Avoidable Pain - YS - II - 16, YS II - 17

Yoga Sutra II-16 - HEYAM DUHKHAM ANAGATAM - Pain that has not yet come is avoidable

From the book "How to Know God - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali" translated and commented on by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, for this sutra says that the karma "which we are creating now - 'the pain which is yet to come' - can be avoided." They are saying this can be done not by ceasing to act but by not having a desire or attachments to our actions. "If we can dedicate the fruits of actions to God, we will gradually unwind the wheel of karma and thus avoid its pain."

Yoga Sutra II- 17 - DRASTR DRSYAYOH SAMYOGO HEYA HETUH - The cause of that avoidable pain is the union of the Seer (Purusha) and see (Prakriti, or Nature).

Swami Satchidananda states "First, Patanjali tells us the reason for this pain." Its cause is the union of the Seer and the seen. Yoga philosophy speaks of two important things: one is the Purusha, the other is the Prakriti. The Purusha is the true Self." The Prakriti is who sees and is everything else. Swami Satchidananda tells us that this is our dilemma in that we are always identifying with what is seen (with what we possess). In other words uniting the two as one. He says that as the Self all things are possessed by us. The dilemma is pointed out in an example of saying the body is slim as opposed to saying "I" am slim. The question is who is slim? "This identification with other things is the cause of all our pain." If we realize this then the changing of things and circumstances will never cause us pain because we know that these occurrences is not who we really are.


Swami Satchidananda ends the commentary telling us to "Stay in your true Self" and that "You are the knower." The key here is to realize "Who is the loser?" No matter what we will realize that we are still here, we didn't lose ourselves.

An Unattached View YS II - 15

Yoga Sutra II- 15 -PARINAMA TAPA SAMSKARA DUHKHAIR GUNA VRTTI VIRODHAC CA DUHKHAM EVA SARVAM VIVEKINAH - To one of discrimination, everything is painful indeed, due to its consequences: the anxiety and fear over losing what is gained; the resulting impressions left in the mind to create renewed cravings; and the constant conflict among the three gunas, which control the mind.

Swami Satchidananda points out that Patanjali gives a very great truth in the spiritual field in this important sutra. If we contemplated this sutra for a little while daily, our lives would be transformed. "All experiences are painful for the person of spiritual discrimination. In this world, all experiences that come from outside through the world, through nature or material things, are ultimately painful. None can give everlasting happiness."

He says temporary pleasure always end in pain because of fearing the loss of it. Examples given are:

• having a high position - fear of losing the position


• accumulating a lot of money - fear of losing the money


• our beauty and youth - fear of becoming ugly and old

Swami Satchidananda says it alright to have these things as long as you don't let it bring you anxiety and fear. The past pleasures are painful because renewed cravings arising from impressions that were left in the mind. There is really nothing bad in the world, but the three gunas are constantly tossing the mind. [In the Wikipedia, the Sanskrit word guna has the basic meaning of "string" or "a single thread or strand of a cord or twine". The three gunas (based upon the three "tendencies"), are sattva guna, and rajas guna, tamas guna]

One can see these tendencies evident when "What you enjoy one minute you hate the next." Swami Satchidananda further comments that "Real pleasure comes from detaching ourselves completely from the entire world, in standing aloof--making use of the world as a master of it." We are reminded that we cannot escape from everything (which generates pain) because that doesn't work as wherever we go, the world (our world) follows. "Wherever we are, we have to learn to handle things properly."

An analogy is given of one leaving family life to go live in an ashram. If one cannot adapt to his known family, how can one adapt to an unknown group? "The world is a training place where we learn to use the world without getting attached." "Pleasure and pain are but the outcome of your approach." This determines your experience of heaven or hell. It's like learning to swim. At first there is fear, but once learned it becomes enjoyable.

Pleasure and Pain - YS II- 14

Yoga Sutra II- 14- TE HLADA PARITAPA PHALAH PUNYAPUNYA HETUTVAT - The karmas bear fruits of pleasure and pain caused by merit and demerit.

The commentary by Swami Satchidananda for this sutra is very short. If we have done or performed some action that is meritorious, we will experience pleasure and happiness. If we have performed demeritorious actions, we will experience suffering and pain. "A happy or unhappy life is your own creation. Nobody else is responsible." If we can remember this sutra and or the meaning of it, we won't be able to blame or find fault with others. "You are your own best friend as well as your worst enemy."

There really is not much more to be said of this. We can all look at our lives and see the answers for ourselves, especially if one is awake and alert. Needless to say, if we look at everyday life whether the news, our families, our daily situations in our lives we can see this for ourselves. And if we can't , read the previous posts on karmas and obstacles (klesas):

• Karma Past, Present & Future - YS II - 12
• Five Obstacles -YS II-3
• Avidya -Ignorance YS II-4
• Between Ignorance - YS II - 5
• Egoism - Asmita YS II - 6
• Attachment and Aversion YS II-7 - YS II - 8
• Abhinivesa - Fear of Death YS II- 9

Roots and Fruits YS II- 13

Yoga Sutra II- 13 - SATI MULE TAD VIPAKO JATYAYUR BHOGAH - With the existence of the root, there will be fruits also: namely the births of different species of life, their life spans and experiences.

Swami Satchidananda suggests for this sutra that we think about what species we may become in our next birth. He says we might not get a human body as to what thoughts we had previously. If we had animalistic thoughts, the karmas may call for an animal's body. So if we had cunning thoughts, perhaps a fox's body, or eating excessively (thoughts of food) then a pig's body. Swami Satchidananda states that this does not contradict the theory of evolution as the individual soul always continues to evolve. We are reminded that the body is not the experiencer, as life is experienced by the mind through the body.

Whatever we concentrate on is where the mind is focused. So if we are reading a book, hearing outside sounds will not be noticed not because we are deaf, but because the mind is not connected to our ears at that time. "Even in an animal's body, the mind experiences and undergoes things." At this juncture we are told that each body is a different vehicle, that a dog on the road may have been a saint that made a mistake and got that body. "Within each form lies a soul on its evolutionary path toward realization."

The commentary ends stating that this sutra tells us that the span of each life of experiences (pleasure and pain) are determined by karma, which is the fruit of the obstacles (klesas) mentioned in the previous sutras for book II.

See previous posts:

• Five Obstacles -YS II-3


• Karma Past, Present & Future - YS II - 12

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Karma Past, Present & Future - YS II - 12

Yoga Sutra II- 12 - The womb of karmas (actions and reactions) has its root in these obstacles, and the karmas bring experiences in the seen [present] or in the unseen [future] births.


Swami Satchidananda states that Patanjali attempts " to explain what karma is, how it is stored and how it functions. The Sanskrit term karma can mean two things: action and /or the result of action. When you do karma, you reap karma." Swami Satchidananda states that every action leaves an effect and that it is impossible to say which came first. Did the chicken come from the egg and vice- versa or the tree from the seed? No action happens without a reaction, which never goes away as it is stored.

We are informed that there is a receptacle for the karmas, or the womb of karmas (karmasaya), which wait for the opportunity to be born (surface) bringing their reactions. It is the obstacles (klesas) that cause the karmas which will bear fruit now, or in a future life, hence they are seen or unseen. Swami Satchidananda explains that there doesn't have to be separate births for every karma and that the karmas may be manifested together. The analogy given here is of a taxi driver picking up a group of people at one time as opposed to singularly. So a strong and powerful karma will say it must have a body to express itself. And when that karma is over there are others waiting to manifest.

We are further informed that we can even change our present body if we have an intense desire. "If your mind is consumed with intense anger, for example, the whole face and body will change to express that emotion. If the present body can't change enough to fulfill the purpose of a particular thought, the body will be disposed of and you will get a new one. Karmas are that powerful." Imagine how many actions we perform and that each one will bring a reaction, whether good or bad.

In this birth we are not just enjoying the reactions to previous actions or purging karmas, but also creating new karma also. The three kinds of karmas are:

• prarabda karma- Those being expressed and exhausted through this birth; fructifying works
• agami karma - New karmas being created in this birth; current works
• sanjita (sanchita) karma - Karmas waiting to fulfilled in future births; accumulated works

The Wikipedia has the following example of the three karmas, which is the analogy Swami Satchidananda used as well in his commentary:

In Vedantic literature, there is a beautiful analogy. The bowman has already sent an arrow and it has left his hands. He cannot recall it. He is about to shoot another arrow. The bundle of arrows in the quiver on his back is the sanchita; the arrow he has shot is prarabdha; and the arrow which he is about to shoot from his bow is agami. Of these, he has perfect control over the sanchita and the agami, but he must surely work out his prarabdha. The past which has begun to take effect he has to experience.

This cycle continues until Self-realization is attained.

Ego - Meditation YS II- 10, YS II - 11

Yoga Sutra II- 10 - TE PRATIPRASAVA HEYAH SUKSMAH - In subtle form, these obstacles can be destroyed by resolving them back into their primal cause [the ego].

Yoga Sutra II- 11 -DHYANA HEYAS TAD VRTTAYAH - In the active state, they can be destroyed by meditation.

Swami Satchidananda comments on the above sutras above together. In Yoga Sutra II- 10 he speaks about breaking the ego and likens it to a pot. The ego has the "smell "of thoughts and in order to get rid of the impressions of the thoughts, one has to break the pot (ego) . He then uses the analogy of using meditation as a process to understand the thoughts and to clean them up. When uprooting a tree, the branches are cut first and then the roots of the tree are dug up.

From the book "How to Know God - The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali" translated and commented on by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, for these sutras they start with the latter sutra to the former one. Instead of starting with the subtle, the gross form of the fully developed obstacle is to be overcome first. Then when they (the obstacle or klesas) exist vestigially as tendencies (samskaras), they are only destroyed "when the mind is resolved back to its cause, that is, into Prakriti, from which the mind was projected." This the process that leads to samadhi.

Abhinivesa - Fear of Death YS II- 9

Yoga Sutra II-9 - SVARASAVAHI VIDUSO'PI TATHARUDHO'BHINIVESAH - Clinging to life, flowing by its own potency [due to past experience], exist even in the wise.

Abhinivesa can be defined as tenacity for life and is the last of the five obstacles or hindrances (klesas). In looking up the Sanskrit word abhinivesa, it could also mean fear of death.

Swami Satchidananda says of this sutra that we can find a clue on the nature of rebirth (reincarnation) even though "Many Westerners don't believe in reincarnation." Satchidananda says that "Yoga philosophy reminds us that all our knowledge comes through experience." If we don't have experience we cannot learn or understand anything. "Even books can only remind us of something we have experienced in the past."

There is further discussion in the commentary about why we would be afraid of death if we had not experienced it before. The word instinct comes into play where Swami Satchidananda says according to Yoga that " instinct is a trace of an old experience that has been repeated many times and the impressions have sunk down to the bottom of the mental lake." He alludes to the fact that we have died hundreds and thousand of times, so we know the pang of death. When we are born into a human body "we love it so much that we are afraid to leave it and go forward because we have a sentimental attachment to it." This klesa (obstacle) is from the ignorance of our true nature and until we can get rid of it, we are not ready to move on further.