The Essential Yoga Sutras

With Will Duncan June 11th, 2016

Kaia Yoga Greenwich ,CT

willduncan.org/kaia

1.2, Yogashchittavirttinirodhaha –

Vritti -

“As medical science has four divisions: illness, cause of illness, recovery and path of recovery – so this philosophy of salvation has four parts; cycle of births and deaths, its cause, liberation, and the means of liberation.” - Vyasa commentary on II.15

1. The truth of suffering

2.15 Parinama tapa sanskaraduhkhairgunavirttivirodhach cha duhkhamevasarvamvivekinah.

Parinama – change

Pari– around, nam – to bend, to bow (Name, namaste)

Taapa – Pain

Samskara – Sanskara– seed

San – together or with (sangha)

Skara– root is kr

Guna – Guna– a quality, retroflex n in pronunciation

Grah – (to grab or grasp)

2. The truth of the cause of suffering

2.3 Avidya-asmita raga dveshaabhiniveshahpanchakleshah.

Avidya – “a” means not

Vid: means to know or understand or see. Oh, I see.

Cognates: ((video, druid, (true seer), wisdom, veda))

Asmita – “the seed sprouts into subject and object. “Me” and “Other” then obviously liking or disliking. ((Opposite – stubbing your toe vs. someone throwing something at it.))

Raga –

Dvesha –

Abhinivesha – thinking the wrong thing about the donut.

2.4 avidyakshetramuttareshamprasuptatanuvicchinnodaranam

Ignorance is the field for the ones that comes after it, whether they are dormant, dwindling, interrupted, or flourishing.

Ksetra: field,

Kshi: which means to possess, the word sha, like esha, like an owner of possessor of a great deal of things. Ksetraka, which means gardener or farmer. That is how the language progresses, and that is how you get to know these roots words.

2.5 anitya-asuchidukha-anatmasunityashuchisukha-atmakhyatiravidya

Avidya consists of these four:

1.(LASTING) Anitya – not eternal, can’t last

2.(PURE) Ashuci. This comes from a root, shoot, which means, to glean. Cognate: scintillate, shine, incandescent. Here shuci means glowing white or like shining. And this Ah, so, NOT shining.

3. (PLEASURABLE) Dukha: duk, which means bad. Khais like empty space, or the sky, or a hole. Kha, comes into English, just as ha, and you get hole, hollow. Obscure, comes from this.

4. (HAVE ESSENCE) Anatma: atma. root tam = to cut off or set apart. ATMA = something not set apart. Long A = not set apart.

((atom = something that is NOT cut off, thought to be the single building block of all matter.)) ((Temple comes from here, because it was a place that was set off, or set aside, for prayer or whatever.)) This long A is another NOT.

2.7 sukha-anushayiragah

* Assailed by what feels good, we begin to like things.

Sukha – Sukha: su means good

root is esu->eu (cognate: euphoric, euthanasia, sushumna)

Raga – Raga: to color, to be passionate

Cognates: rage, orange, raga

3. The truth of the cessation of suffering

2.16 Heyamduhkamanagatam

Dukha- Duhkha: du – bad,

kha, hole (cave, obscure) Literally bad hole.

4. The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering

1.12 Abhyasavairagyabhyam tan nirodhah

Abhyasa–

A)Abhyasa

As – “to be”, we get “Is” AND “essence.”

FROM THIS COMES another Sanskrit root which has a

LONG “A” and becomes “AS” meaning “to sit”

AND that’s the “as” in “asana”

Abhi – Literally it means “up to” but it’s translated as “higher, really, very much.” We get epicenter and the “apo” in “apogee” (which is the highest peak when a satellite orbit the earth or something.) Abhi dharma – highest knowledge.

Vairagya–

A)Vairagya - means separating yourself from what colors your vision of reality.

Vairagya comes from…

Raj – meaning “to color” or “passionate”, comes into raga rage, orange, and rapture

Vi – “to split apart OR SEPARATE OR DIVIDE”, from which we get “divide, two, (which is “dva” in Sanskrit) and bicycle”

1.14 satudirghakalanairantaryasatkaraasevitodirdhabhumih

2.28 Yoga-anga-anushthanadashuddhikshayejnyanadiptiravivekakhyateh.

Ashuddhi –impurities

Kshaye - destruction of those impurities

Anushthanad - Engaging earnestly

Anga is practices

Ashuddhi – impurities

Kshaye – destruction of those impurities

Diptir – lamp or light

Khyateh – revelation

Anga– limb (ashtanga)

Root – anga, to be narrow, distressing (angst, anger, anxiety)

Ashta – octopus, 8

2.29 Yama niyama-asana pranayama pratyaharadharanadhyanasamadhayoshtava-angani.

2.30 Ahimsa satya-asteyabrahmacharya-aparigrahayamah

  1. Ahimsa –non violence
  2. Satya–truthfulness
  3. Asteya–non stealing
  4. Brahmacharya–celibacy
  5. Aparigraha – non coveting

2.32 Sauchasantoshatapahswvadhyayeshvarapranidhananiniyamah.

  1. Saucha–cleanliness
  2. Santosha– contentment
  3. Tapas –austerities
  4. Svadhaya–self study
  5. IshvaraPranidhana–devotion, surrender