Sūtra 2.47

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 2.47:

प्रयत्नशैथिल्यानन्त्यसमापत्तिभ्याम् ॥ २.४७ ॥

prayatnaśaithilyānantyasamāpattibhyām || 2.47 ||

47. Through slightness of effort and attainment of the infinite.

The Rajamartanda commentary by King Bhoja:

[English translation of the 11th century commentary by Bhoja called the Rājamārtaṇḍa]

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

He describes the means of making the seat firm and pleasant.

[Read Sūtra 2.47]

The construction of the sentence is that through slightness of effort and through attainment of the infinite the seat becomes firm and pleasant. When the wish is formed, ‘I shall adopt this posture,’ and that posture is accomplished even with “slightness of effort,” i.e., without difficulty, and when the thinking principle is reposited in the infinity of space or the like, and by understanding it becomes of it, then from absence of the body and of egotism the posture does not become painful. When this control over posture is accomplished agitations of the body and such other obstructives to meditation do not arise.

Notes and Extracts

[Notes and comparative extracts from other commentaries on the Yogasūtra]

[The object here is to point out that when by practice one becomes able to assume any position at will, without any difficulty, and, adverting to the dogma that the thinking principle assumes the form of the object it thinks of, when by thinking on any infinite object, such as the sky, it becomes itself infinite, it feels no pain or uneasiness in assuming any posture, however painful it may otherwise be. The means of attaining firmness of seat thus are practice and the contemplation of boundless objects.]

A fruit thereof when accomplished.