Samyoga - Union YS II - 23

Yoga Sutra II- 23 - SVA SVAMI SAKTYOH SVARUPOPALABDHI HETUH SAMYOGAH - The union of Owner (Purusha) and owned (Prakriti) causes the recognition of the nature and powers of them both.

"Samyoga (union) is necessary for the Purusha to realize himself with the help of nature." - Swami Satchidananda further comments that this union is not of the individual self with the higher Self, but union of the Purusha and Prakriti, Self and nature. Separately they don't express themselves, however, connected they become known. "They help each other." An analogy is given that in order to print white letters a black background is needed for contrast as you can't see white on white. It is through the Prakriti (black background or nature) that the Purusha (the white letters or Self) is realized. It is through nature that we realize the higher Self. "If not for the Prakriti, we could not know ourselves. So Prakriti isn't just bondage as many people think. It is necessary."

See related posts:

• The Seen - Nature of the Gunas YS II - 18
• The Four Stages of the Gunas YS II - 19
• The Seer or Purusha YS II - 20

The Witness - YS II - 21

Yoga Sutra II- 21 - TADARTHA EVA DRSYASYATMA - The seen exists only for the sake of the Seer.

Swami Satchidananda reminds of the previous sutras that tell us that "nature is here to give experience to the Purusha and so we think the Purusha is doing the experiencing." We are informed that the Purusha is just a witness. We can only understand this from our level, however as we go further, will realize this truth. We can only see from where we are presently in our understanding. Each person has their own understanding as we are each on different levels, with different capacities, tastes and temperaments. As our understanding deepens, we will eventually "know that the true Self never does anything nor will it ever enjoy anything."

Related post:

The Seen - Nature of the Gunas YS II - 18

The Seen - Nature of the Gunas YS II - 18

Yoga Sutra II- 18 - PRAKASA KRIYA STHITI SILLAM BHUTENDRIYATMAKAM BHOGAPAVARGARTHAM DRSYAM - The seen is of the nature of the gunas: illumination, activity and inertia; and consists of the elements and sense organs, whose purpose is to provide both experiences and liberation to the Purusha.


The seen? The gunas? What is this sutra talking about? The seen is the past participle of the word see according to Merriam- Webster Online dictionary - "1 a: to perceive by the eye b: to perceive or detect as if by sight". The gunas are defined in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda as the qualities of nature (sattvva, rajas and tamas or balance, activity and inertia).



Swami Satchidananda says that in this sutra Patanjali talks about the drisya, or seen. The Purusha or Seer, is who we truly are. According to Satchidananda, "Patanjali tries to analyze what this 'seen' is that gives us experience. He says it is a combination of different elements and organs controlled by the three gunas." The term used in the beginning of the sutra is prakasa kriya sthiti. Prakasa means illumination which stands for sattva; kriya is action representing rajas and sthiti is inertia or tamas. The question is why is there the "seen" (outside of ourselves) and why does Prakriti (nature, or environment) exist?


"Nature is here to give you experience and ultimately to liberate you from its bondage. Even if people do not want to be liberated, it educates them gradually so that one day they will feel, "I'm tired of the whole thing. I don't want it anymore. I've had enough." Swami Satchidananda says that we will feel this way only after we've gotten kicked and burned enough. The purpose of Prakriti or nature is to give us those experiences. He said "So, we should never condemn nature."

The commentary continues to tell us that Nature, Prakriti is a combination of elements and organs. The organs are the intellect, mind, senses and the body. Even though one might think of nature being outside of us, the body is nature too as it is comprised of the elements (IE. -air, fire, water, earth). We are reminded that nothing in nature can bring our minds unchanging happiness because the mind always changes. If this were not the case we would not always look for change. Think about it. At one time you liked something or someone. Then after a time, you no longer liked the something or someone. Then there is an analogy of how we like to hold on to things and with that comes struggle, tension. We are informed that "All life is a passing show. If we want to hold it, even for a minute, we feel tension." It is pointed out that even with our bodies, we don't want it to change (get older) and the extremes we go to prevent it. "If only we learn to enjoy each change, we can recognize the beauty even in aging." " When we allow things to pass, we are free." By doing this we keep our peace.

Another analogy is given of a silk worm and some of the questions we can ask ourselves are:

• Where are we now?
• Are we still eating?
• Are we in the cocoon?
• Are we meditating?
• Are we growing wings?

So the more we enjoy and we don't listen to wisdom (unless we have extraordinary intelligence), we are then taught by nature that puts us in a tight corner as a lesson. When we finally learn our lesson we no longer cling to that and thus become liberated. "After liberation, although we are still in nature, we are no longer bound by it as we grown the wings of viveka (discrimination of real and unreal) and vairagya(dispassion, detachment or unattachment). Like the silk worm, we slip out of the cocoon, we fly out never to return there again.

Swami Satchidananda ends the commentary with "When you've learned nature's lessons she no longer has any business with you, but she continues to exist to teach the many others who have not yet learned. " He says you have graduated from the university and you may go back as an alumnus, but you are no longer attached to the world. As a liberated person you can be useful in the world but not affected by it.

Rebirth - YS I-19

Yoga Sutra I- 19 - BHAVAPRATYAYO VIDEHA PRAKRTILAYANAM - Those who merely leave their physical bodies and attain the state of celestial deities, or those who get merged in Nature, have rebirth.

Swami Satchidananda exlplains this sutra to us saying if we die after practicing a little samprajnata samadhi, Patanjali is telling us that we do not lose all the benefits of the practice. Wherever ever we have stopped, or gained mastery over nature, we will go on to become one of the controllers of nature. "Such people are called videhas." Videha in the glossary of "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" translated and commented by Swami Satchidananda is defined as "bodiless".

Examples of dying mastering:

• the gross elements (without going to the subtler ones) makes one the controller of the gross elements of nature.
• the very depth of nature makes one become the Master of Nature. " Such people are called the siddha purushas, or the gods who control the different phenomena - Indra, Varuna, Agni and so on, according to the Hindu names."

Whatever level, we have to come back and study further and get liberated. It's like going to a university. If you drop out temporarily, you don't get a degree. You have to go back to get the degree. You go to a certain point and get into a higher abode and control nature, but the seeds of desires and attachment are still there. "That is why even gods have to become human beings." It is only in the human being level that there is a possibility of liberation. Swami Satchidananda said that "The gods are just human beings who have evolved a little further and learned to control nature and , by that control, have earned the enjoyment of certain pleasures in the heavens. But, after that , they come back" . So the cycle of birth and death will continue until all the seeds of desire get burnt and they become completely liberated by knowing themselves.

This is definitely food for thought. Stay tuned.