Layers in understanding the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutra of Bhagavan Patanjali is a text of just 195 sentences, most of them quite short. Yet, it covers the breadth of psychology, philosophy, and practices of yoga. Understandably, it is a very dense text, with layers of meaning—if we know how to access those layers. To truly grasp the Yoga Sutra, it’s essential to go beyond just the literal meaning of the words and delve into the experiences, insights, and concepts that the text points towards.

Here is a useful example to illustrate this. Consider these statements:

“Doubt crept in like a thick fog.”

“Time weighed on him like an anchor.”

“Love bloomed like a rose in spring.”

How can we understand these sentences?

Each word in these sentences has a literal meaning. First, we must know those meaning clearly.

Next, we must put words together in sentences, and know the grammar needed to understand the full sentence.

Is that enough? No. If we read these statements literally, even knowing the words and the sentence grammar, that still does not explain their true meaning. Doubt is not literally a thing that can creep in nor is it physically thick or foggy. Time is not a substance with weight. Love is not a flower. But that is what a literal reading would lead us to believe.

Yet, when you read these sentences, these metaphors, you are not confused. You understand them as clearly meaning something else. How?

Your understanding comes from your experience and insight. You have experienced that doubt in your mind feels clouding, and that it often develops gradually, like a fog in the physical world of weather. You have experienced the passage of time feeling subjectively sluggish and dragged out, as if it was holding you back, like an anchor does to a ship. You have felt love creating a feeling of expansion in your heart, like a flower opens up in spring.

The words evoke an understanding that goes beyond their literal meanings, drawing on your personal experiences and the broader concepts behind them.

(It is proposed that one of the reasons why the current generation of Large Language Models that power AI bots have problems is due to the limitations in their internal models. Models that arise from training on word correlations in a sophisticated way are likely limited when compared to the more comprehensive multidimensional, multisensory model of the world that humans have.)

Similarly, when Patanjali says “yogah citta vṛtti nirodhah” meaning “Yoga is the stillness of the mind,” the statement is not just about the words themselves but about the layers of meaning behind them, including the experiences, concepts, and insights.

The purpose of Bhagavan Patanjali’s teachings is not just to give us sentences to debate over. He wanted to transmit to us the power of those insights, experiences, and concepts that he himself had. He had it, and he wished for us to have it too.

Since most of us haven’t experienced complete stillness of the mind, interpreting this phrase requires more than just understanding the words on the surface. It demands an exploration of the experience of mental stillness, the insights that lead to that state, and the underlying concepts that explain it.

Just as with the above metaphors, truly understanding Patanjali’s teachings involves digging into these deeper layers. It is not something that can be fully grasped in a single reading or by simply knowing the definitions of the words. It requires ongoing study, reflection, and practice, to give us the life experiences that help illuminate the text over time. The process of understanding the Yoga Sutra is a journey that unfolds gradually, revealing new insights as your own experiences and understanding deepen, with systematic study as your guide.