Yoga-sutras (with Vyasa and Vachaspati Mishra)
by Rama Prasada | 1924 | 154,800 words | ISBN-10: 9381406863 | ISBN-13: 9789381406861
The Yoga-Sutra 2.39, English translation with Commentaries. The Yoga Sutras are an ancient collection of Sanskrit texts dating from 500 BCE dealing with Yoga and Meditation in four books. It deals with topics such as Samadhi (meditative absorption), Sadhana (Yoga practice), Vibhuti (powers or Siddhis), Kaivaly (isolation) and Moksha (liberation).
Sūtra 2.39
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 2.39:
अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथंतासंबोधः ॥ २.३९ ॥
aparigrahasthairye janmakathaṃtāsaṃbodhaḥ || 2.39 ||
aparigraha—of non-covetousness. sthairye—in the confirmation, janma-kathaṃtā—of the how of births. saṃbodhaḥ—the knowledge.
39. Non-covetousness being confirmed, the knowledge of-the-how of births.—90.
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]
Non-covetousness being confirmed, the knowledge of the how-of-births comes to him. Who was I? How was I? What is this? How is this? What shall we be? Or, How shall we be? In this shapecomes to him the desire of knowing the nature of his own existence in the past, the present and the future.
These are attainments due to the confirmation of the restraints. We shall now speak of those that are caused by observances.—90.
The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra
[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]
Non-covetousness being confirmed, the knowledge of the ‘how-of-births.’ Birth means coming into relationship with the physical body and the powers of sensation, &c., together. The how-of-birth means its modality. Its knowledge means its direct consciousness. It means the perfect knowledge of the past, the present and of all that is beyond ken, together with their modes.
Questions about the past:—‘Who was I?’ Questions about the different modes of the birth and preservation of the same:—‘How was I?’ Wishes to know the nature of the present birth:—‘What is this?’ Is the physical body the mere collection of the physical elements or something different therefrom? Here too the words ‘How is this?’ are to be understood. In some books they actually appear.
Questions about the future:—‘What shall we be?’ Here too the how must be understood. Thus comes to him the desire to know of his own existence, i.e., the coming into relationship with the body, &c., in the past, the present and the future. From the desire comes the knowledge, the rale being that one does whatever he desires.—39.