Sūtra 4.1

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 4.1:

जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः ॥ ४.१ ॥

janmauṣadhimantratapaḥsamādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ || 4.1 ||

1. The Perfections are produced by birth, herb, incantations, austerity, or Samādhi.

The Rajamartanda commentary by King Bhoja:

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

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

I adore that solitary, unborn Īśāna who is made up solely of thinking principle and bliss, and by whose fiat isolation is produced without (the aid of) any special means.

Now the author commences the chapter on Isolation with a view to establish by inferential arguments and by refutation of errors resulting from mistaken convictions, the true nature of Isolation. And by showing that the perfections aforesaid result from birth and various other causes, he demonstrates that they appear with the help of the power resulting from the practice of Samādhi in former births and from causes in this life from the time of birth. Further, with a view to afford assurance that no harm is done to Samādhi which may be achieved in course of many births, and to prove the preeminence of the completion of Samādhi as also for the consummation of the isolating Yoga, he says

[Read Sūtra 4.1]

Some perfections are caused by birth, as the power of flying in the air and the like in birds, or the perfected qualities of knowledge manifesting themselves immediately after birth, as in the great sage Kapila and others. Perfections from herbs—as firmness of the boy, &c. produced by the use of elixirs in Pātāla and such like places. Perfections from incantations—as ascent in the air by the repetition of particular mantras. Perfections from austerity—as in the case of Viśvāmitra and others. Perfections from Samādhi—as already described in the preceding chapter.

These perfections result in those persons who have destroyed pain in previous births; hence, as in the case of perfection by Samādhi, so in the case of others, the real cause is the practice of Samādhi in former births; incantations, &c. are merely instruments.

Notes and Extracts

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

[The word Siddhi comes from the root √sish [√sidh?] ‘to accomplish’ and means something accomplished. Transcendental powers attainable by the performance of Saṃyama, are perfections accomplished by special means and therefore called Siddhis or perfections; and having used that English equivalent elsewhere I have thought fit, for the sake of uniformity, to use it in the above aphorism. It is, however, not fully expressive here. Special powers, or faculties would have been much more expressive and to the point, the purport of the aphorism being that some faculties are derived from birth, some from herbs, some from incantations, some from the practice of austerities, and some from Samādhi. This general principle is laid down with a view to prepare the way to what follows.]

It might be contended that since in Nandīśvara and others the change of kind, &c., were effected in this life, how can you then establish the causality of the practice of Samādhi in previous lives? In reply to this, he says: