1. तपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः॥ २.१॥

Penance, self-study, and surrendering your actions to Ishvara are called Kriya Yog

In the first chapter, we learned about Samadhi, the ultimate objective of Yoga.  However, this is the final step.  There is a lot of work to be done to get there.  This chapter will focus on yoga of work–kriya yog.

2. समाधिभावनार्थः क्लेशतनूकरणार्थश्च॥ २.२॥

This is for obtaining samadhi and for removing painful obstructions.

3. अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः॥ २.३॥

These obstructions are ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and sense of self preservation (fear of death).

4. अविद्या क्षेत्रम् उत्तरेषां प्रसुप्ततनुविच्छिन्नोदाराणाम्॥ २.४॥

Ignorance is first and generator of all others that follow it. The others may be dormant, emergent, unfocused or fully aroused.

5. अनित्याशुचिदुःखनात्मसु नित्यशुचिसुखात्मख्यातिरविद्या॥ २.५॥

Ignorance is seeing impermanent as permanent, impure as pure, pain as happiness and what is not the true self as self.

6. दृग्दर्शनशक्त्योरेकात्मतेवास्मिता॥ २.६॥

Egoism is the identification of the true seer with the instrument of seeing

Chitta, with its components of senses, mind, discrimination, and memory, creates a sense of self, which is a delusion

7. सुखानुशयी रागः॥ २.७॥

Attachment follows pleasure

All living things gravitate towards things which give them pleasure (at some level, even the inquiry about Yog would be in this category). We are studying it to reduce pain and experience bliss

8. दुःखानुशयी द्वेषः॥ २.८॥

Aversion follows pain

9. स्वरसवाही विदुषोऽपि तथारूढोऽभिनिवेशः॥ २.९॥

Self-perpetuating, and deeply present even in the learned, is the sense of self-preservation.

There are two truths: all living beings are going to die one day, and all are afraid of dying.  Actually, the ones who are not scared of dying (like the suicide bombers) are so out of sync with the world we live in, that it is very difficult to understand their motivations.  The self-perpetuating part of it is explained in many traditional religions as a theory of rebirth.  One is to believe that the self carries some samskaras to the next life, and one of them is self-preservation.  However, there is a much simpler and believable explanation.  Self-preservation is programmed in our genetic code.  According to Darwin’s theory, if some living beings did not have self-preservation, and some did, the ones that survived and thrived were the ones that had a strong sense of self-preservation.  So it is no surprise that all living beings are born with a strong sense of self-preservation.

10. ते प्रतिप्रसवहेयाः सूक्ष्माः॥ २.१०॥

These obstacles can only be reversed or controlled at the subtle (seed) level

Take something more obvious like selfishness and greed.  Let us say that one has a strong sense of self and is not willing to share anything with anyone.  They are unaffected by the suffering of others around them.  To reverse this, one has to change the greed at the seed level, deep in our chitta.  When an obstacle is fully aroused (see sutra 2.4), it is not possible to control it. We should pay attention to obstacles as they emerge during the seed stage. The first inkling of jealousy, greed, or any kind of avidya should be dealt with then.

11. ध्यानहेयास्तद्वृत्तयः॥ २.११॥

Meditation can overcome these vrittis

12. क्लेशमूलः कर्माशयो दृष्टादृष्टजन्मवेदनीयः॥ २.१२॥

The root cause of these obstacles stems from the residual effects of all actions, seen or unseen.

The translation by Vivekanand is different.  He mentions that “The receptacle of works has its roots in these pain-bearing obstacles, and their experience in visible life, or in the unseen life.”  I think that is inaccurate.  The verse talks about how these obstacles originate.  They originate through the samskaras, which are the residuals of all actions.  Our experiences shape our subtle thought processes.  That is the meaning of this verse.

13. सति मूले तद्विपाको जात्यायुर्भोगाः॥ २.१३॥

From this root comes the fruit of birth caste (jati), life span, and experience of life

These roots determine our birth rank and life experience.  This is where I lost the argument.  There is no such thing as rebirth, so there is no question of the determination of caste because of your samskaras.  This is backward causation.  Depending on where you are born, your genes and DNA will store the samskaras of the life experiences of your ancestors.  This will have a significant impact on your lifespan and experience.

14. ते ह्लादपरितापफलाः पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात्॥ २.१४॥

These samskaras have the nature of good deeds (punya) or bad deeds (paap) and accordingly cause delight and anguish.

How we experience life and how we react to it or perform is driven by our samskaras.  This is very important.  Two people with different samskaras will respond to the same situation very differently.  Once I went to a movie with a friend.  The movie was sold out and we could not get a ticket.  We changed our plans to have some dinner and come back.  My friend really felt bad and blamed everything from traffic, his luck, and even the lack of infrastructure in the country for the day.  I did not feel any stress or pain due to this experience.  So our experience of happiness or pain was also conditioned by our samskara or thought processes.  So samskaras not only determine how we act in a situation but also how we experience it.  Some people can weather all kinds of adversities with a smile on their face, while others get upset with the smallest of issues.

15. परिणामतापसंस्कारदुःखैर्गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच्च दुःखमेव सर्वं विवेकिनः॥ २.१५॥

The outcome of samskaras is anguish, the conflict resulting from three qualities of nature (sattva, rajas, tamas), and our vrittis cause pain, and the discriminating mind sees suffering everywhere.

This sets up the problem statement.  Due to our very deep and basic nature and samskaras, we experience suffering everywhere. There is suffering when our mental makeup (vritti) is in conflict with the three gunas (nature).

16. हेयं दुःखमनागतम्॥ २.१६॥

Let us avoid the suffering that has not yet come.

17. द्रष्टृदृश्ययोः संयोगो हेयहेतुः॥ २.१७॥

Let us avoid the confusion between the seer and the instrument of seeing.

This speaks to the sense of ego or self which is associated with chitta.  We believe that this body, this mind, our memories are the true self.  This is to be avoided.  To avoid it we need to go deeper and realize that there is something behind the chitta which is the true self. 

18. दृश्यं चेतनाचेतनविषयत्वात् भोगापवर्गार्थं दृश्यम्॥ २.१८॥ OR

प्रकाशक्रियास्थितिशीलं भूतेन्द्रियात्मकं भोगापवर्गार्थं दृश्यम्॥ २.१८॥

There are two versions of this shloka in the texts. The meaning is very similar. Material world, as seen by awareness, has the essence of light (sattva), motion(rajas), and inertia(tamas).  This material world, along with the instrument of observation and the feeling of self, is the basis of all experience as well as liberation.

This simply separates the world into a material world and the self.  It states that all our experience is in the material world.  Even the liberation (or sense of liberation is in the material world).

19. विशेषाविशेषलिङ्गमात्रालिङ्गानि गुणपर्वाणि॥ २.१९॥

The states (three gunas) are reflected in defined/undefined, and differentiated/undifferentiated material world.

The concept of trigunas continues to play a very large role here.  These concepts of Sattva, Rajas, Tamas are the ones being used here as well.

20.द्रष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि प्रत्ययानुपश्यः॥ २.२०॥

Pure awareness only sees itself through the colored prism of its prior thoughts

This states that the memory and samskaras we accumulate over our lifetime color all the perception we have of reality

21. तदर्थ एव दृष्टस्यात्मा॥ २.२१॥

For this purpose alone, what is observed and the self exists

22. कृतार्थं प्रतिनष्टमप्यनष्टं तदन्यसाधारणत्वात्॥ २.२२॥

Once this realization happens, the sense of material world and separate self gets destroyed, even though it continues for other ordinary people

The realized person recognizes the true essence of the material world and the duality ceases to exist.  This does not mean that the world ceases to exist for other ordinary people.  They continue to in the delusion.

23. स्वस्वामिशक्त्योः स्वरूपोपलब्धिहेतुः संयोगः॥ २.२३॥

The material nature and Self unite to obtain (recognize and/or create) the powers and form.

In verses 21-22, it appeared that we were moving towards a non-dual reality where the material reality only existed in the Self, which was observing itSelf.  Here we are back to the dualistic framework of material nature and the Self.  The union of the two is giving us the form and energy. [I do not really understand this]

24. तस्य हेतुरविद्या॥ २.२४॥

This union is due to ignorance

The identification of the seer with the seen is due to ignorance

25. तदभावात् संयोगाभावो हानं तद्दृशेः कैवल्यम्॥ २.२५॥

When one dispels ignorance, they realize the separation between the seer and the seen.

26. विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः॥ २.२६॥

Through continuous discrimination between the seer and the seen, one can dispel the union

The continuous discrimination (Vivek) is the goal of the Rajya Yog practices.

27. तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः ज्ञानम्॥ २.२७॥

The last stage of the sevenfold discrimination is wisdom.

• Recognition that suffering exists and arises from ignorance.
• Understanding that the cause is misidentification (of puruṣa with prakṛti).
• Insight into the difference between the Seer and the seen.
• Non-attachment to the world due to this insight.
• Stabilization of discrimination in all circumstances.
• Cessation of all mental modifications (nirodha).
• Kaivalya – total liberation; the Self rests in its own nature.

28. योगाङ्गानुष्ठानादशुद्धिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिराविवेकख्यातेः॥ २.२८॥

By practicing parts of Yoga, all impurities decrease, and the light of wisdom increases (of discrimination between the Seer and the Seen)

This is the start of the practical way of achieving this wisdom.

29.यम नियम आसन प्राणायाम प्रत्याहार धारणा ध्यान समाधयोऽष्टावङ्गानि॥ २.२९॥

Yama (external discipline), Niyam (internal discipline), Asana(body control), Pranayam(life force control), Pratyahar(withdrawal of senses), Dharana(concentration), Dhyana(meditation), Samadhi(oneness with Universal Consciousness) are the eight parts of Yoga

30. अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः॥ २.३०॥

Ahimsa (non-violence), satya(truthfulness), asteya(non-stealing), brahmcharya(celibacy/proper conduct), aparigraha(not being acquisitive) are the Yama (ethical restraints)

31. जातीदेशकालसमयानवच्छिन्नाः सार्वभौमा महाव्रतम्॥ २.३१॥

These are universal commitments of yoga, irrespective of caste, nation, time, circumstance or any other distinction.

32. शौचसन्तोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः॥ २.३२॥

Saucha (cleanliness), santosh(contentment), tapah(penance), svadhaya (self study), ishvara pranidhan (surrender to God) are the Niyam (practices)

33. वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्॥ २.३३॥

To stop thoughts that are against Yoga’ Yam and Niyam bring forth opposite thoughts to mind

This is practical advice.  We sometimes get thoughts that contradict the internal or external yoga rules, such as being tempted to take something that doesn’t belong to us.  The thought can take hold of our chitta, and before we know it, we are doing something that is not good for us.  To counter this, one must bring to mind thoughts opposite to stealing to mind.  Think of being generous.  Think of charity.  This will counter the feeling of stealing.

34. वितर्का हिंसादयः कृतकारितानुमोदिता लोभक्रोधमोदपूर्वका मृदुमध्याधिमात्रा दुःखाज्ञानानन्तफलाः इति प्रतिपक्षभावनम्॥ २.३४॥

Obstructions to Yoga are violence, etc., whether done directly, or caused to be done, or supported to be done. Whether such action is done due to greed, delusion, or anger, or it’s done after mild, moderate, or extreme pain, such an action causes unlimited ignorance, and thus we must cultivate opposite thoughts

This sutra states that the rules must be followed in all circumstances.  Violence, even in retaliation for pain and suffering, is not justified as it will result in further suffering. 

35. अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः॥ २.३५॥

If you are firmly established in non-violence, then it will lead others to give up their hostility.

Clearly, Gandhi took his inspiration from something like this.  It is quite an antithesis to a world-view which says that it is fair to use violence against non-believers

36. सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम्॥ २.३६॥

For those grounded in truth, the fruits of action rest in the action itself

All actions create memories and other formations in our chitta.  This results in further strengthening our chitta.  However, being based in truth causes these actions to not have such an impact.

37. अस्तेयप्रतिष्ठायां सर्वरत्नोपस्थानम्॥ २.३७॥

For those who have no inclination to steal, have truly priceless objects appear

38. ब्रह्मचर्यप्रतिष्ठायां वीर्यलाभः॥ २.३८॥

Celibacy has the benefit of conserving life force

This is a belief which is central to several Indian systems.  Sexual energy is considered to be a primal life force, and controlling it gives Yogis enormous benefits.  Here is another huge difference. Most western societies would believe such a practice to be not only unwholesome but even impossible (though most religions want their priests to be celibate)

39. अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथंतासंबोधः॥ २.३९॥

Being free from acquisitiveness allows us to understand why we were born

Vivekananda translates to mean that Yogi gets memory of prior lifetimes. 

40. शौचात् स्वाङ्गजुगुप्सा परैरसंसर्गः॥ २.४०॥

Cleaniness reduces attraction to physical body and reduces desire for sex.

41. सत्त्वशुद्धिसौमनस्यैकाग्र्येन्द्रियनिग्राहात्मदर्शनयोग्यत्वानि च॥ २.४१॥

Purity also brings sattva (goodness guna), calmness, concentration, sensory control, Self-awareness.

42. सन्तोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः॥ २.४२॥

Contentment gives rise to the greatest happiness

43. कायेन्द्रियसिद्धिरशुद्धिक्षयात्तपसः॥ २.४३॥

Intense effort (tapah) reduces impurities and makes the body and senses finely tuned

44. स्वाध्यायादिष्टदेवतासंप्रयोगः॥ २.४४॥

Self study deepens communion with personal deity

45. समाधिसिद्धिरीश्वरप्रणिधानात्॥ २.४५॥

Through surrendering to Ishvara, one achieves perfect integration with Universal Consciousness

46. स्थिरसुखमासनम्॥ २.४६॥

Postures should be stable and pleasant

The idea is to stabilize the body so that it does not create disturbances in the mind.  A person with unhealthy body will find it difficult to achieve concentration.

47. प्रयत्नशैथिल्यानन्तसमापत्तिभ्याम्॥ २.४७॥

This happens when effort relaxes and one concentrates on the endless

48. ततो द्वन्द्वानभिघातः॥ २.४८॥

Once the posture is conquered, the dualities and conflicts do not obstruct

The dualities of pleasant and unpleasant, heat and cold are overcome through asanas.

49. तस्मिन् सति श्वासप्रश्वासयोर्गतिविच्छेदः प्राणायामः॥ २.४९॥

After proper posture, control of inhalation and exhalation of breadth follows

50. बाह्याभ्यन्तरस्तम्भवृत्तिर्देशकालसंख्याभिः परिदृष्टो दीर्घसूक्ष्मः॥ २.५०॥

By observing for long and finely, how to move the breath inside, outside, or regulate motion, place, time, and number, one achieves control of breath

Typically, there are four stages to breath-hold outside: inhale, hold inside, and exhale. While breathing, one brings awareness to various parts.  This is the way to control breath.  By varying these parameters, one can activate kundalini (nervous energy)

51. बाह्याभ्यन्तरविषयाक्षेपी चतुर्थः॥ २.५१॥

The fourth stage of pranayam, is beyong inhalation, exhalation and hold

So the stages in verse 50 were to be aware of the breath being in one of the three stages–inhale, exhale, and hold.  Beyond these, the fourth stage is a state where there is no difference between these stages

52. ततः क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम्॥ २.५२॥

Then the covering of the mind’s luminosity is lifted

This process of pranayam lifts the ignorance

53. धारणासु च योग्यता मनसः॥ २.५३॥

Mind’s potential for concentration is realized

54. स्वविषयासंप्रयोगे चित्तस्वरूपानुकार इवेन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहारः॥ २.५४॥

When the Self withdraws from the material world by disentangling from the external objects, so do the senses.  This is called withdrawal of senses (pratyagraha)

The forms that we perceive through our senses are identified by our mind.  We associate these mental formations with truth. Separating our mental formations from true awareness is the process by which we reduce our chitta vrittis.