Path to the Awakened Heart: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

By Robert Jacobs

Path to the Awakened Heart: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a comprehensive interpretation and analysis of one of the fundamental scriptures in the Indian yoga tradition. In his rendering, Robert Jacobs points to the universality of the teachings and practices in the Yoga Sutras, explaining how they form foundational elements of many spiritual paths. Interpreted in a non-dual manner consistent with teachings of the tantric yoga tradition of India, Robert provides contemplations with the sutras that allow the reader to understand the subtleties and depth of each sutra. The Yoga Sutras is one of the most comprehensive guidebooks ever written about walking a spiritual path. It offers meditators a unique opportunity to explore the intricacies of their practices and paths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Feb 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798765248522

Robert Jacobs

Robert Jacobs is an immigration lawyer who, before his law career, spent over 15 years living and studying in yoga ashrams in the United States and India. He has also studied Buddhist Vipassana meditation for the past 10 years. He now teaches yoga philosophy and meditation through Awakened Heart Yoga LLC (awakenedheartyoga-meditation.com), in Gainesville, FL, and through the Deep Spring Center (deepspring.org), Ann Arbor, MI. He is the author of the spiritual memoir Journey to the Awakened Heart, published in 2018, and Path to the Awakened Heart: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, published in 2024.

Book preview

Copyright © 2024 Robert Jacobs.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 979-8-7652-4851-5 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-4853-9 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-4852-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024902101

Balboa Press rev. date: 01/27/2024

Contents

Introduction

Part I:   Samādhi Pāda

Part II:   Sādhana Pāda

Part III:   Vibhūti Pāda

Part IV:   Kaivalya Pāda

Afterword

Glossary of Sanskrit Terms

Introduction

The Buddha once pointed to a tree filled with thousands of leaves and pulled off a branch holding a single cluster. He asked his disciple, Which do you think holds the most leaves, the tree or the branch? The disciple answered, The tree, of course. The Buddha responded, Just so. The leaves on the tree represent all the things I know. The leaves on the branch are the things I’ll be teaching you. It will be all you’ll need.

On another occasion, the Buddha asked, Do you see my hand pointing to the moon? Is there a difference between my hand and the moon? The disciple responded, Yes, I see the difference between your hand and the moon. The Buddha responded, Just so. My hand is the teachings I give you that point to the awakened state. The moon is the awakened state itself. The two are different.

These stories serve as a reminder as we begin our study of the Yoga Sutras, a foundational scripture within the Indian yogic tradition, written by the sage Patanjali 1500 to 2500 years ago. The Yoga Sutras point the way to experience the Truth of one’s essential nature, but they are not the Truth itself. They offer a cluster of leaves of knowledge about the nature of mind, awareness, and the human condition, but not all the knowledge we can attain. My guru was an enlightened master whose consciousness roamed in places I could barely imagine. Yet his teachings were simple and direct. Although he knew so much, he recognized how much knowledge his disciples could assimilate. He taught only what would most easily lead to experiential, rather than intellectual, self-knowledge. He once said that his teachings were like a pair of golden handcuffs, necessary in pursuing the path, but ultimately a subtle shackle that had to be finally released to experience the Truth directly.

I began studying the Yoga Sutras in my early twenties. Each time I’ve come back to them, my understanding has been different. I’ve found that they are not static with fixed meanings but rather like seeds that sprout according to how we nurture them. If we are dedicated to self-knowledge and cultivate the seeds of the Yoga Sutras through our devoted practice, they will offer up treasures at each stage of our spiritual journey.

The Yoga Sutras were written in Sanskrit and have been translated and interpreted in many different ways. The variety of interpretations vary considerably according to the school of thought and personal inclinations of the writer. There is no one version we can say is correct. The sutras originate from the Sāṁkhya school of Indian thought, a dualistic interpretation of reality that views the Creator-essence as separate from what has been created. I personally subscribe to a nondual view espoused by the tantric tradition of Kashmir Śaivism, in which what is created is seen as an expression of the one Absolute Consciousness. My interpretation will largely follow the point of view of Kashmir Śaivism. Regardless of which view one is attracted to, the Yoga Sutras are flexible enough to offer profound insights to anyone walking a spiritual path. They are universal teachings and practices that lead us toward a fuller understanding of ourselves and our relationship with God and the world.

Many years ago, my guru had me memorize a set of Sanskrit scriptures from the tantric tradition. He told me not to study the meanings but to focus on the Sanskrit words themselves. I found an extraordinary power in the Sanskrit roots, which contained subtle meanings that couldn’t be translated into simple English words or phrases. Memorizing the Sanskrit words opened a world of possibilities for me. Similarly, in writing this commentary, I found that focusing on the Sanskrit roots, the sutras offered profound and subtle insights. I recommend as you read this book to look closely at the Sanskrit words of each sutra, how each has been translated, and how the overall meaning of each sutra has been constructed. You’ll see that each sutra has multiple possibilities due to the range of meanings within the Sanskrit words.

My intention in writing this book is to offer an interpretation of the Yoga Sutras that will lead you to ask deep questions about yourself, your mind, and your spiritual path. I am not a Sanskrit scholar, nor do I feel that my interpretation is better or more correct than any other. I’ve tried to offer a practical way of applying the Yoga Sutras to the spiritual path you may be following. I’ve added exercises after many of the sutras that will help you consider meanings that may not be immediately evident. A journal or workbook would be helpful to record what you discover in your contemplations. One thing is certain: you will get the most out of this book by engaging in the practices of yoga, particularly meditation, along with your study of the sutras.

I’ve been studying the yogic scriptures for almost fifty years. The interpretations I’ve offered are those I’ve gained from my experience, filtered through the foundational teachings of Kashmir Śaivism. You may have different experiences, prefer other schools or thought and come to different conclusions. This is as it should be. The seeds of these sutras are being planted in the soil of your unique mind. The understandings that will arise will be yours alone, precious gems that will reveal hidden truths for years to come.

I’ve introduced many Sanskrit words you may not be familiar with. I’ve tried to define them within the text as much as possible and have added a glossary at the end of the book. Many of the Sanskrit terms have no precise English translation, so I’ve used English words that have best helped me understand them. I’ve used the terms Consciousness and Awareness, with first letters capitalized, to signify divine, rather than mundane consciousness or awareness. These words correspond to the Sanskrit word citi or Tibetan rigpa.

The Yoga Sutras are divided into four pādas, or sections. The heart of the Yoga Sutras is found in the first two sections—Samādhi Pāda and Sādhana Pāda—on which I have focused my attention. Samādhi Pāda describes the nature of the mind and what it means to attain the state of samādhi, full absorption of the mind into the Divine. Sādhana Pāda details the eight-fold path of yoga, the practices we undertake to reach a samādhi experience and final realization. The third section, Vibhūti Pāda, describes siddhis—supernatural powers—that yogis may acquire, but which are considered a danger to one’s practices. The final section—Kaivalya Pāda—continues to discuss siddhis and addresses concepts of karma and final liberation.

Samādhi Pāda

1. Atha Yogānuśānanam.

atha – now

yoga – yoga

anuśāsanam – teaching, exposition

Now the teachings of yoga.

Yoga comes from the ancient spiritual tradition of India. It is a process devised by the ancient seers to help us discover the divine Truth within our own beings. It is also called the path of union with God. The fundamental principles of yoga are at the heart of many spiritual paths and religions. We don’t have to be on an Indian path to experience their benefits, depth, and wisdom. The Yoga Sutras form the basis of Rāja Yoga, the traditional royal eight-fold path of yoga, which includes the following limbs:

• Yamas, self-restraints: nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, control of one’s sexuality, and non-grasping

• Niyamas, observances: purity, contentment, austerity, recitation and study of scriptural texts, and surrender to God

• Āsanas, yogic postures

• Prāṇāyāma, working with the prāṇā associated with the breath

• Pratyāhāra, withdrawal of the senses

• Dhāraṇā, concentration

• Dhyāna, meditation

• Samādhi, the merging of the mind with the Absolute

The Yoga Sutras go into great detail about each of these limbs. Although they are listed sequentially, we practice them in no particular order but together in a complementary way. Their teachings offer an intricate web of practices and understandings that link the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our beings. The Yoga Sutras also indirectly encompass three other traditional paths of yoga: Bhakti Yoga, the heartfelt path of devotion; Jñāna Yoga, the path of understanding; and Karma Yoga, the path of service.

The Indian sage Śaṅkarāchārya wrote in the Viveka Cūḍāmaṇi: Crest Jewel of Discrimination:

It is difficult for any living creature to achieve birth in a human body. It is even harder to obtain a strong body and mind, shaped by pure thoughts and actions. More difficult is to have a desire to live a spiritual life. The most difficult of all is to have an understanding of the Truth of one’s own nature.

Three things are rare and come from God’s grace: human birth, the longing for liberation, and the guidance of an illumined teacher.¹

The sages of the wisdom traditions tell us we are in a vast process of evolution on earth. Many of us were introduced to this planet in mineral form and slowly evolved into plants and animals. Only after considerable lives were we granted the privilege of a human body and given the opportunity to fully realize the divinity at the heart of our being. As humans, we find ourselves in a world of karma in which we make choices that directly shape the course of our evolution. We are presented with dualities—good and bad, rich and poor, fortunate and unfortunate, pleasurable and painful—and find ourselves in situations where we must choose what we think best for ourselves and others. Will we make choices out of love in the face of fear or pain, or will we default to protective self-interest? Our goal is to learn that our highest self-interest is to apprehend our interconnection with all beings, to love all unconditionally and realize our oneness with humanity and the Divine. Ultimately, we will attain self-realization after many lifetimes of learning.

Once we experience something deeper in life than seeking what is pleasurable, a longing for true knowledge of the human condition arises. As Śaṅkarāchārya says, this longing is rare, not because some souls are intrinsically better than others, but because it takes a great deal of experience to reach this point of evolution. This longing for self-knowledge, in turn, draws a seeker to an illumined teacher, one who has experienced the Truth as it is and is able to teach it in a way that allows us to progress steadily on our spiritual path.

The yogic scriptures of India speak of a divine force within called kuṇḍalinī śakti that persistently draws us toward the inner light so that we can ultimately recognize the divinity at the core of our beings. In all objects, animate or inanimate, this divine energy pulsates, propelling us, in whatever form we are in, to wake up to our divine essence. The first step on a spiritual path comes when we get in touch with the deep desire to experience something more to life, to transcend what seems to be our inherent limitations, our identifications with what is superficial and material. The Indian scriptures call this inner yearning mumukṣutva.

There is a mysterious strength in the divine inner desire that lights our way to the Truth. The Sufi poet Rumi expressed it beautifully:

By the rising moon in my dark nights

I am thirsty for Your light….

My heart cannot bear the pain of separation….²

When we contact this longing for transcendent love, for completeness, for union with the Divine, our inner journey begins.

Exercise

Contemplate the force within that propels you toward your own light. Sit in a meditative posture for a few minutes and watch your breath rise and fall, rise and fall, in a natural manner, allowing your mind to become quiet. Then ask yourself, What is my deepest desire? As ideas come out, write them down, whether you think they are correct or not. After writing all that comes to you, be quiet again, and go back to watching your breath. Once your mind is again still, and you feel peaceful inside, review what you have written and contemplate where the desires you’ve listed have come from, which ones are truly what you want, and whether some of them contradict others. Then write down what you have discovered.

2. Yogaś citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ.

yogaś – yoga

citta – mind

vṛtti – modifications, activity

nirodhaḥ – cessation

Yoga is the cessation of the movements of the mind.

Patanjali defines yoga as the cessation of thoughts in the mind. In the tantric view of Kashmir Śaivism, the source of our minds is luminous, pure Awareness, a divine Awareness that intuitively knows everything. Through the evolution of the Divine to the human level, this pure Awareness contracts and hides its full nature, becoming our minds. Then instead of relying on our intuitive, free, native Awareness, we use the medium of words and thoughts to know ourselves and our world. These movements of mind, our thoughts, are what Patanjali calls vṛittis. They conceal the divine unlimited power of Awareness, causing us to believe what our thoughts tell us is real.

In stilling our thoughts, we recognize the intrinsic, pure Awareness that is at the root of our mind. We find the natural emptiness that is characteristic of Awareness. Emptiness means that Awareness has no form or content we can point to, relies on nothing external to itself, is unfabricated, and has no beginning or end. It is always spontaneously present. Being empty does not mean that Awareness is nothing. It is self-luminous and full of cognizance. Even when we have thoughts, we begin to recognize that emptiness lies within the expression of our thoughts. Recognizing the inherent emptiness within our minds is citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ.

Patanjali and the seers of the wisdom traditions have taught us to meditate, to gently take our attention away from our thoughts through a process of concentration and resting in Awareness. Concentration in meditation focuses our minds, piercing through the thoughts that perpetually emerge and subside, concealing our true nature as Awareness. At a certain point, we are able to spontaneously rest in the pure Awareness that is the source of our minds.

There are many methods of meditation. Many utilize the breath as a central pillar. When our breath is steady and regular, our minds also become steady and our thoughts diminish. Conversely, when our minds are distracted and led by our thoughts, our breath becomes shallow, irregular, and erratic. Watching the breath, allowing it to naturally rise and fall, rise and fall, forms a foundation for us to ease the activities of the mind. Slowly we become aware of that which witnesses our thoughts, the Seer, the deep I am Consciousness—pure Awareness—that is the essence of our beings.

Exercise

Sit in a comfortable meditative posture on the floor or in a chair. Your back should be relaxed but straight, your breathing easy. Now watch the thoughts play in your mind for a few minutes. Try not to buy into them, but watch them come and go, come and go. After some time, try to stop them. Can you?

Now sit in the same posture and watch your breath come in and go out in a natural rhythm. As you inhale, feel the breath come in, go down deep into your lower abdomen, and pause momentarily. Then see the breath rise as you exhale and visualize it moving toward the top of your head. Observe another momentary pause at the end of your exhale before another inhale starts. Watch the breath descend again toward your lower abdomen. Continue this for several minutes, slowly inhaling and exhaling, watching the breath rise and fall, with brief pauses between breaths. After some time, begin to notice your thoughts. Are they as active as usual? What is the difference in the amount and intensity of your thoughts?

3. Tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe ’vasthānam.

tadā – then

draṣṭuḥ – the Seer

svarūpe – true nature

avasthānam – abides

Then the Seer abides in his/her own essential nature.

The Indian scriptures provide many terms for our essential nature: Citi, Pure Consciousness; Brahman, the Absolute; Atman, the Self of all; Puruṣa, the Seer. The yogic scriptures of India describe our essential nature as unconditioned Consciousness, the immortal light of Awareness, with no beginning or end, without form or substance, yet which empowers our minds, senses, and bodies.

The Īśa Upaniṣad states:

In the heart of all things, of whatever there is in the Universe, is Brahman. He alone is the reality.³

Similarly, the Kena Upaniṣad states:

That which cannot be expressed in words, but