Sutra 1.43 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated and with commentary by Vasyl Vernyhora

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Sutra 1.43 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,

translated and with commentary by Vasyl Vernyhora

Below, we will present a translation of sutra 1.43 based on its common interpretation. This will be followed by a detailed analysis of this sutra, followed by a more detailed, clear, and logical translation.

1.43. After the complete "cleansing" (pariśuddhau) of smṛti (smṛti), [there arises] nirvitarkā (nirvitarkā)—a state of mind in which only (mātra) the object (artha; or its meaning) is illuminated (nirbhāsā), and which appears (iva) to be devoid (śūnyā) of its own form (sva-rūpa).

The word "nirvitarkā" is preferred by commentators to be interpreted as "nirvitarka-samadhi", but this issue will be discussed later.

The word artha has various meanings, including "object" and "the meaning [of an object]".

When translating this sutra, the Sanskrit word "smṛti" is commonly interpreted as "memory", using one of the literal dictionary meanings of the word. However, in Buddhism, this word also denotes the watchful effort during the practice of samadhi—the "remembering" of not allowing distractions (thoughts, etc.) to arise and the mind to become lost.

The watchful effort of "smriti" becomes unnecessary upon entering the second and subsequent rupa-dhyanas, as volitional control and the quality of samadhi, trained through prolonged practice, become much better. And as the purity of samadhi increases, these watchful efforts of smriti (and samprajnata) themselves become noticeable interfering factors, impairing the one-pointedness of concentration. It is the degree of one-pointedness that determines the purity of the mind, which in this state becomes a "transparent crystal" (see sutra 1.41). The greater the degree of one-pointedness of the mind, that is, its concentration and clarity (the absence of mental drowning), the more the flow of kundalini energy will intensify, which ensures the transformation of consciousness ("clarifies" it) to the level of superconsciousness.

It's important to note that this sutra speaks of the "purification" ("complete purification", "disappearance") of smriti, not its initial absence. The guarding efforts of smriti and samprajnata become less intense and relevant gradually, rather than being cut off abruptly at a specific point in practice. Over time, maintaining one-pointedness of the mind becomes increasingly easier and more natural for the meditator, and therefore the guarding efforts become less and less necessary. They become so insignificant that it can be said that in the second dhyana and beyond, they practically disappear.

The word "nirvitarkā" deserves special consideration. It is formed from the word "vitarkā" and the prefix "nir", which gives the original word the meaning of "without", "away from", or "outside". Currently, the word "vitarkā" means "options, alternatives, or knowledge requiring further clarification". This is practically the same meaning as the modern dictionary definition of the word "vitarka", which is used to denote one of the five aspects of the first rupa-dhyana.

Nowadays, the words "vitarka" and "nirvitarka" have become independent names, denoting specific aspects or significant features of specific stages of samadhi practice. At the same time, the word "vitarka" has lost the meaning it had during the Buddha's time. This issue will be examined in more detail below.

An analysis of the Pali Canon's texts suggests that the meaning of the word "vitarka" has been distorted by generations of yogic and Buddhist theorists. During the Buddha's time, 2,500 years ago, the meaning of the word "vitarka" coincided with the current meaning of the word "smṛti" as a guardian effort in Buddhism (just as the meaning of the word "vichara" then coincided with the current meaning of the word "samprajñata"), as both denoted the guardian effort of "remembering" the need to avoid distractions and the mind's absorption during the practice of samadhi. Both were present in the first rupa-dhyana, and both disappeared in subsequent rupa-dhyanas. Around the 3rd to 5th centuries, the word "vitarka" began to acquire new meanings: "reflection", "applied thought", "discourse", and "research" (incidentally, thereby approaching the meaning of the Sanskrit word "tarka"). By now, this shift in the meaning of "vitarka" appears to have concluded. A detailed analysis will be provided below.

The terms vitarka and vichara describe two of the five aspects of the first rupa-dhyana of Buddhism, and there is ongoing debate among Buddhists about their meanings.

The Sanskrit word "vitarka" (वितर्क, vitarka) is formed by the prefix "vi‑" and the noun "tarka", meaning "reasoning", "research", "thinking".

The Sanskrit word "vichara" (विचार, vicāra) is formed by the prefix "vi‑" and the noun "chara", meaning "movement", "deviation", "wandering", "gaining knowledge", etc.

The prefix "vi" imparts a direction away from the original word's meaning, "toward destruction" ( quoted from P.P. Medvedyev's Sanskrit textbook), and also has the meaning of distribution and division. Furthermore, such a prefix can shift the meaning of the new word to a more refined—existential or fundamental—level, analogous to adding another dimension (i.e., orthogonality) to the original meaning, and also impart a recursive or transcendental meaning to the new word. For example, in the case of the word "vijnana", the meaning of "knowledge" in the original "jnana" changes to "consciousness", "awareness", denoting a new level for which knowledge acts as merely an object. Therefore, it is entirely possible that the primary meaning of the word "vitarka" during the Buddha's time was "intention", "determination", "remembering", and the like.

It is also possible that the word "vitarka" in the time of the Buddha could mean "non-thinking", "volitional cessation of the flow of thoughts", "monitoring the non-arising of thoughts", and "vichara"—"non-wandering", "cessation of wandering", "collectedness" (in a relatively crude form in the first dhyana, in contrast to the subsequent ones).

Among the modern meanings of the Sanskrit word "vitarka" are "thoughts", "attention", and others. For this reason, many Buddhologists are inclined to believe that thoughts are present in the first dhyana, and that they even constitute the basis of the first dhyana. For example, Buddhologist V. P. Androsov, in his monograph "Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: An Encyclopedic Dictionary", writes on page 44: "The Buddhist first dhyana is the practice of dwelling in joy and pleasure, accompanied by reflection, an investigation of causes and thoughts". Nevertheless, V. P. Androsov is practically the only Buddhologist who, despite pressure from the scientific community, claimed that the Buddha and the arhats performed miracles. According to the Tipitaka, the Buddha performed 3,500 miracles.

The following objection can be made to the theory that thoughts are supposedly present in the first dhyana. If thoughts and reasoning were intended, the prefix "vi‑" in the word "vitarka" in the description of the first dhyana would not be present, since in such a case both words—tarka and vitarka—have the same meaning. This prefix could easily alter the meaning of the word to "remembering", "vigilant awareness", and "intention", which are important aspects of shamatha/samadhi.

It's quite possible that the meaning of this word has changed over time, becoming more simplistic, especially given the fact that for the first three to four centuries, the teachings of the Buddha and his disciples were transmitted only through oral tradition. Even then, they had already divided into 18 branches of Hinayana (of those about which anything is known), of which only one branch has survived—Theravada ("teaching of the elders").

Apparently, in the time of the Buddha, the meanings of the words "vitarka" and "vichara" corresponded to the modern meanings of the words "smriti" and "samprajnata", which are used in Mahayana Buddhism today to describe aspects of shamatha that are similar in their position and purpose.

For example, vitarka and vichara disappear after achieving the first rupa dhyana, just as the relatively crude "guardian" efforts known as smriti and samprajnata are no longer required once shamatha is considered achieved, that is, when its duration has been extended to at least three hours. Then, remaining in the state of shamatha, maintaining one-pointedness of mind, becomes so natural and effortless that the meditator can remain in this state simply at will, without any special "guardian" efforts. Moreover, such a duration of "achieved" shamatha is quite closely associated in Buddhism with the rapid entry into the first rupa dhyana.

It should be noted that in the state of samadhi/shamatha, there are not and cannot be any thoughts, since they, along with shifts in mental focus and mental aberrations (weakening or loss of mental focus), are distractions of the mind. Furthermore, rupa dhyanas are not special states of mind supposedly existing separately from the practice of samadhi/shamatha, but rather sequential stages that are strung together in the practice of shamatha like pearls on a thread. For this reason, all the requirements of shamatha practice are also observed when achieving rupa dhyanas.

Sutra 1.43 clearly states that the disappearance of smriti occurs simultaneously with the removal of vitarka.

Modern interpreters of this sutra prefer not to translate the word "nirvitarkā", but to derive from it a separate term, "nirvitarka-samadhi". But if we accept the Buddhist influence of the time when this sutra was written and translate all the terms, then the literal interpretation of this sutra looks like this:

1.43. smṛtipariśuddhau svarūpaśūnyevārthamātranirbhāsā nirvitarkā.

1.43. [The stage of] ceasing (nir-) restraining/controlling the arising (-vi-) of thoughts (-tarkā) [corresponds to] the complete deliverance (pari-śuddhau) from [the need to maintain the guarding effort of] remembering (smṛti) [about the need to prevent distractions and the drowning of the mind, and then] the object (artha) [of meditation] alone (mātra; that is, with the entirety of the mind, that is, one-pointedly) is illuminated (nirbhāsā); [such a state of mind] is as if (iva) devoid (śūnyā) of its own (sva) form (rūpa).

This sutra was most likely written at a time when the word "nirvitarka" had become a distinct term and the name of a stage of practice in the minds of yogis and Buddhists, no longer primarily associated with the literal meaning of the word. This is similar to how Gautama buddha came to be called the Buddha, and now, for Buddhists, he is Buddha the buddha.

The word "artha" in this sutra can refer to either an object (or an image of it imprinted on the mind) or the "meaning" of the image or a specific concept, which can also imply a formless or objectless meditation on the nature of the mind, that is, monitoring the increasingly subtle distractions of the mind with the aim of eliminating them to ensure ever greater purity and clarity of mind.

In other words, now the object (or task of the meditation session) is held in the mind as completely as possible, since the maximum achievable one-pointedness of the mind is ensured by getting rid of the “background” leakage of part of the mind’s awareness to ensure the guarding effort of smriti—remembering the need to prevent distractions of the mind.

The words "as if devoid of its own form" may also indicate that the task of meditation, and here we are primarily talking about meditation on the nature of the mind, no longer requires devoting any significant, separate attention to it, using any portion of the mind's "computing power". This also facilitates the attainment of the highest possible one-pointedness of an "empty" (noiseless) mind, which, in turn, fulfills the goal of samadhi practice—strengthening the flow of kundalini, leading to the accelerated development of the supramental structures of the superconscious. This phrase "as if devoid of its own form" was also discussed earlier in the review of sutra 3.3.

This interpretation of this sutra implies that it refers to entering a state of consciousness corresponding to the second rupa-dhyana of Buddhism. This also suggests that the preceding sutra, 1.42, which uses the term "sa-vitarka" ("with vitarka"), refers to the first rupa-dhyana, while sutra 1.41 refers to the "attained" three-hour shamatha.

Regardless of the interpretation of this sutra, it appears inconsistent with the meaning of sutra 1.18, which speaks of attaining the arupa-ayatanas, which occurs after attaining all four rupa-dhyanas. This suggests that these two fragments of the Yoga Sutras, one beginning with sutra 1.17 and the other with sutra 1.42, were written by different people. Furthermore, the description of the entire practice of samadhi begins anew at the very end of the second chapter and continues at the very beginning of the third.

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