Sūtra 4.24

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 4.24:

तदसंख्येयवासनाभिश्चित्रमपि परार्थं संहत्यकारित्वात् ॥ ४.२४ ॥

tadasaṃkhyeyavāsanābhiścitramapi parārthaṃ saṃhatyakāritvāt || 4.24 ||

(24) From what else is this (identity of puruṣa as separate from mind) established?

Ancient and Modern interpretation:

From (the mind) though variegate by innumerable subconscious impression exists for another since it acts conjointly.

Vyāsa explains,^[1] this is similar to a house which is made up of several parts. Anyone can reside in it, owner or other person who has rented it.

Araṇya explains, the all-embracing mind is colured with countless vāsanās. They are latent impressions of feelings derived from previous births, which are latent in the mind. The mind which is result of joint action of trigunas, is a conjoiner and serves in the interest of someone else. That is no one, but puruṣa.

Similarly, as per Sāṅkhya philosophy, enjoyer is something beyond perception and empirical knowledge, an entity which is consciousness itself. This is real self within our ego, the rest are his objects.

Osho says,^[2]

“Though variegated by innumerable desires, the mind acts for another, for it acts in association.”

In yoga, your mind should function as per innermost desire of soul and your body should function as per mind. There should be complete harmony in a true yogī ’s life. Such yogī is a saṃyāsī or svāmī, the Lord who has integrated cohesive life. Have right food, right posture, rhythematic breathing. Then the mind acts as bridge which connects both ways -to inner world and to external world.

Taimni explains cognition beautifully as,^[3] after dealing with vehicles of mind (citta) and the forces (vāsanās) which bring about the incessant transformations (vṛttis) in these vehicles. Patañjali discusses the thory of mental perception, using word mental in comprehensive sense. According to him, two entirely different kinds of elements are involved in mental perception. On the one hand there must be impact of the object upon the mind through their characteristic properties and on the other, the eternal a puruṣa must illuminate the mind with the light of its consciousness. Unless both these conditions are simultaneously present there can be no mental perception because mind itself is inert and incapable of perceiving. It is the puruṣa who is real perceiver though he always remains in the background and the illumination of the mind with light of consciousness makes it appear as if, it is the mind which perceives. This fact can be realized only when the mind is entirely transcendented and the consciousness of the puruṣa is centred in his own svarūpa in full awareness of reality.

Sūtra 23 throws a flood of light on the nature of citta and shows definitely that the word citta is used by Patañjali in the most comprehensive sense for the medium of perception at all levels of consciousness and not merely as a medium of intellectual perception. Wherever there is perception in the relative realm of prakṛti there must be a medium through which that perception takes place and that medium is citta. So, that even when consciousness is functioning on the highest planes of manifestation, far beyond the medium through which it works, however subtle that medium may be and this medium is also called citta.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Araṇya, op.cit., p.392

[2]:

Osho, op.cit., p.109-112

[3]:

Taimni, op.cit., p.379