11/14/2025
Question: what is relevant in Pātañjalayoga to the common person?
Answer: Well, I won't hide the fact that the ultimate aim of the text is pointing to final liberation. Not everyone may be concerned with that, but I might say it may be worthwhile to consider. If you're a religious or spiritual person, you may be more concerned with such end goal. If you may be an Atheist who engages in Yoga practices like āsana-s, Prāṇāyāma, maybe sitting for meditation, you don't have to accept the Yogasūtra text on a belief level, but you may be able to appreciate broadly what Patañjali is driving toward. The process he outlines is to make the practitioner more calm and clear of mind, Sāttvic in a word, and you may already notice that after practicing some āsana-s and Prāṇāyāma you feel more calm and relaxed. Which is relevant for all religious or Atheist alike. The text itself is a fascinating methodology toward higher mental states in more difficult stages of meditation, perhaps not everyone might attain to such stages, but it is very interesting to ponder, and certainly relevant in pondering the patterns of mind and our mental afflictions at earlier stages.
The subject deals with what goes on in our mind, which is of interest to the religious person and the Atheist alike. Some Atheist practitioners may have no interest in meditation itself, preferring to engage in āsana practice alone and maybe a little Prāṇāyāma. Of course, one cannot force meditation, but if you are open, you may notice after some time in practicing the āsana-s and in earnestly and mindfully practicing Prāṇāyāma, something may start to happen, you may notice you may linger for a moment longer in that stillness cultivated. Then meditation practice takes seed and starts to flourish. To echo how Śrī T Krishnamacharya opens his 1934 Yoga Makaranda, if you recognize why the mind requires sleep, you should similarly understand why the mind benefits from making room for meditation. A deep repose is attained when one allows for the mind to enter into meditation, as such, a restful mind emerges with great clarity and lightness. Patañjali actually defines Yoga as a heightened introverted mental state achieved during advanced meditation. And so, the Atheist person clearly stands to benefit from development of the internal organs, refining their senses, refining the breath and chanelling the Prāṇa from practicing the āsana-s, Mudrā-s, and Prāṇāyāma, and with that the Atheist stands to gain mental peace through such a process, clarity of mind and a calmer disposition, particularly when taken in context of allowing to also sit for meditation.
What is relevant in the Yogasūtra to all, firstly Patañjali points to our mental patterns that can verily cause affliction. These are equivalent in nature to how in Buddhism it is our attachments and aversions that are at the root of our mental suffering and anguish. Because Yoga according to Patañjali is a liberation philosophy that acknowledges the Spirit or Pure Consciousness, the primary affliction of the mind or Kleśa, is in the fundamental unknowing of the Self, followed by mistaking the mind and "sense of I" for the actual observer of the thoughts (presented to it via that mind) which is the eternal witness itself the Spirit or Puruṣa (and thereby giving the mind too much credit when it is not as grand as the Self itself), our attachments and the clear mental bo***ge they create, followed by our aversions that further disturb the mind, and the underlying fears we have which primarily stem from our fear of losing our existence or fear of death. It is clearly relevant to all to consider our mental patterns as such and in recognizing how they may lead to our feeling stuck, as many Atheist persons have readily come to accept certain aspects of Buddha's Four Noble Truths which is very much related to what Patañjali is getting at here.
Of course, it is natural to be attached to our spouse, our parents, the children in our lives, etc. Is that such a bad thing? In theory, no. All relationships and connections have a purpose in our life and we don't need to negate that. A stages of life model allows there being a time for certain attachments. But attachment in general can lead to mental suffering. Of course it is natural to mourn someone's death, you cannot avoid this. But we mustn't allow for depression to take root and alter our entire perception in the long-term, to lose our zest for life. Many people benefit from psychotherapy, while many are resisting to even admitting they may benefit from such interventions unfortunately. What Patañjali is getting at on this level is much the same in getting us to stop and reflect on things, though it is certainly not a replacement to psychotherapy or if needed medications. Pātañjalayoga is only helpful in such cases as an adjunct way of working with the mind and understanding ourselves. But you can see, then, the relevance of such work.
We can be attached to our car, and if something goes wrong with it, if a big repair needs to be done, we'll be irritated, and in factoring in the financial burden, etc. All this plays on our mind. How useful is it past a certain point, in the long run? That's all Patañjali is getting at on this level. Of course, our sense of self (in a worldly sense) allows for us to get what we need in order to live, and also to recognize what bothers or irritates us and what we can learn of what we are averse to and make plans in order to avoid such things. This is all helpful in life. But sometimes holding onto the hate we have for something or someone we've identified we are averse to, can be toxic. Of course, if someone steals our car, in society we have a right to demand justice and seek out legal action toward the offenders. Patañjali's philosophy is not mutually exclusive to taking necessary action in life. There is righteous action. Just to not allow such things to consume us. How taxing on our mind, health, and overall well-being does judicial litigation have potential of being on ourselves, however necessary it is in seeking restitution? But understanding the context and striving to not allow the process to consume us is a certain wisdom worth striving for, however difficult it is.
Anxiety can paralyze us, we worry about disappointing others, if we may inadvertently sabotage our job prospects, if we won't be able to substantially support ourselves or save for our retirement, if we won't be able to live comfortably, if we'll suffer, if we'll die in pain. Stress can have social function in alarming us just enough to take action so as to avoid negative potential circumstances. But beyond a certain point, the paralyzing anxiety can hinder us from even taking decisive action. Again, this is all Patañjali is pointing to at this stage, which is very much of relevance to all of us.
Looking at what has been mentioned, the Yogasūtra begins to not seem like a boring ivory tower intellectual subject or theory, but a very living philosophy that we are actually encouraged to live through practice. Yogasūtra is pointing to a practical solution to all suffering, it is a practice, not a dry theory merely for intellectual edification. This is not "information gathering," but a real and living practice that involves honest reflection.
To counter the afflictions of the above mental patterns described, Patañjali points to certain primary yogic actions. These are in engaging in some form of religious austerity which takes a certain determination and mental fortitude, to engage in self-enquiry and reflection which can also involve studying such texts on the nature of Self, and to adopt a sense of surrender to something greater than us like the Greater Common Good (for some, it can be God). These fundamental personal observances help us to tackle the arduous task of facing our problematic mental patterns. Again, this is a very relevant endeavour for all of us. And eventually, we can begin to encompass more broadly social actions like non-violence or remaining truthful, etc, as harming others or lying places a certain mental burden and internal conflict in engaging in. For example, how mentally taxing is it to keep track of a lie you're telling someone? Again, that's all Patañjali is getting at on this level, and it is incredibly relevant to us.
And so, I always encourage students to be open and curious to such richness that can be found in the texts like the Yogasūtra of Patañjali, among others. It can only enrich you. And there is much to it that is of relevance to all of us.
In cultivating the mind as given above, on allowing it to become clearer, the text then goes on to speak to the process of cultivating advanced mental states in meditation, in this theory in order to realize the nature of the Self through profound experiences in deep and advanced meditation, which eventually is meant to allow for us to be released from the bo***ge of our suffering and allows us to be liberated and not be reborn. Some may accept such theory, others may not. But first, let's try to sit and listen to understand what this bloke is trying to explain, not to be in a hurry to hurl our biases at the theory before we can fully appreciate the logic that it is coming from. That is what my teacher Ramaswami sir would always urge us to do.
Reconciling Yogasūtra as a liberation philosophy with acting in the world toward social justice, etc: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1K2Ui6pU5a/
Previous post on Pātañjalayoga, the mind and mind space, cognition, the nature of Pure Consciousness, ultimate liberation, etc: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D1jhc6o8R/
Previous post on the relevance of Pātañjalayoga: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1b9gRwAa42/
