Sūtra 2.27

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 2.27:

तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा ॥ २.२७ ॥

tasya saptadhā prāntabhūmiḥ prajñā || 2.27 ||

(27) Seven kinds of insight come to him (the Yogī who has acquired discriminative enlightenment).

Ancient and Modern interpretation:

Vyāsa and Vācaspati has given^[1] these seven insights,which are seven steps of understanding. They are as follows—

1) The pain to be removed is known.Nothing further remains to be known of it.

2) The causes of pain to be removed have been done away with (they should be known).

3) Removal of the affliction is achieved (on having realized, enquiry about supreme goal ceases.Once release has been fully achieved by nirodha-Samādhi, then through its reollection the wisdom is gained).

4) Having mastered means of liberation, mind is no longer occupied with enquiry about yogic practices.This brings about cessation of the effort to atain proficiency in practice.

The above four insights are known as ‘liberation from action’ and remaining three are known as ‘freedom from citta ’.

5) When liberation is attained, there is cessation of experience. ‘There is nothing more served by buddhi ’ this sort of insight brings about cessation of operation of buddhi.

6) The knowledge that activities of buddhi are ceased and will not rise again.It is like a big stone falling from top of hill cannot go back to the top again, similarly attributes detached from puruṣa donot come back again.

7) It is recongnised that puruṣa is free from relationship with guṇas and is self-illuminated, pure and absolute.He lives jīvanmukta state.

Osho has suggested¹⁶² that there are seven steps.But he said, Gurdjieff talks about seven different types of men.

Osho refers these seven steps as seven cakras in prāṇic body, namely—

1. mulādhāra,
2. svādhiṣṭhāna,
3. maṇipura,
4. anāhata,
5. viśuddha,
6. ajña and
7. sahasrāra.

In Yogavāsiṣṭha,¹⁶³the seven steps of realization, saptajñānabhūmi, are similar to above seven stages of Patañjali. The progressive path of the individual as he ascends to the stage of super-consciousness has been described by Vasiṣṭha as follows–

1. The first state of knowledge is said to be śubhecchā (or vitruous desire).
2. The second is vicāraṇā (investigation or reflection).
3. The third is tanumānasā (or the state of thin mind).
4. The fourth would be sattvāpatti (or the attainment of pure being).
5. Then the stage (named) asaṃśakti (or non-union).
6. The sixth is padārthābhāvanā (or non-ideation of objects).
7. The seventh is considered as turyagā (remaining in the fourth state of consciousness).

The Sufi poet Attar in his mystical poem “The colloquy of the Birds” has described the stages of spiritual pilgrimage with great psychological insight as the journey through seven valleys^[2] which are noted below:

1. Valley of quest
2. Valley of love
3. Valley of knowledge
4. Valley of detachment
5. Valley of unity
6. Valley of amazement
7. Annihilation of self

This is similar to the classification of mystic way by Evelyn Underhill^[3]

1. Awakening of the self
2. Purgation or purification of the self
3. Illumination
4. Dark night of the soul
5. Union

The mystic way is like a spiral path going up a mountain, having ups and downs and areas that are sunlit and dark.

In kuṇḍalini yoga, also seven cakras are described to reach altered states of consciousness. These are—

1. mūlādhāra-cakra,
2. svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra,
3. maṇipura-cakra,
4. anāhata-cakra,
5. viśuddhi-cakra,
6. ajña-cakra and
7. sahasrāra-cakra.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Prasad Ram, op.cit., p.149-150

[2]:

Underhill Evelyn, Mysticism, A Study in the Nature snd Development of Spiritual Consciousness, Dover Publications, New York, 2002, P.131

[3]:

Ibid., p.169