Yoga Sutra III- 52- STHANYUPANIMANTRANE SANGA SMAYAKARANAM PUNAR ANISTA PRASANGAT - The Yogi should neither accept nor smile with pride at the admiration of even the celestial beings, as there is the possibility of his getting caught again in the undesirable.
Swami Satchidananda translated sutra 52 without commentary.
"How to Know God - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali" translated and commented on by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood:
" 'The invisible beings in high places' are the fallen yogis already referred to (I,19) who have reached the state of disincarnate gods or become merged in the forces of Nature. Such beings have failed to find liberation precisely because they yielded to temptation of the psychic powers. " We are told that "The great Hindu teachers all believe that a yogi's spiritual development might be interfered with by external forces - by the disincarnate gods, by beings on the psychic or subtle place of matter, or by earthbound spirits. And this belief is symbolized in the traditional Hindu ritualistic worship,". (This is described in the commentary which is not not covered in this is post.)
We are told "Up to a certain point, temptation increases with spiritual growth. As the aspirant ceases to be a mere beginner and gains some mystical experience, his personality becomes magnetic. He finds that he can exert psychological power over others, and also sexual attraction. At the same time, his own senses grow keener and more capable of enjoyment." This is where it becomes easy to get caught up in power and sex relationships and thus forgets his original purpose. "The very people who are drawn to him because of his godlike quality they see in his nature may be the ones who are most responsible for his gradual alienation from God."
Finally we are informed that "no one who seeks Brahman ever comes to an evil end." If such a lapse takes place, it is believed that the spiritual aspirant will eventually get back on the path.
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