10/01/2025
โจYOGA SUTRA 1.42โจ
tatra ลabdฤrtha-jรฑฤna-vikalpaiแธฅ saแนkฤซrแนฤ savitarkฤ samฤpattiแธฅ
tatra: that
ลabdฤ : word
ฤrtha : meaning
jรฑฤna : knowledge
vikalpaiแธฅ : imagination
saแนkฤซrแนฤ : referencing all the previous three words together can create confusion
savitarkฤ samฤpattiแธฅ : the first few words lead up to the definition of this
Patanjali describes savitarkฤ samฤpattiแธฅ as the state where our mind perceives an object through words, meanings, and past knowledge.
For example: the word watch.
Depending on context, it could mean a timepiece, to watch over something, or being watched. Each person hears the word through their own lens of memory, culture, and understanding.
But hereโs the deeper truth:
The essence of the objectโthe watch itselfโcannot be reduced to a word. Labels are tools for communication, not reality.
In meditation, when an image or object arises, the mind immediately tries to label it with words and meanings. The Sutra reminds us: let that labeling go. Instead, sit as the objective observer, allowing the nature of the object to reveal itselfโฆbeyond words, beyond imagination, beyond the waves of thought.
This is the practice:
To observe without grasping, to let truth come forth not from the mindโs conditioning, but from the objectโs own essence.
