Yoga Sutra IV - 1 - JANMAUSADHI MANTRA TAPAH SAMADHI JAH SIDDHAYAH- Siddhis are born of practices performed in previous births, or by herbs, mantra repetition, asceticism, or by samadhi.Swami Satchidananda begins his commentary with :
"Patanjali begins this chapter by reviewing the methods by which the siddhis can be obtained by the Yoga practitioner. Some people attain the siddhis without even doing any practices in this life. They don't know what they did to have these kinds of powers. That is the proof that they have done something in their past lives to merit such powers in this one." Clues are given about people who have experiences through "their LSD and marijuana." Grass and mushrooms are given as examples of herbs.
We are then informed that "siddhis come by the practice of mantra japa or by asceticism. Asceticism,or tapas, means accepting suffering willingly, thus exercising your will power and gaining control over the mind. And finally Patanjali says that the siddhis can come through samadhi gained through the proper procedure of concentration and meditation."
Swami Satchidananda concludes that normally it is recognized from the various ways of attaining psychic power, the only natural way is through samadhi. An herb is an external stimuli, not an "organic" siddhi, which may come and fade. "So, siddhis should come in the regular process of Yoga, not through external stimuli."
The commentary on this sutra will continue in the next post.
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