Sūtra 3.51

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 3.51:

स्वाम्युपनिमन्त्रणे सङ्गस्मयाऽकरणं पुनरनिष्टप्रसङ्गात् ॥ ३.५१ ॥

svāmyupanimantraṇe saṅgasmayā'karaṇaṃ punaraniṣṭaprasaṅgāt || 3.51 ||

51. Avoidance should be made of association with, and encouragement of, celestial temptations, from apprehension of evils recurring.

The Rajamartanda commentary by King Bhoja:

[English translation of the 11th century commentary by Bhoja called the Rājamārtaṇḍa]

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

There are four classes of Yogīs; viz., 1st, those practisers of the Yoga on whom the light is just shedding; 2nd, Ritambharas [Ṛtambharas?], or those who possess the knowledge which holds to the truth; 3rd, those who have conquered the elements and the organs; 4th, those who have exceeded all objects of contemplation. Thereof, to those who have attained the fourth meditation, when the seven surrounding stages of knowledge have been attained, and the final stage of ‘honeyed knowledge’ has been interviewed, the celestial (sthāninaḥ [sthānin]) gods become tempters, i.e., they offer presents of handsome women, elixir vitæ, &c. With such temptations no association should be made, nor any encouragement be given to them. From association there is a fall into the enjoyment of worldly pleasures. With regard to them therefore both association and encouragement should be renounced.

Notes and Extracts

[Notes and comparative extracts from other commentaries on the Yogasūtra]

[When the Yogī attains the last described sorrowless stage, he is exposed to a great danger. The gods envy his high excellence, but, unable to exercise open enmity, they try to divert him from his purpose by insidious means. They place temptations in his way, offer him handsome women, inexhaustible wealth, long life, and so forth to bring him back to the ways of the world, and thereby frustrate his purpose of attaining isolation. They act the part of Satan in the Bible and of Māra in the Buddhist system. In Hindu legends Indra is the chief god who envies men who are about to rise superior to carnal weakness, and the means he employs are the courtezans of his court, who descend on earth and tempt all Yogīs by their celestial charms. According to the Tantras when such temptations fail, resort is made to fear. Frightful forms of all kinds assail the Yogi when he is engaged in his meditations; venomous serpents hiss around him; tigers prowl about him; ogres come with wide open mouth to devour him. These are, in the technical language of the Yoga system, called Vibhīṣikā. The lukewarm yield to these, break their meditation, and are lost; the determined take no note of them, and attain their object. It is believed that these frightful forms never do any actual mischief; their object is to frighten, to put to test the determination and firmness of the Yogi, and not to do any positive harm. The advice given in the Tantras is not to give any encouragement to such temptations, nor to be depressed or frightened by the dangers which become manifest. Firmness suffices to overcome them. The text here does not refer to frightening.]

In connexion with the manifestation of this fruitful understanding, he describes a means besides the Saṃyamas above described.