Because of Ignorance - YS II - 24

Yoga Sutra II- 24 - TASYA HETUR AVIDYA - The cause of this union is ignorance.

Swami Satchidananda comments that Patanjali is laughing at the idea of expressing this sutra. It seems ludicrous or even confusing that he is saying this, however, if understood properly it's a "no-brainer." In the previous sutra, YS II - 23, Swami Satchidananda says "we are still in the world and wondering about the reason for nature. Once the Purusha understands himself, he thinks, "How did this union come about? It is because I have forgotten myself. What an ignorant person I was. Because of my ignorance I created this union."

Such a person will laugh at this only after realization, after awakening from the ignorance. It's like waking up after a bad dream, realizing it wasn't real. "The understanding behind this Sutra is a result of realization." [Note: The Purusha is the primeval man, considered to be the soul of the universe, which was created out of his body.]

Swami Satchidananda compares these sutras to the Four Nobles Truths of Lord Buddha:

• The misery of the world
• the cause of the misery
• the removal of that misery
• the method used to remove it.

Patanjali tells us:

• pain can be avoided
• its cause is ignorance
• hanam - removal of this misery
• hano-payam - the method to remove it

The picture for this post is of the Nataraja (The Hindu god Shiva in his form as the cosmic dancer) dancing on the body of dwarf apasmara-purusha (the man of forgetfulness) who embodies indifference, ignorance and laziness. One can literally say this is what one could do awakening from the ignorance - dance!

Between Ignorance - YS II - 5

Yoga Sutra II-5 - ANITYASUCI DUHKHANATMASU NITYA SUCI SUKHATMAKHYATIR AVIDYA - Ignorance is regarding the impermanent as permanent, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasant, and the non-Self as the Self.

Swami Satchidananda says of this sutra that Patanjali is explaining what ignorance is. (The previous sutra broke down the categories of ignorance.) He is not speaking about not knowing an object, like a piece of fruit, if one had never seen it before. Swami Satchidananda is referring to last part of the sutra the basic ignorance: "regarding the non-Self as the Self." He questions what is Self and non-Self? He says that the Self is what is eternal, never changing and always everywhere as the very basic substance. In other words, whatever exists is the Self. But because of our ignorance we see the Self as different objects.

We as human beings basically regard our body as to who we are and we identify with being a man, woman, black, white, being hungry or lame. Satchidananda says that all these are conditions and qualities of the body. Like if we say we are sick, he asks who is sick? It's the body, not who we really are - the Self. And whenever we make that type of identification, it is when we identify with the non-Self (the part that changes). Any type of feelings of the mind are modifications (vrittis). Once we have understood this then nothing can disturb us in this world. Things will come and go, it is not who we really are.

He ends the commentary with asking who is practicing Yoga. The answer is the mind along with the body. Basically our true nature, the eternal Self does not need any practice. "So, Yoga is neither for a person who has gained the light nor for the totally ignorant person who doesn't bother to know anything." Swami Satchidananda is saying that yoga is for the person in between and to dispel this ignorance(in between) that Yoga is practiced.

Avidya -Ignorance YS II-4

Yoga Sutra II-4 AVIDYA KSETRAM UTTARESAM PRASUPTA TANU VICCHINNODARANAM - Ignorance is the field for the others mentioned after it, whether they be dormant, feeble, intercepted, or sustained.

In this sutra Swami Satchidananda breaks down the stages or categories of ignorance. Avidya is the Sanskrit word for ignorance, where words such as "delusion", "unlearned", "unwise" are used to describe avidya. The categories of avidya are:

• dormant - Here Swami Satchidananda gives the example of how a "baby's obstacles are completely dormant." When we look at babies we see the innocence in them. As they grow and mature the ignorance and the other obstacles dormant in their mind will manifest at the proper time.
• feeble - The example given here is "The mind of an advanced Yoga practitioner" who is not completely free of klesas (obstacles), however, klesas are in a very subtle trace form in the mind. Since the advanced Yoga practitioner has practiced a lot, the obstacles have sunken to the bottom of the mental lake, being weak from lack of use.
• intercepted- Swami Satchidananda uses a beginning yoga practitioner showing how"The obstacles are temporarily pushed down by constant practice of virtuous qualities such as love, truthfulness, discipline, cheerfulness, etc." If the practice of using these qualities are not done for a couple of days, the klesas (obstacles) will immediately surface.
• sustained - This type of ignorance is seen with the average person. Here the klesas are constantly manifesting. The mind is constantly being affected by the obstructions as there is no discipline or awareness to control them. It's like the moment we think about something an act on it like going to a nightclub when thinking about it.

Basically, Swami Satchidananda says by analyzing our minds we can observe if we have dormant klesas, or are we cultivating good qualities, or being overruled by them.

Five Obstacles -YS II-3

Yoga Sutra II-3 -AVIDYASMITA RAGA DVESABHINIVESAH KLESAH - Ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred, and clinging to bodily life are the five obstacles.

Swami Satchidananda says that in this sutra Patanjali gives the names of the obstacles (klesas) which are explained separately in the following Sutras. The obstacles are given in significant order. The ignorance of the Self breeds egoism and when there is ego there is the attachment to things "for the ego's selfish pleasure." Hatred comes into play when the attachment to things are not satisfied, especially if someone got in the way of those attachments. "And finally, because we are attached to things and afraid of death, there is clinging to life in the body."