Sūtra 1.17

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 1.17:

वितर्कविचारानन्दास्मितारूपानुगमात् संप्रज्ञातः ॥ १.१७ ॥

vitarkavicārānandāsmitārūpānugamāt saṃprajñātaḥ || 1.17 ||

vitarka—of philosophical curiosity, vicāra—of meditation, ānanda—of elation, asmitā—egoism. rūpa—appearences. anugamāt—by the accompaniment, by the company of, is accompanied by. saṃprajñātaḥ—the cognitive trance.

17. The Cognitive Trance is accompanied by the appearances of philosophical curiosity, meditation, elation and egoism.

The Sankhya-pravachana commentary of Vyasa

[English translation of the 7th century commentary by Vyāsa called the Sāṅkhya-pravacana, Vyāsabhāṣya or Yogabhāṣya]

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

Now then, how is the Cognitive Trance said to appear in those whose minds have been restrained by the two means? ‘The Cognitive

Trance is accompanied by the appearances of philosophical curiosity meditation, elation, and egoism.’

Philosophical curiosity (vitarka) is a superficial attempt of the mind to grasp any object.

Meditation is a subtle attempt. Elation is bliss. Egoism is the consciousness of being one with the self.

Of these, the first is the Savitarka Trance accompanied by all the four. The second is the Meditative (savicāra) where indistinctness ends. The third is Elative (sānanda) where meditation ends. The fourth is the purely egoistical (sāsmitā) where elation ends. All these trances have something to grasp (ālambana).

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]

Having described the means, the commentator now puts a question with the object of introducing the description of the acquisition they lead to, together with that of its various classes:—Now then how is the Cognitive Trance, &c.’ The Cognitive Trance is accompanied by the appearances of philosophical curiosity, meditation, elation, and egoism.

The Cognitive Trance is first described because it precedes the ultra-cognitive. The general nature of the Cognitive Trance is to be understood in the accompaniment of the natures, i.e., the forms, of philosophical curiosity, meditation, elation and egoism.

He defines philosophical curiosity ‘A superficial attempt of the mind, &c.’ Grasp (ābhoga) is the manifestation of consciousness consisting of the illumination of the nature of objects. It is called ‘Superficial’ because it has the gross phenomena for its sphere of action. As the new archer first aims at large objects only, and then at smaller and smaller ones by and by, so the neophyte in Yoga first learns the nature of gross objects of thought only, such as those made of the five Mahābhūtas (physical states of matter), the fourarmed god, &c.; and then the subtle ones.

In this way the grasp of the objects by the mind becomes subtle. Meditation has for its sphere of action, the causes of the gross phenomena, the subtle elements, the five tanmātras, the manifested and the unmanifested essence of matter (the liṅga and the aliṅga).

Having thus shown the range of the objective phenomena, he now shows the range of

the instrumental phenomena:—‘Elation is, &c.’ Elation is that blissful modification of consciousness, which consists in the illumination of the mind, as regards the acts of sensation, with gross phenomena for their objects. The nature of the powers of sensation is to enlighten, because they are born out of the principle of individuality, with the quality of essentiality (Sattva) predominating. Pleasure is a manifestation of the quality of Essentiality (Sattva). Acts of sensation too are therefore of the nature of pleasure. The manifestation of consciousness consisting of the illumination of this aspect is bliss.

He describes the Cognitive Trance having the subject (gṛhitṛ) for its sphere of action:—‘Egoism is the consciousness of being one with the self.’ Egoism is the subtle cause of the instrumental powers inasmuch as they are born out of it; and this egoism appearing as the self, the subject is the consciousness of being one with the self. This Cognitive Trance has the subject for its sphere of action, because the subject is always hidden behind egoism.

He mentions other minor differences of all the four:—(‘The first, &c.’ The cause is always present in the effect, as its antecedent state: not so the effect in the cause,

Therefore, this superficial range of consciousness is accompanied by all the four—the gross and its causes, the subtle, the instrumental and the subjective. The others have three, two and one cause, respectively as their spheres of action, and they have therefore three, two and one appearance, respectively.

He distinguishes the ultra-cognitive:—‘All these, &c.’