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The first sūtra of the Kaivalya Pāda, the fourth chapter of the Maharṣi Patañjali's Yoga Darśana, Patañjali Yoga Sūtras. The first sūtra is
ज॒न्मौ॒षधिम॒न्त्रत॒पःस॒मा॒धि॒जाः सि॒द्धयः॑ ॥ ४.१॥
Janmauṣadhi-mantra-tapaḥ-samādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ.
A beautiful sūtra which enumerates various means, methods, ways of attaining, gaining the Siddhis, the powers which we have seen in the third chapter. And what are the methods, what are the ways? Five ways are given, five methods are given, five ways of getting the Siddhis, attaining the Siddhis. What are the five? One is Janma by birth, Auṣadhi, by drugs, medicines. Auṣadhi, Third is Mantrāḥ, by mantras and the fourth is by Tapas, Tapaḥ and the last is Samādhi. Samādhi, Samādhijāḥ Jāḥ means born, common to all, means Janmajāḥ, Auṣadhijāḥ, Mantrajāḥ, Tapojāḥ, Samādhijāḥ, Siddhayaḥ plural it is, all Siddhis. So all the Siddhis, the Siddhis are the result of birth, drugs, mantras, Tapas, the austerities or the Samādhi. That means Siddhis can be attained, can be gained, can be achieved, not just by one, by five ways, by five methods, by one or more or all of this.
How wonderful it is! By Janma, Siddhis, powers can come as a continuation of birth. This shows, this implies that Maharṣi Patañjali sticks to the Sanātana Dharma's, the concept of Karma Theory and the Punarjanma Siddhānta, the reincarnation theory. He doesn't discard it. In fact he explains it scientifically. He explains it legally and establishes that it is legal, it is lawful, it is right, it is correct and by this particular Sūtra saying that Siddhis are attained, gained or Siddhis will come by Janma by birth. There are Yogis, born Yogis. Just for understanding, there are born Yogis like eggs in which birds are ready to come out. Eggs are there in which birds are there ready to come out. They are born Yogis. For some people shell has to be broken. Once the shell is broken, the bird will come out. But there are others who are like eggs, need to be hatched. So born Yogis are like fields in which a field is just by the side of a reservoir of water. We have seen this example in earlier chapters. And all others, the water has to be brought from far away to the fields for irrigation. And of course, Janma by birth. Hindu, Sanātana Dharma Saṃskṛti in our culture what the Saṃskāras of the earlier births, the essence is carried forward, is brought forward and if it is at the final level, then you find the Siddhis are coming. There are number of examples. People who have not done any Sādhana, just by birth they gain powers and there is no further explanation, there are no other explanations except we have to conclude that as we normally say what Puṇya this man has done in his or in her previous lives. It's a common statement. We cannot understand it. Child prodigies, a small baby, a small child renders out unbelievable, unthinkable memories and there cannot be any other expression, there cannot be any other conclusion. But that is a power which has come by birth. Janmataḥ, by birth. Then Siddhis can also be achieved by Auṣadhis, drugs. Yes, various drugs, Auṣadhis we find in Āyurveda. Plenty of names have been given which arouse the hidden potentialities within ourself. And by this effect of these drugs, Auṣadhis, Citta-vṛttis gets reduced, thinned down and the thickness gets reduced and that is how the Siddhis are achieved.
And the mantra, Janma, Auṣadhi and then the mantra, Yes, we know that the power of mantra, it is said, Mananāt trāyate iti mantraḥ, by chanting which, Trāyate, which cuts the bondage, by chanting which we cut the bondage, by chanting which the chain is broken, that by chanting which we get freedom, that is called Mantraḥ, Gāyatrī Mantraḥ, Pañcākṣarī Mantraḥ, Mahāmantraḥ. And in the mantras we find so many varieties of mantra Ekākṣara Mantra, Dvyakṣara Mantra, Tryakṣara Mantra, Pañcākṣarī Mantra, Ṣaḍakṣarī, Saptākṣarī, the famous Aṣṭākṣarī Mantra, Daśākṣarī, Dvādaśākṣarī Mantra, Ṣoḍaśākṣarī Mantra, where beautiful sounds, powerful sounds will have an effect on the person who chants it, because that Akṣara carries a powerful potential vibrations in that, a packed up energy in that, and various Akṣaras, syllables are combined to form a particular word, and the power packed in each word, and the power packed in each sound of the syllable, and then the combination of the entire power packed up in each syllable, forming a particular word, and various words forming a particular sentence, we can imagine, we cannot imagine what will be the power packed up in that particular sentence, particular word, particular sound, that's why mantra is the most powerful means of the Sādhana in our entire tradition, and especially in the yoga practices - mananāt trāyate iti mantraḥ as we have seen in the first chapter, Maharṣi Patañjali suggests, almost proposes, Praṇavaḥ as it is, Japa of the Praṇava Mantra, he says तज्ज॒पस्तदर्थ॑भाव॒नम् ॥ १.२८॥ he calls it, and when we come to the mantras, the sound, the productions, the Pañcākṣarī Mantra, Aum Namaḥ Śivāya, Aum Namo Nārāyaṇāya, Aṣṭākṣarī, Ṣoḍaśākṣarī, Dvādaśākṣarī, then in the Gāyatrī Mantra,Aum Bhūr Bhuvaḥ Svaḥ Aum Tat Savitur Vareṇyaṃ Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi Dhiyo Yo Naḥ Pracodayāt the famous Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra, Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam
Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mṛtyor Mukṣīya Mā'mṛtāt the power of the language of the Sanskrit, and each sound which has a power of its own, and they are packed up, which we have seen in the third chapter, that how the sound seems to be meaningless, but has a meaning of its own, and so mantra has that beautiful dimension. And as a passing remark, we should understand the mantra has four major expressions of the mantra - one is the Parā, Paśyantī, Upāṃśu, and the Vaikharī, a mantra which is just felt and experienced deep inside, unexpressed feeling, is the Parā, Paśyantī, we're about to feel, very deep inside the mind, the mantra is chanted. Upāṃśu, just at the lip level, and Vaikharī is with the sound, and chanting of these mantras at various levels, suitable to the various tendencies, Saṃskāras, unknown Saṃskāras, hidden Saṃskāras, unknown Vāsanās, hidden Vāsanās, which can be identified by an evolved person, whom we call it as a guru and trying to break those bondages, trying to push the state of the Citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ, the Dīkṣā is given, and by chanting, practicing that mantra, Punaścaraṇa it is called, hours together, days together, syllable after syllable, word after word, mantra, repeatedly, yes, that creates, that gives tremendous powers, which are hidden, it unlocks the Siddhis, which are already existent in our own self, that is why Patañjali says, Mantraḥ, he calls it Janmauṣadhi-mantrajāḥ, then Tapaḥ, Yes, by Tapas, by Tapas, Siddhis can be attained, which we have seen in entire third chapter, in fact, we can even, just for our understanding, the process of Saṃyama, the ability, concentration, meditation, and absorption, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, Samādhi, an intense Tapasyā needed for the Indriyas, Indriya Nigraha, for the Jittendriyatāṃ, and amount of Tapas needed for the Vairāgyaḥ, yes, it unlocks the powers within, the Vibhūtis will express itself, the Vibhūtis will germinate in our self, the Vibhūtis will manifest from within self, Tapas is a wonderful method, Maharṣi Patañjali suggests in this particular Sūtra. And the last one, of course, the Samādhi, Samāpatis, which we have seen, various types of Samāpatis, and the Saṃyamas, which we have sufficiently understood, and we were exposed in the previous three chapters, about the Samādhi, which unlocks, and which is a method, which is a tool for the Vibhūtis. So this particular Sūtra, Janmauṣadhi-mantra-tapaḥ-samādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ - Samādhijāḥ, he calls, these are born, from Janma Siddhis are born, Siddha Puruṣas, Janmataḥ, Auṣadhijāḥ, the specific Auṣadhis will push into a state of Citta-vṛtti, Citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ, Tapaḥ, Samādhi, Siddhayaḥ. So this particular Sūtra, the first Sūtra of the Kaivalya Pāda, talks of the five important ways of attaining the Siddhis, explained in the previous third chapter of the Vibhūti Pāda.
Let us see the second Sūtra,
Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||
To Be Continued.. ---------------------------------------
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji.
Audio Link - https://youtu.be/0TdR0Z738dE?si=QXhaRybWUMPAml5m
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
