Yoga-sutras (with Bhoja鈥檚 Rajamartanda)
by Rajendralala Mitra | 1883 | 103,575 words
The Yoga-Sutra 2.18, English translation with Commentaries. The Yogasutra of Patanjali represents a collection of aphorisms dealing with spiritual topics such as meditation, absorption, Siddhis (yogic powers) and final liberation (Moksha). The Raja-Martanda is officialy classified as a Vritti (gloss) which means its explanatory in nature, as opposed to being a discursive commentary.
厂奴迟谤补 2.18
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of 厂奴迟谤补 2.18:
啶啶班啶距ざ啶曕啶班た啶ぞ啶膏啶ムた啶むた啶多啶侧 啶啶む啶ㄠ啶︵啶班た啶ぞ啶む啶啶� 啶啶椸ぞ啶さ啶班啶椸ぞ啶班啶ム 啶︵啶多啶ぎ啷� 啷� 啷�.啷оギ 啷�
辫谤补办腻艣补办谤颈测腻sthiti艣墨la峁� bh奴tendriy膩tmaka峁� bhog膩pavarg膩rtha峁� d峁浥泍am || 2.18 ||
18. The spectacle 卯s of the nature of illumination, action, and rule; it is of the form of the elements and the organs; it is the purpose of for experience and emancipation.
The Rajamartanda commentary by King Bhoja:
[English translation of the 11th century commentary by Bhoja called the R膩jam膩rta峁囜笉a]
[Sanskrit text for commentary available]
Having described the conjunction of the spectator and the spectacle, he now explains the nature, the function, and the motive of the spectacle.
[Read 厂奴迟谤补 2.17]
鈥淚llumination鈥� (辫谤补办腻艣补) is the nature of the quality of goodness. 鈥淎ction鈥� (办谤颈测腻) in the form of exertion, is that of foulness. 鈥淩ule鈥� (sthiti), in the form of regulation, is that of darkness. That which has illumination, action and the rest for its essential nature is so called, (i.e., by the term 辫谤补办腻艣补-办腻谤测补-sthiti-艣墨濒补尘). By this the nature of the spectacle is defined.
鈥淚t is of the form of the elements and the organs鈥� (产丑奴迟别苍诲谤颈测腻迟尘补办补尘). The 鈥渆lements鈥� (产丑奴迟补蝉) are, according as they are gross or subtile, the earth, &c. and the rudiments of odour, &c. The 鈥渙rgans鈥� (indriya) are threefold, according as they are the organs of sense, the organs of action, and the internal organ. That of which these two (the elements and the organs), in the forms of the preceptor and the precept, are the natural modifications, not different from its own form, is called 鈥渙f the form of the elements and the organs.鈥� By this its action is also described.
鈥�Experience鈥� (bhoga) has been already defined, (II, XIII). 鈥淓mancipation鈥� (apavarga) is the cessation of worldliness resulting from discriminative knowledge. That which has these two, (bhoga and apavarga) for its 鈥渙bject鈥� (artha) or requirement, is the spectacle. This is the meaning.
Notes and Extracts
[Notes and comparative extracts from other commentaries on the Yogas奴tra]
[There would be no spectacle if there was not in it a power of manifestation, i.e., of illumination, or light. Without some action, too, it could not be manifest; and to be manifest it must have some rule or order. Hence the three are described to be the three essentials of its existence, or in other words its nature. The esoteric interpretation of this is that the spectacle is essentially the three qualities of goodness, foulness and darkness, which must be in action to produce spectacle. It is of the form of the elements and the organs. The organs could not alone produce spectacles, nor would the elements produce spectacles if there were no organs to perceive them and communicate them to the intellect. The independent existence of the two, unconnected with each other, would also fail to produce a spectacle. They must be brought together to do so, and therefore it is that the spectacle is described to be of the nature of illumination, and of the form of the elements and the organs. The purport of this roundabout expression is that the intellect is the spectacle when it is acted upon by the elements and the organs, or the elements and the organs are modified in the form of the intellect. The word used in the text is 腻迟尘腻, and it is explained to be a modification not different from its natural form or identity (蝉惫补谤奴辫腻产丑颈苍苍补岣� 辫补谤颈峁嚹乵补岣�). What this natural form is is not apparent. Obviously the natural form of the intellect, or Buddhi, would be the meaning, but from what follows, 笔谤补办峁泃颈 would seem to be what is meant. I shall notice this lower down, (A. XIX, XXI).
The motive or object of the spectacle is twofold,鈥攊t ministers to our enjoyment, and it may be made to help us in our endeavours to attain emancipation from the bondage of the earth.
The word sthiti means fixity or abidance, but the 厂腻峁卥丑测补-tattva-办补耻尘耻诲墨 explains it to mean rule, regulation, or order. Had there been no order or rule, illumination and action would be continuous, and there would be no cessation or break. It is the intervention of darkness that causes the break or order of the manifestation of light and action; this is implied by sthiti. It implies the quality of darkness.]
To describe the phases of this spectacle in its various conditions, in the forms of modifications which should be known as fit to be avoided, he says: