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Part 2 of description of the essence of pranayama in sutras 2.49-53 and 1.41 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated and with commentary by Vasyl Vernyhora
The importance of the mention of prakasha—"all-pervading radiance"—in sutra 2.52, which continues sutra 2.51 and describes a transcendental (and certainly not physical) pranayama, deserves special consideration. These two sutras will be examined in more detail below.
Indian systems of philosophy, which are called darshanas (here: "worldview"), to which yoga also belongs, are characterized by a threefold description of the aspects of that part of the universe that is perceived by the ordinary person. In addition to the three-dimensionality of space in our visible world and the three times (past, present, and future), this three-dimensionality of perception includes the three gunas, three types of karma (agami, sanchita, and prarabdha), and, most importantly in this case, three states of consciousness: jagrat (wakefulness), svapna (light sleep with dreams), and sushupti (deep sleep without dreams). There is also a fourth state of consciousness—turiya ("fourth")—but it is unattainable by ordinary people, as only saints who have developed superconsciousness and experienced advaita in its true form (and not as semantic labels or dummies) can consciously dwell in it. The Mandukya Upanishad describes this state of consciousness as follows: "The fourth is immeasurable, indescribable, dissolution for the manifest".
Thus, the fourth type of pranayama described in sutra 2.51, which "goes beyond the sphere of influence of external and internal manifestations", may well be something that manifests in the fourth state of consciousness. Different sects of Hinduism offer different descriptions of what turiya is. These descriptions cover a range of meanings from samadhi (which is actually just a method for achieving turiya) to Brahman.
The mention of the Prakasha-Shine may also be an allusion to Brahman—the self-luminous Absolute God in Hinduism, the source of all light in the universe. The individual jiva soul, having developed superconsciousness, is capable of perceiving the Absolute Brahman as an individual Atman. In other words, Brahman is a side view of Brahman, from the perspective of Brahman itself. At the same time, Atman is a view of Brahman from below, from a lower-dimensional space, from the perspective of the human soul.
If we consider the motionless pranayama from sutra 2.50 as the attainment of the fourth rupa-dhyana, and the fourth type of pranayama from sutra 2.51 as the attainment of arupa-ayatanas, that is, the attainment of further stages of the development of superconsciousness, then the disappearance of the veil concealing the Radiance-Prakasha, which is spoken of in sutra 2.52, means the attainment of the fifth arupa-ayatana (the highest attainment in Buddhism), that is, the attainment of the consciousness of a Buddha (and not "just" arhatship) and direct (and not through the conclusions of the mind-manas) cognition of Atman, accomplished by the supercognitive instruments of consciousness, that is, by a person who has attained the highest level of holiness like Vasishtha or Buddha.
Thus, from examining sutras 2.51 and 2.52 in the context of sutras 2.45 and 2.47-50, it follows that pranayama refers not to breathing exercises (and indeed, the sutras make no mention of any specific pranayamas in the form of breathing exercises), but to a natural energetic—that is, pranic—effect that manifests during the practice of samadhi/shamatha. It is precisely this effect that is the goal of meticulously observing the requirements of samadhi/shamatha psychotechnique, and it is precisely this effect that leads to the development of supramental structures of superconsciousness, that is, to the goal of the teachings of Patanjali and Buddha. The interpretation of the pranayama of the Yoga Sutras as breathing exercises is most likely the same late agreement of the commentators (distorting the meaning of the pranayama of the Yoga Sutras), as the distorted modern interpretation of the word "asana" from sutra 2.46 as a variety of unstable, uncomfortable and non-sitting positions of the body (all this directly contradicts the content of sutra 2.46), supposedly designed to help such gymnasts achieve the ability to, for example, perform samyamas from the third chapter of the Yoga Sutras (so far, in the entire history of postural yoga, not a single hatha yogi has succeeded in this).
Moreover, in sutra 4.3 it is directly stated that by observing the requirements of the practice of samadhi (“instrumental cause”), the yogi merely creates the conditions for strengthening the flow of energy (“productive causes”), which, no longer restrained by obstacles (eliminated by keeping the mind one-pointed), causes the development of consciousness to the level of superconsciousness.
Samadhi/shamatha meditation is not a talent or even a skill. It is primarily an energetic boost, and if one stops practicing shamatha, even for just 1-2 weeks, the meditator will have to start the practice from scratch, as confirmed by both Buddhist teachers and neuro-headsets. According to Buddhist teachers, a three-hour shamatha ("achieved" shamatha) can be trained in approximately 1.5-3 years of retreat, and in the best-case scenario, it takes at least six months.
But achieving 3-hour shamatha in itself is only the final stretch of spiritual self-realization, after which comes the turn of many years of daily, multi-hour practice of samadhi/shamatha to develop fundamentally new, incredibly insightful and incredibly powerful supercognitive tools—vijnanamaya-kosha/buddhi and anandamaya-kosha/sambhogakaya, developing due to the energetic effect of the practice of samadhi/shamatha.
The full version of the book "The True Practical Essence of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" with a translation of all 196 sutras of the Yoga Sutras with commentaries on all important and/or complex sutras: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G6GT6M8B.
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