Yoga-sutras (with Vyasa and Vachaspati Mishra)
by Rama Prasada | 1924 | 154,800 words | ISBN-10: 9381406863 | ISBN-13: 9789381406861
The Yoga-Sutra 1.23, English translation with Commentaries. The Yoga Sutras are an ancient collection of Sanskrit texts dating from 500 BCE dealing with Yoga and Meditation in four books. It deals with topics such as Samadhi (meditative absorption), Sadhana (Yoga practice), Vibhuti (powers or Siddhis), Kaivaly (isolation) and Moksha (liberation).
Sūtra 1.23
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 1.23:
ईश्वरप्रणिधानाद् वा ॥ १.२३ ॥
īśvarapraṇidhānād vā || 1.23 ||
Īśvara, of God. praṇidhāna—feeling omnipresence or worship, devotion. īśvarapraṇidhānāt—by feeling the omnipresence of God. vā—or.
23. Or, by feeling the omnipresence of God (Īśvara).
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]
Does trance become speedier of attainment in this way only? Or, is there any other means too? ‘Or, by feeling the omnipresence of God.’ Īśvara drawn towards him by the kind of devotion which consists in the feeling of His omnipresence, becomes gracious to him by merely wishing attainment. By His merely wishing the attainment, trance and its fruit become speedier of attainment for a Yogī.
The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra
[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]
The Commentator puts a question for the purpose of introducing the next aphorism:—‘Does trance become speedier, &c.’ The aphorism is the answer. ‘Or, by feeling the omnipresence of God.’
‘Feeling the omni-presence’ means a particular kind of devotion of the mind, speech and body. “Drawn towards” means brought face to face. “Wish for attainment” means that any one may get something which he has not got, but which is desirable. ‘Merely’ signifies not by any other effort. The rest is easy.—23.