1. जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः॥ ४.१॥

The powers (described earlier) can be obtained by birth, herbs, chanting, penance, or Samadhi. People can be born with these powers, or they may attain them through the use of certain herbs, mantras, severe penance, or samadhi (concentration).  Looks like Patanjali knew that people feel a sense of samadhi with the aid of the right drugs!

2. जात्यन्तरपरिणामः प्रकृत्यापूरात्॥ ४.२॥

One changes into another birth form when nature fills in its process

Nature has evolved the life form.  Our latent impressions have been layered in over many periods–our fight or flight responses, for example, are part of the brain which are common among all vertebrates.

3. निमित्तम् अप्रयोजकं प्रकृतिनाम् वरणभेदस्तु ततः क्षेत्रिकवत्॥ ४.३॥

Taking one birth form or another is not driven by causes; these just flow as nature takes its course, much like a farmer clears the obstacles to let the water flow. One belief is that actions cause one to take one form or another.  Here, there is another theory which states that nature has its own flow and actions are only a proximate cause. The evolution that we have gone through has shaped our latent impressions.  This is also a contradiction that birth form is caused by good or bad actions.  

4. निर्माणचित्तान्यस्मितामात्रात्॥ ४.४॥

Chitta (consciousness) is created only by the feeling of self (asmita) [that emerges in pure awareness, it is an accumulation of samskaras and memories].

5. प्रवृत्तिभेदे प्रयोजकमिच्छितः चित्तं एकमन्ये॑षां॥ ४.५॥

Though the tendencies [and identities] are different, the consciousness behind all these (varied chittas) is the same.

We may identify ourselves as a father, a businessman, a son, or an old man, but it all starts with a sense of “I” which is created the same way for all of us from the same consciousness.

6. तत्र ध्यानजमनाशयम्॥ ४.६॥

Of all these [tendencies], dhyana (meditation) based chitta does not give rise to samskara (latent impressions on consciousness) which produce karma (fruit-bearing action)

Remember the definition of dhyana is to focus on the pratyaya–the changes evoked in our chitta when we observe something. When we become aware of this, the cycle of reaction is broken, and it does not give rise to samskara.

7. कर्म अशुक्ला अकृष्णं योगिनः त्रिविधं इतरेषाम्॥ ४.७॥

Actions of such a yogi absorbed in meditation do not give rise to good or evil, while the actions of ordinary beings create good, bad, or mixed outcomes (samskara)

8. ततः तद्विपाकानुगुणानामेवाभिव्यक्तिर्वासनानाम्॥ ४.८॥

Each action leaves an impression on our consciousness (samskara), which later comes to fruition

7 and 8 are the key.  Whatever thoughts, words, or actions we occur create impressions on our chitta (which itself emerged from pure consciousness).  These impressions cause further actions, and the cycle continues, resulting in suffering and action.

9. जातिदेशकालव्यवहितानामप्यानन्तर्यं स्मृतिसंस्कारयोरेकरूपत्वात्॥ ४.९॥

Memory and its latent impressions (samskara) are one form, so they both flow uninterrupted across life stage (form), place, and time.

Let us say that you once were mugged in a dark alley in some part of town.  You will carry a memory of that incident and will always be wary of walking down that alley.  Similarly, latent impressions impact all our subsequent actions, and they carry across birth (through DNA?), place, and time.

10. तासां अनादित्वं चाशिषो नित्यत्वात्॥ ४.१०॥

They (this process of creating latent impressions) have always existed, because the will to exist is eternal.

The process of creating impressions coexists with the manifestation of life, so it is eternal. Evolution and preserving life are a drive that has existed as long as life has existed.

11. हेतुफलाश्रयाऽलम्बनसंग्रीहितत्वात् एषां अभावे तद् अभावः॥ ४.११॥

These latent impressions are interlinked with action [cause, effect, substratum (mind), and object]. Non-existence of one results in non-existence of the other

Latent impressions have a cause, produce an effect, are stored in our mind, and are always about objects (whether external gross objects like a car, a person, or subtle objects like our sense of self).  The process of liberation is realizing the flaw in this conceptualization and freeing our awareness.

12. अतीतानागतं स्वरूपतोऽस्ति अध्वभेदात् धर्माणाम्॥ ४.१२॥

Past and future are manifested in the present, but in a different form

All past is embedded in our latent impressions (samskara), and all future is embedded in the actions which will come later(based on our latent impressions).  So the present has the whole past and future embedded in it.  This view negates free will.  If all the future were embedded in the present, then there is no possibility of transformation.  Now, the alternative view is that there is no causal transformation, and realization is simply understanding this.

13. ते व्यक्तसूक्ष्माः गुणात्मानः॥ ४.१३॥

These latent impressions are composed of three parts of nature (tri guna)

This concept is also present in Gita.  The latent impressions are made of subtle parts of nature (tri gunas).  This allows us ultimately to separate ourselves from these impressions.  As we are pure awareness without any coloring.

14. परिणामैकत्वात् वस्तुतत्त्वम्॥ ४.१४॥

The uniqueness of each object is in the mixture of the three gunas in it

Though gross or subtle objects may look quite different, they are all made of these three qualities of nature.  It is like the three primary colors.  From these three colors emerge all colors in the world, but the elementary components are only three.

15. वस्तुसाम्ये चित्तभेदात् तयोः विभक्तः पन्थाः॥ ४.१५॥

The same object is viewed differently by each chitta as they arrive at the object from a different path

This is a key sutra.  The same physical reality will be viewed differently by different chittas as they approach it from different memories, experiences, and samskaras.  When we argue with others on why they do not see things as they are, we are really arguing why they do not see the way we see them (from our own lens) .  We do not remember that they are viewing it from their own vantage point. At a gross level, this is the old story of the elephant and the blind men.

16. न चैकचित्ततन्त्रं वस्तु तदप्रमाणकं तदा किं स्यात्॥ ४.१६॥

The object is not dependent on the chitta that is observing it; if it were, then what happens to it when no one is observing it?

This is the famous question of “does a tree that falls in a forest when no one is there still make a noise?”.  Does reality exist independently of the observer, or does it only arise with the observer?

17. तदुपरागापेक्षित्वाच्चित्तस्य वस्तु ज्ञाताज्ञातम्॥ ४.१७॥

An object is known by chitta only if and only if it is colored in the same way.  If there is no impact, then chitta does not know the object.

The instruments observing the object and the object are both made of subtle nature components.  The instrument (mind) will only perceive an object if it overlaps in the three components in some way. As the saying goes–to a hammer, everything is a nail.  According to our nature, we perceive the world and the objects in it.  

18. सदा ज्ञाताश्चित्तवृत्तयस्तत्प्रभोः पुरुषस्यापरिणामित्वात्॥ ४.१८॥

Changes in chitta (vrittis) are always known to purusha (prime doer or awareness), which is the unchanging witness and the master

Here we have hypothesized an unchanging observer, different from our chitta, which is the real witness. It simply means that the power of observation is different from all the accumulation of coloring of samskaras and memories.

19. न तत्स्वाभासं दृश्यत्वात्॥ ४.१९॥

Chitta is not self-illuminating, as it is perceptible

Here we are clearly putting the mind in the realm of nature and observer or awareness beyond it in a different realm. One question: the sun is self-illuminating, and it is perceivable! I guess what this is saying is that an eye can’t see itself

20. एकसमये चोभयानवधारणम्॥ ४.२०॥

At one time, a seer can’t observe the chitta and itself.

21. चित्तान्तरदृश्ये बुद्धिबुद्धेः अतिप्रसङ्गः स्मृतिसंकरश्च॥ ४.२१॥

If consciousness (chitta) were perceived by another chitta, then this chain of cognition will mix up memory (pratyaya)

22. चितेरप्रतिसंक्रमायास्तदाकारापत्तौ स्वबुद्धिसंवेदनम्॥४.२२॥

Once the chitta is stilled, it reflects pure awareness and then it can itself be perceived

23. द्रष्टृदृश्योपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम्॥४.२३॥

Then chitta can reflect both pure consciousness and material world and achieve its own purpose

24. तदसंख्येयवासनाभिश्चित्रं अपि परार्थं संहत्यकारित्वात्॥४.२४॥

Consciousness is reflecting countless latent desires, but its main purpose is to reflect pure awareness

25. विशेषदर्शिनात्मभावभावनाविनिवृत्तिः॥४.२५॥

For the one able to distinguish between pure awareness and consciousness, the sense of “I” ends

26. तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भारं चित्तम्॥४.२६॥

Chitta (consciousness), now able to separate pure awareness from nature, can become liberated

The ultimate discrimination is to understand the difference between the material world, including the subtle nature (mind), and the awareness behind it.

27. तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः॥४.२७॥

Any gaps in this awareness risk distracting perceptions colored by latent impressions

Whenever there is a break in this awareness of separation between pure awareness and nature, we get entangled in nature, in our memories, and the same issues of attraction, aversion, motive, cause, etc.

28. हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम्॥४.२८॥

These distractions can be controlled by the same process that one used earlier[differentiate between seer and seen, between purusa and chitta]

29. प्रसंख्यानेऽपि कुसीदस्य सर्वथा विवेकख्यातेरधर्ममेघः समाधिः॥४.२९॥

One who has no interest even in highest omniscience, and always maintains discrimination of knowledge in all circumstances, enters into a samadhi known as “cloud of dharma”

30. ततः क्लेशकर्मनिवृत्तिः॥४.३०॥

[In this state of samadhi], the cycle of action born of latent impressions and resultant suffering stops

31. तदा सर्वावरणमलापेतस्य ज्ञानस्य अनन्त्याज्ज्ञेयमल्पम्॥४.३१॥

Then all veils of impurities are lifted, knowledge and insight become boundless and there is little left to be known.

32. ततः कृतार्थानां परिणामक्रमसमाप्तिर्गुणानाम्॥ ४.३२॥

Having served their purpose, the three gunas recede, and the process of transformation is stopped.

33. क्षणप्रतियोगी परिणामः अरन्ताग्निग्रह्यः क्रमः॥ ४.३३॥

The uninterrupted flow of moments is understood at the end as a series of discrete transformations

34. पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानां प्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चिति शक्तिरिति॥ ४.३४॥

When the three gunas (fundamental nature) recede, and we realize that pure awareness (purusa) has no objective, then kaivalyam (pure isolation) is established.  Now the pure awareness is established in its own form, and this ends the teaching.