Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time.

Bryant Commentary:

Patañjali here gives further specifics pertaining to what the effort underpinning practice consists of. First, in order to become unshakable, practice must be performed nairantarya, without interruption. One cannot take breaks from one’s practice whenever one feels like it or the mind dictates and expect to attain the goal of yoga, which is precisely to quell such whimsical vṛttis. Second, one’s practice must continue dīrgha–kāla, for a long time. One cannot attain success in a few months or even after many years of practice unless one is exceptionally dedicated. Indeed, the Gītā speaks of the yogī maintaining the yatna, effort, of the last sūtra, for many births: “Through effort and restraint, cleansed of all impurities, the yogī who has cultivated perfection over several lives, eventually attains the supreme destination” (VI.45). Practice is a he very least a lifelong commitment, to be undertaken, Patañjali goes on to say, satkāra–āsevitaḥ, with respect and devotion. One is, after all, pursuing the ultimate goal of life—realization of the innermost self—and cannot expect to attain this in a halfhearted or frivolous fashion, or in a random manner.

Vyāsa states that the practice of yoga becomes successful, that is, firmly established, when accompanied by austerity, celibacy, knowledge, and faith. Under these conditions, it is not immediately overwhelmed by the ingrained habits of the mind. Vācaspati Miśra calls these habits, which are saṁskāras that impel the mind outward into the sensual realm, “highway robbers.” He acknowledges that the sāttvic nature of the mind—tranquillity and calmness—is often overcome by rajas and tamas, but if one maintains one’s practice, then eventually the mind becomes steadfast and concentrated. If one gives up one’s practice, however, one’s mind immediately becomes overwhelmed again. Hence this verse indicates that the practice of yoga has to be cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion for a long period of time.

If we correlate citta with a garden, sattva with a beautiful bed of fragrant and attractive flowers, and rajas and tamas with weeds and pests, then we have a useful metaphor for the practice of yoga. As any gardener knows, maintaining a garden takes devotion and uninterrupted weeding and pest control for a prolonged period of time. In fact, these processes can never be interrupted, since within a remarkably short period of time, even the most devotedly cultivated garden becomes overwhelmed by weeds and pests; if left unattended, all one’s hard work is easily undone.”

Likewise with yoga: The cultivation of sattva takes constant attention and cultivation—the minute the yogī relaxes his or her practices and vigilance, Vācaspati Miśra’s highway robbers of rājasic and tāmasic saṁskāras overwhelm the sāttvic qualities so arduously developed. This is because, like weeds, saṁskāras are never actually eliminated or destroyed; they remain in a latent subconscious state and thus can become activated at any moment, unless constantly curtailed (although, as will be discussed below, they can be “burnt” by certain practices, rendering them inoperable); hence Patañjali’s notion of devoted uninterruptedness over a prolonged period.

As an aside, many Hindu gurus and yogīs have been embroiled in scandals that have brought disrepute to the transplantation of yoga and other Indic spiritual systems to the West. This sūtra provides a mechanism of interpreting such occurrences. If one reads the early hagiographies of many Hindu gurus whose integrity was later found compromised, one is struck by the intensity, devotedness, and accomplishments of their initial practices. Nonetheless, however accomplished a yogī may become, if he or she abandons the practices of yoga under the notion of being enlightened or of having arrived at a point beyond the need of practice, it may be only a matter of time before past saṁskāras, including those of past sensual indulgences, now unimpeded by practice, begin to surface. The result is scandal and traumatized disciples. There is no flower bed, however perfected, that can counteract the relentless emergence of weeds if left unattended. As Patañjali will discuss later in the text, as long as one is embodied, saṁskāras remain latent, and therefore potential, in the citta. Hence one can read this sūtra as indicating that since the practices of yoga must be uninterrupted, one would be wise to politely avoid yogīs or gurus who claim to have attained a state of enlightenment such that they have transcended the need for the practice and renunciation prescribed by Patañjali here.

That Practice When Continued For A Long Time Without Break And With Devotion Becomes Firm In Foundation.

And this practice becomes firmly rooted when it is cultivated skillfully and continuously for a long time.

That practice is indeed firmly grounded when it is pursued incessantly, with reverence, for a long time.

It (Abhyasa) becomes firmly grounded on being continued for a long time, without interruption and with reverent devotion.

Taimini Commentary:

In order that the practice of Yoga may bear fruit and may enable the Sadhaka to be firmly established on the path there are three conditions which must be fulfilled. These conditions1 as defined in this Sutra are (1) These practices must be continued for a long time. (2) There should be no interruptions. (3) The path must be trodden with devotion and in a spirit of reverence. The necessity for pointing out these conditions will be seen if one takes into account the enormous number of failures on this path. The path of Yoga appears very fascinating in the beginning and many are the people who are caught by its glamour and make a start in the hope of plucking its fruit in a very short time. But alas! Of those who enter the path, only a microscopical minority are able to make good progress. Even those who have the courage and perseverance to continue are very few in number. The vast majority of aspirants drop out sooner or later, giving up the practice completely or keeping up a semblance of mere external forms as soon as the glamour wears out. They either come to believe that it is all ‘moonshine’ or manage to convince themselves that conditions in the present life are not favourable and they had better postpone the effort to the next life when they vainly hope to be placed in better circumstances. Leaving out a few cases where Karma interposes a real obstacle in the path of the aspirant the real cause of discontinuing the practice is, in the vast majority of cases, the lack of spiritual maturity without which no success on this path is possible. The world and its pursuits have still a great deal of attraction for such people and they are not prepared to make the sacrifices which are demanded on this path. 

Coming back to the essential conditions of success the necessity for continuing the practices for a long time is obvious. The nature of the changes which have to be brought about in our character, mind and vehicles is such that unless the practices are continued for a long time no appreciable improvement can be expected. Our nature has to be completely changed and the change is so fundamental that we must be prepared to continue the work until it is finished. How long this will take will depend upon many factors: our evolutionary stage, the time we have already given to the work in previous lives and the effort that we make in this life. Theoretically, if a man is able to surrender himself completely to Isvara he can pass into Samadhi immediately, but it is a very big ‘if’ and the Samskaras of the past will not in actual life allow him to accomplish suddenly what can be done only after a long and strenuous course of discipline. In a few rare cases where the progress is extremely rapid there is always the momentum of the past, due generally to a number of successive lives devoted to the practice of Yoga. So, no one can predict when the final goal will be reached and he who enters the path seriously must make up his mind to continue not only for a long time but through many lives until the goal is reached. He who is ready for treading this path is so much absorbed in the fascinating work and has so much to do that he has no time to worry as to when he will reach the goal. If time hangs heavy on our hands and we are continually worrying when success will be ours, it shows lack of real interest and is a danger signal.

To appreciate the requirement of not allowing any interruptions we have to remember that much of the work in Yoga involves bringing about very deep-seated and fundamental changes in the various vehicles through which consciousness functions on the different planes. And success in bringing about the desired changes depends upon continuity of practice. Interruption means not only waste of so much time but a considerable sliding back and retraversing the same ground which has already been covered. An example will make this clear. Suppose a Sadhaka is trying to purify his mind. He has to exclude rigidly from his mind all impure thoughts and emotions and to make his mental vehicle or Manomaya Kosa vibrate to the highest and purest thoughts until the ordinary coarse material of the vehicle has been completely replaced by the finest and subtlest matter which can respond to only pure and lofty thoughts and emotions. If this is accomplished the very vibratory capacity of the vehicle is completely changed and it becomes very difficult for the Sadhaka to entertain any impure thoughts in the same way as it is difficult for a licentious person to entertain pure thoughts. But suppose he gives up the effort after making some progress then the original conditions tend to reassert themselves gradually, and if he resumes the practice after considerable time the process of purification has to start ab initio. 

Most of the required changes in our mind and character involve some changes in various vehicles and these latter processes which are really material must be almost completed if they are to be made practically irreversible. Even in ordinary life this continuity of practice is of importance for most undertakings. A boy who wants to make himself strong and muscular must take exercise regularly. If he does strenuous exercise but gives it up from time to time he does not make much progress. Prolonged and steady practice is the secret of success in all such undertakings. Even interrupted practice gives some advantage and is better than no practice at all because it creates favourable Samskaras and thus strengthens tendencies in the desired direction but when Yoga is taken up seriously uninterrupted practice is essential and every new technique which is initiated must be practised continuously until it is sufficiently mastered. 

The third condition requiring an attitude of devotion and earnestness is equally important. Yoga is a serious business and requires intense and whole-hearted application. It cannot be pursued as a hobby, one of a number of pursuits in which we are equally interested. If a person desires success even in a worldly pursuit like science or art he has to give himself completely to his work, the more difficult the undertaking the greater the devotion it demands. Now, the objective of Yoga is the highest prize of human achievement and its pursuit must necessarily be very exacting in its demand on the time and energy of the Sadhaka. That is why in the olden days people who wanted to practise Yoga retired into forests so that they could devote themselves completely to this task. Complete retirement may not be possible or necessary but a whole-hearted devotion to this holy task is absolutely necessary. Many people think that they can combine the pursuit of worldly ambitions with Yogic discipline and glibly cite the example of Janaka. But Janaka had already attained the ideal of Yoga before he undertook the worldly duties. The ordinary Sadhaka especially the beginner who tries to combine the two ideals is sure to be swamped by his worldly desires and activities and to pursue the path of Yoga merely in name. Circumstances and habits of past lives may not allow the Sadhaka to adopt this one-pointed attitude all at once but he must work steadily and deliberately towards this end, eliminating one by one all the activities and interests which either interfere with his main work or uselessly consume his time and energy. This capacity to throw oneself whole-heartedly and persistently into the task which the Sadhaka has placed before himself is a necessary qualification and shows the readiness of the soul to embark on the Divine Adventure.

The word Satkara also implies an attitude of reverence towards his task. In pursuing his ideal the Sadhaka is trying to find that Ultimate Reality which is the basis and the cause of the whole Universe, manifest and unmanifest. This very fact that he is trying to unravel the greatest mystery of life should fill him with a sense of awe and reverence provided he is conscious of the nature of his high purpose and the tremendous nature of the Reality which he is approaching.

When the three conditions mentioned in the Sutra are present, progress on the path of Yoga is assured. It may be slow owing to inadequate momentum from past lives but the Sadhaka is at least firmly established on the path and the attainment of the final goal becomes only a question of time.

Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation for restraining the fluctuations.

Iyengar Commentary:

When the effort is continued in accordance with yogic principles consistently and for a long time, with earnestness, attention, application and devotion, the yogic foundation is firmly established.

Profound wisdom is gained through steady, dedicated, attentive practice, and non-attachment through applied restraint. However, success may inflate the sadhaka’s ego, and he should be careful not to become a victim of intellectual pride which may drag him away from enlightenment. If this happens, he should re-establish his practice by taking guidance from a competent master, or through his own discrimination, so that humility replaces pride and spiritual wisdom dawns. This is correct practice.

Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time, without break and in all earnestness.

Satchidananda Commentary:

The first qualification for the practice is that it should be done for a long time. Unfortunately, we just want the result immediately. If I ask you to repeat a mantra and tell you that you will become more peaceful and realize beautiful things within, you will go back home, repeat it for three days and then call me: “I’ve repeated it for three days but nothing happened. Maybe this is not a suitable mantra for me. Can you give me a different one?” See? So Patañjali says, “for a long time.” He doesn’t say how long.

And then it should be without break. I often hear, “Oh, I’ve been practicing Yoga for the past ten years but I’m still the same.” “How often?” “Oh, off and on.” So it must be continuous practice also.

And the last qualification is “in all earnestness.” That means with full attention, with the entire application of your mind and with full faith in your achievement. Even when you want something or somebody on the worldly level, you will be after it day and night. You don’t sleep, you don’t even eat—you are always at it. If this quality is necessary to achieve even worldly success, how much more so for success in Yoga. So let us not be like little children who sow a seed today and dig it up tomorrow to see how much the root went down. We need all these three qualities: patience, devotion and faith.

This reminds me of a small story given in the Hindu scriptures. In the Deva Loka, or the heavenly plane where the divine beings live, there is a great mahaṛṣi (sage) called Nārada. Just as there are great Yogis here, so there are also among the gods. So Nārada travels all over and sometimes comes to earth to see how we are doing. One day, he was passing through a forest and saw a Yoga student who had been meditating for so long that the ants had built an anthill around his body.

The Yogi looked at Nārada and said, “Nārada, Sir, where are you going?”

“To Heaven, to Lord Śiva’s place.”

“Oh, could you please do something for me there?”

“Sure, what can I do?”

“Could you find out from the Lord for how many more births I must meditate? I have been sitting here for quite a long time, so please find out.”

“Sure.”

Then Nārada walked a few miles farther and saw another man, but this one was jumping and dancing and singing with all joy: “Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare; Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare!” When he saw Nārada, he said, “Hi, Nārada! Where are you going?”

“To Heaven.”

“Oh, that’s great. Could you please find out for how long I have to be here like this? When will I get final liberation?”

“Sure, I will.”

So, after many years Nārada happened by the same route again and saw the first man. The Yogi recognized Nārada.

“Nārada, I haven’t had any answer from you. Did you go to Heaven? What did the Lord say?”

“I asked, but the Lord said you have to take another four births.”

“Another . . . FOUR . . . births!? Haven’t I waited long enough!?” He started shouting and lamenting. Nārada walked further and saw the second man still singing and dancing.

“Hi, Nārada. What happened? Did you get some news for me?”

“Yes.”

“Well, tell me.”

“Do you see that tree there?”

“Sure.”

“Can you count the leaves on it?”

“Sure, I have the patience to do it. Do you want me to count them right away?”

“No, no, no. You can take your time to count.”

“But what has that got to do with my question?”

“Well, Lord Śiva says you will have to take as many births as the number of leaves of that tree.”

“Oh, is that all? So at least it’s a limited number then. Now I know where it ends. That’s fine. I can quickly finish it off. Thank God that he didn’t say the leaves of the entire forest!”

Just then, a beautiful palanquin came down from Heaven, and the driver said, to the second man, “Come on, would you mind getting in? Lord Śiva has sent for you.”

“I’m going to Heaven now?”

“Yes.”

“But just now Nārada said I have to take so many more births first.”

“Yes, but it seems that you were ready and willing to do that, so why should you wait? Come on.”

“And what about the other man?”

“He’s not even ready to wait four more births—let him wait and work more.”

This is not a mere story. You can easily see the truth behind it. If you are that patient, your mind is more settled, and what you do will be more perfect. If you are unsettled and anxious to get the result, you are already disturbed; nothing done with that disturbed mind will have quality. So, it is not only how long you practice, but with what patience, what earnestness and what quality also.

Its ground becomes firm by long, constant efforts with great love (for the end to be attained).

SV Commentary:

Restraint does not come in one day, but by long continued practice.

“Well attended to for a long time,” “ well attended to without interruption,” “well attended to with devotion,” i.e. brought about by purificatory action (tapas, by continence, by knowledge and by faith, it becomes firmly rooted with welcome devotion. The meaning is that its operation is not then conquered all at once by the outgoing habits of the mind.

~ Rāma Prasāda translation.

Yogasūtrabhāṣyavivaraṇa
or the Pātañjalayogaśāstravivaraṇa
by Śaṅkara

Patañjali Sūtra I.14

But practised for a long time, uninterruptedly and with reverence, it becomes firmly grounded

Practised for a long time, practised uninterruptedly, practised with reverence – carried through with austerity, with brahmacarya, with knowledge and with faith, in reverence, it becomes firmly grounded. The meaning is that the purpose is not suddenly overwhelmed by an extravertive saṃskāra.

But how does this become firm? He says, Practised for a long time, uninterruptedly. Unless it is for a long time, and unless it is uninterrupted, the practice does not become firmly grounded, and therefore both are mentioned. The practice is also specified as to be done with reverence. He explains that firmly grounded means that it is not overwhelmed by an extravertive saṃskāra suddenly in a rush.