Sūtra 1.16

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 1.16:

तत् परं पुरुषख्यातेर् गुणवैतृष्ण्यम् ॥ १.१६ ॥

tat paraṃ puruṣakhyāter guṇavaitṛṣṇyam || 1.16 ||

tat—that, param—is higher, puruṣa—of the Puruṣa. khyāteḥ—due to the knowledge, guṇa—to the qualities. vaitṛṣṇyam—indifference.

16. The same is Higher, when there is indifference to the “qualities,” due to the knowledge of the Puruṣa.

The Sankhya-pravachana commentary of Vyasa

[English translation of the 7th century commentary by Vyāsa called the Sāṅkhya-pravacana, Vyāsabhāṣya or Yogabhāṣya]

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

He who sees the defects of the perceptible and scriptural objects of enjoyment, is indifferent (to them.)

He whose Will-to-know is saturated with the notion of the distinctive nature of the Puruṣa, brought about by the purity of the effort to know him, becomes indifferent to the ‘qualities,’ both in their manifested and unmanifested state.

There are two forms of desīrelessness. Of these the latter is but the light of spiritual knowledge When this light shines, discrimination arises. Then the Yogi thinks thus:—Whatever was to be obtained has been obtained. The afflictions that were to be destroyed have been destroyed. The fast-jointed chain of life which, when it is not broken, there is or occurs birth after death and death after birth, has been broken. Desirelessness is but the highest perfection of spiritual knowledge; and absolute independence (kaivalya) is nothing else.

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]

Having described the Lower desīrelessness, the author now describes the Higher: “The same is Higher when there is indifference to the ‘qualities,’ due to knowledge of the Puruṣa.”

He shows that Lower desīrelessness is the antecedent to the Higher, and that it is the entrance to that. Lower Desīrelessness is shown by the words, “he who sees the defects of perceptible and scriptural objects of enjoyment, is indifferent to them.”

“Brought about by the effort to know the Puruṣa;” the knowledge of the Puruṣa is his recognition by means of the Veda, by inference and by the teaching of the masters. The ‘effort to know’ consists in the repeated resort to the means. The purity of the knowledge consists in the steady flow of the quality of essence (sattva), due to the removal of active disturbance (rajas) and inertia (tamas). This brings about the recognition of the distinct natures of the Puruṣa and the “qualities.” The Puruṣa is pure and infinite. The ‘qualities’ are contrary thereto. The Yogī whose intellect is saturated by the recognition, is spoken of as such. The trance known as the Cloud of Virtue is spoken of here.

Such a Yogī is entirely free from attachment to the ‘qualities,’ whether possessing the characteristic of the manifested or the unmanīfested; so much so that he is free from attachment even to the mental phenomenon of the recognition of the distinct nature of the Objective Essence and the Puruṣa, which itself is a manifestation of the qualities.

Thus there are two forms of desirelessness. The former desirelessness exists when the mental essence (sattva) has been rendered free from inertia (tamas), by the manifestation of its essential nature (the sattva), but there still remains a trace of the dirt of disturbing energy (rajas).

This view is common to the Tauṣṭikas, those who are addicted to enjoyment in the states. It is by that of course that they become Prakṛtilayas. So it has been said:—‘One becomes a Prakṛtilaya by desirelessness.’

The last of the two is but the light of knowledge. By the use of the word ‘but’ it is indicated that in that state no objects of knowledge exist. The mental essence as it exists in that state is similar to the same, but is besides untainted by the least impurity, of Disturbing Energy (rajas). It is therefore said to be the light of knowledge. Mental Essence is by nature purity: but it puts on impurity by the taint of disturbing energy (rajas) and inertia (tamas). When the impurities of rajas and tamas have been washed away by the pure showers of desirelessness and practice, it becomes highly illuminated, and the light of spiritual knowledge is left there alone.

He shows that in that state the ‘qualities’ become unworthy of acceptance ‘When this light shines, discrimination arises in the Yogī.’ The meaning is that the Yogī becomes possessed of the present discriminative knowledge, when other forms of knowledge have disappeared.

What was to be obtained, i.e., perfect independence (kaivalya) has been obtained. As will be said, ‘the wise man becomes free while living.’ The meaning is that this takes place because residual potencies only remain with their root cut off. How is it that all that had to be attained, has been attained? Because the afflictions of Nescience, &c., which had to be removed, have been removed together with their residual aroma.

But then there is the store of virtue and vice which is used as a chain to bind living beings to birth and death in the universe. How then can there be absolute freedom? For this reason, the commentator says:—‘The fast-jointed chain, &c., is broken.’ The ‘fast-jointed chain’ means that whose joints are so firmly and closely fastened together that they appear to be one whole and do not appear to have been fastened together. It is the pieces of virtue and vice stored, which, as individual pieces in the collection, are put together to make the fast joints of a chain. ‘The chain of existence’ implies that the living being is not freed from the bonds of birth and death. This chain is broken when the afflictions have been done away with. And so it has been said

‘The vehicle of actions has its root in nescience.’—2.12.

‘It bears fruit if there is a root.’—2.13.

It may be questioned, that inasmuch as restraint is the intermediate stage between the fruition of intellection and the Cloud of Virtue, what is this that is called the mere light of knowledge?

For this reason, he says ‘Desirelessness is the highest perfection of spiritual knowledge?’ The Higher desirelessness is but a form of the Cloud of Virtue, nothing else. As will be said further on.

‘To him who desires nothing even from intellection (prasaṅkhyāna) comes the trance known as the Cloud of Virtue, by constant manifestation of discrimination (IV. 29.) and

‘Then the knowable is but little, because knowledge is infinite, free as it is from all veils and impurities.’—(IV.31).

For this reason it is that absolute independence is this and nothing else.—16.