Patanjali Yoga Sutras - 4 (Kaivalya Pada) - Gujarati

પાતંજલિ યોગ સૂત્રાણિ close with the fourth chapter, traditionally called કૈવલ્ય પાદ - the chapter on liberation. Here કૈવલ્ય points to the seer abiding in its own nature, independent of the mind's movements and no longer driven by the push-pull of craving and fear. It is often explained as complete inner freedom, because misidentification has ended at the root.

In સમાધિ પાદ, Patanjali defined યોગ as the stilling of the mind and described the terrain of meditation: practice and dispassion, obstacles that scatter attention, and stages of absorption. In સાધન પાદ, he laid out the causes of suffering and the disciplines that purify and stabilize life - ethics, breath, sense-restraint, and steady inward training.

A helpful way to study is to keep translating the sutras back into lived observation. Where do you see a habit-seed rising? Where do you see the mind grabbing an identity? Where do you see the difference between a thought and the knower of the thought?

અથ કૈવલ્યપાદઃ ।

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Now begins the chapter on liberation.

જન્મૌષધિમંત્રતપસ્સમાધિજાઃ સિદ્ધયઃ ॥1॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Special attainments can arise from birth, herbs, mantra, austerity, or meditative absorption.

જાત્યંતરપરિણામઃ પ્રકૃત્યાપૂરાત્ ॥2॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Transformation into another kind occurs through the unfolding and "filling in" of nature's potential.

નિમિત્તમપ્રયોજકં પ્રકૃતીનાંવરણભેદસ્તુ તતઃ ક્ષેત્રિકવત્ ॥3॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
An external cause does not directly produce nature's changes; it removes obstacles, like a farmer.

નિર્માણચિત્તાન્યસ્મિતામાત્રાત્ ॥4॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Created minds arise from the I-sense alone.

પ્રવૃત્તિભેદે પ્રયોજકં ચિત્તમેકમનેકેષામ્ ॥5॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Amid varied activities, one mind can direct many.

તત્ર ધ્યાનજમનાશયમ્ ॥6॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Among these, the mind born of meditation has no latent karmic residue.

કર્માશુક્લાકૃષ્ણં યોગિનઃ ત્રિવિધમિતરેષામ્ ॥7॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
The yogi's action is neither merit-producing nor demerit-producing; for others it is threefold.

તતસ્તદ્વિપાકાનુગુણાનામેવાભિવ્યક્તિર્વાસનાનામ્ ॥8॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Therefore, only those latent tendencies that match the ripening of karma become active.

જાતિ દેશ કાલ વ્યવહિતાનામપ્યાનંતર્યં સ્મૃતિસંસ્કારયોઃ એકરૂપત્વાત્ ॥9॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Because memory and latent impressions are of the same nature, continuity persists even across gaps of birth, place, and time.

તાસામનાદિત્વં ચાશિષો નિત્યત્વાત્ ॥10॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
And these tendencies are beginningless, because the drive of desire continues.

હેતુફલાશ્રયાલંબનૈઃ સંગૃહીતત્વાતેષામભાવેતદભાવઃ ॥11॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Because these tendencies are sustained by cause, result, support, and object, when those are absent, the tendencies are absent.

અતીતાનાગતં સ્વરૂપતોઽસ્ત્યધ્વભેદાદ્ધર્માણામ્ ॥12॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
The past and the future exist in their own form; the difference lies in the course taken by the mind's changing states.

તે વ્યક્તસૂક્ષ્માઃ ગુણાત્માનઃ ॥13॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
These states are either manifest or subtle, and they are made of nature's qualities.

પરિણામૈકત્વાત્ વસ્તુતત્ત્વમ્ ॥14॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
The reality of an object rests on the unity of its transformations.

વસ્તુસામ્યે ચિત્તભેદાત્તયોર્વિભક્તઃ પંથાઃ ॥15॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Even with the same object, because minds differ, the course of experience differs.

ન ચૈકચિત્તતંત્રં વસ્તુ તત્પ્રમાણકં તદા કિં સ્યાત્ ॥16॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
An object is not dependent on a single mind; otherwise, what would verify it when that mind is absent?

તદુપરાગાપેક્ષિત્વાત્ ચિત્તસ્ય વસ્તુજ્ઞાતાજ્ઞાતમ્ ॥17॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
An object is known or unknown depending on whether the mind is engaged and colored by it.

સદાજ્ઞાતાઃ ચિત્તવૃત્તયઃ તત્પ્રભોઃ પુરુષસ્યાપરિણામિત્વાત્ ॥18॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
The mind's movements are always known, because the seer is unchanging.

ન તત્સ્વાભાસં દૃશ્યત્વાત્ ॥19॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
The mind is not self-illuminating, because it is something that is seen.

એક સમયે ચોભયાનવધારણમ્ ॥20॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
At one time, both cannot be determined together.

ચિત્તાંતર દૃશ્યે બુદ્ધિબુદ્ધેઃ અતિપ્રસંગઃ સ્મૃતિસંકરશ્ચ ॥21॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
If one mind were to be known by another, it would lead to infinite regress of intellects and confusion of memory.

ચિતેરપ્રતિસંક્રમાયાઃ તદાકારાપત્તૌ સ્વબુદ્ધિ સંવેદનમ્ ॥22॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Because consciousness does not "move" into objects, the mind knows itself when it takes on the form illuminated by that consciousness.

દ્રષ્ટૃદૃશ્યોપરક્તં ચિત્તં સર્વાર્થમ્ ॥23॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
The mind, colored by both the seer and the seen, can serve all purposes of knowing.

તદસંખ્યેય વાસનાભિઃ ચિત્રમપિ પરાર્થં સંહત્યકારિત્વાત્ ॥24॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Even though the mind is complex with countless tendencies, it exists for another's sake, because it operates as a combined instrument.

વિશેષદર્શિનઃ આત્મભાવભાવનાનિવૃત્તિઃ ॥25॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
For one who clearly discerns the distinction, the habit of self-identifying ceases.

તદા વિવેકનિમ્નં કૈવલ્યપ્રાગ્ભારં ચિત્તમ્ ॥26॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Then the mind flows toward discernment and naturally leans toward freedom.

તચ્છિદ્રેષુ પ્રત્યયાંતરાણિ સંસ્કારેભ્યઃ ॥27॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
In the gaps of that, other thoughts arise due to latent impressions.

હાનમેષાં ક્લેશવદુક્તમ્ ॥28॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Their removal is as explained for the afflictions.

પ્રસંખ્યાનેઽપ્યકુસીદસ્ય સર્વથા વિવેકખ્યાતેઃ ધર્મમેઘસ્સમાધિઃ ॥29॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
For one who is not grasping even for the highest insight, and who has unwavering discernment, there arises the "cloud of dharma" absorption.

તતઃ ક્લેશકર્મનિવૃત્તિઃ ॥30॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
From that follows the cessation of afflictions and karmic momentum.

તદા સર્વાવરણમલાપેતસ્ય જ્ઞાનસ્યાનંત્યાત્ જ્ઞેયમલ્પમ્ ॥31॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Then, because knowledge is free of all veils and stains and becomes limitless, what remains to be known seems very little.

તતઃ કૃતાર્થાનાં પરિણામક્રમસમાપ્તિર્ગુણાનામ્ ॥32॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
From that, for nature's qualities that have fulfilled their purpose, the sequence of transformation comes to an end.

ક્ષણપ્રતિયોગી પરિણામાપરાંત નિર્ગ્રાહ્યઃ ક્રમઃ ॥33॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Sequence is correlated with moments and is grasped only at the endpoint of change; it is not directly graspable as it happens.

પુરુષાર્થશૂન્યાનાં ગુણાનાંપ્રતિપ્રસવઃ કૈવલ્યં સ્વરૂપપ્રતિષ્ઠા વા ચિતિશક્તિરિતિ ॥34॥

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Liberation is the return of nature's qualities to their source when they no longer serve the seer, or the establishment of consciousness in its own nature - thus.

ઇતિ પાતંજલયોગદર્શને કૈવલ્યપાદો નામ ચતુર્થઃ પાદઃ ।

Translation (ભાવાર્થ):
Thus ends the fourth chapter of Patanjali's Yoga teaching, called "The Chapter on Liberation."

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