Patanjali Yoga Sutra #2

Yoga-s-chitta-vratti-nirodhah

Yoga is to still the modifications of 'chitta'.

With the very first meaningful sutra, Patanjali hits hard with a dense sutra, showing that he means business. He puts out the definition of Yoga, which is deep and profound, and the students can refer back to, as they learn about it more. 

Let's take the easier words first. Vratti translates to modifications. Basically if something is in one state, and ends up changing in some way, then the change is 'Vratti'. Nirodhah represents resisting to stop something. So, if resistance is against all changes, then if successful, there is absolutely no change, reaching 'stillness'. 

'Chitta' is the more nuanced one here, and needs more background. In Sankhya system, the ultimate reality has 2 distinct parts - 1) Prakriti (the material world), and 2) Purush (awareness / consciousness). As they both interact, they evolve. In the beginning, purush acquires 3 evolutes - 1) Buddhi (intelligence), 2) Ahankara (ego), and 3) Manas (mind). Just like we wear clothes before engaging with the outside world, Purush wears these 3 as it engages with Prakriti. An important point here is that Purush (or the soul / consciousness) stays separate from these 3 evolutes, though actively engages with them. 'Chitta' is the combination of these 3 evolutes - so, Chitta = Intelligence + Ego + Mind. It is the mechanism through which Purush (consciousness) interacts with Prakriti (material body). 

The modifications will be defined in a later Sutra, however, let's understand the 3 evolutes  of Chitta here. Manas (mind) engages with 'thought'. It takes sensory input, organizes it to make better sense of it, and directs them. Effectively, manas handles our feelings, emotions, and desires. Ahankar (Ego) literally translates to I-ness, and helps identify the individual, dealing with self awareness, and self identification. Ahankar also limits sensory inputs to the physical body and its surroundings. Buddhi (Intelligence) is connected to judgment , knowledge, and discrimination. It interacts with Ahankar and Manas, to make sense of the sensory inputs, feelings, and desires, in context of self, and uses prior knowledge to judge how to act. Buddhi makes Purush (soul) aware of Prakriti (material body). 

Prakriti exhibits three gunas (qualities) - 1) Sattva (lucidity), 2) Rajas (action), and 3) Tamas (inertia). Everything in prakriti has these 3 gunas in different proportions. Just like three colors RGB (Red Green Blue) can create infinite number and shades of colors and patterns in the world, the three gunas can be combined in infinite ways. As Chitta engages with matter (prakriti), it acquires these three gunas as well. 

Let's understand the gunas a little better. Sattva represents tranquility, lucidity, happiness, peacefulness, wisdom, discrimination etc. Rajas represents energy, action, power, restlessness, creativity etc. Tamas represents inertia, disinterest, lethargy, sleep etc. Obviously, the quantity of each guna in each individual keeps changing all the time. Sattva helps with yogic endeavor the most, and yoga heavily cultivates Sattva, and tries to put it in control of the other 2 gunas which engage much more with sense objects hence increase vratti. So, yoga tries to drastically cut down rajas (action) and tamas (inertia) in its practice.

It is worth looking at a few useful analogies to understand some of the concepts. If purush is the sea, vratti could be waves. If purush is clay, vratti could be statues. Purush can be thought of as light energy, and Chitta as a mirror that keeps changing its shape based on vratti, and sends the light back to its source (purush). Since purush is becoming aware of itself and the material body through the reflection from chitta, purush misidentifies itself as something else. This mis-identification prompts purush to bind with the world. An important point here is that purush does not actually change at all, it just thinks it does because the inputs it gets represent so.

Yoga has two end stages - first equivalent of the clean mirror, so the purush can see itself the way it is. and then another final stage where mirror itself dissolves and there is nothing left, except the Purush (consciousness).