Patanjali Yogasutra 2.25
(Kaivalya)
तदभावात् संयोगाभावो हानं तद् दृशेः कैवल्यम् || 2.25 ||
"When ignorance (avidya) is absent, the union (of Purusha and Prakriti) is also absent, leading to the cessation of this bond; this is the liberation (Kaivalya) of the Seer (Purusha)."
In this Sutra, Patanjali presents the culmination of the spiritual journey described in the preceding verses. Here, he emphasizes that the root cause of all suffering and bondage is the union (or misidentification) between the Seer (Purusha) and the seen (Prakriti). This union occurs due to ignorance (avidya), which causes the Purusha to wrongly identify itself with the mind, body, and external world. The cessation of ignorance results in the dissolution of this erroneous union, leading to the liberation of the Seer.
Liberation (Kaivalya) is the state in which the Seer (Purusha) stands in its True Nature, free from all associations and influences of Prakriti. Kaivalya (Sanskrit: कैवल्य) is the Ultimate Goal of aṣṭāṅga yoga and means "solitude", "detachment" or "isolation", a derivation from kevala "alone, isolated". It is the isolation of Purusha from Prakṛti, and liberation from rebirth, i.e., Moksha. In this state, the Purusha experiences Pure Consciousness, free from the constraints of time, space, and causality. This state is beyond any dualities, including the duality of Knower and known. The cessation of the union between Purusha and Prakriti is not just the end of suffering but the attainment of an eternal, unchanging state of Bliss and Pure Awareness.
The path to this Realization involves deep spiritual practices such as meditation, self-discipline, and discernment (viveka). Through these practices, the yogi gradually overcomes ignorance and attains the clarity to see the difference between Purusha and Prakriti. When this Realization dawns, the Seer (Purusha) is no longer affected by the activities of Prakriti and remains established in its pure, liberated state. This is the Ultimate Goal of yoga according to Patanjali – the State of Kaivalya.
Swami Vivekanand said:
"According to this Yoga philosophy it is through ignorance that the Soul has been joined with Nature and the idea is to get rid of Nature 's control over us. That is the goal of all religions. Each Soul is potentially Divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within, by controlling Nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or by philosophy, by one, or more, or all of these - and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details. The Yogi tries to reach this goal through psychic control. Until we can free ourselves from nature we are slaves; as she dictates so we must go. The Yogi claims that he who controls mind controls matter also. The internal Nature is much higher that the external, and much more difficult to grapple with, much more difficult to control; therefore he who has conquered the internal Nature controls the whole universe; it becomes his servant. Raja Yoga propounds the methods of gaining this control. Higher forces than we know in physical Nature will have to be subdued. This body is just the external crust of the mind. They are not two different things; they are just as the oyster and its shell. They are but two aspects of one thing; the internal substance of the oyster is taking up matter from outside, and manufacturing the shell. In the same way these internal fine forces which are called mind take up gross matter from outside, and from that manufacture this external shell, or body. If then, we have control of the internal, it is very easy to have control of the external. Then again, these forces are not different. It is not that some forces are physical, and some mental; the physical forces are but the gross manifestations of the fine forces, just as the physical world is but the gross manifestation of the fine world."
Comparison with Similar Verses from Vedic Texts
Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.9
स पश्यति निपण्यो ब्रह्मधामं यत्र विश्वं निहितं भाति शुभ्रं।
उपासते पुरुषं ये ह्यकामास्ते शुक्रमेतदतिवर्तन्ति धीराः॥ ३.२.९॥
"He who knows this Supreme Brahman, which is luminous and hidden in the heart of all beings, sees it clearly and transcends all the impurities of the heart; the wise, free from desires, worship this Purusha, and they go beyond this world."
This verse from the Mundaka Upanishad reflects the idea of Realizing the True Nature of the Self (Purusha) and transcending the impurities caused by ignorance. Just as in the Yogasutra, the wise (dhirah) in the Upanishad transcend the limitations of the material world and attain the Highest Realization by knowing the luminous Brahman, the essence of all beings.
Bhagavad Gita 2.72
एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिः पार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति।
स्थित्वास्यामन्तकालेऽपि ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति॥ २.७२॥
"This is the State of Brahman, O Arjuna; having attained this, one is never deluded. Being established in this State even at the time of death, one attains Brahmanirvana."
Here, Krishna describes a State of Being that is free from delusion, much like the state of Kaivalya described by Patanjali. The "Brahmi Sthiti" is akin to the State of Kaivalya, where one is free from the false identification with the body and mind and is established in the Pure Consciousness of Brahman.
Yoga Vashishta 6.1.34
यदा निष्कलमात्मानं चिन्मात्रं अनुभवति।
तदा सर्वाणि भूतानि द्रष्टुर्विषयतां गताः॥ ६.१.३४॥
"When one experiences the Self as Pure Consciousness without division, then all beings become objects of perception for the Seer."
This verse from the Yoga Vashishta emphasizes the Realization of the Self as Pure Consciousness, undivided and unbound by material conditions. In this State, the Seer (Purusha) perceives all beings as separate from its true essence, which is in line with Patanjali's teaching that the separation of Purusha from Prakriti leads to liberation.
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