Critical Edition
व्यास उवाच पृच्छतस्तव सत्पुत्र यथावदिह तत्त्वतः सांख्यन्यायेन संयुक्तं यदेतत्कीर्तितं मया
M. N. Dutt: Vyasa said O excellent son, accosted by you. I have told you truly what the answer to your question should be according to the doctrine of Knowledge as explained in the Sankhya system.
योगकृत्यं तु ते कृत्स्नं वर्तयिष्यामि तच्छृणु एकत्वं बुद्धिमनसोरिन्द्रियाणां च सर्वशः आत्मनो ध्यायिनस्तात ज्ञानमेतदनुत्तमम्
AI Translation: I shall explain to you the entire duty of Yoga. Listen to it. The oneness of the intellect and the mind, and of all the senses, O son, this knowledge is supreme for those who meditate on the Self.
तदेतदुपशान्तेन दान्तेनाध्यात्मशीलिना आत्मारामेण बुद्धेन बोद्धव्यं शुचिकर्मणा
AI Translation: This should be known by the tranquil, the self-controlled, the one who practices self-discipline, by the one who is self-contented, by the Buddha, by the one who performs pure actions.
योगदोषान्समुच्छिद्य पञ्च यान्कवयो विदुः कामं क्रोधं च लोभं च भयं स्वप्नं च पञ्चमम्
AI Translation: Having cut off the five faults of yoga, which the poets know, Desire, anger, greed, fear, and sleep as the fifth.
क्रोधं शमेन जयति कामं संकल्पवर्जनात् सत्त्वसंसेवनाद्धीरो निद्रामुच्छेत्तुमर्हति
AI Translation: One conquers anger by means of peace, desire by avoiding thoughts, And the wise one should conquer sleep by associating with the good.
धृत्या शिश्नोदरं रक्षेत्पाणिपादं च चक्षुषा चक्षुः श्रोत्रे च मनसा मनो वाचं च कर्मणा
AI Translation: By means of restraint, one should protect the penis and the belly, and the hands and feet by means of the eyes. The eyes and ears by means of the mind, and the mind by means of speech and action.
अप्रमादाद्भयं जह्याल्लोभं प्राज्ञोपसेवनात् एवमेतान्योगदोषाञ्जयेन्नित्यमतन्द्रितः
AI Translation: From heedfulness one should abandon fear, from associating with the wise one should abandon greed. Thus one should always conquer these faults of yoga without being negligent.
अग्नींश्च ब्राह्मणांश्चार्चेद्देवताः प्रणमेत च वर्जयेद्रुषितां वाचं हिंसायुक्तां मनोनुगाम्
AI Translation: He should worship the fires and the Brahmanas and bow to the deities. He should avoid angry speech that is connected with violence and is in accordance with the mind.
ब्रह्म तेजोमयं शुक्रं यस्य सर्वमिदं रसः एकस्य भूतं भूतस्य द्वयं स्थावरजङ्गमम्
AI Translation: The Brahman is the essence of light, the pure essence, the essence of all this. Of one being, there are two kinds of beings, the immovable and the movable.
ध्यानमध्ययनं दानं सत्यं ह्रीरार्जवं क्षमा शौचमाहारसंशुद्धिरिन्द्रियाणां च निग्रहः
AI Translation: Meditation, study, charity, truth, modesty, straightforwardness, forbearance, Purity, purification of food, and restraint of the senses,
एतैर्विवर्धते तेजः पाप्मानं चापकर्षति सिध्यन्ति चास्य सर्वार्था विज्ञानं च प्रवर्तते
AI Translation: By these, his energy increases and his sin is diminished. And all his aims are accomplished and his knowledge is generated.
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु लब्धालब्धेन वर्तयन् धुतपाप्मा तु तेजस्वी लघ्वाहारो जितेन्द्रियः कामक्रोधौ वशे कृत्वा निनीषेद्ब्रह्मणः पदम्
M. N. Dutt: Purged of all sins, gifted with energy, sparing in diet, with senses under complete control, one should, after having subdued his desire and anger, try to attain to Brahima.
मनसश्चेन्द्रियाणां च कृत्वैकाग्र्यं समाहितः प्राग्रात्रापररात्रेषु धारयेन्मन आत्मना
M. N. Dutt: Uniting firmly the senses and the mind with gaze fixed inwards, one should, in the silent hours of evening or those before dawn, fix his mind upon the understanding.
जन्तोः पञ्चेन्द्रियस्यास्य यदेकं छिद्रमिन्द्रियम् ततोऽस्य स्रवति प्रज्ञा दृतेः पादादिवोदकम्
M. N. Dutt: If even one of the five senses of a human being be kept ungoverned all his wisdom escapes through it like water through a hole not made up at the bottom of a leather bag.
मनस्तु पूर्वमादद्यात्कुमीनानिव मत्स्यहा ततः श्रोत्रं ततश्चक्षुर्जिह्वां घ्राणं च योगवित्
M. N. Dutt: The mind in the first instance should be controlled by the Yogin like a fisherman trying at the commencement to make that one among the fish powerless from which he auticipates the greatest danger to his nets. Having first governed the mind, the Yogin should then proceed to subdue his ears, then his tongue, and then his nose.
तत एतानि संयम्य मनसि स्थापयेद्यतिः तथैवापोह्य संकल्पान्मनो ह्यात्मनि धारयेत्
M. N. Dutt: Having controlled these, he should fix there on the mind. Then withdrawing the mind from all purposes. He should settle it on the understanding.
पञ्च ज्ञानेन संधाय मनसि स्थापयेद्यतिः यदैतान्यवतिष्ठन्ते मनःषष्ठानि चात्मनि प्रसीदन्ति च संस्थाय तदा ब्रह्म प्रकाशते
M. N. Dutt: Indeed having governed the five senses, the Yati should fix them on the mind. When these with the mind for the sixth become concentrated in the understanding, and thus centred remain steady and firm then Brahma becomes perceptible like a smokeless blazing fire or the effulgent Sun.
विधूम इव दीप्तार्चिरादित्य इव दीप्तिमान् वैद्युतोऽग्निरिवाकाशे पश्यत्यात्मानमात्मना सर्वं च तत्र सर्वत्र व्यापकत्वाच्च दृश्यते
AI Translation: Like a fire without smoke, like the sun with its bright rays, Like a lightning flash in the sky, he sees the Self by the Self. And there he sees everything everywhere, because
तं पश्यन्ति महात्मानो ब्राह्मणा ये मनीषिणः धृतिमन्तो महाप्राज्ञाः सर्वभूतहिते रताः
M. N. Dutt: Those great Brahmanas, who are possessed of wisdom, who are endued with fortitude, who are possessed of high knowledge and who are cngaged in the well being of all creatures, succeed in saying it.
एवं परिमितं कालमाचरन्संशितव्रतः आसीनो हि रहस्येको गच्छेदक्षरसात्म्यताम्
M. N. Dutt: Practising austere vows, the Yogin, who acts thus for six months seated by himself on a lonely spot, becomes at one with the Indestructible.
प्रमोहो भ्रम आवर्तो घ्राणश्रवणदर्शने अद्भुतानि रसस्पर्शे शीतोष्णे मारुताकृतिः
AI Translation: Delusion, confusion, and the cycle of birth and death are in the sense of smell, hearing, and seeing. Wonders are in taste and touch, with the form of cold, heat, and wind.
प्रतिभामुपसर्गांश्चाप्युपसंगृह्य योगतः तांस्तत्त्वविदनादृत्य स्वात्मनैव निवर्तयेत्
AI Translation: Having taken up the mental images and the obstacles, and having united them, one should reject them by means of one's own self, without paying attention to them, O knower of reality.
कुर्यात्परिचयं योगे त्रैकाल्यं नियतो मुनिः गिरिशृङ्गे तथा चैत्ये वृक्षाग्रेषु च योजजेत्
M. N. Dutt: Restraining words and the senses should practise Yoga after dusk and before dawn seated on a mountain summit, or at the foot of a huge tree or with a tree before him.
संनियम्येन्द्रियग्रामं गोष्ठे भाण्डमना इव एकाग्रश्चिन्तयेन्नित्यं योगान्नोद्वेजयेन्मनः
M. N. Dutt: Controlling all the senses within the heart, one should, with faculties concentrated, think on the Eternal and Indestructible like a man of the world thinking of wealth and other valuable properties. One should never, while practising Yoga, with draw his mind from it. one
येनोपायेन शक्येत संनियन्तुं चलं मनः तं तं युक्तो निषेवेत न चैव विचलेत्ततः
M. N. Dutt: One should with devotion pursue those mcans by which he may control the restive mind. One should never suffer himself to fall away from it.
शून्या गिरिगुहाश्चैव देवतायतनानि च शून्यागाराणि चैकाग्रो निवासार्थमुपक्रमेत्
M. N. Dutt: With the senses and the mind withdrawn from everything else, the Yogin should repair 10 empty caves of mountains, to temples consecrated to the gods and to empty houses or apartiments, for living there.
नाभिष्वजेत्परं वाचा कर्मणा मनसापि वा उपेक्षको यताहारो लब्धालब्धे समो भवेत्
M. N. Dutt: One should not mix with another in either speech, act or thought. Disregarding all things and eating very sparingly the Yogin should regard equally objects acquired or lost.
यश्चैनमभिनन्देत यश्चैनमपवादयेत् समस्तयोश्चाप्युभयोर्नाभिध्यायेच्छुभाशुभम्
M. N. Dutt: He should treat equally one who praises and one who censures him. He should not seek the good or the evil of one or the other.
न प्रहृष्येत लाभेषु नालाभेषु च चिन्तयेत् समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु सधर्मा मातरिश्वनः
M. N. Dutt: He should not rejoice at an acquisition or be sorry at a failure or loss. Treating all beings equally he should imitate the wind.
एवं सर्वात्मनः साधोः सर्वत्र समदर्शिनः षण्मासान्नित्ययुक्तस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते
M. N. Dutt: Brahma, represented by sound, appcars very clearly unto one whose mind is thus turned to itself, who leads a pure life, and who sees all things equally, indeed unto one who is ever engaged in Yoga thus for even six months.
वेदनार्ताः प्रजा दृष्ट्वा समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः एतस्मिन्निरतो मार्गे विरमेन्न विमोहितः
M. N. Dutt: Seeing all men stricken with anxiety the Yogin should regard a clod of earth, a piece of stone, and a lump of gold with an equal eye. Indeed, he should withdraw himself from this path, cherishing a hatred for it, and never allow himself to be stupefied.
अपि वर्णावकृष्टस्तु नारी वा धर्मकाङ्क्षिणी तावप्येतेन मार्गेण गच्छेतां परमां गतिम्
M. N. Dutt: By following the path indicated above, even a person of an inferior caste, or a woman, will surely acquire the highest end.
अजं पुराणमजरं सनातनं; यदिन्द्रियैरुपलभते नरोऽचलः अणोरणीयो महतो महत्तरं; तदात्मना पश्यति युक्त आत्मवान्
M. N. Dutt: He who has subdued his mind sees in his own self, by the help of his own understanding the Increate, Ancient, Undeteriorating, and Eternal Brahma,-That which cannot be attained to except by controlled senses,-That which is subtler than the most subtile, and grosser than the most gross, and which is Emancipation's self.
इदं महर्षेर्वचनं महात्मनो; यथावदुक्तं मनसानुदृश्य च अवेक्ष्य चेयात्परमेष्ठिसात्म्यतां; प्रयान्ति यां भूतगतिं मनीषिणः
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said By ascertaining from the preceptors and by themselves reflecting with their minds upon these words of the great Rishi spoken so properly wise persons become at one with Brahima himself, till, indeed, the time when the universal dissolution sets in that swallows up all existent beings.