Sūtra 3.20

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 3.20:

कायरूपसंयमात् तद्ग्राह्यशक्तिस्तम्भे चक्षुःप्रकाशासंप्रयोगेऽन्तर्धानम् ॥ ३.२० ॥

kāyarūpasaṃyamāt tadgrāhyaśaktistambhe cakṣuḥprakāśāsaṃprayoge'ntardhānam || 3.20 ||

kāya—of the body. rūpa—over the form, saṃyamāt—by saṃyama—Tad, that (form). grāhya—capable of receiving (that). śakti—the power. Tad Grāhya śakti—Of perceptibility, stambhe—on the checking of. cakṣuḥ—of the eye. prakāśa—with the light, asaṃprayoge—there being no contact. antardhānam—disappearance.

20. By Saṃyama over the form of the body, on perceptibility being checked, and thus there being no-contact with the light of the eye, comes disappearance.—126.

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]

By Saṃyama over the form of the body, lie checks the perceptibility of the form. On perceptibility being checked, and thus there no longer being contact with the light which carries it to the eye, disappearance of the Yogī is brought about. By this the cessation of the perception of sound, &c., must be understood as explained.—126.

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

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

By Saṃyama over the form of the body, on perceptibility being checked, and thus there being no contact with the light of the eye, comes disappearance.’

The body is made of the five Tattvas. It becomes an object of perception to the eye on account of its possession of colour (for form). It is by colour that the body and its form becomes objects of perception. When the Yogī performs Saṃyama with reference to the form of the body, then is checked the operation of the perceptibility of colour, which is responsible for causing the ocular perception of the body. For this reason when the power of being perceived is checked, the Yogī is no longer visible. Thereby the light of sensation which is born in the eye of another, does not come into contact with the body that has disappeared. The meaning is that the body of the Yogī does not become the object of the other’s knowledge. Disappearance is to be brought about when it is desired that the Yogī should not be seen by anybody. By this should also be understood another aphorism to the following effect:—By Saṃyama over the sounds, touches, tastes, smells of the body, their perceptibility being checked, there is no contact with the tympanum, skin, tongue and nose; and hence these disappear.