Sūtra 1.21

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 1.21:

तीव्रसंवेगानाम् आसन्नः ॥ १.२१ ॥

tīvrasaṃvegānām āsannaḥ || 1.21 ||

tīvra—keen. saṃvega—the consciousness of supremacy, Tīvra saṃvegānām—for those having consciousness of supremacy, for the extremely energetic, āsannaḥ—proximate, speedy.

21. Proximate for those whose consciousness of supremacy is keen.

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]

There are nine descriptions of such Yogīs. Their application to the means of achievement is mild, middling or intense. Thus some are of mild energy, others of medium energy, and others again of intense energy. Of these, the mildly energetic are three-fold, those having mild consciousness of supremacy, those having middling consciousness of supremacy, and those having keen consciousness of supremacy. Similarly, those of medium energy and those of intense energy. Of these, the attainment of trance and the fruit of trance are near to those who are intensely energetic in their application to the means of achievement and possess a keen consciousness of supremacy.

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

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

If faith, &c., are the means for the attainment of trance, then trance and its fruit would accrue to all without distinction. Attainment however is noticed in some only, non-attainment in others. In some cases attainment is distant; in others it is very distant; in other cases however it is accomplished very soon. To meet this the Commentator says:—‘There are nine descriptions of such Yogīs, &c.’

The means of achievement are faith, &c. They are of mild, middling and intense energy in their application, by virtue of the habits of previous lives. The Yogīs possessed of them are spoken of as such.

Consciousness of supremacy is desirelessness. That also is mild, middling or keen by virtue of the habits of previous lives.

Among these Yogīs, the speedy attainment is shown such as it is by the Aphorism:—It is near to those who are possessed of keen consciousness of supremacy. This much is the aphorism; the rest is the commentary. The fruit of the cognitive trance is the ultra-cognitive, and of that absolute freedom.