Sūtra 4.1

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

जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः ॥ ४.१ ॥

janmauṣadhimantratapaḥsamādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ || 4.1 ||

janma—birth. auṣadhi—drugs, mantra—incantations. tapaḥ—purificatory rites, samādhi—trance, jāḥ—born, siddhayaḥ—attainments.

1. The attainments are by birth, drugs, incantations, purificatory action (tapas) or trance.—161.

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]

Attainments by birth exist in the body.

By drugs, in the houses of the Asuras, by elixir and such like:

By incantations, motion in space and the powers of attenuation (aṇimā), &c.

By purificatory action (tapas) the achievement of wishes. He takes such forms and goes to such places as he may like, and does other similar things.

The attainments born of trance have been described.—161.

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

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

Now trance, its means and its attainments, have been described chiefly in the first, second and third chapters. Other subjects which it became necessary to take up by context, or by way of introduction, have also been discussed Here is to be discussed Absolute Freedom (kaivalya), which is the ultimate of all these practices, &c. And this is impossible to explain without explaining the nature of the mind inclining towards the state of absolute independence, as also the other world and the self which being something beside knowledge alone (vijñāna), is related to the other world, and which enjoys through the instrumentality of the mind, pleasurable sound, &c. All this has to be described in this chapter, besides what might become necessary by context or by way of introduction.

First of all, he describes the five-fold attainment, with the object of ascertaining which of the minds possessed of attainments is passing towards the state of absolute independence.

‘The attainments are by birth, incantations, purificatory action or trance.’ He explains’.—Exists in the body:—Some one has the power of attenuation in the body, just as he is born because actions done by him as man, which are calculated to cause the enjoyments of Heaven, have developed them into fruition in some heavenly region.

He describes the attainments due to drugs:—‘In the houses of the Asuras.’ Man passes to the places of the Asuras for some reason. He is met there by lovely Asura damsels, and given an offering of elixir. Using that he comes to possess the attainments of freedom from decay and death, and other attaiments. Or, the same may take place even here by the use of elixir, as in the case of the thinker Māndavya, who resided in the Vindhya Mountains and who used the elixir.

He next describes the attainments due to incantations:—‘By mantras.’

He next describes the attainments of purificatory actions:—‘By purificatory action.’

He next describes the attainment of wishes:—Assuming such forms as desired. Whatever does he desire, be it the attainment of Aṇimā or any other, that he attains at once. Whatever he desires to hear or to think anywhere, that he hears or thinks there. By the word, &c., seeing, &c., have been included.—1.