Sūtra 1.12-16 [Abhyāsa and Vairāgya—The way towards silence]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 1.12-16 [abhyāsa and vairāgya—the way towards silence]:

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ॥ १.१२ ॥
तत्र स्थितौ यत्नोऽभ्यासः ॥ १.१३ ॥
स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः ॥ १.१४ ॥
दृष्टानुश्रविकविषयवितृष्णस्य वशीकारसंज्ञा वैराग्यम् ॥ १.१५ ॥
तत्परं पुरुषख्यातेर्गुणवैतृष्ण्यम् ॥ १.१६ ॥

abhyāsavairāgyābhyāṃ tannirodhaḥ || 1.12 ||
tatra sthitau yatno'bhyāsaḥ || 1.13 ||
sa tu dīrghakālanairantaryasatkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ || 1.14 ||
dṛṣṭānuśravikaviṣayavitṛṣṇasya vaśīkārasaṃjñā vairāgyam || 1.15 ||
tatparaṃ puruṣakhyāterguṇavaitṛṣṇyam || 1.16 ||

(12) By practice and detachment these can be stopped. (13) Exertion to acquire sthiti or a tranquil state of mind devoid of fluctuations is called practice. (14) That practice when continued for along time without break and with devotion, becomes firm in foundation. (15) When the mind loses all desire for objects seen or described in the scriptures, it acquires a state of utter desirelessness which is called detachment. (16) Indifference to the guṇas or the constituent principles achieved through knowledge of the nature of puruṣa is called para-vairāgya (supreme detachment).

Ancient and Modern interpretation:

Practice and renunciation are the commonest means of attaining mokṣa ^[1] . All other methods are included in them. The stopping of mental modifications depends on both. Absence of fluctuations or undisturbed calmness of the mind is called sthiti or tranquility. The effort, the energy and the enthusiasm, i.e. the repeated attempts for attaining that state is called ‘practice’.^[2] For a practice to get firmly established, it is necessary to undertake the practice for a continuous, uninterrupted, long time in a devoted way i.e. with austerity, continence, learning and reverence. In such a state of practice, the calmness which is aimed at, is not easily overcome by any latent impressions of the fluctuating state.^[3] Vyāsa explains the state of vairāgya^[4] as that state, when the mind becomes indifferent to the visible distractions such as women, food, drinks, power or does not yearn for such things such as ‘going to heaven’, ‘discarnate state’ or ‘dissolution into primordial matter’ as promised in the scriptures. This is so because, mind by virtue of the discriminative knowledge, maintains complete freedom from the influence and is indifferent to good or evil. Such a controlled state of buddhi without vikalpa is called vaśīkāra-samjñā or vairāgya.

Vyāsa explains^[5] that through the practice of the effort to realize the puruṣa principle, Yogī gets steadied in sāttvika qualities. Once his intellect is sharpened in this way, becomes indifferent to manifested and un-manifested states of three guṇas. This is the state of para-vairāgya. Detachment is the culmination of knowledge and kaivalya and detachment are inseparable.

Osho says^[6]

‘The cessation of modifications of mind is brought about by persistent inner efforts and non-attachment. Of these two, abhyāsa, the inner practice, is the effort to be firmly established in oneself. It becomes firmly grounded when continued for a long time, without interruption and with reverent devotion.’

The first state of vairāgya, desirelessness: cessation of all desiring by knowing the innermost nature of puruṣa, the supreme self. Abhyāsa means constant inner practice and vairāgya means non-attachment or desirelessness. Important aspect of human personality is that it is not totally intellectual in nature. Because if it was,then constant and repetitive practice would not be necessary. Constant repetition of a particular practice becomes non-voluntary and reaches unconscious mind and becomes part of it. Osho gives a beautiful example of ‘mother tongue’ here. The mother tongue becomes a part of the unconscious right from the birth of a child. Whatever else one learns later becomes part of the conscious. When a practice is repeated continuously, it is engraved on the brain cells.

The origin of all human activities is desire. Desires are fulfilled only by actions. Unless the desires are dropped, the activities cannot be dropped. Non-attachment means not to be dependent on anything in life. Not to make happiness dependent on anything. The attachments lead to obsession and non-fulfillment lead to misery. Osho says attachment is a disease. Constant attachment leads to constant misery. The person without attachments is free and has much energy. This energy can be moved into inner effort. It can then become abhyāsa. The essence of abhyāsa is to be centered in oneself. Then the abhyāsa must be continued for a long time without interruption. If the continuity is lost, the efforts are wasted. And if such abhyāsa is also done with reverence and devotion, the results are faster.

Osho translates^[7]

‘The last state of vairāgya, desirelessness: cessation of all desiring by knowing the innermost nature of puruṣa, the supreme self’.

Many of us begin the practice with a lot of initial enthusiasm but cannot sustain it.However, to be successful in any endeavor, constant, uninterrupted efforts are required. One should not be afraid of failures on the path. Yogasādhanā is required to be undertaken not for a few years but for several births. It should be part of sādhaka’s second nature. A repeated practice becomes enjoyable once done with devotion, reverence and dedication. Vairāgya means winning over the experiential (directly perceptible) or heard through secondary sources. As such it is not about sublimation of the sense organs and senses. Sublimation is temporary in nature. One requires positive and noble uplifting thoughts for the mind to be elevated towards vairāgya. For this to happen one needs to hear and experience pious thoughts and deeds. Only in the presence of higher thoughts and deeds, lower thoughts and deeds can drop off. Vairāgya is like a ripened fruit. As a ripe fruit falls off the tree without it needing the security of the tree further, and the tree also has no further attachment with the fruit and happily severs the relationship, in the same way, dropping the old habits and desires and attachments lead to higher state of vairāgya.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Āraṇya op.cit., p.34

[2]:

Ibid., p.36

[3]:

Ibid., p.37

[4]:

Ibid., p.38

[5]:

Ibid., p.39.

[6]:

Osho, The Path of Yoga, Osho International Foundation, 1984, p. 186,188,189.

[7]:

Osho, Op.cit., p.270