नाभौ निधाय हस्तौ द्वौ शान्तः पद्मासने स्थितः संस्थाप्य दृष्टिं नासाग्रे प्राणान् आयम्य वाग्यतः
Placing both hands on the navel, calm, seated in the lotus posture, fixing the gaze on the tip of the nose, restraining the breath, and controlling speech.
समाहृत्येन्द्रियग्रामं मनसा हृदये मुनिः प्रणवं दीर्घम् उद्यम्य संवृतास्यः सुनिश्चलः
Having gathered the group of senses, with the mind in the heart, the sage, closing the mouth, motionless, utters the long syllable Om.
रजसा तमसो वृत्तिं सत्त्वेन रजसस् तथा संछाद्य निर्मले शान्ते स्थितः संवृतलोचनः
By means of rajas, one covers the function of tamas; by means of sattva, one covers that of rajas. Thus, remaining pure and peaceful, with senses withdrawn, one abides.
हृत्पद्मकोटरे लीनं सर्वव्यापि निरञ्जनम् युञ्जीत सततं योगी मुक्तिदं पुरुषोत्तमम्
The yogi should always unite his mind with the Supreme Person, the giver of liberation, who is all-pervading, stainless, and hidden in the innermost lotus of the heart.
करणेन्द्रियभूतानि क्षेत्रज्ञे प्रथमं न्यसेत् क्षेत्रज्ञश् च परे योज्यस् ततो युञ्जति योगवित्
First, let him place the senses and the elements into the knower of the field; then, let the knower of the field be joined to the Supreme; thus, the knower of yoga unites.
मनो यस्यान्तम् अभ्येति परमात्मनि चञ्चलम् संत्यज्य विषयांस् तस्य योगसिद्धिः प्रकाशिता
For one whose restless mind, having abandoned all objects, attains its end in the Supreme Self, the perfection of yoga is revealed.
यदा निर्विषयं चित्तं परे ब्रह्मणि लीयते समाधौ योगयुक्तस्य तदाभ्येति परं पदम्
When the mind, free from objects, dissolves into the Supreme Brahman, then, for the one established in yoga, the highest state is attained in samadhi.
असंसक्तं यदा चित्तं योगिनः सर्वकर्मसु भवत्य् आनन्दम् आसाद्य तदा निर्वाणम् ऋच्छति
When the yogi’s mind is unattached in all actions, having attained bliss, then he reaches liberation.
शुद्धं धामत्रयातीतं तुर्याख्यं पुरुषोत्तमम् प्राप्य योगबलाद् योगी मुच्यते नात्र संशयः
Having attained, through the power of yoga, the pure, transcendent, fourth state called the Supreme Person, the yogi is liberated—of this there is no doubt.
निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यः सर्वत्र प्रियदर्शनः सर्वत्रानित्यबुद्धिस् तु योगी मुच्येत नान्यथा
Free from desire for all objects, seeing the good everywhere, and understanding the impermanence of all things, the yogi is liberated; otherwise, not.
इन्द्रियाणि न सेवेत वैराग्येण च योगवित् सदा चाभ्यासयोगेन मुच्यते नात्र संशयः
The knower of yoga should not indulge the senses, but practice detachment; always by the discipline of practice, he is liberated—of this there is no doubt.
न च पद्मासनाद् योगो न नासाग्रनिरीक्षणात् मनसश् चेन्द्रियाणां च संयोगो योग उच्यते
Yoga is not merely the lotus posture, nor gazing at the tip of the nose; the union of mind and senses is called yoga.
एवं मया मुनिश्रेष्ठा योगः प्रोक्तो विमुक्तिदः संसारमोक्षहेतुश् च किम् अन्यच् छ्रोतुम् इच्छथ
Thus, O best of sages, I have declared the yoga that grants liberation and is the cause of release from worldly existence. What else do you wish to hear?
श्रुत्वा ते वचनं तस्य साधु साध्व् इति चाब्रुवन् व्यासं प्रशस्य संपूज्य पुनः प्रष्टुं समुद्यताः
Hearing his words, they said, 'Excellent, excellent!' Praising and honoring Vyasa, they prepared to question him further.
तव वक्त्राब्धिसंभूतम् अमृतं वाङ्मयं मुने पिबतां नो द्विजश्रेष्ठ न तृप्तिर् इह दृश्यते
O sage, the nectar of your words, arising from the ocean of your mouth, does not bring us satisfaction, O best of twice-born, though we drink it here.
तस्माद् योगं मुने ब्रूहि विस्तरेण विमुक्तिदम् सांख्यं च द्विपदां श्रेष्ठ श्रोतुम् इच्छामहे वयम्
Therefore, O sage, tell us in detail about yoga, which grants liberation, and also about Sankhya, O best of men—we wish to hear.
प्रज्ञावाञ् श्रोत्रियो यज्वा ख्यातः प्राज्ञो ऽनसूयकः सत्यधर्ममतिर् ब्रह्मन् कथं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति
How does a wise, learned, sacrificial, renowned, intelligent, and non-envious person, whose mind is set on truth and righteousness, O Brahman, attain Brahman?
तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण सर्वत्यागेन मेधया सांख्ये वा यदि वा योग एतत् पृष्टो वदस्व नः
Is it by austerity, celibacy, complete renunciation, intelligence, by Sankhya or by yoga? Having been asked this, tell us.
मनसश् चेन्द्रियाणां च यथैकाग्र्यम् अवाप्यते येनोपायेन पुरुषस् तत् त्वं व्याख्यातुम् अर्हसि
By what means does a person attain one-pointedness of mind and senses? This you ought to explain to us.
नान्यत्र ज्ञानतपसोर् नान्यत्रेन्द्रियनिग्रहात् नान्यत्र सर्वसंत्यागात् सिद्धिं विन्दति कश्चन
No one attains perfection except through knowledge and austerity, nor except through control of the senses, nor except through complete renunciation.
महाभूतानि सर्वाणि पूर्वसृष्टिः स्वयंभुवः भूयिष्ठं प्राणभृद्ग्रामे निविष्टानि शरीरिषु
All the great elements, the original creation of the Self-born, are mostly established within the community of living beings, residing in bodies.
भूमेर् देहो जलात् स्नेहो ज्योतिषश् चक्षुषी स्मृते प्राणापानाश्रयो वायुः कोष्ठाआकाशं शरीरिणाम्
The body is from earth, moisture from water, the eyes from fire, memory from light, the life-breath and outgoing-breath rest in air, and the cavity of the body is from space.
क्रान्तौ विष्णुर् बले शक्रः कोष्ठे ऽग्निर् भोक्तुम् इच्छति कर्णयोः प्रदिशः श्रोत्रे जिह्वायां वाक् सरस्वती
Vishnu is present in movement, Indra in strength, Agni in the belly desiring to consume, the directions in the ears, sound in hearing, and Sarasvati, the goddess of speech, in the tongue.
कर्णौ त्वक् चक्षुषी जिह्वा नासिका चैव पञ्चमी दश तानीन्द्रियोक्तानि द्वाराण्य् आहारसिद्धये
The ears, skin, eyes, tongue, and the fifth, the nose—these ten are called the senses, the gateways for the accomplishment of nourishment.
शब्दस्पर्शौ तथा रूपं रसं गन्धं च पञ्चमम् इन्द्रियार्थान् पृथग् विद्याद् इन्द्रियेभ्यस् तु नित्यदा
Sound, touch, form, taste, and the fifth, smell—these should always be known as the objects of the senses, distinct from the senses themselves.
इन्द्रियाणि मनो युङ्क्ते अवश्यान् इव राजिनः मनश् चापि सदा युङ्क्ते भूतात्मा हृदयाश्रितः
The mind harnesses the senses as a king would his subjects, and the embodied soul, abiding in the heart, always harnesses the mind.
इन्द्रियाणां तथैवैषां सर्वेषाम् ईश्वरं मनः नियमे च विसर्गे च भूतात्मा मनसस् तथा
Among all the senses, the mind is their lord; in both restraint and release, the embodied soul is likewise the lord of the mind.
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थाश् च स्वभावश् चेतना मनः प्राणापानौ च जीवश् च नित्यं देहेषु देहिनाम्
The senses, their objects, inherent nature, consciousness, mind, the life-breath and outgoing-breath, and the living soul—all these are always present in the bodies of embodied beings.
आश्रयो नास्ति सत्त्वस्य गुणशब्दो न चेतनाः सत्त्वं हि तेजः सृजति न गुणान् वै कथंचन
There is no separate support for sattva, nor is 'quality' its name, nor is it consciousness; sattva produces brilliance, but never qualities in any way.
एवं सप्तदशं देहं वृतं षोडशभिर् गुणैः मनीषी मनसा विप्राः पश्यत्य् आत्मानम् आत्मनि
Thus, the seventeenfold body, enveloped by sixteen qualities, is perceived by the wise, O sages, by the self within the self, through the mind.