Sūtra 1.23-26 [Concept of Īśvara]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 1.23-26 [concept of Īśvara]:

ईश्वरप्रणिधानाद्वा ॥ १.२३ ॥
क्लेशकर्मविपाकाशयैरपरामृष्टः पुरुषविशेष ईश्वरः ॥ १.२४ ॥
तत्र निरतिशयं सार्वज्ञबीजम् ॥ १.२५ ॥
स पूर्वेषामपि गुरुः कालेनानवच्छेदात् ॥ १.२६ ॥

īśvarapraṇidhānādvā || 1.23 ||
kleśakarmavipākāśayairaparāmṛṣṭaḥ puruṣaviśeṣa īśvaraḥ || 1.24 ||
tatra niratiśayaṃ sārvajñabījam || 1.25 ||
sa pūrveṣāmapi guruḥ kālenānavacchedāt || 1.26 ||

(23) From special devotion to Īśvara also (concentration becomes imminent). (24) Īśvara is a particular puruṣa unaffected by affliction, deed, and result of action or the latent impressions thereof. (25) In him the seed of Omniscience has reached its utmost development which cannot be exceeded. (26) The teacher of former teachers, because with Him there is no limitation by time (to his Omnipotence).

Ancient and Modern interpretation:

By introducing the concept of Īśvara,alien to Sāṅkhyas, Patañjaliseems to have a synthesis of Sāṅkhya and Vedānta.

Vyāsa says^[1] through a special kind of devotion called īśvarapraṇidhāna, on the part of the devotee, Īśvara inclines towards him and favors him with grace for fulfillment of his wish. A Yogī can also attain concentration through such grace (abhidhyāna) The attainment of the state of liberation becomes imminent. Osho explains about Īśvara who is other than puruṣa and prakṛti. Kleśas, good or bad deeds and their result, as also the subliminal impressions of the result of the action, though subsisting in the mind, are imputed to puruṣa. That is how the puruṣa experiences them. The special puruṣa who on account of his eternal liberation, is unaffected even by the touch of enjoyment or suffering is called Īśvara. Īśvara had no bondage in the past nor will have any in the future. Īśvara is always free and supreme. The proof of his supremacy lies in the scriptures as per Vyāssa. The genuineness of the scriptures is based on supreme wisdom. The śāstra and their sublime wisdom which are present in the mind of Īśvara and his preeminence are eternally related to each other. His preeminence is never equaled or excelled. He is omniscient. The puruṣa whose excellence is never excelled is Īśvara and he is that special puruṣa.

In such a special puruṣa, the seed of omniscience has reached its utmost development. The super sensuous knowledge of the past, present and the future singly or collectively is the seed of omniscience. When this super sensuous knowledge goes on increasing in a person and reaches a stage which cannot be exceeded, that person is called Omniscient^[2] .

Īśvara is the teacher of former teachers, because with him there is no limitation by time to his omnipotence. The former teachers of knowledge and of piety are limited by time. Īśvara was present with his full powers in the beginning of the present cycle of creation. So was he at the beginning of the past creations.^[3]

Osho interprets^[4] the above sūtras in quite a different way,in which we can see the vedāntic view of oneness as the base.

‘Success is also attained by those who surrender to God’.God is the supreme ruler. He is an individual unit of divine consciousness. He is untouched by the afflictions of life, action and its results.In God, the seed is developed to its highest extentbeing beyond the limits of time, he is master of masters.’

In Osho’s opinion, Patañjali truly believes in the path of will and making efforts,methods,using techniques is bound to accumulate a certain sense of ‘I am’. However, he adds a footnote to only remind the seeker and says that there is other path also that exists and that is of surrender to GOD. With effort or surrender, the basic thing is that a totality is needed. The paths, their forms and shapes may differ, but the inner meaning and significance remains the same and both the paths lead to the divine. A man on the path of will and efforts is likely to accumulate a certain sense of ‘I am’ i.e. ego. If a sādhaka can watch and avoid accumulation of the ego, then there is no need to surrender. Because if there is no ego, then there is nothing to surrender. If there is a failure along the path of effort and will, it is due to the ego and not because of the divine. Osho thinks that Patañjali’s concept of God is hypothetical point just to help the sādhaka to surrender. That God is a technique and is a potentiality of every being. Man is like a seed of God. When this seed flowers and blossoms, the seed becomes God. Godliness is everybody’s quality. God is an individual unit of divine consciousness. He is untouched by afflictions of life, action and its results. Osho says that every man is God, but he doesn’t realize it. It can be realized only through total surrender.

Osho opines that once you understand the conception of God, you will understand that he is not to be worshipped, but you have to become God. He adds there are three types of masters. The first type is not really a master but a teacher. A teacher helps people to know about things without realizing them himself. Such a teacher can only provide information to his students. The student can never become a disciple.

The second type of master is who has known himself. Such a master attracts disciples. Such a master transforms his disciples. He makes the disciples centered. In the process of transformation, the master uproots the disciple from his roots and replants him. With this master, there is rebirth. A student is in the search of knowledge whereas a disciple is in search of a transformation, mutation.

The third type is master of masters. Such a master is God who has transcended the time, for whom time does not exist. He is the one who has changed, become aware and gone beyond time. This stage comes only when a master leaves the body. Because while in the body the awareness in time frame as per biological clock of the body. Buddha has two terms to describe these two stages. The first is nirvāṇa, enlightenment. When he became enlightened, he remained in the body. After forty years he left the body, it is called mahāparinirvāṇa. Then he became master of masters.

Osho explains the way to go beyond time. Time is desire, for desire time is required. They are a phenomenon together. Like two sides of the same coin. When one becomes desireless, one becomes timeless. A man without desires is like a clock ticking without hands. This is state of a Buddha. Desire is of the mind and need is of the body. When even the need drops the person goes beyond time. Beyond time is eternity. Consciousness has no time. Time is created when consciousness desires something. When need and desire both disappear, time disappears. Thus, one must always watch where the need stops and the desire begins. Needs are not many. Osho says there are only three needs -love, food and shelter. These needs are not difficult to meet with. Bodily needs will remain while the body exists. When the desires disappear, the bodily needs also drop and sooner the body itself is not needed. Body is a vehicle of the mind, if the mind is not there, body is not needed anymore.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Araṇya, op.cit., p.56-57

[2]:

Ibid.,p.60

[3]:

Ibid., p.62

[4]:

Osho, op.cit., p.86-88