it’s more that some have greater ability to grasp
what he is saying.

Q: So it’s almost like their individual ability to understand, but this is not intellectual
understanding.
Ajay: In order to understand, you must have an existing understanding. It’s always that
“understanding is on understanding”. You need a base for it.

Q: So some people can just get it.

Ajay: Yes, they are able to get it without having to practice.

Q: So it’s a teaching for the level that they’re at.

Ajay: Yes, so some just get it. And for some other people they will have to practice a little,
and then they will be able to get it. And the others will have to practice a lot.

This book has three levels. He’s basically talking to three levels of “grasping” power.

Q: And to a degree a lot of that is according to what people are born with?

Ajay: We can see that everyone has a different understanding. Even in the same family
people don’t understand the same things, they might experience the same thing but they
understand it according to their grasping ability.

So humans need to be understood on that level, that we have a very different ability to
grasp things. So even though we are the same, we are not the same in this respect. So
Patanjali really understands that so then he’s talking to these different abilities to grasp.

Q: So to use a simplified example, imagine a physical yoga class. Three people come to
their first class. They are all the same age with similar backgrounds. But one person is
really flexible, one person has average flexibility, and the other person is so stiff they can’t
touch their toes. So spiritual practice is a bit like that?

Ajay: Yes, something like that. Just as the body can be stiff, so the understanding can be
stiff.

Q: And to be clear for people picking up this book, it’s not about physical yoga, which is
what many people in the West think yoga is. They think yoga is purely exercise. But this
book is not about that.
Ajay: Yes of course people can do yoga as exercise, but in most cases that is mainly for the
physical health. Of course once it has helped on the physical level then it can also help on
the energy level, and then you can feel things differently. And then the postures you have
been using will be different once the energy is higher, and this can keep changing on the
physical level once the energy becomes different because of practice.

So there is a whole realm of that (physical yoga) but that alone is very slow progress.

Q: And why did Patanjali write this? Did he just wake up one morning and think “I’m going
to write the yoga sutras?”

Ajay: Nowadays in the West there are scientific organizations where experiments are done.
They have academies where many people are experimenting on scientific things. And how
to do things is recorded.

Similarly in India with the spiritual realm there used to be centers with many people
experimenting. These sutras are not like one day somebody wrote a book as an isolated
event, there is a very long past behind this book. It is based on many reports, accumulated
knowledge, and the experiments of many people. And a person with a very good eye
(Patanjali) was able to grasp the experiments and write the book. But it is based on the
experimental experiences of many.

Q: So it’s like the University Science Department that is based on many years of scientific
study.

Ajay: Certainly. Mostly things do not come immediately to the human consciousness, it
comes by slowly experimenting, experimenting, and then it comes. And Patanjali’s sutras is
like the text book for experimentation with the spiritual.

Q: And regarding the different states and experiences discussed in the book, you’ve said
that everyone on the path needs to progress through each of these steps even if they’re not
consciously aware of having done so.
Ajay: As you progress these steps will certainly come, but sometimes you can pass through
them without being aware that you have.

Q: So to anyone that is about to read your interpretation of Patanjali, are there any
suggestions from you as to how to read this, or what attitude to have, or how to approach
this?

Ajay: Generally when we read books we read from the perspective of concluding them. So I
would say to people please don’t read that way. Read in an open manner, in which you
don’t have to get to the end. Just read the book. And if the “conclusion” comes by
experimentation then of course do that. But this should not be from the mind.

Q: So don’t focus on the end result.

Ajay: This book is not for the conclusion, it’s for the experimentation. And if
experimentation is done properly and regularly then this will be very, very helpful.

Lucknow India, 2019.

 The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali

Sutra 1.1

atha yoga anushasanam

Ajay: In Sanskrit this word atha means there has been “life lived”, and through the
experiences of life another window has opened.

Because of these life experiences a new window has opened, and now he’s looking through
that new window. He is saying “what I am looking at is atha yoga anushasanam”.

Q: In many translations I’ve read this is stated as “now, the practice of yoga begins.”

Ajay: Yes, he’s saying now he will be heading towards that yoga. He lived a life which
created a platform for him to open a window towards yoga, and he will be looking into this.

He is talking about the inner strength – about yoga. He is speaking of how it comes,
because it might come “mixed”. When we do anything it can be with many things mixed
together, so he’s saying from the inside you should be watchful. Maybe we could call it
editing, you need to edit the inside.

Q: So normally if I’m doing something there will be multiple influences, and I’m probably
aware of some and not aware of some, and many things are affecting me. Is he saying then
that he’s being very careful and watching so that’s it a pure response?

Ajay: Yes, as much as possible it will be pure. He’s using the word anushasanam. He’s
saying it’s not that I know that I will be able to do that, but I will try to appropriately edit
things.

Q: So he’s doing the best he can to make sure the message he’s giving is as pure as possible.
Ajay: Yes, and also accepting that it may not be perfect. In order to be perfect he will keep
on moving right, then left, and adjusting and editing. Something like that.

That’s how the book starts.

He’s saying since this door has opened, his “base”, the bed of life, brought him to a place
where a window has opened towards yoga.

Q: And what does he mean by yoga?

Ajay: Yoga means union with “whatever is”, that process which can unite one’s
individuality into whatever is.

Q; So he’s gone through this process, and now he’s trying to enunciate it, talk about it, but
he’s also saying his words and explanation may not be perfect.

Ajay: Yes, the word “perfect” should not be in the dictionary, because it creates so much
imperfection.

Sutra 1.2

yogash chitta vritti nirodhah

Ajay: Now he explains what yoga is. He’s says yogash chitta vritti nirodhah, so “what I
mean by union is when the individuals priorities are dissolved in the individual.”

What we perceive of an individual is whatever activities they perform. So the general

perception we have of an individual is basically that persons activities.

But here Patanjali is saying that yoga, union, will be when an individuals activities cease,
and the individual is then pure energy – and there are no more activities.

Q: So at that level if there is any action it’s coming not from an individual identity?
Ajay: Yoga is the preparation of an individual for this union. He’s saying as long as any
activity as an individual is there, union cannot occur. So in order to be fit for union an
individual has to be energy without any activity. And by activity I mean any activity,
internal or external.

Q: But obviously the person is still doing things, so by activity you mean activity that’s
coming from a sense of self, or from a sense of individual identity.

Ajay: He’s saying yoga, which means union will happen when an individual is “fully within”
an individual.

Q: So the sense of self has to be totally dissolved?

A: Yes totally “in” – as potential.

Q: Is there an “in and out” process as that’s happening?

A: The process is in and out but in actuality when there is no in and out, it’s union.
But this is the state that he’s talking about, and to come to that state there has to be a
process.

Q: So he’s talking about the ultimate.

Ajay: Yes he’s defining what he means by yoga. He’s defining the ultimate, and then of
course there will be a process to find that. And it’s important to understand that he’s saying
his explanation will not be perfect so he will keep on “evolving” his explanation as much as
he can, and still he can’t promise it will be perfect.

In this second sutra he says, yoga is when an individual is not living for the individuals
priorities, but is just alive, just feeling life, without heading towards anything.

Happiness is attained by feeling life fully without any activity originating from individual
doership. That will be the preparation of an individual to merge into whatever is.
And when merging happens that will be called yoga.

Q: So there’s the “whittling away” of the self until all that’s left is…

Ajay: All that’s left is just aliveness. Not even experience, just aliveness.

Sutra 1.3

tada drashtuh svarupe avasthanam

Ajay: In an individual there is a “recognizer” in us. And as soon as the recognizer

recognizes itself as separate from others this is where activities start – the vicious circle of
activities starts.

If an individual doesn’t recognize themselves as separate from others then it’s very difficult
for this vicious circle of activities to start.

Q: By others you mean anything...

Ajay: Anything. As soon as you feel you are limited to (indicates his body) this leg, hand,
etc., so once separate there is a limitation. He’s saying that what happens is that as soon as
the sense of separation appears then the need for activities follows. Because as soon as I
am separate, then the first thing that I have to do is protect myself from others.

So then all activities are from that base, the base of feeling separate from others. He’s
calling it drashtuh, the seer in us that recognizes us as the body, or as a separate entity
from others.

He’s saying that what happens when yoga happens is that the drashtuh, the ability to see
oneself as separate from others, that ability merges into oneself.
Generally, through that ability you see yourself, so that ability itself is a separate form of
you. And when that ability merges into you it’s not separate any more, and no longer sees
you as separate.

And once it merges it strengthens your self, without any activity.

Q: The self as in “big S”?

Ajay: No, this is still in your individual “small s” self. Because in practicality – there is a
body. And this body has a self consciousness. But that self consciousness is not conscious,
the self consciousness is the part of it that recognizes separation, it is not the whole.

And this is why, in reality, there are always two thoughts. One is “I am separate” and the
other is “I am not separate”.

What happens in yoga is that even that part that sees you as separate, that also merges in
you.

Q: I don’t understand that….

Ajay: There is a little internal “power”, a force, which is recognizing you as an individual.
So that recognizing ability, that force, also merges into you.

Q: I’ll go over this again to try to work out in my own words an understanding of the
language which is being used …

I’m sitting here, and there’s the individual part which is saying “I am a body”, “I am these
thoughts”, “that is an object”, “that is a chair over there, and it’s separate”. But that is all
happening within the knowing of that…

Ajay: What you call knowing, he calls drashtuh. Knowing is not the whole, knowing is still
separate…

Q: Knowing is “further back”, but it’s just a step.

Ajay: Yes, so he’s calling that drashtuh.

Q: When you’re giving this example and you’re saying that it merges into… what’s it
merging into?

Ajay: Whatever “other” is…

You say “knowing” and “knowing about something”. So that “knowing” merges into the
“about something”.

So there is no knowing any more.

There is just merged into about something.

So that knowing merged into the about something.

Q: So I’m sitting here. Everything is “known”, all things exist within “knowing”, and if I
perceive it in that way it’s just one blob, everything, including me, is just in knowing. But
that itself is still a thing…

Ajay: Yes. But if that knowing is included in knowing, then how will you know… If you put
your finger into your eye (puts finger into eye) can you see? To be an individual there has
to be a little separation... so when there is no separation…

Q: Yes, in the knowing there has to be a separation because there’s still the knower and
what is known.

Ajay: Yes. So when that is no longer…

Q: Although the knowing is different and it’s a kind of “oneness” knowing, it’s still known
somewhere…

Ajay: Certainly. There is the small self and the consciousness of the self.
When the consciousness about the small self merges into the small self, then there is no
separateness felt. Because the consciousness of the small self is also part of the small self.

He’s saying when that consciousness of self merges into the self, that is called “I am
merged into who I am”, self with a small “s”. I am fully me.

Q: There’s no more pieces broken off.

Ajay: Yes, all the pieces come together. He’s saying that will be me as only me, not with
any bits here and there.

Sutra 1.4

vritti sarupyam itaratra

Ajay: As soon as any bit of yourself is not out of you then that will be called merged into
yourself, as small s. Now you are fully small s self.

And there is no activity around it.

It is fully within, without any activity surrounding that, just feeling aliveness. Nothing else.

Q: So you are unified, you feel whole, and there is no need to go out.

Ajay: Yes. He’s saying that certainly then the bits of yourself which used to be out of you,
they have joined you. They have merged in you fully.

And since that merging has happened there is a possibility to be here and now, without any
feeling of here and now.

Q: And that’s because the merging makes you feel complete, and you don’t need to be
doing other activities so you can actually be present, as you feel totally complete in
yourself.
Ajay: Yes.

Q: You’re just okay as you are.

Ajay: Not even that. You don’t feel okay… you feel full but that is not okay because okay is
created language.

Q: Okay also has not okay.

Ajay: He’s saying that... you know really as small self... actually it’s not even known – but in
language I have to say that – but you feel that aliveness which as you, you can have, as
small s self.

It’s like a very inner power.

It’s not like... if I say “I am seeing that power” it means a part of me is seeing that power
which means separation.

It has to be all from inside, it’s really really, “gravitationally” empowered.

Q: So everything is just in.

Ajay: Yes.

End of session.

Q: I was thinking about what you said yesterday, and we were talking about the way that
the self with a small s has many different parts, and how a lot of the focus of practice is
merging them all into one.

So you still end up with a small s self, but it’s not fragmented any more, and this reminded
me of Gurdjieff and how this was one of his main teachings. He used to say that there were
many “I’s” and that we had to have only one “I”. He used to say “man cannot do”, and the
reason that we can’t do is because we’re fragmented. So we don’t really have will. And if I
decide to do one thing now, later on I can’t do it because by then it’s a different I acting.
But once we are one self, one I, then we really can do. Is that the same?

Ajay: Yes, the same. And he says itaratra, which means this merging should not be from
control, not from the pre-existing system. Merging should be merging.

Q: But it can’t be from control… because if it’s controlled it’s still one part forcing another
part.

Ajay: Yes that’s what he’s pointing out, itaratra. It should not be from any other part.

Q: And that’s the difficulty with all this stuff because it’s like you’re doing practice to get a
result, but you almost get an incidental result, “because of but not because of”.

Ajay: Yes.

Q: So try to merge, but it shouldn’t be a created or constructed merge.

Ajay: Yes. When we forcefully try to merge it’s like we create an outer force which is forcing
things in, but actually the inner force is more like magnetism or gravity, so we really need
to find the gravitational force. And that force can only be found if everything is within. And
then from that gravitational force when anything is asked, what happens then comes from
the inner gravitational force, not from the outer forces. What happens comes from the
merged inner power.

In the fourth sutra he spoke of the vritti, the “outer power”…

Q: And by outer power he’s referring to when you’re not merged and the bits are outside.

Ajay: Yes those are called vrittis.

Sutra 1.5
vrittayah pancatayah klishta aklishta

Ajay: And now what Patanjali is saying, he’s trying to define how these vrittis happen.

He’s saying since we have five senses, these vrittis, these outer forces, are created to fulfill
the needs of the senses and he’s calling these klishta and aklishta. There will be a force
created from needs. And then also there can be a force created not from the need but from
comparing with others.

The forces related to real needs are easy to find, because when you are hungry you need
food. So then it’s really easy to “catch” them.

The forces created not from need, but from comparing yourself with others are more
difficult to see, because it’s not like it’s really your need. For instance you have a car and it’s
good, but since your neighbor bought another better car, now you want a better car. So
those he calls aklish. Klishta means although you will not find the needs in you,
nonetheless these seem even more needful than the real needs, because jealousy is there,
and because other kinds of forces have aided that.

As I said, the forces related to real needs are easy to find, for example when you are hungry
you need food.

But if you see yourself, you will see that even though you have eaten enough, when you see
someone eating something else then because of seeing that you want to eat that as well. So
it will be difficult many times to see why this need has come to you.

These days you watch TV and see all the advertisements then one day you find yourself
buying those things, and if you try to catch why you bought it will be really really difficult
to find the root cause of that.

That’s why he’s saying there can be forces created by real need and that it is easy to find the
root cause of them. But also there are vrittis, there are forces created by so many other
things, and to find the root cause of these is very difficult.
That’s why he’s saying klishta. We can call them not difficult forces, and difficult forces. So
when you are trying to “suck” them into you the direct ones (real needs) could be sucked
more easily than the indirect ones, because for the indirect ones you will not find the link.
The link might be very far…

Q: Or it could be lots of things.

Ajay: Yes, so that’s why he’s calling those klishta, these type of forces are easy and not easy
to understand. There’s easy to understand forces and not easy to understand forces.

There will be forces which we have to suck in, and some forces could be easy forces to find,
and some it is very very difficult to find the roots of them.

Q: So there’s the obvious ones that you feel in your body straight away and the cause is
obvious, then there’s these other ones you’re talking about…

Ajay: Yes the urge is there but the root cause is not found. They are not “linked”.
You may imagine the link but that is just created by the mind. You cannot find the actual
link.

So that is what he is saying, this is what makes it so difficult to just be your small self
totally unified.

Now he’s trying to explain more about vritti…

Sutra 1.6

pramana viparyaya vikalpa nidra smritayah

Ajay: So how to catch them, these many “I’s” we have?

Some we may have evidence of, maybe something you saw, etc., then some of them could
be replacing from the replacement. Replacement means, for example, you needed a vehicle
to get around in, but that vehicle you wanted, that was over your budget so you bought
something else. There are forces created by you that are not from your direct need but from
the “adjustment”.

Q: So you’re doing something but it’s because of a created need. But the external factors
effect that created need so you end up doing something else again than what you originally
wanted. So there’s the combination of your internal actions but also the external actions, is
that what that means?

Ajay: Yes, something like that. And then also it could be from “sleepiness”, like you are not
awakened enough to know your need.

Q: So a lack of awareness.

Ajay: Yes. And it could also be from the memory, a memory of something and that triggers
you. He’s saying all of these could be the root causes of those things, but there can be so
many root causes according to the situation.

Sutra 1.7

pratyaksha anumana agamah pramanani

Ajay: Patanjali is saying whatever is in front of you, you really seek something, and then
you create an inference from the knowing, from the seeing a force created it.

And it would be like you see smoke, so you recognize there should be fire. But the fire is not
seen. But because of the smoke you “know” that there is fire. So then you run with the
bucket of water and all those kind of things.

So one way can be when you see the fire and the smoke and you know that there is fire.

Q: So some of your actions will be from an assumption, and some from evidence based....
Ajay: Yes, sometimes an assumption but a true assumption as you have evidence – you see
the fire, or a person needing help.

Q: Patanjali is outlining all the different reasons for actions and in this one there actually is
a need out there, but you also are seeing something and making the assumption that this is
necessary...

Ajay: Yes, and it’s a true assumption.

Q: So another example is there could be water spilled on steps, so you clean the water away
so that people don’t slip on the steps. But once again that’s probably different to the smoke
and fire, because in that case there already is fire happening…

Ajay: But also if someone slips it’s like the fire example…

Q: So it’s not something necessarily happening but it’s something that’s needed.

Ajay: Yes, where there is potential that it could happen.

Sutra 1.8

viparyayah mithya jnanam atad rupa pratistham

Ajay: He’s saying there can be forces created in you by a false acknowledgment, for
example think of the beggars in India. They come up to you and have a fresh bandage so
you acknowledge their injury, but there might not actually be any injury.

Then you try to help them but the help becomes never ending help. Because you helped
once then they will come another day with more bandages. Then more and more…

Q: So that’s referring to the type of people who want things from you or want you to do
things for them.
Ajay: Yes, in other words we can say they really want to use you.

He’s saying there could be created forces in you because of wrong assessment, and that
wrong assessment has no reality. It’s just a wrong assessment.

Then around that wrong assessment you try to help someone with that kind of attitude
(who wants things from you or wants you to do things for them) and in that person that is
helped the attitude increases.

Q: In the person that you’re helping?

Ajay: Yes, the wanting in the person that is the beneficiary of your actions was increased by
you helping them. For them it’s almost like an addiction. And although you feel you helped
all that you can, still then the assumption from the person you helped is that it’s not
enough.

Q: But you can help again…

Ajay: Yes, you help again, but then maybe you’ve created a suspicion in yourself that
maybe that was not right to help, that maybe the bandage was not real… so then that
suspicion continues on with you. And if there is another real case that really does need
help, still you are suspicious.

So those kind of things, those kind of forces we create in ourselves.

Sutra 1.9

shabda jnana anupati vastu shunyah vikalpah

Ajay: If you read the dictionary description of a banana but have never seen a real banana,
not even a photo, then your mind cannot stop with “nothing”, it will create and imagine
something. So you create a mango in place of a banana, as your mind has to have
something otherwise it will not stop.
So when there are words without an object then the mind creates something in place of
that nothing. And if you have read banana in the dictionary and “created” it with a picture
of a mango in your mind then the force of that will continue on, and as soon as someone
says banana, you will say banana but mean mango.

So there are forces like that which we create in us. False, but not false, it’s just that the
actual reality has not been experienced.

Q: So it’s knowledge that’s not accurate, but we don’t realize that or question it.

Ajay: I think we have no way to question because as long as we don’t see a banana then
there is no questioning. It’s only when we see a banana then that’s the first time we will
start questioning our belief that a banana is like a mango.

Q: But what happens then? So someone finally sees a banana, and still they don’t believe
it’s a banana…

Ajay: It takes time, but only when they have enough evidence will they change from mango
to a real banana.

Q: And sometimes not even then…

Ajay: It’s very difficult. It’s like mostly these days, the doubts people have are these kind of
doubts. They have created in place of a banana, a mango, and it’s very difficult to replace
that mistaken knowledge or belief. With the kind of knowledge we get from the authorities,
the media, books, the internet, etc. it’s very much like that.

He’s saying that can be another way of creating “unlinked” forces.

Sutra 1.10

abhava pratyaya alambana vritti nidra

Ajay: When we sleep there is no memory of anything. So when there is no memory of
anything we translate that as sleep.

It could be that actually you are not sleeping, but still we translate that as sleep. The mind
sometimes stops, it has no activation, but generally afterwards we think that was sleep.

When doing practices we get to the place that there was no mind activation so we say “I
was sleeping”. So our prior knowledge or experience will tell us we were asleep, but
actually it was not sleep.

Q: In that state does it feel like sleep? For example if I’m listening to a talk sometimes I
suddenly feel like I need to sleep, and it feels like sleep and I have this blankness where I
don’t really think I’ve slept but I don’t know if I’ve slept.

Ajay: Yes if beforehand you feel kind of sleepy, in your body, it could be sleep.

Q: So how do you know the difference?

Ajay: Sleep has a different restfulness than the other restfulness. The quality of rest when
there is no mind activation will be different. It has a very deep quality.

Sutra 1.11

anubhuta vishaya asampramoshah smritih

Ajay: We have the memory of past experiences and because of that many times we don’t go
into a new experience, instead we compare it with past ones. And that’s how we “miss” life.
The past experience is so alive in us that it doesn’t allow us to go into new experiences.

He’s saying that is like a memory, and the force of memory can be overlaid where there is
the possibility of a new experience to come. That can hold us back and we don’t go into the
experience, and instead it tells us that the new experience is just like a past memory.
Q: So we still might experience this new thing, but we are seeing it through the lens of the
past.

Ajay: Yes, new experiences can come, but we just put them in the file of past experience.

Q: So if something is happening now my reaction to it may be because of a past event, and

even though I may not be consciously relating the past to the current event it’s still that on
some level I’m experiencing or feeling it through there. So just the fact of having that
reaction changes things, because it’s not “clean”.

Ajay: And also some bad experience in the past will not allow you to go to a new
experience.

So you don’t go there at all.

Sutra 1.12

abhyasa vairagyabhyam tat nirodhah

Ajay: He’s saying that these vrittis, these different “I’s” that we have created ourselves, we
need to dissolve all of them into just one I.

This small s self has created so many different I’s to act in the world, and we need to
dissolve all of those created I’s into the one I that we are born with, and for that you need
(spiritual) practice and to not get involved with the many created I’s.

There are many things we like and many things we dislike. And we get involved in both the
likes and dislikes. So practicing means reaching to that original I, as getting involved with
the created I’s becomes very unconscious, because as soon as an event happens the
unconsciousness takes over. So really not allowing it to take over. I think a little effort is
needed.
Say you are working on one I and that I will have certain flavors, or feelings. Let’s call it a
“coat of colors”, colors from what you previously liked and disliked, so all of that kind of
coloring is there. And if you are experiencing this without awareness, then the color will
have a little more strength to keep coloring. By being aware and putting awareness on that
color, then slowly, slowly it dissolves. When you don’t keep on coloring then slowly, slowly,
it fades.

And once all that color of all the I’s is dissolved then it’s easy to merge into the I, that
original I you were born with.

Q: So this is, in a sense, a different practice to going deep into yourself in samadhi and
letting that clear things.

Ajay: Yes, this way if you have awareness of yourself you can feel at each time what you are
colored from. The feeling when you go in each time will be different, because of the
strength of that feeling, those colors, so just acknowledge that, feel that, and don’t allow
any more interest in indulging that I, because the interest in that I makes the coloring
deeper. The more interested you are the deeper the color you will have, the stronger the
color will be. So really not allowing the interest to be there.

And that interest actually comes because of both liking and disliking. So the first thing is
we really need to stop liking or disliking.

To be in society we are told what is good and what is bad. And the good we accept and the
bad we don’t accept. Because of that we really keep on coloring, good and bad, both ways.
So the first thing is, we have to lose interest in both good and bad. That is the deepest core,
good or bad. Good is liked by you, bad is disliked.

You should be working on both your liking and disliking, working at just being equanimous
with liking and disliking, good and bad.

Doing this will allow you to open things up, because although you want to open up, this
wanting to open is not strong enough, the liking and disliking is stronger than the wanting
to open. So that is like a fight within you.
Patanjali is saying once you become equanimous with liking and disliking, good and bad,
then it gets easier. He’s saying practicing, and practicing means dropping into “that” in a
way that will be chosen by you (your personal spiritual method), whichever way you want
to drop in, and then vairag, being equanimous and not liking or disliking. Vairag means
that somehow liking and disliking was deleted in you.

But this is also an easy way for us to create another false I which is being equanimous. The
equanimous I. So we’re not really equanimous, but we make another I that acts
equanimous but really it’s pushing down the liking and disliking.

Q: The “spiritual” I.

Ajay: Yes, we push down the liking and disliking. It’s not that liking and disliking has gone,
but it has been pushed down and thus we create another kind of I to work on. So that’s why
he’s saying abhyasa vairagyabhyam, so practicing, dropping into “that” but being there
not from force, as using force means you will create another I. And this newly created I can
push those colors down and does not let you feel that you are still colored with liking and
disliking, so don’t do that.

He’s saying be really equanimous with good or bad, liking and disliking.

There are also the subtle realms, and the stronger realms of I. The subtle realms are like
the root realms of each I. And once the stronger realms are dissolved, the subtle root
realms are still there, but now there is more space. Before they had to find their places but
now there is more space so all can be there, but not with strength. And as presence they
can eventually merge together.

Q: What if I have a reaction from concern? Is that a different thing or still based on good
and bad?

Ajay: You created the concern based on good and bad. So it’s the same thing.

In summary he’s saying while practicing of course you will encounter those I’s created by
good or bad, liking and disliking. These are the two factors of creating an I, an I different
from the I you are born with. And by practicing he means any method you use for yourself
which drops you into “that”.

And he’s also saying be equanimous, don’t create more liking or disliking. And don’t create
another I to push that liking and disliking down so you can’t feel it.

So that will be vairag, really being equanimous there and not allowing another force to
push that down.

Q: So in that place ultimately you will just have what you were born with…

Ajay: One of the I’s which you created could be dissolved in the I that you are born with.
But there might be another… and next day you are practicing and you find another I. There
are so many. So he’s saying keep on as long as it takes so that all created I’s are dissolved in
the I you are born with – without using force. That is the very important thing, not to use
force.

Because with force you can delude yourself and say “I’m not I”, “I don’t exist”, “there’s
nothing to do”, “I am pure consciousness”, and all of those similar techniques that mess
you up in your practice.

Sutra 1.13

tatra sthitau yatnah abhyasa

Ajay: Being present – keep on practicing. Generally we practice using the mantra or
whatever method, but really my mind is elsewhere, in Spain, or America etc., so here he’s
saying really practice and be present.

He’s saying if you are not present then these practices don’t help. Practices only help if you
are present.

Q: So sometimes it requires a degree of force to be present.

Ajay: Yes certainly, abhyasa means force, using force. Any practice cannot be without
using force. So just be present there and keep on practicing. And of course this being
present might need some force, some guiding force, it might be a small force that keeps
you practicing, being present there.

Q: It’s so easy to half practice…

Ajay: It’s very easy (to half practice), with all the practices. The mind can do whatever, and
then practices are very “easy”. And if you really are being present then you see that your
practice takes up only two seconds and the rest of the time is just wandering…

He’s saying really being there, keep on using your techniques which help you to be there,
and keep on. Abhyasa means again and again, and again and again, because he knows that
you will fall apart, that this will not continue. So that’s what he means by practice, that
once “dropped” there you don’t go out. Once there he would not say keep on practicing
because you are dropped (in a deeper state) so you are dropped! So there is no practice
needed then.

Practice is needed as long as you drop in and jump out. The force which makes you jump in
is the same force which makes you jump out. It’s like a ball, it hits the ground then the
same force bounces it back up. We know that practices are like that with us. Somehow we
keep ourselves together to drop in, but at the same time this “bumping” happens and we
bounce out. So that’s why he’s saying abhyasa, keep on coming back again and again and
please also forgive yourself because this is very natural to bump out.

So abhyasa, yatnah abhaysa. The way you brought yourself together to be dropped in the
I you were born with, use that method over and over again to come together and drop in.
And once you are dropped try to be equanimous there, so there is less chance of bumping
out. So keep on practicing that way as long as it takes.

Q: And where’s the balance between, on the one hand in the past doing really forceful
practices and then that forcefulness leaves you, but then needing to do this so bringing
back some force…
Ajay: Yes, just like a little bit of force. This will need very little force, but it’s more of a
presence than a force. Slowly, slowly, you are able to do it with presence, and not force.

In the beginning generally once we are born we know how to use force. A one month old
child really cries when it needs milk. So it’s using force. If you watch them they will cry a
little, and if the mother is not there then it gets louder, and louder… this will increase. So
that using of force starts from there, because all our needs are fulfilled by using force. So
somehow we become very good at using force, and somehow we forget later that we can
also have another way. So every time, what comes first is the force.

So this is why in the beginning of practices the force has to be used, but then slowly slowly
you become aware of other forces which are even more efficient than the force. This
presence is more efficient than the force, and once you know that instead of using force you
can use the presence.

So this is what he is saying, please keep on practicing as long as it takes. Sometimes

something is there and presence makes it so easy. Imagine your eye is closed and then
suddenly your eyelid is open and you see everything, presence is that kind of thing, just a
little and then it evolves everything.

So once you know that force, that ability of yourself, then presence is the only thing that is
helpful, that helps.

So being present there, keep on practicing.

Sutra 1.14

sah tu dirgha kala nairantaira satkara asevitah dridha bhumih

Ajay: He’s saying if you are practicing that way, and keep on practicing for a long time
without any break – nairantaira means continuously – and without any break doesn’t
mean practicing for one day and then not doing practice for five days, not that way.
Continuously means if you decided to practice one hour a day then you keep doing it that
way.

And another thing he is saying is satkara asevitah, that you really love doing that. It’s not
out of duty, it’s not because somebody told you, it’s fully welcomed and accepted. If
practice happens that way for a longer time then you will get a state of solidity – solidity
means that you are able to be present for a longer time.

And he’s saying what happens then is the ground you get from it is more stable, the
presence that you have for more time is more stable, and it stays for a longer time.

So if you are welcoming from your heart and continuously practicing for a longer time then
you get stability, then you can be present for a longer time without going into your
different created I’s, and then you become aware of a liquidic solidity, a solidity that is not
solid. It covers a lot more area than solidity but acts even more solid than solidity.

Sutra 1.15

drista anushravika vishaya vitrishnasya vashikara sanjna vairagyam

Ajay: Patanjali is saying that so far any small activity either seen or heard has been very
attractive. Anything you see you want to know about it, and anything you hear also you
want to know it. This wish to know has been so strong that every time it has taken over.

But since you found this liquidic solid place in you then whatever you see or hear is no
longer so attractive. Because normally as soon as you hear you get engaged with the
hearing, and as soon as you see you get engaged with the seeing. But since this practice has
dropped you in presence, then of course the engagement with hearing and seeing will start
to be different. You will hear but not go out, you will see but not go out. You will like
staying in presence.
This will happen not by your decision, but naturally or organically those things will not
attract you any more because you are enjoying the presence. Then somehow the
gravitational force of presence will enlarge and get deeper.

And once that gravitational force gets stronger then that will be vairagyam, not using
outer force any more but gravitating yourself not to reach out. So slowly the real
vairagyam, which is like gravitating, that will happen. And that gravitational force allows
you not to contact outside.

Q: So externally this looks like renouncing, but it’s another example of a natural process
that has been made into a practice or a rule?

Ajay: Yes this happens organically. But it’s easier for people to try to use force, so they try
to make it a practice.

He’s saying that once you have that gravitation you could be called a gravitator. He’s saying
vashikara sanjna, as a noun of gravitation.

So we can call that person a gravitator.

Sutra 1.16

tat param purusha khyateh guna vaitrshnyam

Ajay: Once you fall into that gravitation then... up until now the qualities you have
developed have been attracting power, the different I’s you have created – qualities means
different I’s – they have been the center of your attraction. You have been attracted to
people because of your created qualities, your created I’s.

But once you know this other power, the gravitation power, then suddenly your trust in the
created I’s dissolves. And you see that everything you do is not as powerful as this
gravitation.
So somehow you stop “acting”.

All the I’s we create, they are our actors, it’s like a drama, it’s not real. At some time we
created a quality, for instance we think “if I am loving I will get what I want”; it is acting for
your own sake. That’s basically everything that we have created.

And once we know this other power that is not for the sake of you, then you see that you
have the possibility of a bigger power. Then suddenly, somehow you start questioning your
trust in your created I’s.

Q: Is it that you see that they’re fake?

Ajay: Yes that they’re fake, but also you question them, and naturally, organically, you stop
giving them love. And once your love for them dissolves then they also start dissolving.

He’s saying tat param purusha khyateh guna vaitrshnyam, as an individual you created
those qualities that you thought would be attractive, but now you lose interest in them.

What happens is when we create a quality it’s because we want the benefit of that quality.
The two go together. The quality is there and also taking the benefit of the quality is also
there. So that’s why when we meet each other and we get attracted then at the end and
afterwards we feel that is was not fully right, because both aspects are there in both us and
the people we meet and interact with, the quality and also taking personal benefit. It is not
“clean” or “pure”.

When your I’s create qualities they are for show, they are “painted, bright and glowing”,
but in gravitation they are not like that. You will almost not even recognize that lovingness
is there but of course activities will happen when needed. In this gravitation the lovingness
is left without any desired or intended benefit from that, or rather all of the qualities are
left but without the benefit attached. So whenever they’re needed they will come.

He’s saying the wish to get things because of created qualities is dissolved.

In gravitation, the qualities are without any associated wish to receive.

End of session.

Ajay: So once you know this gravitational power then you have another power of activity,
so slowly you get less interested in your previous way of acting.

Now you have this gravitational force, which could be called aliveness beyond the physical
realm, and you are now somehow connecting to that. In Sanskrit it is called purusha which
means “whatever is”.

Previous to this you acted according to your love of qualities, but these qualities can also be
bad things. So although you were acting according to your love this could go either way,
love of good or bad things.

So far your love for what you think is good has been the pull for you to act. But now since
you recognize another power other than what you love, then the qualities that have been so
important to you so far, your love which has been so important to you, you lose interest in
that because you can find another way of acting that is not through your love.

So suddenly your willingness for qualities is not the same any more, it really starts to
decrease. Your interest in qualities or what you love, decreases.

In the text Patanjali is using the word qualities, but if we watch humans it’s not only good
qualities. People act just for what they love, for whatever they are attracted to, whatever
they love, good or bad.

But at this stage the love of what you want starts decreasing because of the access to the
gravitation.

Sutra 1.17

vitarka vichara ananda asmita rupa anugamat samprajnatah

Ajay: So far, we have used logic to make decisions. Logically, whatever seems right to you,
you do. But now you are no longer just dependent on logic, as something else can also “pop
in”. And when something else pops in this is of course used. So there’s a new power, and
also still this whole realm that you have previously created around you. Your old way is still
available and you can still think about it and you can use that created realm if you choose
to do so.

But now you don’t have to be pushed because of the pressure of logic, so you will also feel a
sense of freedom. Beforehand, anything that was said logically you would follow even if
your heart did not believe or accept it as there was a pressure to accept. But now you do not
feel that pressure, there is now a freedom to accept yourself. So that freedom will be felt
like ananda, freedom and goodness, and that freedom where you feel freedom is like... you
are that.

It’s like previously we created a realm of “other than me”. The whole of our activity comes
from a created realm on top of you. But now that this freedom is felt in you, in your small s
self, then you can really fall into your small s self. And following that, which means
spending time in that, there will be like a spaciousness found once you fall in that realm of
yourself.

Sometimes you could feel that you are not as small as you thought, as your experience of
yourself has been, and it could sometimes widen and be bigger than your previous
experience of yourself. That state he calls samadhi, but samadhi within the known realm.
Within the known realm means there is a stretching of the individual small s self, it will be
like a stretching possibility is there. So it will expand to the full stretching possibility of the
small s self.

He’s saying that state will be called samprajnatah, samadhi within your small s realm.

Q: So it’s like samadhi, but it’s contained.

Ajay: Yes, it’s boundaries are there, so that’s why he’s calling it samprajnatah. You are still
scared to go beyond yourself. That fear always happens…

Q: Even in samadhi?
Ajay: In this samadhi, yes. In the beginning, yes. As soon as you are stretching a little
beyond then suddenly fear comes. He’s saying that’s called samprajnatah.

So all of this realm, the seven chakras and all of that, all of this realm is within the small s
self.

Sutra 1.18

virama pratyaya abhyasa purvah sanskara shesha anyah

Ajay: When that expansion to the boundaries of your small self happens, then that is like
spaciousness.

To be able to desire something you have to be feeling power, and not be spread all over. So
spending time in that samadhi where you are spread all over, the possibility to desire will
have no chance because you are spread all over so there is no central point of power. So
those activities will cease by themselves, without any “stopper”.

Q: And by that you mean that the cleaning process cleans it?

Ajay: Yes the whole energy of personality is being cleaned there, and of course if this
practice keeps on and you spend time in that state – a lot of time – then all the possibilities
as an individual that you thought about yourself, they will be kind of cleaned out. Very
subtle realms of your individual self will be cleaned.

It’s like if you filled a balloon with different types of gases. And if you do this process then
at the end only oxygen is left in the balloon, the other gases are gone.

He’s saying sanskara shesha, all of the possibilities you created for yourself they are out,
they are dissolved from within your individual boundaries.

Q: So you mean tendencies and…

Ajay: Yes all that stuff, everything. They’re very very subtle, all the tendencies, all the past
lives, because in this process of living every time we change ourself. “Today, I want to be
this, tomorrow that, the day after something else”. So all of these energetic probabilities
and potentials they are cleaned. Totally scrubbed away until nothing is left.

So then he’s saying once they are cleaned, then you fall into a little deeper realm than
samprajnatah samadhi, that type of samadhi. Where you are “only oxygen”.

Q: So that’s still within the individual?

Ajay: Yes, still within the individual realm. Your reality is confined.

Q: How does it work for someone like myself that doesn’t have experience of this, yet
somehow it still makes sense?

Ajay: That’s because maybe it’s not recognized experience, but maybe many things we do
experience but they are just not recognized. But when it is described – you know.

Sutra 1.19

bhava pratyayah videha prakriti layanam

Ajay: Nature has acted upon the realm of individuality. Somehow nature created you as an
individual. And Patanjali is saying that nature has pushed you into something, into your
individuality. So there is your individuality, and apart from that there is the pressure of
nature, which created you within that boundary.

And now he’s saying that once you spend time within your reality then sometimes also you
will have times where you touch beyond your reality, so that means you will be touching
natures energy, the boundary which confines you into yourself.
And sometimes you are out of it, out of your individuality, so you are feeling no individual
but you are still part of nature. You kind of merge into beyond your boundaries, but
beyond your boundaries is still within the pressure of nature. So many times you will find
yourself no longer yourself but still part of nature.

Q: So you’re past your own “stuff” but there’s all the forces…

Ajay: The forces that created the individual, that is there.

He’s saying prakriti layanam. You will be merging into the natural forces of nature,
merging and again coming back, because these confined boundaries still exist so they will
sometimes break and then you come back. So there will be both in and out, that kind of
experience, so that’s why he’s calling it layanam, merged and also coming back.

Q: And at this point you are aware that you’re doing this?

Ajay: Awareness is like… it always happens afterwards, because this is such a thing where
the mind has no trace, so of course the whole reporting is like, without a reporter. There’s
reports without a reporter. And the reporter happens only afterwards.

When later you really ask yourself “what has happened?”, then you start having experience
to understand that. But at this current stage the process is not for understanding, it is for
dissolving. You don’t know anything as you are dissolved.

And then afterwards a process happens to understand. And then you understand.

Sutra 1.20

shraddha virya smriti samadhi prajna purvakah itaresham

Ajay: He’s saying there is the possibility that somehow you have trust into whatever you
are beyond your small s self. And also somewhere there is remembrance of that, of what
you are beyond your small self.
So then because of that some people might pass through this realm without recognizing the
nature, the natural force. So this stage might happen to them, but not in a recognized way.
So it’s possible to fall in this realm unknowingly, so some people think that they have not
crossed this.

For some people because of their wisdom, their samadhi processes, they might dissolve
into what they are without acknowledgment of natures realm. And to accept this.

Sutra 1.21

tivra samvega asannah

Ajay: So in this dissolving process what is helpful is the intensity in you.

Intensity means the inner power, so he’s saying tivra samvega asannah. If intensity is
high in you then the process will happen quickly. The inner power means the power that
wants to “blast”, not like outer power that doesn’t want to blast, he’s saying tivra samvega.
This blasting ability depends on your own blasting ability for whether this happens quickly
or not quickly.

If intensity is of a high degree then it could happen easily in a short time, otherwise slowly
slowly you will grow the intensity and then blasting will start.

Q: So in one sense it’s, kind of, out of your control. Out of control of the “normal” self.

Ajay: Yes, the personality self and your senses, they cannot make it happen.

Sutra 1.22

mridu madhya adhimatra tatah api visheshah

Ajay: And of course if intensity is low it will take more time, if intensity is mediocre then
different time, etc.

So it is the intensity that you have that plays a special role in samadhi’s.

Q: This intensity, does it have any correlation with the outer life? You can’t tell just because
someone is sitting in a cave all day...

Ajay: No, they could still have low intensity. And someone else could be dancing, and
having higher intensity. There is no relationship with the outside.

He’s saying certainly intensity is very related to this happening of samadhi. The deeper the
intensity you have, basically it depends on that.

He has discussed a process, with this discussion of intensity and falling in to the
indescribable space. This is the end of the first section, which is for the most advanced.

And if you are not able to achieve what he discussed previously and drop in to samadhi’s,
then he gives the following techniques.

Sutra 1.23

ishvara pranidhana va

Ajay: There can be another way to conceive God within yourself, so keep on giving
fertilizer, sunlight, air, whatever is needful. So he’s saying that can also be another way to
blast.

So ishvara pranidhana va; you can “conceive God in your womb”, and keep on enlarging
God in your womb. And when there’s been enough time, God will blast, or come out from
you.
So that can be another way, by conceiving God in yourself, and keep on giving the needful,
what is necessary, so that one day God may be born out of you.

Q: So what does conceiving mean?

Ajay: Conceiving means it’s not play, it’s not a game, you cannot play with it.

Q: So it’s not a mind thing.

Ajay; No, it’s not a mind thing, you have to really be ready for that, and it’s not a game. But
it’s not easily understood, as these people (like Patanjali) really speak for the best students
first, so they can understand and go and not waste their time. There is no annual exam in
their classes, they just get it and go out.

End of session.

Ajay: So we have been reading Patanjali’s yoga sutras.

First he talked about if somebody has reached into subtle realms, energy realms, he
discussed techniques for those people. And of course, not many people can reach out there,
so now he’s talking about – still subtle – but not as subtle ways as earlier one’s.

So the technique he talks of is ishvara pranidhana va; there can be another way, by
conceiving God and allowing God to enlarge within yourself, and that way one could reach
to oneself as small s self, and then of course one could dissolve into big S Self.

Sutra 1.24

klesha karma vipaka ashayaih aparamristah purusha-vishesha ishvara

Q: And what is God?

Ajay: He already knew you would be asking this question, that’s why he says klesha karma
vipaka ashayaih aparamristah purusha-vishesha ishvara.

So in his definition of God, God is not anywhere beyond this earth. God is somebody living
in the human form and, aparamristah, they are ready to hear what you say, and also ready
to give good suggestions. And the liabilities of karma are not binding that person. Of
course to them activities will happen, but it’s not from the “have to”.

He’s saying, klesha karma vipaka, someone who is out of the karma – we could probably
call it out of reactivity – and vipaka. Vipaka means…. it’s a medicinal word used in
ayurveda, vipaka means when you have boiled something so the purity is left, the essence
of that thing is merged into water. It’s alchemical, the former has gone but there is an after
taste that is new.

So vipaka means when someone’s qualities have been merged into sharing, because of
qualities sharing is happening. And that one is also ready to hear, and ready to suggest.
He’s using the word aparamristah, and he means that suggestions are given from the
heart.

For many people, the reason they are talking is so that you acknowledge their knowledge.
That is not aparamristah.

Aparamristah means that whatever is being said is for the need and benefit of the person
being spoken to, not for the benefit or need of the one who is speaking.

He’s saying purusha-vishesha, these people do not grow everywhere, they’re not found
commonly, and that he calls ishvara.

And when somebody in the body is like that, then that is Patanjali’s definition of God.

Earlier he was saying you really have to fall in the energies of yourself, and that is difficult,
as the energy realm is very difficult to acknowledge. So here he is saying that if you see
someone “walking that way” who is ready to speak from the heart for you, then several
things may happen.
You may be attracted to that person because this person has “good results”, you see that
their behavior has good results. So if I am attracted because of seeing their results then
that is not going to work, it won’t be transformational, because my interest is for the
results.

Or you may be attracted to that person because of the energy of that person. Then slowly
slowly there will be the possibility to understand beyond their actions. This can be
transformational. From where their actions are coming, you may begin to understand that
place.

Generally, if we watch our activities we have motivations. And motivations are very much
that somebody wanted you to do something, and from sneaky ways they made you do it.
General motivations are like that. We don’t do anything because of ourselves, but because
of the motivations from society, from advertising, all of those things.

And there are very rare people we may find that are truly motivated by themselves, for
whom it’s their own activity, who can really claim that “it’s my activity”.

And he’s saying that if your motivation is really to grasp the quality of that person – not the
outcome of the actions of that person – if your motivation is to grasp their inner energy not
their outer world, then there might be a chance for you and you might get an
understanding of the energy realm. And that understanding could be found by spending
time with these kind of people. It’s like in their presence there is the possibility of a seed
being planted in you. But you also need time to let the seed grow in yourself.

This seed will grow not because of any outer behavior, but somehow behavior will come
out of that. So it will be from the inner not from the outer.

These people can help by suggesting to go into “that”, and somehow, subtly, energetically,
being with them there is the potential that you can really go into that, so then you can also
find the subtle realm in yourself, that energetic realm. And of course when that realm gets
a fully developed body – not this physical body, some other body – of course then really an
understanding of the energetic realm happens. So that’s how one could get there.
Q: So that is why the texts all say spend time in the company of sages. As well as hearing
their wisdom there can also be something happening on an energy level.

Ajay: Yes, something like that.

Sutra 1.25

tatra niratishayam sarvajna bijam

Ajay: He’s saying that if you happen to find someone living from that deepest core of
themselves, in the depth of this person, their light, the possibilities of knowledge exist as
seed, not as knowledge, not as the tree. In that deepest core of oneself lies the knowledge
as seed.

When an external situation comes it could become a tree, but otherwise it exists as
potential in that deepest core of oneself. All the knowing possibilities are there.

In that depth all knowledge exists in seed form.

Sutra 1.26

purvesham api guruh kalena anavachchhedat

Ajay: He’s saying to understand that also in the past there were people who could not be
“covered” with time, which means that they existed beyond time.

Generally our physical existence is in time, and also our mental existence is in time. What’s
he’s trying to say is to really understand that the person you meet that exists beyond time
is not the only one to have achieved this purified state.
In the past and in the future there was and will be these kinds of people who have fallen
beyond time, in that space, and they are not covered by time.

There is a realm of expression, for instance my body is the part of expression. But my being
is not part of expression, it is part of existence. So he’s saying of course there has been
people in the past, and also people in the future, who were in the existential realm, where
there is no two.

But their qualities that we can see are according to time, and according to the needs at that
time of the people around them. Whatever acts occurred, those people who were around
them at that time, they needed those kind of things. If nothing is because of you, then of
course it’s because of the people and outer situation.

The existential state is not expressed by itself, it cannot express itself. To be expressed it
has to be through someone. And then of course this “through” has to aid this, and that’s
why when we look from outside at these people it looks different. Buddha was not the same
as Jesus. But the source is the same.

For instance someone might be doing loving kindness but only the source is there. There is
no entity there, but of course the long “run up” of that person is there without an entity.
(Run up is a cricket term describing the bowler running in before bowling, the prior build
up of momentum.)

Sutra 1.27

tasya vachakah pranavah

Ajay: So this person in the existential realm could be described as existential sound, which
means that sound which is not created, uncreated sound. Some say AUM, or some sound
like that.

He’s saying that as this person is in the body there will be two aspects to them. There will
be an expression realm as well as existential realm, physical and non-physical, and in
between both of these realms is something like the sound of AUM, which is existential but
also expression. It is also expression because it can be heard.

So this person could be said to be existential expression. Tasya vachakah pranavah,

similar to this person would be this existential sound, which is also expression and also
existential.

So another way we could describe this is both are existential and both are on the level of
expression.

So that’s how we could compare them.

Sutra 1.28

tat japah tat artha bhavanam

Ajay: Patanjali says that to really reach that space of existential and expressive, then it it
will be really helpful to chant AUM while really trying to feel that existential sound at the
same time.

And also try to understand, that by this what he means is that generally in all expressions
there is a person behind the expression, but in the expression of that sound there is
nobody.

So really to consider expressions beyond a person.

It means allowing expressions to happen. That will be the meaning of AUM, allowing
expressions to come through into the active mode.

We will create an active mode to allow expressions to come through. He’s saying doing that
will be helping us to fall in that kind of mode where expressions are allowed. It’s like here
there is no translator in between the existential and the physical, but the physical realm is
used to act through, and really having this way as a practice could be helpful to fall in that
place beyond time, beyond expression.

Sutra 1.29

tatah pratyak chetana adhigamah api antaraya abhavash cha

Ajay: So if one keeps on chanting with that meaning, he’s saying what will happen is that
there will be the recognition of one’s self as small s beyond any given definition. This is
possible.

Generally our recognition of ourself is within the definitions we are given, our name, our
family, the university degrees, our experiences of oneself, so those are kind of the outer
realm of ourself, and we are only familiar with them.

But by this method one could reach to a deeper realm of oneself where there are no effects
of personality, where an individual is only an individual without any effects of defined
personality.

Without personality there is the possibility of merging into the vastness, because you
become same same, like water and water.

Q: So this practice he is talking about now is basically an energetic practice that is a

gateway to the earlier section…

Ajay: Yes, if you couldn’t be there earlier then start a little bit further along.

He’s saying tatah pratyak chetana adhigamah api antaraya abhavash cha, normally
there is a recognizing part in us and that recognizes oneself through what has been said
about us.

But since for your original face there is no recognition, and because of the effect of the
process you have done, the recognition face itself has also fallen apart and also that part
which recognizes is no longer there. So many times you will feel saturated as you, not with
the recognition part but with the feeling of oneself, the power, and many times that feeling
will be gone.

So many times the feeling will be there, the recognition of your own power, your own
existence, and many times that will dissolve, that will not be there. So there will be times
when you feel yourself and there will be times when you don’t feel yourself.

So the gaps will come. Sometimes you really feel yourself, and sometimes there is no
feeling at all, and then of course expansion will happen, suddenly you cross over your
boundaries and you are beyond your boundaries.

He’s saying that antaraya, these kind of happenings will happen, sometimes you will cross
your boundaries and not feel you as you.

Sutra 1.30

vyadhi styana samshaya pramada alasya avirati bhranti-darshana

alabdha-bhumikatva anavasthitatva chitta vikshepa te antarayah

Ajay: These spaces, these experiences beyond the individual, they could be more frequent if
you don’t get doubts. Once you feel that you are not in that beyond space suddenly doubt
comes, and that will be like a hindrance.

Also if you are sick, then sickness will be a hindrance.

If you are not practicing, if instead of practicing you just talk about it, that will also be a
hindrance.

If you are lazy, that will also be a hindrance.

If you delude yourself and see your state differently than what it really is and think you are
more advanced, then you might say “okay, I am done, that is enough, I am now pure” then
that will also be a hindrance.

Then the solidity of that state will not come.

If these hindrances are there, he always calls it the ground that is needed to make another
jump, then that ground will not come.

So really, if you’re stuck, if you’re individual mind is not in to… generally the attraction for
spirituality is that more than 95% of people are attracted to it because they see that the one
who has attained, the guru, the teacher, has a very smooth life and that these people have
facilities provided for them and people admire them etc. So that is the general attraction to
spirituality for most people, to get the smooth life and to be treated special. And if you are
attracted because of that then of course you will have expectations and suddenly think,
“Ah, chai has not come to me”, so you are distracted, your chitta is in to getting things, so
that will also be a hindrance.

So if all these hindrances listed are not there, then there will be two states, the “presence of
you” and the “absence of you” as an individual, where you are present with your
boundaries or you are absent without your boundaries.

In that state, these two states will happen. And if these hindrances are not present then
more and more the state of presence beyond your boundaries will happen. So sometimes
presence within your boundary, sometimes presence beyond your boundary.

So he’s saying that presence beyond your boundary will keep on happening more and
more, if these hindrances are not there.

Otherwise, because of these hindrances you will engage yourself into different kinds of
activities, so he’s saying please keep on, and avoid these hindrances.

Sutra 1.31
duhkha daurmanasya angam-ejayatva shvasa prashvasah vikshepa sahabhuva

Ajay: So Patanjali was describing that there are doubts, hindrances, etc., which come to us,
they come and then they somehow don’t enable us to continue practice.

There are many things that are hindrances, one thing will be “nothing happened, I
practiced 20 minutes and nothing happened…”

Another could be a competitive feeling with fellow practitioners, that is a common one.

And also some practitioners really want to tease us, they say “this happened to me very
quickly”. So Patanjali’s saying it’s that feeling of competitiveness, and because you judge
your practice as lesser than the other practitioners then you feel unhappy about it.

Many times when you are practicing the quality of breathing really allows different types of
techniques, but that can also be a hindrance. If we are watchful of our breathing we see
that it can be in several different states, and so many times a certain breath is happening
and the mind is just everywhere and it’s very difficult to find why the mind is like this, so
when that is happening check your breathing.

He’s saying that these are the “cooperative hindrances”, as they can work with being
friends with each other. A scattered mind becomes friends with breathing and then the
mind changes, so some of the hindrances have very cooperative facilities.

He’s saying that we really have to be aware about having awareness about all of the
cooperative facilities, and then it gets easier. Because with breathing you can very easily
change things, and then that will effect the mind activity and thinking.

He’s saying it’s possible to make cooperative things, beneficial to practice. Sometimes you
can say “okay scattered mind, just stop” and it stops, but sometimes it doesn’t.

So with breathing he’s saying find out for yourself the cooperative methods that work for
you, and which breath works with what (long breaths, short breaths, or a combination),
and that will be helpful to find out about oneself.
If you know which goes with what then the mind can be controlled with that.

Sutra 1.32

tat pratisedha artham eka tattva abhyasah

Ajay: When you have found these cooperative ways for yourself to come back sooner into
the connectivity, into connection with yourself, then whilst utilizing those helping facilities
really keep on spending as much time as you easily can in that connectivity.

Find ways to fall in, and if that can happen that you are falling in then maybe this falling
duration can be enlarged.

So he’s saying keep on doing that, and make as much time as you can for that, that will be
helpful.

Sutra 1.33

maitri karuna mudita upekshanam sukha duhka punya apunya vishayanam

bhavanatah chitta prasadanam

Ajay: He’s saying you really need to introduce some “ointments” to cure bitterness,
jealousy, unhappiness, competitiveness, and all of those feelings.

If you feel jealous of someone it gives a bitter feeling towards that person, and you also feel
bitter. Actually it happens because of that person, but it’s you that is the most effected by
the bitter feeling.

So he’s saying when jealousy happens it’s good to invite friendliness to cure that bitter
feeling.
If competitiveness happens, then bring some compassion, be compassionate about the
person, because maybe they did better than you, but from the compassion cure the
bitterness.

Sometimes you might be feeling unhappy because somebody has more things than you, or
you feel happy because someone else has certain things, it could go both ways. You may
feel happy because someone else has those things, so if you need them you can borrow
from them.

And also, we really wish that other people should help us. So really be watchful and see
that many times if somebody is not helping you then you feel unhappy about that. So he’s
saying you should ignore this wanting help and know that you can manage happily, so that
could be another inner ointment to cure bitterness.

He’s saying sukha duhka punya apunya vishayanam, if you are feeling unhappy then
invite the feeling of happiness as a cure.

When you feel that your life is the worst when compared to any other life, then considering
that someone else has better karma than your karma, that can cure this feeling.

So by really being aware and curing these reactions then slowly within the individual
chitta, which means the individual self, you will feel that you are getting happier and
happier, and the more ointment you use the feeling of happiness stays longer.

Generally it’s very difficult to keep the happy feeling for a long time, because as soon as you
start feeling happier then something else, another thing that has no relation, that will come
and make you feel bitter. So he’s saying just being that way (using “ointments”) will help
you to stay feeling happier for a little longer time. So then there will be a happier feeling in
the individual self, and that will help with all the practices.

And the practice will be different for each person, so engaging that practice which really
works for you.
Sutra 1.34

prachchhardana vidharanabhyam va pranayama

Ajay: He’s saying that sometimes you will not easily be able to change your breathing
because the feeling is so strong that it’s very difficult to change the breath, so then some
pranayamas, breathing from one nostril and not the other, that will be helpful.

So also including breathing practices that are really suited to you.

He’s saying this at the very end, so if you can do the other things then this is not necessary,
but if you can’t do the other things then he is giving other things that might be useful, and
pranayam is one.

So it’s a bit like if nothing is working for you, then you could try breathing.

Sutra 1.35

Vishayavati va pravritti utpanna manasah sthiti nibandhani

Ajay: In practices when you have an object approach then the mind gets stuck. He’s saying
if you are practicing and staying with an object you have made through thinking, then
because it’s an object approach this doesn’t work in practices. What works in practices is
practicing and seeing that moment, because the next moment we cannot imagine.

So you should go along with practices, practicing and see what comes through in that
moment instead of having a predetermined object approach. Otherwise it’s like... somehow
you will not have a way out.

If one is practicing having some thought object, like having liberation as an object, then
practice will bring some freshness but not what you expected, not what you made up.
Because your concept of liberation is made up. So if you have your created object then what
will come will always not be good enough, it will not match what you imagined, so then the
mind will always be really not feeling good as the state you expected is not coming. And
then you drop into blaming.

So this tendency to make everything as an object certainly will be not helpful, it will be
blocking you, so really be careful with practices so you have no object but practicing and
feeling good with the good feeling which has come because of practice. So really not
practicing having an object, but really practicing and being happy with what happens in
the moment.

So don’t make mental objects, but experience felt objects. If you feel love etc. then that can
be a felt object. So practice through feeling not through created mental objects.

Thinking has no aliveness but feeling has aliveness. This sensation, this aliveness, can take
you into meditation.

Sutra 1.36

vishoka va jyotishmati

Ajay: When our individual self has no negativity left, and there is only positivity, feeling
good, when we practice that way in our individual self he’s saying jyotishmati, you “lit”
yourself, lighting yourself happens.

There is no remaining residue from the prior situations. Up to this stage from the
situations you could feel cured but not healthy, and the feeling of being cured is different
than the feeling of being healthy. So he’s saying when you have been cured for a longer
time then the feeling of healthiness will come. And the example he gives is on the level of
the body, on the level of the individual self, it will be when there are no cells of negativity
left.

Then suddenly the positive cells light up by themselves. The word he is using here jyoti is
the lamp, so you become “full of flame” but the heat is not there. He is saying this happens
naturally, you are lit up, but without heat, you are a flame without heat.
Sutra 1.37

vita raga vishayam va chittam

Ajay: Your small self is now beyond liking and disliking, the attachment to objects has
passed, you have gone beyond that, so now your individual chitta, the individual self, is
beyond any attachment, beyond any wishing cycle. The chitta is there but the wishing cycle
is not there.

Vita raga vishayam va chittam, now the object-relationship approach of yourself is cured.
So far you have been living an object oriented life, and now you are beyond that life, you
cannot live for objects, neither external or internally created objects.

Certainly you will live, but not for objects.

He’s saying vishayam va chittam, your individual self is not activated by internal or
external objects.

Sutra 1.38

svapna nidra jnana alambanam va

Ajay: Previously your individual self used to be effected by the dreams you dreamt, the
kind of sleep you slept, the kind of knowledge you attained, and that has been changing
according to yourself, the state of yourself has been dependent on these things.

A good dream and you feel happy, a bad dream and you are feeling bad.

If you slept well you are feeling good, not slept well feeling bad.
If some good knowledge came you feel good, if some bad information came, you feel bad.

Until now you have always been effected by information, by the situation, by the kind of
sleep you slept, by the kind of dream you dreamt.

So far your chitta has been always colored by one of these things, or many of these things,
and now it is no longer colored so of course then there is more readiness to jump into
whatever is, whatever is beyond an individual.

So now your state will be a colorless state, and there is the potential that this colorless state
could jump in the sea of whatever is.

Sutra 1.39

yatha abhimata dhyanat va

Ajay: Patanjali is now saying that of course you might be feeling that what he has said is
the only way, but please don’t think that way, because what he is referring to could be also
attained by your own technique of meditation.

You can find the same thing, that colorless self, by meditating your way.

Some people might be helped by what he has said, they might be ready to “be on the train”,
but some others might not be activated by what he said.

So of course if you are one of those people who is not activated by what he has said, who
doesn’t feel fully into that, then of course you could find your own way of falling in that
space beyond any color and that is also equally helpful. That is as helpful as the techniques
he described.

He’s saying yatha abhimata dhyanat va, your way of meditating is as helpful as all those
he described.
So you don’t have to buy only from his shop, you can buy from your own shop.

Sutra 1.40

parma-anu parama-mahattva antah asya vashikarah

Ajay: So far because of your involvement with attractions, your life has always been moving
outwards because of these attractions, moving towards the objects of attraction. But
because now that external attraction is no longer there, the attraction can be inward to the
atoms of which you are created.

Until now the power was always going out, and the nature of power is not to stop, it cannot
be stopped, the nature of power is that it cannot be stopped.

But now there is the possibility to go into your cells, to your atoms. That has come through.

Physically there is an individual life of every atom in you. There is the collective life, but
also there is the life of every atom in you. And now by falling in you are able to know how
your atoms feel, and know their activity.

For example, so many times generally what happens is someone comes to visit you, and
your reasoning has no reason to be against that person. But despite your reasoning
somewhere you are against that person, somewhere there is discomfort. Those kind of
things happen because the cells have their own life. You – as you know yourself – are not
reacting to that person, it’s more that the cells of the body are reacting to that person.

So what happens when this power turns inward, then you are able to know the reactivity of
your cells, the cells you are created with. And as soon as you are able to know your cells,
then the same way that you have been curing your feelings, there is the possibility to cure
your cells. Maybe we can call it the unconscious realm of ourself, we have control over
vashikarah. He’s saying your unconscious life, subconscious life, you could have control
over that, you could have more knowing ways of activity in the subconscious and
unconscious life of your cells.
So that’s why he’s saying parma-anu parama-mahattva antah asya vashikarah, this
ability to go within the cells of yourself can enable you to not be reactive even from the
subconscious or unconscious life. That also becomes possible.

Sutra 1.41

kshinna-vritti abhijatasya iva maneh grahitri grahana grahyeshu tat-stha

tat-anjanata samapattih

Ajay: When nature created you, you were created with three ways, rajas, tamas and sattva.
These three are the dominating forces in the unconscious realm, these three are
unconscious and are dominating. In life somebody could be very active, and somebody
could be very lazy, and somebody could be balanced because of the effect of these forces.

But now you are no longer pushed by these forces. Now rajas, tamas and sattva work for
you. So he’s saying as it is needed you can now find your ways of acting.

Since you have now dropped into your subconscious realm you don’t have to act as these
three are asking you to act. You are no longer dominated by the unconscious, by the vrittis.

So according to circumstances, according to need, you will have the possibility to engage
yourself according to what is needed.

He’s saying kshinna-vritti abhijatasya. Since the repetitiveness of rajas, tamas and sattva
has become quiet, it’s no longer repeating, so now you have the ability to grasp the vrittis,
grasp the empowerment that previously was not in your control.

It is now in your control, and he’s saying samapattih, that is the easement you have to
have. There’s nobody pushing you from behind anymore. Now you are only pushed by
yourself.

So now your cells are no longer the controller of yourself, and you will get control yourself.
End of session.

Ajay: Still sutra 41, he’s saying kshinna-vritti abhijatasya iva maneh grahitri grahana
grahyeshu tat-stha tat-anjanata samapattih.

More and more your dominating faculties have less power to dominate you, and of course
then “gentleness” happens, because if you are not dominating, you are gentle.

And through the gentleness you get the ability to choose. He’s calling it maneh, money.
Money means the wealth, you are able to connect to “jewels”. You have the ability to be
connected to the jewels that enables you to join who you are, to fall into “whatever is”.

And that he calls samapattih, that means the oneness has happened. Oneness means
“whatever is” has happened.

So in order to merge into “whatever” is we need to let go of what dominates us, the vrittis.

In other words, reducing them and slowly slowly, becoming so gentle, so there is less of
having chosen. Gentle means your choice has diminished, and when choice has diminished
then there is the possibility that you can choose jewels, whatever is beyond things, beyond
the objects, you can look into those things. And being able to look into beyond objects –
because I don’t know any other word so I have to use objects again – beyond all objects,
this is where you kind of choose to drop into who you are.

And that enables you to merge into what you are, and that he’s calling samapattih. In
mathematics you say that “this is equal to that” and that solves the question, so similarly
you started from something and now you merge into what you are and you have solved the
question.

You’re really being merged into whatever is.

He’s calling that samapattih, you really became one with whatever is.
Sutra 1.42

tatra shabda artha jnana vikalpah sankirna savitarka samapattih

Ajay: Because of being gentle now you are not dependent on the dictionary meanings of
words. Now you have another way of knowing for what these words are being used.

So then you fall in that space of things which are addressed by words, and you don’t rely on
what you have been told in the past. Whatever meaning you have been told of those
words… you kind of become more spacious, you have to cover more area to know, to know
the meaning beyond the meaning of what is explained in the dictionary.

So of course then there will be a wider space than what you used to be, and he’s saying that
will be called savitarka samapattih. You really merged beyond logical space, you don’t rely
on logical space anymore, you really jump into beyond logical space.

So that he’s calling savitarka samapattih.

Merging into beyond logic space. Where logic ends.

Sometimes when talking this happens coincidentally, but here through practicing, it is
like... we could call it your invention, your creation.

Sutra 1.43

smriti pari-shuddhau svarupa-shunya iva artha-matra nirbhasa nirvitarka

Ajay: If we are watchful inwardly, we see that we always feel pressure from our memories.
They come and they make us run to do whatever they want. They have an active role in our
life.
And he’s saying that once you fall beyond “logical space” then your memories will not have
this power over you. So because of falling in this new place they will slowly have less and
less pressure on you.

So this is how, slowly slowly, the pressure of memories is cleaned. And the more the
pressure of memories are cleaned, the more you are yourself.

And the more you are yourself, then the feeling realm is also not provoked.

Because usually the feeling realm is many times provoked by memories. But what happens
is that because of your memories having “low power” then your feeling of yourself as
memories, as thoughts, as your degrees (qualifications and achievements), as your name,
this becomes less and less.

And it’s almost emptied, you feel almost empty of pressure from memories, pressure from
feelings.

Then you merge in another space beyond the pressure of memories, beyond the pressure of
feelings, beyond the pressure of your thoughts.

So merging into that, spending time in that space, he’s saying “I will call that nirvitarka”.
You are no longer under the force of logic, no longer under the force of your thoughts, no
longer under the force of your memories, no longer under the force of your feelings.

So a place beyond all these forces appears in you and you get merged into that space.

It’s a wider space than the earlier one.

Sutra 1.44

etaya eva savichara nirvichara cha sukshma-vishaya vyakhyata

Ajay: He’s saying that now he has really explained the influence of thoughts, the influence
of feelings, and the influence of no thoughts, and these are very very subtle realms within
ourselves that really effect you.

So he’s saying he really tried to explain those subtle realms which are very much
dominating you.

He tried to explain them all.

Sutra 1.45

sukshma vishayatvam cha alinga paryavasanam

Ajay: Now he continues to explain still subtler realms as there is also a subtle realm of
nature. Nature really puts us together “inside a frame”, inside a structure. Nature is subtler
than the realms he previously described, because those were our own created realms, but
the nature is not our created realm.

Q: So he’s finished the individual realms...

Ajay: Yes, and he’s now describing... since now you will have ability, now you are able to
feel the subtle, so of course because of that ability you might feel the realm of nature, the
force of nature, how it is forceful in you, the enforcement's of nature.

Like the sex drive, or survival. That comes from the nature.

Q: What about actions in a group, like group dominance? Say even in monkeys...

Ajay: No those are individual things. In monkeys it is always the biggest monkey is the
leader. It’s decided by physical appearance.

Q: So what we’re talking about here is the absolute base.

Ajay: Yes. The absolute base and beyond that. Not even physical. In the past the humans
used to be like the monkeys. The best warrior was King.

Q: So this is more the movement of the life force.

Ajay: Yes the life force, because life really put us together with this force.

He’s saying sukshma vishayatvam cha alinga paryavasanam. So the subtle realms he
described, these subtle realms can be felt up until the realm of nature. And that nature
realm also, once you get into that you can also feel the force of nature and also naturally
how these forces effect you. So you can understand when you do something why you are
doing it, or why you are feeling this, all those things.

Q: So we’ve gone through the individual realm. And then there’s the nature realm. And in
between there would be the collective unconscious. But that’s not individual, but in a sense
it is individual. Where does the collective unconscious fit?

Ajay: It’s your connection, with the group.

Q: Where does that fit?

Ajay: That’s in between these realms, before nature.

Sutra 1.46

tah eva sabijah samadhi

Ajay: Now you can fall in the natural realm and even sometimes you will be beyond the
natural realm, as sometimes it will come back and forth. Since it is still back and forth it
can be called sabijah samadhi, a samadhi which is within the realm of where we can put
our finger on, within the realm of nature and all those subtle realms. So this is a kind of
expansion until the edge of the known realm.
And that’s why he’s saying that still you can “grow your seeds”, still you can come back the
other way. Even here still if you plant a seed you will be able to grow towards worldliness,
so that’s why he’s calling it sabijah samadhi, it’s samadhi within the known realm.

Sutra 1.47

nirvichara vaisharadya adhyatma prasadah

Ajay: He’s saying that by the process that preceded this you got the ability to have “grace of
grace”.

This has happened because slowly slowly you went through the effect of your thoughts.
Also you have gone beyond the effect of no thoughts.

And slowly slowly you will have mastery of the no thought realm, which is beyond where
you can put your finger, beyond that realm.

And once you have mastery on that realm where you cannot describe, then you live there,
you be there, but description is not possible.

So once you get... the word he is using is vaisharad. Visharad is a university degree, kind
of like a masters. So once you have that degree, that mastery beyond the descriptive realm,
then you are eligible and the rain of grace falls on you.

Adhyatma prasadah, the rain of grace falls on you.

So now you are eligible to be entering into the realm of grace.

Q: So you have no desires, but you still have self.

Ajay: Yes, your boundaries are still there.

Sutra 1.48

ritambhara tatra prajna

Ajay: This is where the pregnant wisdom happens, and what he means by that…

Ritam means your wisdom now has the ability to see what is, you aren’t seeing things
through your personal filter.

Your wisdom now is expanded enough to allow any kind of aeroplanes to land. Now your
airport is big enough to allow any kind of things as they are, not just as you want them to
be.

So he’s saying ritambhara tatra prajna, the wisdom is full of ritam, full of whatever is, full
of how things are, not how you want them or how you want to describe them, ritambhara
tatra prajna.

When a fruit is completely ripe and full of juice, in that way the wisdom is filled with what
is, not with your personal perception, but really how things are, because it’s no longer your
personal perception.

The wisdom is full of the juice of whatever is.

Q: And it’s not your own perception because the sense of self…

Ajay: Is diminished.

Sutra 1.49

shruta anumana prajnabhyam anya vishaya vishesha arthatvat

Ajay: Then what happens is that whatever you heard in the past will have created
perceptions or memories of the past experiences.
So now you have reached that place that is “full of juice”, and what he is saying is that now
what will happen is of course there will be old memories of what you perceived in the past
according to yourself. So previously you heard something and you perceived something
according to your past self. Previously you guessed many things, and now because of this
new wisdom those things will gain a different meaning than your prior perceptions.

He’s saying that now you can really recognize that previously this was your conditioned
perception, it was not true, it was just your perception. He’s saying now there will come a
special, new meaning from the memories of past perceptions, and they will not remain the
same.

Q: So everything gets rewired and reframed.

Ajay: Yes, because now you have a different light.

Q: How much of that happens in dreams?

Ajay: Yes also in dreams, so much in dreams.

Sutra 1.50

tajjah sanskarah anya sanskara paribandhi

Ajay: Your past individuality has been effected because of individual perception. So this
new ability to reframe will enable you not to create any new sanskaras, and also the old
sanskaras they will also be wiped away.

Wiped means your previous way of perceiving will be diminished. Whatever you perceived
your way that will be diminished, as well any current possibility of you seeing with your old
way of perception has finished. He’s saying paribandhi, they will be kind of ceased.

So not any more your old way of perception.

Sutra 1.51

tasya api nirodhe sarva nirodhan nirbijah samadhi

Ajay: So now all of this has been cleaned, and all the sanskaras and new “your way”
perceptions are not happening any more.

So you are in a space where seeding does not occur, you cannot make more seeds.

Q: So there’s no personal reaction on any level.

Ajay: There’s no personal reaction on any level.

And since now you are seedless, it’s felt as more open space than you felt before, and that’s
why it will be called nirbijah samadhi, it’s another quality of merging with a wider space
without finding anything in between to be stuck to.

Before, in earlier samadhi's, there were sticking facilities available, and here those sticking
facilities are not available any more, so of course the more wider spaces will be available
but without any recognition, because there’s no sticking.

On the realm of feeling you know it is different, but you don’t know what the difference is.

Then it is repeated and repeated and eventually it happens that you become a “good driver”
in it, so then you can put a little color of consciousness to know this space. And only then
you know it. Before this you know it is different but what the difference is, is not known.
But then once you are a good driver of this space, then you can put a little color of
consciousness, very little, and with that it can be known.

Q: So you can see by your actions there is a difference…

Ajay: Only by what you do. You know afterwards but not before.
So this is where the first chapter called samadhi path ends, with the nirbijah samadhi
space found without getting stuck in it. There’s nothing to find to hold on to…

Q: So the self has gone. Has the individual self totally collapsed at that point?

Ajay: Yes it has totally collapsed, but is available for “the good”.

Q: So the small s self now only exists as an action.

Ajay: Yes, for the utility, we can call it.

So that’s the end of the first chapter, so maybe we can now talk about the first chapter and
tomorrow start the second.

Q: So at the start of the book it was mainly about energetic practices, then it moved to “if
you can’t do that, then these are ways to move to the energetic practices”.

Ajay: Yes.

Q: How much of the process depends on the changes in the physical body? In terms of
capacity at certain stages are they related to the capacity of the body and changes at the
cellular levels?

Ajay: I don’t get your question.

Q: Whilst doing these practices there’s also something happening to the physical.

Ajay: Yes of course.

Q: And is moving to the next stage related to where the physical changes have got to at that
point, as a purification process is happening?

Ajay: Yes the changes happen simultaneously.

Q: So it’s not like the body changes first and then…

Ajay: No, things happen. Because we are very cooperative, the body, the mind, it helps each
other so it’s cooperative.

Q: Okay, so it’s “one thing”, but one aspect doesn’t have to go forward first for the other to
then go forward, it’s just kind of happening…

Ajay: Yes.

Q: In terms of being present, what’s the quality of presence that’s important? For example,
a little kid is present, and an old person who’s lost their memory is present, and you have
people that do mindfulness practice and they’re really concentrating hard on being
present, but that also doesn’t necessarily seem to do anything. So what’s the quality…?

Ajay: Yes there are faculties, faculties of presence, so if presence is coming from any kind of
faculty it will do good for that faculty, and presence that is not from any faculty, that is the
most helpful.

Q: So if a kid is present when they’re playing…

Ajay: That is to do with the play.

Q: So that’s the playing faculty. And if the person is doing mindfulness, then that’s another
version of play.

Ajay: Yes, it’s another kind of mind game. So it needs to come from deeper than that.

Q: Ajahn Chah said something like “meditation practice is like feeding a duck. And our job
is just to feed the duck, and whether the duck eats or not, or what happens to it is not up to
us, it’s up to the duck. We just keep feeding the duck”.

But what we can influence is what we feed the duck. The quality of the feed. So how do we
know we’re selecting good food for the duck?
Ajay: When there’s less and less influence of yourself. It gets less and less anyway. It keeps
on getting quieter.
 Second Section

Sutra 2.1

tapah svadhyaya ishvara-pranidhana kriya-yogah

Ajay: So now Patanjali is discussing a different way. He is saying that you could start a little
more “from the back”, and that will be taking notice about yourself, observing yourself,
seeing what are the immediate reactions which come through you, and then later you may
find out that those have not been good.

Svadhyaya means really really taking notice of your own self and also observing that if you
can reduce your reactivity – that will be like tapah – not allowing your reactivity to express
through, with a little control.

Q: And you said from the back, so that’s like further back, so more like the witness, more
awareness, that sort of thing?

Ajay: Yes, the witness means when you have more awareness, so still here you are growing
awareness, growing self observation, and that he’s calling tapah. Of course this will be kind
of “against you”.

Naturally your expressions are different but because of observation you learn and know
they are not helpful, so then with watchfulness they will reduce. You have to try many
times and it will not happen immediately, it’s not that as soon as you try they will stop,
because they are so strong, so quick.

And then, in this process of self observation, ishvara-pranidhana means like... kind of we
can describe it like the ten commandments, those kind of things will be helpful to have.
You know like if you express lovingly, those kind of things…

Q: You mean like instructions?

Ajay: No not instructions, but the feeling of those things. If you don’t have any thing to
compare inside you to the feeling of goodness, the feeling of lovingness, then if that
positive feeling is not there then “not lovingness” will express and you will not realize that
because there is nothing to compare it to.

So really having a clear picture, a clear experience of lovingness – not thinking, but many
times you experience yourself as lovingness – so really having that feeling. And also having
the picture of how it was when you have not expressed yourself lovingly. So both. Only
then you can change.

He’s saying ishvara-pranidhana, you have experiences of goodness's so really keep them
inside you. And also because once you become more aware of yourself then you will also
have the experience of when you expressed yourself not lovingly, both experiences.

And if both are there then little by little you can grow towards goodness.

He’s saying, he’s calling these practices as kriya yoga, actively trying to reach to a place
which is against your natural habits, against your natural expressions.

Q: What does kriya mean?

Ajay: Kriya means active, kriya is action actually. So kriya yoga is like actively trying to
reach to “it”.

Q: So at this stage he’s saying it’s good to “self remember” the good, so remembering the
good, and good is probably not the right word, but having that sort of as a base for
comparison.

Ajay: Yes, you have to really watch yourself and know what good is. Because generally you
do mischief's and don’t know. It’s only known when other people complain, and even then
many times you say “oh no, this was not my meaning” because you don’t know actually. It’s
not that you speak lies, it’s just that’s how you see yourself. You are acting full of mischief's
but not recognizing that, and when other people say you’re doing that you think “he’s not
loving me”, or “he hates me”, you know, those kind of things.
So that’s why he’s saying that if you don’t have that goodness experience then you have no
ground for comparison, because without that you will not know that you have behaved in a
way that is not appropriate.

So if these things (goodness etc.) are just known as words, then you really have no
understanding of them except the words. As long as they are only words they are nothing,
you have nothing to compare to. So then your behavior, your bad behavior, will not be seen
as bad by you as long as comparing is not there.

Sutra 2.2

samadhi bhavana arthah klesha tanu karanarthah cha

Ajay: He’s saying there will come an attitude to do this, because otherwise why would you
do this? If there is no attitude why would you do it? And if there is the wrong attitude it
might not be so helpful. So he’s saying what is important is to have the attitude that you
want to get to samadhi.

Q: When you say attitude is that like intention?

Ajay: Yes, like intention, what’s important is what is behind it, why you are doing it.
Motivations. So he’s saying that your motivation should be that you want to reach to
samadhi’s. And because of that motivation you are reducing hindrances preventing
samadhi’s.

These things could also be done because of the motivation of a moral code, because “I want
to be seen as a good person in society”. It could be that you’re controlling and you want the
benefit of that, and the benefit of that means you want to be considered a good person in
this society.

Q: So with the moral code it’s more like religion.

Ajay: Yes that would be more like religion. So that’s why he’s saying samadhi bhavana
arthah, the motivation should be that you want to reach to samadhi’s, and since these
kleshas, these hindrances, are pulling you backwards away from the samadhi’s, then you
really want to reduce them.

Tanu karanarthah means when the body gets very thin. Tanu means to make the
hindrances thinner, and that is your motivation, not the moral code.

Sutra 2.3

avidya asmita raga dvesha abhinivesha pancha klesha

Ajay: So now he’s saying what the kleshas are that you want to make thinner.

What you have to reduce is the wrong perceptions, the feeling of “me against others”.
There is a feeling of me which is not against anyone, but there is a feeling of me which is
against everything and that will be asmita, which means really where you feel competitive
to all others, and attachment to things, also jealousy, so these are the klesha.

Q: How many are there?

Ajay: Avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha, abhinivesha. These are the main hindrances. Avidya,
generally they translate it as ignorance, but that definition doesn’t really help. It is more
useful to think of it as wrong perception.

Avidya is the hardest to know because it is perception, as generally you don’t question your
perception. Even if someone points it out then you question that person, not your
perception. So that’s why it’s difficult. If you start questioning yourself then it will not be
that difficult.

But what also happens is that the questioning about yourself you perceive as self doubt,
and that is not good. So if questioning is not perceived as self doubt then it’s very very
helpful, because otherwise it really makes you kind of very small, and once you are very
small it is very difficult to question.

So really look at your experiences, and see what they have brought. And compare your
experiences. For instance doubt is very helpful, but only to guide you in the right direction.

And don’t compare intellectually, but experientially.

Q: Can you say something about decision making. Where’s the tipping point, where you go
from not knowing to knowing?

Ajay: When we drop all experiences in together then something comes. It’s not from the
mind it’s based on the experiences, and you throw all of them in.

Q: I feel like it’s putting all these drops in a bucket in terms of my plans and then suddenly
I know. But I never quite see the decision being made, It’s only after that I know the
decision. So I assume there was just one extra drop…

Ajay: Yes, like something… the experiences together kind of made this decision, not you,
not the mind.

Q: Yes, that’s the thing, I can never see the actual point of decision making. I can see right
up to the point, and immediately after I know, but I can never actually see the change. Can
it be seen by the mind?

Ajay: With this there’s nothing the mind can see. The mind has perhaps a digital way to
see, the mind only works in the digital realm, and if there is anything beyond the digital
realm then the mind has no reach, there is no translating ability.

Sutra 2.4

avidya kshetram uttaresham prasupta tanu vicchinna udaranam

 Ajay: So now he’s saying avidya, wrong perception, is the field where the other kleshas,
the hindrances, really grow. Because of wrong perception you get attached to things. For
example, wrong perception is “this body is going to live forever” and then you get attached.

If wrong perception is not happening, if wrong perception is not there, then the other
hindrances will not have an active role. So really to start from this place, trying to see
perceptions and being watchful of your wrong perceptions so you can make the other
hindrances “thinner”, and not only thinner they could then get “sleepy”, not active any
more, and also you could find a not generous way to let them be there.

Like generally you have a generous way for them because of wrong perception, and if
wrong perception is not there then generosity for them will also dissolve. So of course,
because of your generosity you are very generous for those klesha.

Q: So if I have wrong perception then through that I will feed those things…

Ajay: Yes, you are feeding them.

Q: But without wrong perception then I see them as they really are and I don’t….

Ajay: Yes, they really reduce, reduce, and he’s saying they could be sleepy, almost not felt,
and slowly slowly not having generosity towards them they will really get wiped out.

Sutra 2.5

antiya ashuchi duhkha anatmasu nitya shuchi sukha atman khyatih avidya

Ajay: Despite the fact that things are not permanent, we feel happiness with them and
really get attached to them. Then because of the loss of these impermanent things we feel
unhappiness. So because of not really knowing the nature of impermanence, when things
are lost we feel unhappy, and when they are with you, you feel happy.
He’s saying this is avidya, wrong perception, because it really starts from the very root
where you accept worldly things as permanent. And since their nature is not permanent
they have to go away. And because of that there is the feeling of unhappiness, or also
happiness when they are present.

So that he calls avidya, wrong perception.

Sutra 2.6

drig darshana shaktyoh ekatmata iva asmita

Ajay: You have the ability to see, to know. But when this ability to see becomes limited
and is identified with the body, with the senses, then this togetherness is called asmita.
Only when this identification has happened do you see yourself as different from others,
because now there is a form, there is a separateness, and that separateness always tells you
that you are separate from others. Identifying the seeing with the body and subsequent
body identification is asmita.

In this state of asmita, when things are not seen from a distance, then it becomes you
against everyone. But when it is seen from a distance then you are the seer and the seer is
not the body, so there is no limitation.

So then the experience of you as separate from others doesn’t exist. Certainly in space
there is a separation between bodies but in reality there is no separation so there is no
asmita.

Q: So the error here is that we limit the seeing by identifying it only with the body?

Ajay: Yes.

Q: So if I’m experiencing the world without thought there is just one undifferentiated
perception of it all, so is that what he’s saying or is he saying it’s a far deeper state?
Ajay: It’s a deeper state.

Sutra 2.7

sukha anushayi ragah

Ajay: Because you have felt good or happy with things, with people, and you really
experience that happiness as the effect of these people or things, then that’s where you get
attached. We get attached by not really recognizing that happiness is because you felt
content, and not because of the associated things or people.

You really felt content, and if you really recognize happiness as being content, then of
course you will not depend on people or things for the happiness, and then of course no
attachment will appear.

And if you think it’s based on people or things then of course the attachment will be there.

He’s saying sukha anushayi ragah, if you’re feeling happiness and the reason for that
happiness are things or people then that is attachment.

Sutra 2.8

dukha anushayi dvesha

Ajay: Because of not being content within yourself you feel unhappy and perceive that
because people are not there or things are not there then that’s why you feel unhappy.

So then you become annoyed or sad because you don’t have what you want. So dvesha,
aversion, feeling discontent, happens when you think people are not supporting you, or
things in general are not supporting you, and you feel unhappy about that. So that he’s
calling dvesha.
Dukha means when you feel unhappy because of people or things. Because they’re not with
you so then you’re unhappy about that, and because of this unhappiness it may bring you
to feeling annoyed, or often you may feel jealous of others.

Also with this unhappy feeling you may also feel a little hatred, and this unhappiness can
easily convert into jealousy.

Sutra 2.9

sva-rasa-vahi vidushah api tatha rudhah abhiniveshah

Ajay: Abhiniveshah is having the type of perception that you think about others similarly
as you think about yourself.

This means it’s really difficult to understand others as they are, you only understand others
as you are.

As an example here in this sutra he’s saying that even with the realized ones, you believe
they will be fearful of death, because that’s how you are, so that would be abhiniveshah.

Q: So he’s saying that you project your own experience onto others. Because I am afraid
then others must also be afraid.

Ajay: Yes onto others, that is abhiniveshah.

So those are the kleshas, we really need to make them sleep and be thin.

Sutra 2.10

te pratipasava heyah sukshmah

Ajay: The word he’s using here is pratipasava and that means to give birth to. So now he’s
saying that with all the hindrances, you have to take back “what you have given birth to”,
take that back in.

So you have given birth to the hindrances, you created them, and now you are “reducing”
that which you created.

By withdrawing energy from them they are reabsorbed, they get thinner and thinner and
their power gets lower and lower. Things resolve back into where they came from.

So by not giving them any sort of energetic field this will reduce their power.

Sutra 2.11

dhyana heyah tat vrittayah

Ajay: Previously he said if you withdraw energy from the hindrances then their power gets
low, and then these low power hindrances could be removed by meditation. Through
meditation this low power of tendencies could be wiped out.

Q: By meditation does he mean specifically samadhi, or does he mean meditation practices

in general?

Ajay: Practicing meditation, and from the practices up until samadhi, all those stages.

Sutra 2.12

klesha-mula karma-ashaya drishta adrishta janma vedaniyah

Ajay: Now we’re at the stage where the hindrances are reduced so much they are no longer
active.

Even though they are inactive, what he called klesha, hindrances, the roots of them are still
there. They are not active any more but they still exist, as roots. He’s saying klesha mula,
the roots of them are the presence of them inactivated.

Q: So they’re not switched on but they’re still there.

Ajay: Yes, they’re there.

He’s saying the inactive presence of them could be the reason that… any moment they can
start working again. Their engine is not on but they are fully equipped.

Q: So they’re switched off but they still have full potential.

Ajay: Yes, they have full potential.

He’s saying klesha-mula karma-ashaya drishta adrishta janma vedaniyah, and the
inactive presence of them could be activated even many life times after. So just to
acknowledge that once they are not active, don’t think they are totally gone.

Q: So anything created remains until it is absolutely wiped clean.

Ajay: Yes, until it is wiped out.

Q: And that’s carried forward forever?

Ajay: He’s saying janma vedaniyah, it could be you recognize it in the next life, and next
life...
Like maybe when they are not active you say “I am done” but that is not what he will say is
done.

Q: So I could potentially have a reaction now that I’ve never had before in my life because
something new triggers it and it was from ten lifetimes ago.
Ajay: Yes, it could be.

So he’s saying those could activate in this lifetime or in many other future lifetimes.

As sanskaras they are there. An example is when water has been spilled and then it dries
and nothing is seen, but if you pour water again it follows the same path. Sanskaras are
those kind of things.

Q: I thought what I experience now is a combination of this life and past lives, but I never
realized there can be inactive things from past lives hidden away.

Ajay: Yes there can be.

Q: It’s like a hidden computer virus waiting to be triggered.

Ajay: Yes, they are hidden viruses.

Q: So you can potentially get to a pretty advanced stage where you’ve cleaned out lots of
stuff, but then you’ve got new things that you’ve never seen before.

Ajay: Yes, from the past. So this is why they say once you drop into samadhi's then you
have to practice 12 more years to clean everything out. In the scriptures they say that. Once
you have dropped into samadhi's still 12 more years are necessary.

And in the beginning generally samadhi means sirvikalpa, so after that 12 more years.

Q: They say something similar in the Sufi tradition, it’s something like if you think you are
advanced and feel the urge to teach then you should wait ten years.

Ajay: Yes.

Sutra 2.13
sati mule tat vipakah jati ayus bhogah

Ajay: You have now wiped out the active activities of kleshas, but not the inactive. As long
as inactive hindrances are there then because of their presence your karma's, what you
have to go through, you will go through.

You are still not in a safe place.

Your aging, and what you have to go through that will be dependent on these inactive
kleshas, because a root is still there so unconsciously still those things can come.

Sutra 2.14

te hlada-paritapa-phalah punya apunya hetutvat

Ajay: Those inactive sanskaras could be not only from negative hindrances, they could also
be from your good intentions.

So now he’s saying not only hindrances but all the goodness's have to go too. They could
also be activating you, you could be acting because of the influence of good sanskaras, so
he’s saying punya apunya, good fruit or bad fruit, both have to be wiped out.

And once that is done you become you without any influence of the past.

Sutra 2.15

parinama tapa sanskara duhkhaih guna vrittih virodhat cha duhkham eva
sarvam vivekinah
Ajay: Why even good tendencies have to be wiped out is because they will bring a result to
you, because the root cause is not you but the tendency.

So the good results will also be a “pain” to you.

Tendencies are always originally created with an associated expectation. So if your

activation is coming from a tendency, then of course that expectation will also be a pain,
and that will not feel so good on the level of yourself.

He’s saying sarvam vivekinah, there are no exceptions that anybody who is a viveki will
accept as good, even good activities, so this is why he’s saying those also have to be wiped
out.

Sutra 2.16

heyam duhkham anagatam

Ajay: Good tendencies will not bring a feeling of contentment, but there will be a feeling of
an expectation being fulfilled.

There is a difference between contentment and the feeling of expectation being fulfilled.
There is a different kind of satisfaction.

Because there is a difference in these two categories it is necessary to wipe them out, even
the root sanskaras, wipe them out.

The happiness's that come from fulfillment of expectations are not to be accepted or
activated. So it’s good to wipe out those tendencies also.

Sutra 2.17
drashtri drishyayoh samyogah heya hetuh

Ajay: He’s giving the reasons why good sanskaras have to be wiped out.

Sanskaras have this quality that you merge with them, so then action is happening when
you and the sanskara are together. There is no distance, no separation. And since there is
no distance any action will not be the right action. So that togetherness needs to be
separated.

He’s saying the best activity has to come through you alone, not through the togetherness.
Since the activation is happening not from you alone, but from the togetherness of you and
the sanskara, then this is why it’s necessary to wipe them out, even the good sanskaras.

Generally everybody will freak out when told this. How is this possible in spiritual
language that good and helpful actions may also need to be wiped out? This will be very
much not accepted, so that’s why he’s giving many reasons why the good sanskaras have to
be wiped out.

Sutra 2.18

prakasha kriya sthiti shilam bhuta indriya atmakam bhoga apavarga

artham drishyam

Ajay: Since we are activated from the fear of hell and from the greed for heaven, our
sanskaras are created through fear and greed. Things like the thinking that “all creatures
have to be loved”, we have those kind of activation's in us. So this is why we really have to
wipe them out because they are based on thinking, based on views, based on fear and
greed.

Q: Could you explain the “all creatures must be loved”.

Ajay: If that is coming from a “should”, that’s what he means. If it’s from a belief like “all
creatures are one so that’s why you should love them” then it should be wiped clean.
But if there is natural love for them then of course that is a different thing than “should”.

Here he is describing all the “shoulds” that we are taught, all the qualities we are taught
they come from should and shouldn’t, this is why they need to be wiped out.

And only when they are wiped out, then he’s saying prakasha kriya.

Prakasha kriya means then only the activities of the light realm happen, not activities of
personal games anymore.

Sutra 2.19

vishesha avishesha linga-matra alingani guna parvani

Ajay: He’s been talking about good patterns and bad patterns.

The “quality” of these patterns will be different in different people. Some people will have a
very specific quality, very specific behavior, and have very strong attachment to that, like
they are only doing that, and other people might be not so strong on that same thing. So
although the same qualities are there they are not so strong and some people might have
very very mild strength quality patterns.

So with these quality patterns he’s saying so much awareness is needed to really know what
is there.

If it is very specific it will be easily understood, and if it is less specific more awareness is
needed to understand that you are drawn that way.

Q: When you say less specific do you mean just not as strong in that particular…

Ajay: They are very strong. Some people react immediately as soon as a situation arises
that pushes their buttons. Say one person has this pattern of helping, and if there is a
group nearby and a “help” situation has come then very specifically they will run first. And
others will wait.

He’s saying the specific ones that always trigger you, you can recognize those easily. But
ones with less power than that you have to put more awareness there to recognize them.

Q: So the people that don’t run to help they may still have the “help” in them but it’s much
lower strength.

Ajay: Yes, he’s saying very little quantity.

Q: So it’s a bit like a sound mixing panel, and although everyone has all the same bits
everyone has them set at different levels. But they can still change.

Ajay: Yes, he’s saying for the negative patterns it is easy because they are pointed out many
times by others, but then we don’t accept what they say (laughs)… but what he’s saying is
the negative patterns are easy, if you really want to, you can see them.

But for positive patterns, those that are very strong you can recognize easily, but one’s low
in strength, and even lower, it will be very difficult to see them.

Q: So how do you see them if their power is low and they’re not manifesting?

Ajay: I think maybe not from the awareness, but they have a kind of “light”, when you are
looking.

Q: So you can’t see these by your actions you have to go inside to see them.

Ajay: Yes, inside. That’s why he already said that meditation is needed, and these are not
words, they are not things, they are just energies and only through their light, their energy,
they can be recognized.

Q: So I go inside and I walk around looking for a light…

Ajay: (Laughs) It’s like that.

What he’s trying to say is that we really have to work more to see the positive ones than for
the negative ones, as it’s not so easy to recognize them.

Sutra 2.20

drashta drishi matrah suddhah api pratyaya anupashyah

Ajay: I think somebody has asked him why even the good patterns have to be cleaned and
wiped out, so now he’s answering that.

If your seeing ability is cleaned enough but you still have patterns, good patterns, then you
might see according to the influence of the good patterns. So this is why it’s important not
to have any kind of patterns, and then only the seer – which is not you – that can be clean
enough to see things as they are, not as you want to see.

He’s saying drashta, although it may feel that you are clean enough, having those patterns
might effect what you perceive so this is why this cleaning is necessary.

Sutra 2.21

tad-artha eva drishyasya atma

Ajay: Someone whose ability to see is not influenced or colored by any internal
programming, only that person has the ability to see things as they are.

The ability to see things as they are only happens when inwardly there is no coloring in
seeing. So this is why all of this is being said as it’s important.

Having that ability to see, then whatever is will be available, will be seen.
Sutra 2.22

krita-artham prati nashtam api anashtam tat anya sadharanatvat

Ajay: To someone whom that deep cleaning has happened, that person has the ability to
acknowledge that there is only the transformation of objects, not a finish to them.

Anything dead is not dead, their perceiving is not from the point of death, their perceiving
is from the point of transformation.

Krita means that someone who has fallen in that deep ability would not be effected by
death. Death will be seen as a transformation.

And he’s using the word sadharan, like a simple thing, death will be like any other thing.
So what he’s trying to say is that perceiving will be different for that person because death
is no longer the end of life.

Sutra 2.23

sva svami saktyoh svarupa upalabdhi hetuh samyogah

Ajay: Now the power of “whatever is”, is being perceived. It’s no longer an individual
perceiving.

He’s using the word svami, whatever is, the Lord.

Now perceiving happens from the Lords power. And whatever you are, you are “framed” in
that. You are whatever you are, you are no longer colored according to you.
So to really merge into whatever you are, that ability, perceiving whatever is, is a good sign
for merging. Good sign means…. it will be like having cleaned everything. Merging will be
without any difficulty. It will be a good atmosphere for merging, so really to have that is a
good opportunity to be merged.

Q: So everything previously has all been the preparation for merging.

Ajay: Yes, this is all the preparation.

Q: So in this way it’s clean, cleaned, until there’s nothing left…

Ajay: Yes, and then you are that light within your boundaries. And now the only thing is
the boundaries need to be broken.

That’s why he’s saying samyogah, it’s like the opportunity has come now that you can even
break the circle.

Q: And in the examples of people that have almost like a “painful” experience, for some
people this process is very physically painful, is that because the cleaning hasn’t happened
by a slow process before?

Ajay: I think also because in the physical realm each cell is conditioned, and then of course
there might be some conditioning which is not so easy to clean, so then of course there will
be pain…

Q: U.G. Krishnamurti used a similar phrase, he said “every cell will get blasted”.

Ajay: Yes certainly, cleaning is not like… it’s like where you have recorded, and you want to
record again but the removing, the erasing has to happen at the same time, and only then
you can record another thing.

In the cells that erasing – because it has to be erased – for some it will be pain but for
others just discomfort. So that may be the discomfort they speak of.

Q: Do samadhi’s begin at the “cleaning self” place?

Ajay: No, even before that. Because they also have a cleaning process. It’s not only cleaning
the patterns, many other things which are from the nature they are also cleaned, so
samadhi has a deep cleaning process.

Sutra 2.24

tasya hetuh avidya

Ajay: One might think that “whatever is” has not given me an opportunity to merge, and
he’s saying don’t think that “that” has not given an opportunity to you.

You don’t currently have this opportunity because you have been tangled with wrong
perceiving.

So you cannot blame anyone else for that.

So that’s why he’s saying tasya hetuh avidya, the reason for your disqualification is your
engagement with perceiving according to yourself.

Q: So is that like… Barry Long used to say it’s a very fair process, because everything you
have to undo is everything that you made.

Ajay: Yes, that’s what he’s saying.

Everything you have to undo is what you made.

Sutra 2.25

tat abhavat samyogah abhavah hanam tat drishi kaivalyam

Ajay: Once you break your boundaries the feeling is one of being merged. That feeling will
still be there, the feeling of being merged.

So he’s saying to enjoy that feeling as long as you want, but also you have to be careful that
you can’t keep it for always, that good feeling also has to be dispersed.

Q: And this is the good feeling of being merged…

Ajay: The self is merged into the whole, but with a feeling of merged.

He’s saying hanam tat. There is a time for enjoying that feeling but then of course it will
diminish, and once that feeling is also diminished then whatever has come now – after the
feeling of merging has diminished – he’s calling that kaivalyam. That will be the state of
total liberation.

So you “break” your self. You need a “power” to break your self, and that power which does
the breaking, that also enjoys the merging. That’s the subtlest you.

So that’s why he’s saying tat abhavat samyogah abhavah, there will be a joy felt,
negatively of being broken, or positively of being merged.

And once that feeling is also merged, is also diminished, then whatever is left is called
kaivalyam, is called the merged state.

Sutra 2.26

viveka khyatih aviplava hana upayah

Ajay: He was describing kaivalyam. When there is no togetherness, when there is no

feeling of individuality, whatever is left is kaivalyam, is that state.
And now he’s saying viveka khyatih aviplava hana upayah. In the past to find the right
thing we have been using our viveka, which is kind of our discriminatory faculty, to go for
the right option.

This state of kaivalyam is not from the discriminatory faculty.

He’s saying what will be helpful here is to also diminish that faculty, diminish the faculty of
viveka, because viveka means there will always be a choosing, you will choose one over
another. So to really be in clarity this discrimination has to be diminished, otherwise the
same thing as previously will come again, choosing this or that, and that will not be coming
from the kaivalyam state he described.

Q: So the discriminatory faculty was useful before…

Ajay: Of course because there was no… there was your choice, choice was coming from you.
It was very useful. But now since you are “not”, so your choice is not. So of course if again
you allow that viveka then again it will be choosing in favor of your individuality.

He’s saying hana upayah, the non use of the discriminatory faculty will allow you to use
the kaivalyam faculty more and more.

Q: I think it’s quite easy for people to delude themselves that they are using kaivalyam and
not viveka.

Ajay: Of course, that is the necessary thing to know, if your coloring “is” or if your coloring
“is not”. Because in that deep realm, I think only through colors can you tell whether you
are involved or not. There is no “force” of you any more, it is an unforceful you, and that
exists in colors, kind of.

So if you are able to see the colors only then will you know if you are involved or not
involved.

Q: So even at that level it’s really hard to…

Ajay: Yes it’s really subtle.

He’s saying the technique here, upayah he calls it, the technique which will be useful in
this state is to not to allow the discriminatory faculty to “jump” in and slowly slowly, once
you don’t use that faculty much, then slowly slowly it dissolves.

Q: And what’s the difference between the discriminating faculty and the personal
preferences of the body. Does that make sense?

Ajay: Yes, because the body... on the physical level there will be a difference of the body, of
the cells, it’s not like your preference, it’s like your body’s preference.

Q: If I want to eat this and not that.

Ajay: Because that’s how your body has been so those things will not effect you.

Q: So from the place of kaivalyam, you just know what you’re going to do.

Ajay: It’s not even know. You just do. There is not even knowing. There is nothing before.
The action comes out of you.

Q: So the action just comes out of you. And when that starts happening, what’s that like?

Ajay: You’re not thinking about it, you only know after. It’s not like you know before
because there is no “stopper” or “thinker”. You only know after.

Q: And I suppose there’s no one even to be surprised.

Ajay: Also.

Of course once action has happened then you can use discrimination and say “that was
great”, those things can come, but they always come after.

Sutra 2.27
tasya saptadha pranta bhumih prajna

Ajay: After this viveka... whatever takes over, they call it pragya. In English this is wisdom,
and that wisdom has seven levels of depth. The ground for that wisdom can be described
on seven levels, there will be one, then another, etc.

Q: Is that related to the chakras?

Ajay: No, the chakras they are already finished, this is more the wisdom.

Q: So is it seven levels of wisdom, or seven aspects?

Ajay: Levels. They’re deeper and deeper. It’s just a deepening. So there is no other way to
explain, you feel the deepening.

It comes probably from the very subtle personal. Just as the body goes for the same kind of
food so there can be a level where actions are the same kind, and then deeper than that
maybe not the same kind, we could say less involvement.

Sutra 2.28

yoga anga anusthanad ashuddhi kshaye jnana diptih a viveka khyateh

Ajay: You have been using a technique, a method, to reach out to that state. So of course
there has been a momentum of technique. Now the technique is lost, abandoned, it falls
away, but the momentum of technique is still there.

So when that momentum is also not any more, then there is... he’s calling it jnana diptih.
Whatever comes now is not from any kind of source. It’s not from the discriminatory
faculty.
Previously you have been using discrimination, and if you have chosen something many
times then that comes very “naturally”, so he’s saying that now “naturally” is also not there.
Even the momentum of yoga, of techniques, and the momentum of the discriminating
faculty is also erased, is not affecting what comes.

At this place there is no personal effort, but momentum effort has still been continuing,
and this is where he’s saying that stops.

He’s saying that even – he calls it ashuddhi – even those subtle momentum's, in the
language of Patanjali he calls them ashuddhis, impurities, those stop.

Q: So that’s at this stage where there’s no effort, but what about earlier stages where it’s
also difficult to make effort?

Ajay: At the earlier stages there is a kind of effort that is made by power. Say there is one
effort from the mind, from the mind you decide to chant and chanting happens, chant
chant chant. And then there comes a time that you are not chanting but chanting still
happens, it shifts into happening. From the effort it is happening more.

But happening is also because of the momentum, so then it also shifts again and it’s not
momentum, it’s even subtler than the momentum, so it keeps on, and shifting from the
effort to momentum can be seen as you are not doing, but somewhere you are doing, so
from a very early stage the happening happens, but it’s not the same so it keeps on
deepening.

Happening can have many levels, and you may not be aware of them.

So in the book this is where all that you can wipe out, you have wiped out, and now he
starts talking about yama niyama.

He’s saying if up to now you have still not understood then you have to start a bit further
back, and we can start that tomorrow.

Sutra 2.29
yama niyama asana pranayama pratyahara dharana dhyana samadhi ashtau
angani

Ajay: He’s saying that if whatever he previously described was not for you then here are
some other things you can try.

Q: So if you can’t do any of that, here’s something else.

Ajay: Yes, he’s saying yama niyama asana pranayama pratyahara dharana dhyana
samadhi ashtau angani, the eight paths of yoga. He’s saying follow one after another in a
sequence, because generally we just want to follow the last one, not the earlier ones. And
he’s saying if you do that it will not work.

So he’s saying yama. Generally if we watch ourselves we are always engaged outside,
basically about people, about others, most of our engagement is about others and mostly
for others. There is a thinking that “I am correct, and I have to correct all others”. So this is
where we start our lives and our daily life, in that way.

He’s saying the first thing is to really be watchful and also start seeing yourself accurately.

Generally in others we are very easily able to see what is not right, but maybe we do the
same things and are not able to see them in ourselves. So he’s saying the first thing is really
to be watchful about your own ability and your need to correct others. Everyone in the
world has that ability to correct others, so of course nobody listens to anyone else but
everyone feels happy because they have given advice to someone.

So there is a satisfying factor in giving advice, but without any result.

So that’s kind of like what happens in the general life. So the first thing is to be watchful of
yourself and see if you are gaining satisfaction but without any result. Of course once you
are watchful about that pattern in yourself, you can then return back, return inward, and
once you return inward you see of course you are also doing the same things as you have
been preaching to others not to do.
Q: Yes, but I’m right! (Laughs)

Ajay: I’m not saying that you are not right, I’m just asking you to return back inward and
have a little control over habitual behavior.

By doing this self observation your engagement outside will start to decrease.

This is where niyam, that you have to make some control over yourself. Then once you
make control over yourself there will be some postures which are helpful to your body, and
in that posture you are not so engaged outside more.

Q: So when he’s saying be really watchful over yourself, is that like when we were saying
earlier about the many “I’s”. It’s almost like creating an I, so you create an I, the practice I,
that watches yourself.

Ajay: Yes, that watches yourself, and that follows the rules that you make for yourself.
Because generally we say “okay, I will wake up at three tomorrow”, and at three many
times we wake up but again we go back to sleep.

So if that practice “I” is watching you, and once you are awake it asks you to get up and you
get up, then that is the way.

That is why he’s asking niyam, which is “in spite of you – giving orders to you”. It’s asking
you to do, because once you get up it is good.

Q: And when he’s referring to postures, that means physical postures.

Ajay: Yes asana. There will be actual physical ways of the body where you are more
sustained than others. So find out for your body what are the sustaining postures.

In general, there will be some postures in which you are not that much disturbed, and that
will be different in everybody. There are some common postures but that doesn’t mean
they will work for you. So really you have to experiment and find out which is the most
helpful for your body.
And once you have found your posture then of course be watchful that you are breathing in
a certain way in that posture, then you are not disturbed. So try to find out that breathing
way that is most helpful for you, and when you are disturbed just try to breathe that
beneficial way and that will be very very helpful to be sustained, to be content.

And once that has happened he’s saying pratyahara, which is whatever you have been
“feeding” to yourself.

It is like you have created a perfect picture of yourself outside of you, or we can call it a
model outside that you create for yourself, and that’s how you want to be. That is your ideal
picture of yourself. But it’s not real, in reality we don’t act like that. It’s only ideally we exist
like in that picture frame.

Q: So that’s like the perfect self image.

Ajay: Yes, you are perfect within that picture frame. You tell people you are that way. When
you describe yourself you are completely the same as your created picture, but when you
act you are a completely different person.

He’s saying pratyahara, really try to see if you match to your picture or not. Pratyahara is
really matching the outside picture with the inside picture.

Because generally when you act you are one person, and when you think about yourself you
are a different person, and when you think about these two you are in conflict.

In conflict means that really you don’t want people to see you as you are. You want people
to see you as your model is, or your perfect image. So of course then you really have to be
always engaged with maintaining that image, and many times you have to lie and
remember what you lied to whom, and it really makes life very full of conflicts. And always
you are busy with your own inner conflict. So once you try not to be your perfect picture,
but who you are, then this is where you can slowly correct yourself.

You start by saying “I cannot be as honest or as perfect as my idealized image, but this
much I can do.” It’s not that you can be perfectly honest, if you are watchful of yourself you
can say “okay, I am not totally honest, but I can be this honest” so then you try to be more
who you are, which sometimes includes dishonesty. And in being who you actually are, you
are trying to correct yourself, making yourself toward your model picture.

You start painting yourself. You could eventually become your model picture, or you could
not, but you are using colors and it’s something you are doing for yourself.

So this is where… he’s saying dharana. Dharana means like a kind of more sustained “real
you”. You are more yourself, you know yourself as you are. And also you know yourself and
that “this much I can be. I cannot be my perfect model, but I can be this much”. So this is
where this is sustained. You have more time with your reality and not with your conflicts.

So this is dharana. This means really being in your reality, and once you start being in
your reality then of course many times you start merging into yourself.

And that is meditation.

He’s calling it dhyana, meditation happens. And of course if meditation deepens, and
merging deepens, then of course samadhi starts happening. He’s saying you may have a
long route to walk, but from this long route there is also the possibility of those things,
samadhi’s, being there.

Sutra 2.30

ahimsa satya asteya brahmacharya aparigraha yama

Ajay: Once you start looking at your own things you see what you have been thinking and
speaking, and what you have been preaching. Typically things like “you shouldn’t be
violent to others”, “we shouldn’t speak lies”, “we should be happy with what we have”, “we
should live for liberation”, and “we should share our things”, etc. Our preaching is usually
on these points. He’s saying that if you become watchful to your preaching, you will see
that you are preaching in these areas.
You tell others don’t be violent and when you have a chance you become violent. You say to
people please don’t speak lies, but as soon as there is a chance you do that.

Q: As you said, with others it’s easy to see.

Ajay: Yes, very easy.

Q: And with others, even if you point it out to them they cannot see it.

Ajay: It’s like everyone has a perfect image of themselves.

Q: So presumably I am exactly the same. So how do I know if I’m seeing myself clearly and
not being delusional?

Ajay: Our eyes are always outside. We haven’t created any eyes to look in ourselves. So we
have to look and see truthfully in us. And once this ability evolves to look inward we can
start to see ourselves clearly, because before we don’t have even a little inward seeing
ability. Before, we see others doing that, but not yourself doing that. Even when you do it,
you don’t see that you do it.

Q: Or I give a reason, an excuse.

Ajay: Yes, but reason is a mental figuring out.

So that’s why he’s saying yama, really to start also looking at yourself, not only others.

Q: I suppose I just don’t trust that I’m looking inward clearly. I see these behaviors being
so strong in others, and I think I see it the same in myself, but maybe I’m not really seeing
myself.

Ajay: That’s where you start having that little I, which is also watching you. Things are not
that easy, but of course they can be done. Like you do with practical things. You know some
things aren’t easy but still you can do them.

In the same way, these things are not easy but they are possible to be done.
So now he’s describing yama and each area, and these kind of areas, and of course many
many more in each area, different activities in each area. So the general description is like
that, that’s where we have to be watchful. You have to be watchful and see when you do
that with others, are you also doing the same thing?

You need a little individual I watching yourself also, it’s an I with an eye.

And as soon as you have a very little eye on yourself it’s so helpful, your behavior
completely changes, your tone completely changes. Because when you don’t see yourself
doing those same things, your tone to others is very different, kind of, with so much force.

But once once this ability to see yourself also happens then your tone is different. Before it
was possible to be forceful, judgmental and lecturing, but now it’s not possible for you to
be that way.

Sutra 2.31

jati desha kala samaya anavachchhinnah sarva-bhaumah maha-vratam

Ajay: This being able to truthfully observe yourself as well as others, he’s saying having that
attribute, to be able to have an eye towards yourself is a great attribute, and in any social
level or situation, any time, country, etc. that can be used in any circumstance.

It is like software that is useful for any computer, apple, windows, it’s useful for any
system. So whatever system you have this software is really really useful. This software has
been created for beyond the system. So any circumstance, country, anything you followed,
this will be a helpful software to implant in oneself.

Sutra 2.32
shaucha santosha tapah svadhyaya ishvarapranidhana niyamah

Ajay: Having that software and implanting that software in oneself, then clarity about
human behavior will happen.

Generally human behavior is considered to be easily changed, but having that software
gives you the clarity that it’s not that easy to change behavior. And the more clarity overall,
the more your ideas about others are “clean”.

Also you see that you are not the only one in the world, and that the whole world is very
cooperative. Things happen with the help of so many and you are not the only one.

So of course then patience comes. You know when you have done your part, and whatever
part has to come from others is out of your hands, and you don’t know when that will
come. So slowly patience grows.

Then because of being watchful inwardly then changes also happen in yourself. He’s calling
that tapah, which means that you know how difficult any change is. But being watchful is
really rubbing against things, against your habits, and change in oneself happens
organically.

And since you see yourself being successful, you really see yourself changed by these small
efforts, so of course you want to experiment more and more, study yourself more and
more. You are becoming more dependent on this software that you put inside you, you are
more activated by that software, more watchful. Many times you are very watchful and you
see your actions are not coming as they used to come.

So then, he’s calling it svadhyaya, you really learn about yourself more and more. Because
you know that there are so many unseen factors in the fruits you receive, it’s not only your
actions but also a supportive atmosphere helping which is not dependent on you, it’s
dependent on things where you have no control. So then you start believing in
togetherness, interconnectedness, you believe not only in yourself but also in cooperative
facilities, and because this understanding comes from your own experiences you become
“bound” with this experience of yourself.
In your thinking there will be more clarity, and when there is no clarity you wait for the
clarity. When you feel impatience about something you know there are other factors
involved so you are patient. Somehow you make yourself “tied with your own rules about
life”.

Q: As Westerners we’re so used to thinking, “If I want this I just have to do that”, so it’s an
individual approach not a collective approach.

Ajay: Yes, it’s an individual approach and the collective aspect is not acknowledged. So
that’s why there’s so much depression, because you are told “from your individual effort
you can make it”, and of course some people have been able to do that but also they don’t
recognize the collective support they received. So then other people for whom this
collective support has not happened they are depressed.

That’s why the whole society is depressed. Because for some people the collective support
has happened and they are successful, and when people see them be successful they
recognize that whatever they wanted for themselves has not come, and they think it is their
own fault. And of course as soon as it’s your fault then you’re depressed.

Sutra 2.33

vitarka badhane pratipaksha bhavanam

Ajay: Of course even when you have tied yourself with the new rules you made for yourself,
sometimes the attraction of the old way will be so strong that unless you don’t bring the
energy of your new rule in it will be difficult to resist the old.

So once that conflict comes, really try to find the energy of your new rule and really stay
with that, and slowly the new rule energy will somehow even things out. This will happen
many times so don’t try to fight, just try to be in the energy of the rule you made for
yourself and don’t be in fighting mode as that will not be helpful.
Sometimes fighting mode wins and sometimes another new way wins. There is no
transformation in fighting mode. But in the new mode there is transformation if you bring
that energy. It might be that you are not able to stop yourself but still it will be helpful to
slowly slowly transform.

He’s saying whenever that kind of situation comes please don’t be in fighting mode, be in
inviting the other energy mode, and that is more healthy.

Sutra 2.34

vitarkah himsadayah krita karita anumoditah lobha krodha moha purvakah

mridu madhya adhimatrah dukha ajnana ananta phala iti pratipaksha
bhavanam

Ajay: He is suggesting that you could remember… when there is negativity, just remember
the positive side and invite it, so that negativity can be transformed into positivity.

He’s saying vitarkah, you have to find.. when you are violent find the feeling of non
violence, when somebody has done something for you and still you don’t feel thankful
invite thankfulness, when you feel sad invite an inner smile, when you feel greed invite
generosity…

Q: So he’s saying that most things have an opposite or something similar, so noticing
where you are and trying to balance it, or weaken it…

Ajay: Not for balance, just inviting, and let that do, because it will be transforming. It’s
more for the transformation, not for balance.

So with anger, just feel love. Attachment, feel loosening the attachment.

He’s saying mridu madhya adhimatrah, if you start using these things from the “should”,
then suddenly you want a big amount of that, and that can only happen through the mind.
So that’s why he’s saying mridu, inviting very little, a very little feeling of that, and let that
be, let it be bigger, not try to do it bigger.

Q: So when I’m sad, instead of saying “I should be happy”, I should just say…

Ajay: Not saying, just inviting…

Q: So allowing space for happiness.

Ajay: Yes inviting the happy feeling. Bringing in the happy feeling and let it be there. Not
from the mind but from the feelings. All these things are not from the mind because from
the mind you will always use “should” and of course there will be a bigger amount of
memory of happiness, but the memory is not working here where we are discussing. What
is working here is the feeling. So that’s why he’s saying the amount of this should be very
very small. Try not to be from the mental way but more from the feeling way.

That’s why he’s saying that the amount of this medicine should be very little.

Q: So it’s homeopathic.

Ajay: Yes.

And he’s saying this is what I mean by the opposite feelings of negativities, against feelings
of negativities.

Sutra 2.35

ahimsa pratishthayam tat samnidhau vaira-tyagah

Ajay: If you invite the feeling of non violence and you be with it, with that feeling, then
slowly slowly when you are established in that feeling, the feeling of non violence – not the
idea of non violence – the feeling of non violence, then slowly slowly because of the... he’s
saying samnidhau which means because of sitting next to it, by being next to that feeling
suddenly you will not find enmity within yourself.

So what we have to do is try to find the feeling of non violence, not the idea of non violence,
and sit with it.

Q: And what to do about the fact that these things are so mixed?

Ajay: Just try. Of course there will be mixed things but just try.

Q: So I was thinking then, “okay, non violence”, but I just killed a mosquito. But I killed the
mosquito and I was fine with that but I killed it more out of fear of catching a disease…

Ajay: So not thinking of perfection, because of course thinking of perfection you cannot kill
the mosquito.

Q: But maybe that’s a good thing isn’t it?

Ajay: We don’t know what is good and not good. Actually we just know that inviting that
feeling, changes might come.

So we don’t have to act for the changes. We have to act for something different and if
changes happen they happen, if not, not.

Sutra 2.36

satya pratisthayam kriya phala ashrayatvam

Ajay: If you involve yourself with true inactivity, acting whilst not thinking about the fruits
of your actions, then clearly you are just in activity. So then he’s saying you are not
“sheltering in the fruits of activity”.
When we act we are mostly acting for and focused on the fruits, the fruits are what we will
get from our actions. Mostly we are making plans about enjoying fruits while we have to be
just enjoying activity, so he’s saying once you are in activity don’t seek your shelter in the
fruit.

Q: So he’s saying be present?

Ajay: Yes, be present and that’s how the activity can be done to the best of your ability.

Also what happens many times is the fruits are our motivator for the activity. We act
because of what we hope to get from our actions. And of course fruits cannot come the way
we think, because there has to be other hands that aid us, and the assistance we receive is
not in our control. So of course then what happens is if fruits are your motivator, and of
course if the fruits are not given as you expected, if you get some other result, then that
makes your motivator very weak. If you are watchful you see that your motivator will be
weakened even for the next activity because the fruit has not come the same way you
expected so that weakens your motivator.

And then if motivation is not good enough then the fruits will not be the proper fruits.
Then in the future slowly slowly we will feel a lack of motivation. So what he’s trying to say
is don’t take shelter in the fruits for your activity.

Sutra 2.37

asteya pratisthayam sarva ratna upasthanam

Ajay: If you establish yourself into the fruits that you have received and you get a feeling of
happiness, so whatever you received you really feel happy and thankful for that, then once
you are established in that then what will happen is that your activity will be endowed with
the most ability you have, and of course then fruits will be…

Q: What do you mean by most ability?

Ajay: Whatever you can do... because you are really present in the activity so to the most of
your ability activity will happen. So what will happen is because of that fruits will come to
you more ripe, more juicy…

Q: The difficult thing for me is the thankfulness. Because I feel like … I get $5 but I was
expecting $10.

Ajay: That’s why he said not to expect.

Doing this will enable you to have fruits that you have not expected. Because if you have no
expectation the $5 will be so great, but if you expected $15, then $5 is one third of your
expectation. So that’s why he’s saying that with thankfulness the quality of your life will be
very much happier than it used to be.

Sutra 2.38

brahmacharya pratisthayam virya labhah

Ajay: Once you act as a vehicle of the universe and you are not acting as yourself, you are
acting as a vehicle of the universe, then suddenly many hands will be helping you, because
you are not doing things for yourself.

Then it’s kind of like a more universal way of activity so of course then many many hands
will be supporting you and you really feel much empowered.

Sutra 2.39

aparigraha sthairye janma kathanta sambodhah

Ajay: If you are not established in greed, then suddenly more and more openness will
happen to you. You will be having more space, experiencing spaciousness, and once you
have more space that will also effect the space of your memory.

This spaciousness will deepen and that can also effect the space of your memory, because
you are more open so the space of your memory is also more open, so there is the
possibility of having knowledge of your past lives.

Q: So you’re saying less greed…

Ajay: Greed means you are saturated, you make yourself saturated, so of course everything
is very tight within and that can go even into the tightness of memory.

Q: So greed for everything. So you’re wanting.

Ajay: Yes, wanting means you make yourself small. Wanting means what you have is not
enough. So that makes you saturated.

Q: Really tight.

Ajay: Yes, that makes everything very tight. So if you are open there then slowly slowly it
can spread into the openness of your memory also, and then there is the memories stored
about past lives and the possibility to know them.

Q: And that’s only possible once the tightness has gone?

Ajay: Yes, once you are not tight.

Sutra 2.40

sauchat sva-anga jugupsa paraih asamsargah

Ajay: He’s discussing feeling “very clean”. Very clean means not having many “I’s”. When
you have many I’s you have less space and you are more tight, so having cleanliness means
cleaning your many I’s into only one I, and once you feel yourself as very clean then you
don’t have to stick with others, you can be very much yourself. Because when we are not
ourselves then always others are needed to fulfill us.

Q: The others being everyone else.

Ajay: Yes, somebody outside. So really being clean, that means really being yourself then
somehow the need to be with others will not be there, you will perfectly happy even when
you are alone.

Q: So the need to be yourself, is the self being cleaned of all the false I’s.

Ajay: Yes certainly.

Q: But that’s where it’s messy for Westerners, for the need to be yourself is seen in the
West as doing whatever you want to do.

Ajay: It’s not like that. You cannot be yourself if you are not cleaned. Being yourself is
really when all these false I’s are not there any more.

They have this word jugupsa, this means not feeling good with yourself. When there are
conflicts within yourself it is very difficult to feel good. You do not feel good for no known
reason, you cannot pinpoint the reason, but the reason is internally there are many of you
at the same time and you don’t know which one to be with to feel good.

Q: So many I’s to choose from and it’s not comfortable…

Ajay: Yes not comfortable, you are feeling discomfort but the reason cannot be pinpointed.
If the reason is pinpointed you can do something. But when the reason is not pinpointed
you cannot do anything.

Q: So it’s like you have 100 people whispering in your ear but you can’t really hear them.
Ajay: And even if you hear them you cannot do anything about that. So then you feel
discomfort and that discomfort will go when there is inner cleanliness and you have only
one I.

Sutra 2.41

sattva shuddhi saumanasya ekagra indriya-jaya atma darshana yogyatvani cha

Ajay: So in your house if there is only you who is living there and not many of you, then of
course there is a possibility for you to rest. Because if there are many people then
somebody might be washing dishes, somebody playing music, and it’s very difficult to rest.

So once you alone live in your house, once you have only one I, then the possibility to rest
is greater.

And of course once only you live in your house then you feel happier. Happier than living
in disturbance. When you live in disturbance the senses can make you do things which
later you say you should not have done, because there is no clarity.

So of course if you live alone – which means there is only one I – then the senses act
through your permission. If you permit then they act. And when that way of living is there
you have the possibility to recognize yourself more than before. You are then qualified to
know yourself more and more, and be in contact with yourself more and more, and that’s
how the ability to see oneself happens. You are more in contact with yourself and that
enables you at some point to fall even beyond yourself.

Q: So in one sense it’s like a loop. The more you get rid of the false I’s the more you can
know the real I. And getting to know the real I helps you know the false I’s, which helps you
clear the false I’s and better know the real I. And it goes back and forth.

Ajay: Yes.
Sutra 2.42

santosha anuttamah sukha labhah

Ajay: When you have enough patience, when you are not into getting things that your mind
wants, then there is a happiness which is not of things, but a happiness of being happy.

Generally you are happy because of things, because of something, you are not happy just
because of you. Having patience enables you to be happy just because you are.

The reason for happiness is that you are.

So then that happiness is felt which is not based on anything.

Sutra 2.43

kaya indriya siddhih ashuddhi kshayat tapasah

Ajay: More and more you have the absence of others. Others means the effects of others in
you, the effect of parents, effect of books, effects of religion, effects of teachers, effects of
past activities, etc. so more and more you are inwardly “effect-less” from what you
adopted.

The more effect-less you are, the more effective in your activities you are. For example
when you are reading other things are not happening to distract you, so you can read and
read. Generally we read and after one line we don’t remember what we read but we are still
reading, and the mind is somewhere else.

He’s saying more and more you are yourself, more and more there is the possibility to be
present in your activity.

The more you are present in your activities then you are able to finish your eight hour job
in one and a half hours. Something like that.
Q: So you’re both more efficient because you’re less distracted, and less influenced by…

Ajay: You do things your way. Generally when you start doing something there is a doubt,
and the doubt is from other people. Some say “You should do this and this way” and others
say “you should do that way.”

Everyone speaks about themselves, how they would do it, and not about you. So of course
then as soon as you start doing you find yourself in confusion, “their way or your way?”
And you have to solve this confusion while you are acting. So your action is not perfect.

As humans we have an opportunity to be open. But that seems so dangerous.

Q: But kids start so open…

Ajay: Yes, they start, but as soon as they learn…

Q: But the problem with being open, is you get smashed.

Ajay: Also. The experiences of openness are not so good, not so great.

Q: So in Patanjali he talks about finding who you really are. But being open is dangerous,
and in the end we don’t know who we really are.

Ajay: And because of the danger you have to play a role – not be who you are.

Q: So I get to a point where I have been whittling away my selves. How do I know what is
really me?

Ajay: That’s what you are trying to find out by whittling away. While you are open you
cannot have a stand. You do not have a position on anything. You are just open.

Q: So I’m whittling and I won’t know who I am until there’s nothing left. Is that how it is?

Ajay: Yes.
Q: Because with the I’s I keep thinking is it this one or that one?

Ajay: It’s not either.

Sutra 2.44

svadhyayat ishta devata samprayogah

Ajay: When we really connect to “who I am”, connecting to that, what happens is that if we
have any priorities then as soon as you connect to yourself it is a “power”, so that
connection connects to your priority. Actions start coming according to priorities.

Q: And are we talking about connecting to your real self…

Ajay: Yes your real self, that’s how we get power. In the morning why we are rested is
because in deep sleep we have been connected to that. So as soon as we connect to that
there is empowerment, and at that time if we have any priority, then this empowerment
goes into activation and activity of the priority.

And if not, if there are no priorities left, then you find that you have some Godly powers.

Q: So he is saying that if you still haven’t got rid of all your outer actions and involvement
then your energy goes into those.

Ajay: Yes, it will go into that.

Q: But if you’ve got rid of the outer stuff, then…

Ajay: Then you kind of stay within, with the “pumping power” which is not going out. And
this is where you find out your Godly abilities.

Q: Is that the siddhis?

Ajay: This is not siddhis. Siddhis are more like from the mental power.

Q: So when you say Godly powers…

Ajay: Godly powers means your goodness's. Because God is all our projected goodness's. In
God we project goodness.

Q: So our image of God is whatever we project, and so goodness is in ourself. So in this

place you’re discovering…

Ajay: You discover that you have that. That discovering happens and he’s calling that
samprayogah. You can really experiment with those powers, the feeling of connectivity,
the feeling of loving without an object, like all those things. He’s saying samprayogah,
which means those can be experimented with. This is not only on the mental level it’s on
the real level where you can experiment with them.

Q: When you say experiment what does that mean? Gain experience?

Ajay: It’s kind of like allowing the lovingness to come, and you can see that lovingness is
without any object. Or you can allow connectedness to come, and connectedness is there.
So that’s why he’s saying experiment.

As possibility, as potential, they are there. But as long as you have not experimented… in
potential you cannot see the tree, only the seed is there. So experimenting means making
the tree, that’s what he means, and then kind of the real picture of that will be
acknowledged.

Q: So in this place you have the potential to feel universal love of whatever, but you need to
allow that to manifest, and to experience that.

Ajay: Yes, experience that, that’s why he’s saying saying samprayogah. You can make
experiments of them.
Sutra 2.45

samadhi siddhih ishvarapranidhana

Ajay: Through those experiments you acknowledge that you are not limited to only your
body, to only what you think. In expansion, in very very wide space, you have the
possibility that your love is no longer directed just to one object or one focus, now it could
spread all over.

You experience yourself beyond what you previously thought your limitations were. And
because of experiencing yourself as big as the universe then that is the stages of samadhi's
where you are being so expansive. In being so expansive you recognize that all of whatever
is happening in the world, whatever is happening, you have an influence there.

All the potentials of the world are possible in that expansion.

Q: But how is it effecting the world?

Ajay: Some people will be inclined towards that, to effecting the world, so in what they are
doing they will be helped. Because there is another kind of way in that space of expansion,
there is like only power without a wish, without a priority. But of course the power can only
fulfill wishes, and people are surrounded by the wishes, different people have different
wishes, so then those wishes are being fulfilled by that power.

Q: So you have an individual that’s got to this space, but they themselves don’t have wishes
but other people do have wishes?

Ajay: Yes other people do have wishes so it’s kind of like your momentum.

Q: When you say “your” do you mean the other people?

Ajay: No, the person who has fallen in expansion. The momentum they have will help some
people.

Q: Okay. And by that you mean that person might become a teacher, or whatever.
Ajay: Or whatever.

Q: So whatever they then do in the world will just be because of their prior momentum, or
whatever they were born with, but it will have more power because it’s coming from the
place of connection, it’s connected to that place.

Ajay: Yes, connection and momentum because that has been your way. There are so many
qualities but maybe a few of them, your heart is inclined towards them.

Q: So the fact that you’re sitting here with me now is in one part because of my wishes but
also...

Ajay: My momentum.

Q: Your momentum. But your momentum prior…

Ajay: Yes, prior to. Because I had difficulties in my process and there I felt the need to be
with someone. So that kind of momentum.

Q: So in your own process you felt that having a Teacher or having….

Ajay: Some kind of help.

Q: So you felt having someone to help you would’ve been useful in your process and that’s
why you’re sitting here.

Ajay: Yes kind of. In that way I can explain it.

Sutra 2.46

sthira sukham asanam

Ajay: So now he’s talking about asana, what asana is.

The posture for you is a posture where your body can be comfortable for a longer time.
That will be the posture for you, for your body.

So two things are important, being in one posture without a change, and also being
comfortable.

Q: So you find something that you’re comfortable with and you can stay there.

Ajay: Not stay, stay implies some force. Find a posture where you can just be there, and
your body can accept that.

So of course then there are definitions, but all the yogi’s they created such a fuss about
asanas. All the yoga teachings are from this little sutra.

Q: So there are a million yoga positions that have developed...

Ajay: Yes and people got benefited from them. So many work but you have to find which is
best for you, not just what someone tells you is best.

Q: But essentially the main thing is to find a posture in which you are comfortable.

Ajay: Yes, everyone has to find a comfortable posture that you can be with for a longer
time. And of course now there are all these asanas.

Q: Often they say it is good to have a straight spine. Is that...?

Ajay: Yes these Ida and Pingala they are, kind of blocked. So if it’s not straight then while
opening it will not be easy, so that’s why in the beginning that is important.

Q: So I should be sitting up straight now.

Ajay: (Chuckles.)
Sutra 2.47

prayatna shaithilya ananta samapattibhyam

Ajay: So how to know that this posture is comfortable for you, or if you can be in this
posture for a longer time?

He’s saying if you keep on, if you sit in a posture and keep on making yourself sit, there is
an inner effort to be that way. So you will never be able to know because you are forcing it.

Q: So on some level if it’s a chosen or forced posture…

Ajay: Yes he’s saying you sit, but inner relaxation will help you to know whether that
posture is for you or not. If you are inwardly relaxed, and not inwardly tight it may be for
you. Generally with the postures inwardly we become tight, I have to make that posture
happen, so he’s saying if you are relaxed inwardly only then will you recognize and gain
this understanding whether this posture is comfortable for you or not.

Q: Okay, so there should be no outer tension in the body, and no inner tension...

Ajay: As well as, yes.

Sutra 2.48

tatah dvandva anabhighata

Ajay: When you have found your posture, many times you will experience that there is no
conflict inside you.

Generally there is inner conflict in us. We feel good or not good, that keeps on happening.
Q: Do you just mean about the posture or in general?

Ajay: No, just the internal…

Q: Crap?

Ajay: Yes, internal crap. (Laughs).

He’s saying once you have found your posture and you spend time in that you might feel
the state beyond the inner conflict.

Sometimes the inner conflict can cease and you feel different, something very different
than how you have been.

Q: And with the posture, everyone thinks the idealized posture is sitting cross legged.

Ajay: Yes, but he’s saying you really have to find your own posture.

Q: So it can be anything.

Ajay: It can be anything. It can be lying down, sitting in a chair, anything, whatever is
comfortable for yourself.

Q: But helpful if the spine is straight.

Ajay: If comfortable. The comfort is most important, more than any other factor. Because if
you are not comfortable then there will be conflict.

Q: A lot of people get scared of falling asleep, if it’s too comfortable.

Ajay: If you fall asleep then maybe this continues for a few days, but once the body is rested
then you will not fall asleep. But if the body is not rested then of course you will fall asleep.
Sleep is not a hindrance. Once the body is rested enough sleep will not come.
Q: So you fall asleep because you’re not rested enough.

Ajay: Yes. And in this time that we are living on the earth to have a restful body is very
difficult. So he’s saying of course with the right posture for you there will be a relaxed
feeling within as well as a relaxed feeling in the body. In and out, there will be no conflict.

Sutra 2.49

tasmin sati shvasa prashvsayoh gati vichchhedah pranayamah

Ajay: So in that relaxed inward and outward situation you have to really watch how you are
breathing. Notice how your breathing is going on in those moments, really to make a note
about your breathing.

Q: So to make your breathing the focus of your meditation or just to have an awareness?

Ajay: Just to find a way that when you have conflict if you can change your breathing then
the conflict goes… there is a correlation. So he’s saying you really have to find your way of
breathing when there was no conflict. Really take note of how your breathing was when
there was no conflict.

Q: So it might be you take a few deep breaths, or whatever.

Ajay: Whatever. However you are breathing just make a note because that is your
prescription for when you are in the conflicted state. If you can use that prescription of
breathing when you are in conflict that will help you to be in a relaxed state.

Q: So notice your breathing when you’re stressed, notice your breathing when you’re not
stressed, and use that as a tool.

Ajay: Yes, because your personal breathing rhythm when you are not stressed will be the
individualized prescription of breathing for you to use and become relaxed when you are
not relaxed.
Q: Okay. And one more thing, a lot of meditation schools say once you’re in your posture
you shouldn’t move at all, like no movement at all, what are your thoughts on that?

Ajay: If there is conflict, if your body is feeling an ache and by moving it won’t be aching
any more then you should move. So I think just to be in a relaxed situation sometimes
moving is needed.

Q: So just a slight adjustment.

Ajay: Yes. Slight or big, being comfortable is more important than the posture.

So in that situation where you feel another dimension… like generally we have this conflict
feeling dimension of ourselves, conflict in the body, conflict inside. And since finding your
posture you felt another dimension of yourself, and in that other dimension you found
your breathing is in a rhythm, and you noted that down.

He’s saying since that breathing in and out really helps you to be in a relaxed state both in
and out, so that practice of breathing can be used as pranayama, as your breathing
technique to be in another dimension which you find by being in a relaxed posture and no
inward conflict.

Sutra 2.50

bahya abhyantara stambha vrittih desha kala sankhyabhih paridrishtah

dirgha sukshmah

Ajay: When using the breathing prescription that you found for yourself you may
sometimes find that maybe you are in a great conflict and using this breathing a few times
doesn’t work. So then breathe many times to check if it’s helping. But don’t just assume
that every time it will help.
There are many factors to consider. Depending on your inner and outer tension, and on
where you are, as some places are more difficult than others, and according to how you
have managed your body, as sometimes the body is more tired, all those kind of things are
factors that can effect you. So he’s saying don’t count only on that one prescription of
breathing because conditions will keep on changing, so you really have to find many
prescriptions for yourself.

Q: So your breathing pattern for certain conditions might be different to what you use
later? Or the amount you do?

Ajay: What he’s trying to say is that many times it will not work. So then investigate, think
that maybe your body needs more of that breathing, or maybe less. You know the
prescription is right, but the amount of medicine will be changing.

Q: So if you’re really agitated, or angry, or upset, there might be a lot more needed.

Ajay: Yes, so more experiments on that.

And of course, pranayama teachers made a lot out of that sutra.

Q: So just like with the yoga asanas people came up with many postures, so with the
breathing they then came up with many pranayama exercises.

Ajay: Yes.

Sutra 2.51

bahya abhyantara vishaya akshepi chaturthah

Ajay: When the body and inner realm is not involved anywhere, when outside and inside is
involvement-less, there is another state of pure self that is experienced and that he calls
chaturthah, the fourth. Generally we have the experience of three states, sleep, dream, and
waking, and when relaxation within the body happens then there is no involvement.
Q: Outer involvement?

Ajay: Outer or inner. Even inner, because if there is inner involvement you are not relaxed
inside.

Q: So all involvement has ceased.

Ajay: Yes. So then whatever state is experienced that is the fourth state. Chaturthah means
the fourth. Now you know another state.

Q: And is that a form of samadhi?

Ajay: It’s still a form of meditation.

Q: So samadhi is not a form of meditation?

Ajay: No, samadhi is like more merged.

Sutra 2.52

tatah kshiyate prakasha avaranam

Ajay: Once you spend time in this fourth state, spending time in the fourth state more and
more, there is… the grosser object awareness is not there in that state but the subtle
awareness is still there.

Q: So is it possible to know that you’ve been in that state?

Ajay: Yes, but afterwards. All the knowledge comes after, because in the beginning it’s not
like… from the fourth it’s very difficult because you fall in, and you just fall in.
Q: So afterwards in the early stages it’s just a blankness and you’re not sure whether you
were asleep of not.

Ajay: Yes it’s very difficult to know whether you were asleep, and can know only because
the body kind of tells you there is a difference.

Q: Obviously if there are dreams or something you know it’s sleep, but if it felt different
then it’s possible it was the fourth.

Ajay: Yes, it’s possible.

Q: And how is that state different to deep sleep?

Ajay: Deep sleep is very restful. Mostly it’s like closing yourself off as an individual and this
is not closing yourself off. Your self is still... maybe awareness is not in a recognizable state
but some awareness is there. So in that way it’s different. Whereas in deep sleep you totally
close off as an individual, but in the fourth state it’s not closed off. At some level there is
something. Maybe there is no kind of informing back to our senses, like generally there is
this sense level grasping, and that sleeps.

But in the fourth state something deeper than the sense level is still awake. In the
beginning there is no connection to this level deeper than the senses, there is no
information being sent from there to the sense level, because the sense level sleeps. But
somehow, being again and again in that fourth state, the sense level also becomes a little
sensitive to it and no longer totally sleeps. And then there is this possibility to send
information to the sense level, and then the sense level can… because through the sense
level we can explain. Our explanation ability lies only in the sense level ability. So once this
connection is made then it’s possible to explain.

Q: But at the start, not.

Ajay: At the start, it is not possible.

Q: Then how is that different to awareness during sleep? Like sometimes I can hear myself
snoring.
Ajay: That is a part of you still at the sense level ability that is not totally in sleep. It’s
somewhere a little awake.

Q: And is that the same in lucid dreaming, when I’m aware that I’m dreaming?

Ajay: Yes it’s the same.

Q: But that’s different to the fourth state where the sense level ability is off.

Ajay: Yes. So spending time in the fourth state the subtle forms of object attachment are
also wiped out.

Q: So this is also cleaning.

Ajay: Yes, it’s cleaning.

Q: So you don’t just have to get to samadhi to get the cleaning, the cleaning is happening
here.

Ajay: It also happens here, because to get to samadhi there is previous cleaning needed.

Q: So at the gross level there’s all the whittling and whatever, and you get to this level and
there’s deeper cleaning.

Ajay: Yes, still deeper cleaning.

Sutra 2.53

dharanasu cha yogyata manasah

Ajay: When we look at ourselves, because of the different internal objects we are not able to
stay with one object, and our mind keeps on going from one to another. It is always making
a round, and because of these inner subtle objects the mind is not able to be stable. Even if
on the mind level you are one with one object, on the subtle level you are not still, kind of...
you are moving.

So since this subtle level is now also cleaned the mind has eligibility to stay with one object.

Q: Because at the deeper level it’s not jumping around.

Ajay: Yes it’s not jumping around. So now your mind has eligibility to be with one
exclusively, to be into whittling, to be into digging more deeper, without being disturbed.

So that he calls dharana, now slowly your eligibility is becoming favorable to meditation.

Sutra 2.54

sva vishaya asamprayoge chittasya svarupe anukarah iva indriyanam

pratyaharah

Ajay: He was saying that now the mind can be a “not wandering mind”, the mind can just
stay.

Since the mind is a not wandering mind it can stay with yourself and really experience
yourself without any where to go, without going to different objects. Certainly you start
feeling you and yourself are one.

Generally you and your internal objects have been two different things, and since there are
now no objects then you and the part which was distracted by and attracted to objects, they
both become one.

The thinking realm is usually cluttered full of objects, but now it is clean so there is no
wandering in these objects any more, so you can really stay and stay.
Q: So your mind is not going out to mental objects all the time.

Ajay: No it’s not. So now you really know, now you become one with yourself.

And once you become one with yourself, not wandering in the objects, then of course the
senses somehow also withdraw.

They are not looking outside for satisfactions. The senses are all withdrawn, and this state
when everything is just within, he’s calling that pratyaharah. Now you have really
returned to yourself fully, just you are there, and you are there without making other parts
of yourself.

Q: So there’s no more need, desire or urge on any level to “go out”.

Ajay: Yes, and that he’s calling pratyaharah, returning to your individual smaller “s” self.

Sutra 2.55

tatah parama vashyata indriyanam

Ajay: Since the senses are not pushed by outer objects, or pulled by outer objects, then of
course then you are in full control and nothing can engage you from the outside.

You really are fully equipped for meditation.

Now the possibilities of meditation are fully available to you. There’s nothing going out and
you can just cease.
 Third Section.

Sutra 3.1

deshah bandhah chittasya dharana

Ajay: So this is the third chapter. The first chapter was subtle and the second more gross,
and now what is left is contentment.

Q: So he’s spoken of everything now, all the different bits, and having fallen somewhere
along that spectrum and done those things…

Ajay: Now meditation starts from dharana. Dharana means really being content. Usually
it’s like we have a realm of objects, and a realm of liking and disliking. And our mind,
maybe even our life, makes rounds of that. Always wandering…

Q: So always comparing this to that….

Ajay: It’s always like that, that’s why the mind is never resting because originally the mind
cannot figure things out, so that’s why it has to make rounds and rounds and rounds, and
still we hope that one day it can figure things out.

That’s why we allow it to wander.

Q: But it’s like the mind does figure it out, but it does so conditionally.

Ajay: Yes but the choice is always “compared to”. If you don’t have any comparison there is
no choice.

When there is not that moving around then the individual self is just together. There is no
bit of the individual self that is missing, that is “out”. So that will be called dharana. You
are fully at one place with yourself.
Sutra 3.2

tatra pratyaya ekatanata dhyanam

Ajay: Since your going on rounds has stopped and you are staying with yourself, then
staying with yourself, expansion happens.

The connectivity comes in a process. So far the connections you have been making they
were through the mind to the objects, so there was no expansion. There was only
connection. And now it is an expansion. He’s using the word ekatanata. You suddenly feel
as if… it’s like with this bed sheet here, if you really hang it tight and spread it. So so far you
have been not spread, and now there is the possibility of being spread, and that he’s calling
dhyanam. Spread-ness without going anywhere, it’s like there is a center of you but that
center can also reach out from the center, you don’t have to leave the center.

So far the way has been that you always leave the center, through the mind you go to your
objects, but now you don’t have to leave the center. This intensity in the center gets more
alive and that’s how you reach out through the center. All areas are covered because of the
intensity in your center, not because of reaching out. So that he’s calling dhyanam, the
meditation, your intensity in the center is growing and because your intensity is growing
then spreading is happening.

Q: And this is not a practice, this is a process.

Ajay: Yes this is like now things are happening, it’s nothing you are doing, you are just here
and the nature of whatever you are is… as soon as you stay here the intensity grows, and
the growing intensity covers… it’s like now it’s not one way. So far you have been going one
way, but now you will go all around.

Q: So, a bad example, but before you were connected by a cable, but now it’s like wi-fi.

Ajay: Yes something like that.

Q: Beforehand it was one possible route but now it’s more global.

Ajay: Yes. So that he’s calling dhyanam, that is meditation.

Sutra 3.3

tad eva artha matra nirbhasam svarupa shunyam iva samadhih

Ajay: So this place of intensity, in this center place there will be like… if a fan is run at a
high speed you will almost not see the blades. Just as you can’t see the blades, similarly the
awareness, it is so fast. When intensity grows fully there will be... we cannot even say that
there is an awareness.

It’s so much that sometimes you are so happy for something that thinking stops. That kind
of thing. You are so intense, but not in a bad way. The intensity of the center is so intense
that nothing can happen because it’s full.

For something to happen there would have to be a little loosening, and because there’s not
loosening then of course that is the beginning of samadhi, because the intensity is so
intense that you almost forget yourself.

Q: So in a sense this section now is the path of samadhi, or the process immediately before
samadhi. But I hear stories about people that don’t go through samadhi, is that possible or
they just don’t know that they have?

Ajay: They don’t know. Because they might see that as sleep.

He’s saying the intensity is so high that almost you will not feel you any more. And once
that happens then that will be the state of samadhi.

Q: And where does “grace” fit in to all this?

Ajay: It’s almost that you lost yourself so whatever is happening is in spite of you.

Q: So it’s not being done by the individual any more.

Ajay: Because we don’t know then we call it grace.

You can only be in one place. And this growing of intensity is not your doing any more. It
really happens by itself. So maybe that’s the grace.

Sutra 3.4

trayam ekatra samyama

Ajay: He’s saying now there’s being one with yourself, and meditation, and samadhi. These
three states come together because once you are yourself then meditation happens and
through meditation, and through more intensity, samadhi happens.

He’s saying these three together have to be practiced, and of course they will come
together. In order to be in meditation you have to be one. And in meditation, deeper
meditation, that state of not even feeling yourself will happen, and he’s calling this
samyama. You really have to give chances to yourself to have those three things together
as many times as possible.

Q: So meditation in this sense is when you’re one.

Ajay: Yes.

Q: But that’s small “s” still.

Ajay: Yes.

Q: But you’re not going out any more, everything is just drawn in to that place and you’re
just one.
Ajay: Yes.

Q: And because you’re in as one, you don’t have thoughts going out, you don’t have senses
going out.

Ajay: Yes, it’s like that.

Sutra 3.5

tad jayat pragya lokah

Ajay: If you are very happy more often, having been more happy very often then suddenly
your mind will learn a way to “think out of happiness”. In the beginning it is not like this,
but when that happens more often then the mind can learn to think from happiness.

So similarly once your intensity is highest, and there have been many many times, many
many times you have been in samadhi's, then there is an awareness that comes through,
and that awareness can also be present in that intensity.

So once that awareness… it is almost like blasting, it is almost an opening of… it’s
surrounding, it’s like out of that intensity there is then something around intensity, in the
same way that Saturn has rings, something like that happens. He’s calling that pragya
lokah, the way of wisdom, as then you can use your mind in happiness.

Previously many times because of the intensity you have been losing yourself, but if many
times that has happened, then something kind of blasts out of you which enables you to
see, or to be aware in that deep state, in that state of samadhi.

Q: So for a long time you are in that intensity but you are “gone”…

Ajay: Yes.
Q: And then at some point…

Ajay: At some point something blasts, something like around the intensity...

Q: So something comes that allows a different…

Ajay: A different aspect allows you to be aware that you are “in” and you know that you are
in, kind of. Whereas before you didn’t know that you were in.

He’s saying tad jayat, once you have done enough of this intensity then of course the
pragya lokah, then the wisdom state comes.

The world of wisdom appears.

Sutra 3.6

tasya bhumisu viniyogah

Ajay: This is a good place to invest. Viniyogah means you really have to make your
investment here because it is going to bring you profit.

So being a good business man he is saying in that land, in that state, you have to invest,
and please invest most of yourself into it.

Sutra 3.7

trayam antar angam purvebhyah

Ajay: Because he talked before; yam, niyam, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, and now
these three, dharana, dhyan, samadhi, he’s saying the earlier five that he spoke of you can
catch them more in the outer realm, but these three, dharana, dhyan, samadhi, you can
only catch inwardly, they are really really inward practices, not outward.

Oneness with yourself, meditation, and samadhi; these three are inner realm practices.
Before this it was very outer realm practices, but these three are the inner realm practices.

So I think we should invest into these three.

Q: The fact that you may or may not be in samadhi and you don’t know it, the not knowing
is frustrating. The question comes from the linear minds way of thinking. If I could see my
bank balance going up…

Ajay: Of course this is difficult but somewhere there are things which cannot be known…

Sutra 3.8

tad api bahir angam nirbijasya

Ajay: Now once these inner practices start, or help, then of course they enable the outer
momentum of practices to be really wiped out. While you are practicing these inward
things they enable you to wipe out the momentum of the outer ones, the physical yoga, the
rules you made for yourself, all of them.

He’s saying nirbijasya, there is no seed left from outer practices.

Q: So they’ve served their purpose to get you up to that point.

Ajay: And now this one will help you to be in, as well as help you to delete the momentum
of the outer practices.

Q: So everything’s now cleaning.

Ajay: Yes, cleaning.

Sutra 3.9

vyutthana nirodhah sanskara abhibhava pradurbhavau nirodhah ksana

chitta anvayah nirodhah-parinamah

Ajay: There has been many times in outer practices where you chose something, where you
made a prior decision and you followed that.

From this action, this prior decision, there will be some slight programming left and he’s
calling that sanskara. So whatever subtle programming is left, that needs to be wiped out.
Whenever you choose you make an impact on you, and that impact could be reactivated if
not wiped out.

Q: So the fact that you’ve made a choice in the past, or acted in the past, creates a potential.

Ajay: Yes a potential to act, and that urge might come sometime. So he’s saying that also
when you are choosing against something, there is a kind of empowering of what you are
choosing against. So when that is also wiped out from your individual self then chitta
anvayah nirodhah-parinamah, in your individual self there is not any effect of choosing or
not choosing.

The sanskara is like software, when you choose you create some kind of software that
works every time. So when that situation comes you just go for the preprogrammed option,
not for any other. So there is an impact on your individual self of that previous choosing.

Q: So it’s like there’s a little groove created, and even if you’re not actively using that it’s
still there as a possibility.

Ajay: Yes, that’s what he’s saying. And these inner practices will also wipe those grooves
out.
Sutra 3.10

tasya prashanta vahita sanskarat

Ajay: So now you have a facility in your individual self that you are the conductor to all.

Before there has been a “choosing conductor”, you chose to act in a certain way, and you
could not go against that. So now he’s saying tasya prashanta vahita, now that through
which you act – that is not preprogrammed.

He’s saying prashanta, if anything is preprogrammed it will show a little bit.

Preprogramming means your self will be inclined towards that programming, there is an
individual aspect, and since now there is no inclination, no individual coloring through
which you flow, then action is without any programming, without any choice.

So now you are like… you have prepared yourself to act even beyond the sanskaras, even
sanskaras cannot come.

Q: So at this point the sanskaras are gone, they’re cleaned…

Ajay: Yes cleaned, wiped out.

Q: And which self are we with?

Ajay: Still the individual self. All cleaning is on the individual level. All the practices
happen throughout the individual level, and the impact of these practices is now being
cleaned by these inner realm practices.

Sutra 3.11

sarvarathata ekagrata ksaya udaya chittasya samadhi-parinamah

Ajay: As long as any programming is still there then there will be this “flashing”. You might
be dissolved, but not fully dissolved because the flashing of programming is still going on
there.

Q: So there’s something that still catches your attention, that’s the flashing.

Ajay: Yes. But he’s saying once that programming is gone, now you are fully eligible for
samadhi’s. Now your individual self is without any programming. When all the
programming is wiped out something else rises which is not programming.

Something else rises that really merges you into samadhi’s.

Sutra 3.12

tatah punah shanta-uditau tulya-pratyayau chittasya ekagrata-parinimah

Ajay: Since everything is now wiped out and there is no flashing another kind of peace
appears. In activity there is no peace, physical or mental, so he’s saying now a deeper peace
appears. And now your individual chitta is almost equal to whatever is.

Q: And at this point with all the sanskaras gone and everything else gone is there any
sense of lack, of something missing, of not having enough or being good enough?

Ajay: No, nothing here is from the sense of lack.

Q: So the sense of lack is due to the preprogrammed stuff, all of which also happened
because of a sense of lack.

Ajay: Yes. And here you feel content, that’s why he’s saying peace, and the peace of
contentment really doesn’t allow any lack to come in.

So tatah punah shanta-uditau. Deeper peace appears, and your individual self is eligible
and able to be merged into whatever is… they are same same, water and water.
Q: Because everything has been cleaned.

Ajay: Yes everything that was personal, that has been cleaned. Still you are surrounded by
individual boundaries, but now you can break through.

Q: And what are those boundaries?

Ajay: The feeling of yourself, the feeling of me, not from the ego, but really the feeling of
me as a separate entity.

So now you have the eligibility that you can break that boundary also.

Q: So there is still the individual sense of I am?

Ajay: Yes kind of, maybe not “I am”, but something. You feel separate from anything, so
those boundaries. There is nothing inside but it is still circled, still surrounded.

So now you enable yourself to be merged.

Sutra 3.13

etena bhuta indriyasau dharma laksana avastha parinamah vyakhyatah

Ajay: Now he’s saying he can only speak this much.

Up to this point there was a boundary and he can say that from within the boundary
everything is now cleaned out. He’s saying in the realm of dharma these are all the
qualities he is able to describe, and he has done that. Beyond that, he’s saying there is no
way to speak of the beyond. He has really said what he can, and please don’t expect
anything more that that.
He very clearly said this is all he can say of the previous process. After this his voice stops,
in regards to the process.

Sutra 3.14

shanta udita avyapadeshya dharma anupati dharmi

Ajay: He’s now describing another kind of peace that has appeared and since that peace
has appeared so that will... the function of that peace will be dharma.

Functioning from that peace will be functioning from dharma. So we could call that peace.
Dharmi means containing dharma. So we could call it that peace that contains dharma.

Q: And what’s the definition of dharma?

Ajay: Dharma means not from an individual point of view, activities are coming from the
point of view of the whole.

Sutra 3.15

krama anyatvam parinamah anyatve hetu

Ajay: He’s saying if you change the sequence of practices and perform them not in the
order he said, for example one might start from samadhi, he’s saying if you change the
sequence of practices then the results will not be the same.

He’s saying the sequence he said is the sequence one has to go through.

Q: But if you’re starting at samadhi you’re starting at a higher level…

Ajay: Yes, but you’re not really starting at samadhi. Even though you may not be aware of
them there have been stages preceding that. And he’s saying that the results you get will be
different if you change the sequence.

What he’s trying to say is when you start from the grosser level you have to go through step
by step.

Q: So you can’t skip a step.

Ajay: No, you can’t skip, that’s what he means.

From this point onwards in the book he tries to describe what you get. It is the kind of
description that is not a description of the path itself, it is more about the states achieved.
He mentions these because people will be asking him what will happen.

Generally we have this beggar individuality. We really want want want, so of course then
something has to be said. So he is answering “what will happen if I have done all this…”

Q: So people are asking him, “when you’ve finally got to the end, what happens? What do I
get?”

Ajay: Of course, anyone as human will ask that question, so this next section is answering
those questions.

Q: So is this the place where he talks about siddhis? The “super powers” section?

Ajay: Yes the siddhis, and then a few explanations of various states, but no more discussion
of practices, so maybe we just stop here.

Q: And why do you find that not…

Ajay: Because what happens is that people who will read the book they will start for that,
for the fruits, for this next section instead of for the real thing.

So maybe we give a book which does not discuss that.

And if someone wants to read about these things there are so many other books on
Patanjali that have described these things.

Q: So would you recommend this book to people, and why?

Ajay: Yes, because it describes and explains really well. It is a good book – if the translation
is good and the translator really understands and has experience – because otherwise it is
difficult to understand.

Q: So this is a good instructional book if taken step by step.

Ajay: Yes.

Q: And any final words or suggestions to people who have read this far?

Ajay: Just do what you can.

And be well.