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Samādhipāda → meditation
Sādhanāpāda → instrument
Vibhutipāda → attainments
Kaivalyapāda → liberation

The Vibhuti-s are not supernatural powers but distractions. Sāṁkhya and yoga are
allied systems – on certain aspects they share each other’s views on metaphysics
and epistemology. Yoga in the kaivalyapāda accepts the distinction between
puruṣa and prakṛti, else it would be difficult to explain who will get liberation. The
latent impressions (saṁskāra, vāsana) try to establish that we are one with
prakṛti.

Q) Ca n one atta i n liberation while stil l bei ng active i n the world?

KAIVALYAPĀDA

Janma-auṣadhi-mantra-tapas-samādhi-jāḥ siddhayaḥ ॥

MEANINGS
Janma: birth Auṣadhi: medicine Mantra: chanting/prayer
Tapas: heat Samādhi: meditation Siddhi: supernatural powers

Janma, auṣadhi, mantra, and tapas are mentioned as the different ways or means
(apart from samādhi) to attain siddhi. Acquiring siddhi through birth involves no
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effort in this life as is resulted from the accumulated karmas of the past life. Since,
they believe in rebirth, there is a continuity in our actions and the fruits of our
actions. Medicines, herbs, drugs, substances, or material things taken from nature
can also prove to be beneficial. Chanting mantras (non-material) is also a potent
source. Tapas or the withdrawal of sense gives ability to focus in pointed way. Tapas
burns desires as without external sense auterity create a kind of sincerity to self.
There is a transition from concrete to subtle.

Q) Do sidd his hel p or distract?

Jāty-antara-pariṇāmaḥ prakṛtyāpūrāt ॥

MEANINGS
Antara: change Parināma: result Prakṛtyāpūrāt: natural tendencies

The change to another species is resulted by overflow of natural tendencies

(saṁskāra). The impressions of actions remain with me; there is a tendency to
repeat the actions (vāsana). There are two ways of achieving cittavṛttinirodha –
practise (abhyāsa) and detachment (vairāgya) – becomes part of essential nature,
saṁskāra.

Nimittam-aprayojakaṃ prakṛtīnāṃ varaṇa-bhedastu tataḥ kṣetrika-

vat ॥

MEANINGS
Kṣetrika: farmer Nimittam: efficient Aprayojakaṃ: no purpose
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Just like a farmer who removes the obstacles on the way (where the flow of water
towards an irrigation land is obstructed) to help the land get wet, similarly puruṣa
makes way to get liberation. The efficient cause gives nothing to prakṛti that is, the
Self has no purpose or effect on the change in nature. It only gives a direction for
change by removing the hinderances coming into the way.

Nirmāṇa-cittāni asmitā-mātrāt ॥

MEANINGS
Nirmāṇa-cittāni: constructed selves Asmitā: I-ness Mātra: alone

Volition, intellect, storehouse of memory, and ‘I’ consist the mind stuff. The
constructed selves that we think we have, are all because of ego. Whenever there is
act of ‘seeing’, the identification of known and knower, the sense of ‘I’-ness comes
up. My extension of self becomes part of my identity.

Pravṛtti-bhede prayojakaṃ cittaṃ ekaṃ aneka eṣām ॥

MEANINGS

Cittam: mind stuff Ekam: one

The mind stuff is only one but we think that it becomes many (bifurcated), as and
when it is employed in different kinds of activities of the different domains of life.
Beyond the constructed citta (created self), I am the unified one, the natural citta,
then beyond that ekam citta, the puruṣa.
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Tatra dhyānajaṃ anāśayam ॥

MEANINGS

Dhyāna: meditation

Dhyāna is one type of meditation. Among the different means of attaining siddhi
mentioned before, the citta born out of dhyāna is free from saṁskāra. This takes us
back to the first verse of this pāda, among the five kinds of sources of siddhi, the one
through meditation is the highest (mind focused on dhyana).

Karma aśukla akṛṣṇam yoginaḥ trividham-itareṣām ॥

MEANINGS

Karma: actions Aśukla: not bright Akrṣṇa: not dark

Trividham: three-fold

A Yogi’s actions are not attracted by either good or evil at all. Actions of a realised
yogi transcend good or bad. For others (non-yogis) actions are good, bad, or mixed.

Tataḥ tad-vipāka anuguṇānām-eva abhivyaktiḥ vāsanānām ॥

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MEANINGS

Tad: these Vāsana: impressions

Only few actions are ripe and manifested. When performing any action, we require a
gestation period for the fructification, and this happens only when favourable
conditions are around it.

Jāti deśa kāla vyavahitānām-api anantaryaṃ smṛti-saṃskārayoḥ

eka-rūpatvāt ॥

MEANINGS

Jāti: species Deśa: space Kāla: time smrti: memory

Anantarya: difference Saṁskāra: impressions

Species, space, time – these three create different reactions to different actions.
What is it that runs in continuity and ties you coherently. Reactions of asmitā are
actions and actions are because of smṛti (this life) and saṁskāra (past life). Though
there is difference (anantarya) but continuity is because of the two.

Tāsām-anāditvaṃ ca āśiṣo nityatvāt ॥

MEANINGS

Anādi: beginningless Āśiṣa: primordial desire Nitya: eternal

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Those tendencies being referred to are beginningless. The fundamental, primordial

desires are eternal. The desire for liberation is like water in desert where all other
desires vanish.