yoga sutras
first 12 aphorisms
now, instruction in yoga begins
“now” is not chronological—it’s initiatic. it means: you’ve suffered enough, you’ve desired enough, you’re ready to remember. only then is yoga possible.
this is the entry into Sāttwa, the pure discriminative stage of spiritual science. not philosophy—science. yoga is to be practiced, not theorized.
yoga is the cessation of the whirlpools of consciousness
the soul is reflected in the lake of the mind. when the lake is still, the Self is visible. yoga isn’t escape—it’s union with Self via stillness. kriya breathwork purifies the chitta and slows the vṛttis.
vṛttis are rooted in attraction and repulsion (the dual electricities of creation). to neutralize them is to repolarize attention back to the divine center.
then the seer rests in their own true nature
your real nature is ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss. when thought ceases, you are that. this is the goal of samadhi, attained through superconscious stillness
svarūpa is not an abstraction—it is the causal self, beyond astral and gross. resting in it is realization
otherwise, the seer identifies with the modifications
this is maya. identifying with the body, emotion, thought = spiritual amnesia. you think you are the storm instead of the sky
this is the soul’s delusion—its fall into nature’s triple qualities (gunas). from oneness into form
there are five kinds of thought-modifications—some painful, some not
all thoughts aren’t evil—but even positive vṛttis veil the self. only superconscious waves point inward
the fivefold modifications align with the five sheaths (koshas) and must be transcended, not merely balanced
the five types: correct knowledge, error, imagination, sleep, memory
all are vṛttis—movements in the lake of mind. even right knowledge is a ripple. ultimate yoga = the stilling of even pramāṇa
only pure intuition (viveka) transcends these. all else is part of the manasic illusion
right knowledge comes from perception, inference, and testimony
perception (eyes), inference (logic), and authority (scripture) are helpful—but still limited. highest pramāṇa is direct soul perception
scripture is valid only when it aligns with inner realization. never bow to dogma—verify within
error is false knowledge based on a mistaken object
this is ego believing it’s the body. mistaking maya for reality. error = soul misidentifying itself with mind, senses, and world
all false knowledge is rooted in aviveka (lack of discrimination)—this is the foundation of reincarnation
imagination is verbal knowledge without substance
all concepts without experience are empty. imagining God is not knowing God
mental speculation is dust. only realization counts
sleep is a vṛtti based on absence
sleep isn’t unconsciousness—it’s a subtle form of ego withdrawal. but not samadhi. a yogi must transcend sleep—not escape into it
in dreamless sleep, the ego dissolves into causal body—but still unaware. samadhi = same dissolution, with awareness
memory is recollection of past experience
memory is both blessing and curse. it can bind you to old karma—or remind you of your divinity
memories are impressions (samskaras) in the astral brain. true yoga burns them completely
the vṛttis are stilled by practice and non-attachment
abhyāsa = meditative discipline; vairāgya = inner disinterest in maya. both are wings. kriya yoga IS this: effort + letting go
this is the science of reversal—from outward to inward. detachment isn’t passivity—it’s clarity
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