Patanjali Yogasutra 4.34
पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानां प्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति ।
"The dissolution of the gunas (qualities of Nature), which have become devoid of purpose for the Purusha, is termed Kaivalya. It is the establishment of the Self in its Pure Essence or the Realization of the power of Pure Consciousness."
This Sutra concludes the Yoga Sutras by describing the Ultimate State of Realization (Kaivalya). Here, the gunas—the fundamental qualities of Nature (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas)—revert to their origin, as they no longer serve a purpose for the Purusha (the individual Self). This state is achieved when the yogi fully understands the distinction between the Self (Purusha) and the non-self (Prakriti or Nature). The dissolution of the gunas signifies the cessation of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, allowing the Purusha to reside in its True, Pure State, unaffected by external phenomena.
Kaivalya as Pure Consciousness:
Kaivalya is described as the establishment of the Purusha in its Pure Essence, which is an unbounded state of Pure Consciousness. This State is beyond the dualities of material existence and free from all constraints of the mind and body. The term Svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā emphasizes that the Self remains firmly rooted in its True form, experiencing the Infinite Bliss of Realization. This Ultimate Realization is not a state of nothingness but rather a profound Realization of the Self's eternal, unchanging Nature.
For practitioners, this Sutra highlights the culmination of the path of yoga—detachment from the material and subtle bindings of existence. By overcoming ignorance (Avidya), desires, and attachments, the yogi achieves Realization, which is not a new State but the rediscovery of the ever-present Pure Consciousness. This Sutra underscores the transient nature of worldly experiences and the Eternal Nature of the Self, inspiring seekers to transcend the limitations imposed by gunas and Realize the unconditioned Freedom of Kaivalya.
Swami Vivekanand said:
"Nature’s task is done, this unselfish task which our sweet nurse Nature had imposed upon herself. As it were, she gently took the self-forgetting soul by the hand, and showed him all the experiences in the Universe, all manifestations, bringing him higher and higher through various bodies, till his glory came back, and he remembered his own Nature. Then the kind mother went back the way she came, for others who have also lost their way in the trackless desert of life. And thus she is working, without beginning and without end. And thus through pleasure and pain, through good and evil, the infinite river of souls is flowing into the ocean of Perfection, of Self-Realization. Glory unto those who have realised their own Nature! May their blessings be on us all!"
Comparative Context from Vedic Texts
Bhagavad Gita 14.20
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।
जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते।।
"When the embodied being transcends these three gunas that arise from the body, they become free from birth, death, old age, and suffering and attain immortality."
Like the Yogasutra, this verse emphasizes transcending the gunas as a pathway to liberation. The Gita elaborates on the gunas' role in binding the soul to material existence and highlights liberation as the state of immortality and freedom from suffering.
Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.9
स यो ह वै तत् परमं ब्रह्म वेद ब्रह्मैव भवति।
नास्याब्रह्मवित्कुले भवति। तरति शोकं तरति पाप्मानं गुहाग्रन्थिभ्यो विमुक्तोऽमृतो भवति।।
"One who knows that Supreme Brahman becomes Brahman itself. In their lineage, none remains ignorant of Brahman. Such a person transcends sorrow, sin, and the knots of the heart, becoming immortal."
This Upanishadic verse resonates with the concept of Kaivalya, describing liberation as transcending sorrow and ignorance. The focus on becoming Brahman reflects the establishment in pure consciousness similar to the Yogasutra.
Yoga Vashishta 6.2.207
यदा सर्वनिर्वृत्तानि कर्माणि मनसश्च या।
आत्मा तिष्ठति स्वरूपे तदा कैवल्यमश्नुते।।
"When all actions and the movements of the mind cease, and the Self rests in its own essence, then one attains Kaivalya."
The Yoga Vashishta closely parallels the Yogasutra in describing liberation as the cessation of mental activity and the establishment in the Self’s Essence, underscoring the idea of Pure Consciousness.
These verses collectively highlight the universality of the concept of Spiritual Realization across Vedic philosophy, affirming the Yogasutra's emphasis on transcending the gunas to achieve Ultimate Freedom.
This ends the discussion on The Patanjali Yogasutra..
Om Tat Sat ...
