Yoga-sutras (with Bhoja’s Rajamartanda)
by Rajendralala Mitra | 1883 | 103,575 words
The Yoga-Sutra 1.37, English translation with Commentaries. The Yogasutra of Patanjali represents a collection of aphorisms dealing with spiritual topics such as meditation, absorption, Siddhis (yogic powers) and final liberation (Moksha). The Raja-Martanda is officialy classified as a Vritti (gloss) which means its explanatory in nature, as opposed to being a discursive commentary.
Sūtra 1.37
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 1.37:
वीतरागविषयं वा चित्तम् ॥ १.३७ ॥
vītarāgaviṣayaṃ vā cittam || 1.37 ||
37. Or the thinking principle taking a passionless object (becomes the cause of the mind’s steadiness).
The Rajamartanda commentary by King Bhoja:
[English translation of the 11th century commentary by Bhoja called the Rājamārtaṇḍa]
[Sanskrit text for commentary available]
In course of pointing out another expedient, be describes the object of the conscious form of meditation—or discriminate meditation.
[Read Sūtra 1.37]
The phrase “becomes the cause of the mind’s steadiness” is understood to complete the sentence.
“The Passionless” (vītarāga) are those who have abandoned all longings for sensuous objects, and their thinking principle, which has destroyed all pain, by being made the object of thought, becomes the cause of steadiness.
Notes and Extracts
[Notes and comparative extracts from other commentaries on the Yogasūtra]
[The next expedient is the making the thinking principle of those who have overcome all passions the object of contemplation. Vācaspati Miśra explains this by saying:
Vītarāgāḥ Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana prabhṛtayaḥ. Teṣām cittam tadevāvalambanam, tenoparaktamiti.
“The passionless are Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana and others. To make their thinking principle the object of thought is to rely thereon.]
He describes another expedient of this kind.