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The twelfth sutra of the Vibhuti Pada of the Maharishi Patanjali's Yoga Darshana is about the third parinama, ekāgratā pariṇāma. In the earlier sutras we have seen nirodha pariṇāma and samādhi pariṇāma and in this particular sutra number 12, Maharishi Patanjali describes, presents a wonderful transformation, the parinama which is termed as ekāgratā pariṇāma. The sutra is, त॒तः पु॒नः शा॒न्तोदि॒तौ तु॒ल्यप्र॒त्य॒यौ चि॒त्तस्यैकाग्रताप॑रिणा॒मः ॥ ३.१२॥
Tataḥ punaḥ śāntoditau tulyapratyayau cittasya ekāgratā pariṇāmaḥ.
This is how the words are being spelt in the particular sutra. Tataḥ, then, that means in that, punaḥ, again, tataḥ punaḥ, in that again, that means once again, śānta, pacified, subsided, latent, that is the śānta, uditau, rising, coming up, that is uditau, tulya is identical, same, similar, tulya is identical, pratyayau is experience or the same state of the mind or the object, cittasya of the mind, of the citta, ekāgratā, eka agratā, eka is one, agra is pointed, and ekāgratā, one-pointedness, pariṇāmaḥ is a transformation, so ekāgratā pariṇāmaḥ is punaḥ, repeating again and again, of the pratyaya of the citta, citta pratyaya, pratyaya of the citta, same experience of the object, after subsiding and the rising, or after rising and the subsiding, the experience of the object is same, there is no change of the object, there is no change of the experience, the pratyaya is same, same pratyaya is there and from the same pratyaya the citta becomes udita arises, appearing and disappearing, sinking and rising, staying and moving out, confining and flickering, but after the rise, from the śāntatā and that experience of the object, or the object, or the experience alone, pratyaya is same, it is not changing, so the condition of the mind in which the pratyaya subsides and is always exactly similar, that is to the object which arises in the next moment and that is the ekāgratā pariṇāmaḥ, that is when the subsiding and the rising cognitive acts are same, if the object to be fixed in front of the mind, in front of the citta, or the citta is experiencing a lotus, for example as a pratyaya, and there is a change, the mind moves out, but when it returns back, it is again lotus alone, it is going out, but when it comes back, both times it is lotus alone, the pratyaya doesn't undergo, so the rise and the silencing, śānta and udita, the pratyaya is same, tulya, there is no change in that, means within the space of the same object, within the space of the same pratyaya, within the experience of the same experience, when the mind is becoming quiet and the mind is becoming active, for example, to put it for understanding, but the pratyaya is one and the same, it is not undergoing any change, experience is not changing, that is called as ekāgratā, ekāgratā pratyaya it is called. How beautifully the Patanjali is defining what is the ekāgratā pratyaya it is. And the only peculiarity is that the subject or the vṛtti about which it is subsiding, and the subject or the vṛtti which is coming up in the next instant, in the citta, are both identical in all respects, and without there being any slightest difference in the experience that the citta is having about the subject of meditation, and this creates a feeling of having the exactly same continuous experience, even though there are a change, but the change is not noticed, because the pratyaya and experience is same, and that is called as the maintenance of the ekāgratā over a long period, that is the ekāgratā pratyaya it is. So the characteristic of the ekāgratā pratyaya, which as we have seen is the consummation of the samādhi pariṇāma in the previous sutra, in the earlier sutras, is that exactly the same pratyaya rises in the field of consciousness again and again, punaḥ punaḥ it is, and produces the impression as if a single fixed unchanging pratyaya is occupying the field. Just for understanding, the projection in the cinematography, filling movies which we see as movies on screen, that a constant speed is there moving, but it is so fast, so quick, so continuous, the gap is not seen, the continuity is maintained because the same thing is continuing, continuity is maintained because the same thing is continued even after the rise of the pratyaya, and so this continuity is not out of stoic, stale or tamas, but it is a dynamic stability, it is not a stoic, tāmasic, dull, lazy, but it is a dynamic balance, dynamic activity balanced and that is why it is called as a pariṇāma, not avasthā, avasthā is a state, it is not a state, it is a transformation, because process is happening. Vivekananda again beautifully summarizes it, “How are we to know that, the mind has become concentrated, because time will vanish, the more time vanishes, the more concentrated we are in common life, we see that, when we were interested in a book, we don't note the time at all, and when we leave the book, we are often surprised to find, how many hours have passed, all time will have the tendency to come and stand in the one present, so the definition is given, when the past and present come and stand in one, the more concentrated the mind is.”
How beautifully Swami Vivekananda, who has experienced these states of the mind, these transformations, and he was aware of what is happening in the mind, with that elevated soul, he alone could have written such a wonderful commentary on this particular powerful sutra, and of these three pariṇāmas - nirodha pariṇāma, samādhi pariṇāma, and ekāgratā pariṇāma, the nirodha pariṇāma is the pariṇāma, where the mind is only saṁskāras alone, or as a result of nirodha, of the external processes, bāhya vṛttis. Then the samādhi pariṇāma is from nirodha of external ideas, pratyayas, moving towards nirodha of the ideas, but before total nirodha of the ideas, for there will be no rise of ekāgratā, at the later stage of nirodha of all the ideas, this is the samādhi pariṇāma. And the third one, the ekāgratā pariṇāma is a similarity of the next thought to the one that has just subsided, which is possible only at the time of samādhi. One thought has subsided, and the second thought is bound to rise, but the second thought was not a different one, it is similar to that which was subsided, that is ekāgratā, that is ekāgratā pariṇāma. Maharshi Patanjali, that's why beautifully he says, tataḥ punaḥ it is, śāntaḥ, that which has subsided, uditaḥ, that which has rising, are same, tulya it is, tulya pratyaya it is, pratyaya is same, and tulya pratyaya of the cittasya, ekāgratā pariṇāma, how beautifully Maharshi explains the intricacies of the concentration, intricacies of the experiences of the concentration, intricacies the inner transformations, the most deep, subtle movements, thoughts within the thoughts, and that is the ekāgratā pariṇāma. Let us see the next sutra.
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/NYDNuG2B38Q?si=kBR8EAMkVsD3BHxy
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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
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