From this comes the realization of the inner consciousness and freedom from all disturbances.

Bryant Commentary:

According to Patañjali, as a result of submission to the Lord, the various disturbances, antarāya (disease, idleness, etc., listed in the next sūtra), do not manifest; rather, the yogī’s inner consciousness or real self manifests, pratyak–cetanādhigamaḥ. The yogī is granted a vision of his own puruṣa by Īśvara’s grace, a benediction repeated in II.45. Not only this, but the dedicated yogī is also bestowed physical health and freedom from all the bodily and psychological disturbances of embodied life. In other words, if we follow Śaṅkara and Vijñānabhikṣu’s thrust from the last sūtra, by the dedicated absorption in Īśvara as manifest in the sound oṁ, the yogī attains direct experience of his or her own puruṣa, physical and psychological well-being in the prākṛtic state, and a vision of Īśvara in his form of pure sattva (that is, a vision of the supreme Lord).

Vyāsa states that just as Īśvara is a puruṣa who is “pure, peaceful, independent, and free from change,” so also is the ordinary puruṣa. Elaborating on this, Vācaspati Miśra defines “purity” as free from birth and death; “peaceful” as undisturbed by the obstacles (the kleśas of ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and clinging to life discussed in II.3); “independent” as beyond virtue and vice; and “freedom from change” as freedom from consequences of karma, namely, type of birth and duration and quality of life (II.13–14).

Bhoja Rāja raises the question as to how realization of the self can be attained from devotion to Īśvara who is different from the self. The answer, he says, is that Īśvara is similar in constitution to the self. Drawing once again on this Vedāntic philosophy of bhedābheda, Vijñānabhikṣu elaborates that by understanding the whole, the part is automatically understood; in other words, by absorption in Īśvara, God, one realizes one’s own self as part of Īśvara. Regarding devotion to Īśvara, whom he notes the ancients speak of as Vāsudeva and Bhāgavata (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa), he quotes a verse from the Bṛhan–nāradīya Purāṇa: “For one who desires liberation, the path that is blissfully performed is devotion to Viṣṇu. Meditate constantly on him with the mind, otherwise one will be cheated. If one is looking for protection, he is your protector in the greatest difficulty.” Regarding the removal of obstacles and the revelation of the self by his grace noted by Patañjali, Vijñānabhikṣu quotes another verse from the same Purāṇa: “For people who have staunch faith in Viṣṇu, the remover of māyā, Viṣṇu reveals the self, which is different from prakṛti, just like a lamp.” The Purāṇa texts are pervaded by statements of this nature.

rom That Comes Realisation Of The Individual Self And the Obstacles Are Resolved.

Then, interiorization develops and obstacles fall away.

From that practice arises the attainment of inward-directed consciousness, and also the obstacles to success disappear.

From it (result) the disappearance of obstacles and turning inward of consciousness.

Taimini Commentary:

In this Sutra Patanjali has given the two results which ensue from the practice prescribed in the previous Sutra, First, the awakening of a new kind of consciousness which is called Pratyak Cetana, and second, the gradual disappearance of the ‘obstacles’.

Let us first try to understand what is meant by Pratyak Cetana. There are two kinds of consciousness of diametrically opposite nature—Pratyak and Paranga or inward-turned and outward-turned. If we study the mind of the ordinary individual we shall find that it is entirely outward-turned. It is immersed in the outer world and is occupied all the time with the procession of images which pass continuously in the field of consciousness. This outward-turned consciousness is caused by Viksepa the projection outward by the lower mind of what is present within it at the centre. As we shall deal with the question of Viksepa fully in discussing the next Sutra let us leave it here and try to understand what Pratyak Cetana is. As has been pointed out above Pratyak Cetana is the inward-turned consciousness or consciousness directed towards its centre. It is thus the exact opposite of the outward-turned or Paranga Cetana as illustrated in the following figures.

The whole aim and process of Yoga consists in withdrawing the consciousness from without to within, for the ultimate mystery of life is hidden in the very heart or centre of our being and can be found only there and nowhere else. In the case of the Yogi the tendency of the lower mind to run outwards and to keep itself busy with the objects of the outer world must therefore be replaced gradually by a tendency to return automatically to its ‘centred’ condition without effort. It is only under these conditions that it can be ‘joined’, as it were, with the higher principles. But it may be pointed out that this mere tendency to be pointed towards the centre is not Pratyak Cetana although it is a necessary stage in its attainment. It is the actual contact with the higher principles resulting in the irradiation of the personality by the influence of these higher principles (Atma-Buddhi-Manas) which is the essence of Pratyak Cetana. The contact is no doubt indirect but it is sufficiently effective and real to enable the personality to derive from it many advantages. The strength of the Atma, the illumination of Buddhi and the knowledge of the higher mind gradually filter down into the personality in an ever-increasing measure and provide the necessary guidance and momentum for treading the path of Yoga. The contact becomes direct only in Samadhi when consciousness leaves one vehicle after another and becomes centred at deeper and deeper levels.

The other result of Japa and meditation on Pranava is the gradual disappearance of the obstacles which lie in the path of the Yogi. These obstacles are of various kinds—impurities and disharmonies in the vehicles, weaknesses of character, lack of development etc. But Pranava as we have seen touches the very heart of our being, arouses in the microcosm vibrations which can bring out from it all the latent powers and faculties which lie sleeping there. So all obstacles whatever their nature, yield to its dynamic stimulation. The deficiencies are made up by the growth of the corre sponding faculties or the flow of additional power. The impurities are washed away. The disharmonies in the vehicles are smoothed out and the vehicles become attuned to one another and to the Supreme Consciousness of Isvara. And so a complete regeneration of the individuality takes place, a regeneration which makes it fit to tread the path of Astanga Yoga or Isvara-Pranidhana.

It is obvious that an instrument so effective and powerful in its action cannot be used in a haphazard and careless manner without involving the Sadhaka in all kinds of difficulties and dangers. A careful consideration of the necessary conditions and their strict regulation is therefore absolutely necessary. This is not the place to deal with these conditions in detail. It is enough to point out that purity, self-control and a very cautious and gradual use of the power are some of the essential conditions. So the practice can be taken up usefully and safely only after Yama and Niyama have been mastered to a considerable extent.

The seven Sutras from I-23 to I-29 form, in a way, a separate set giving the technique of the path of mysticism on which the aspirant goes direct to his goal without studying and mastering the intermediate planes which separate him from the object of his search. On this path self-surrender is the only weapon and in using this weapon Japa and meditation on Pranava constitute the sole technique. The Japa and meditation turn the consciousness of the aspirant right about in the direction of his goal, remove all the obstacles and self-surrender does the rest.

Meditation on God with the repetition of AUM removes obstacles to the mastery of the inner self.

Iyengar Commentary:

The repetition of the pranava mantra with feeling and understanding of its meaning leads to the discovery of the Self, and helps to remove impediments to Self-Realization (for impediments, see I.30 and 31).

When experience, the instruments of experience and the object experienced are interwoven, the soul manifests itself without the intervention of any impediments.

From this practice all the obstacles disappear and simultaneously dawns knowledge of the inner Self.

Satchidananda Commentary:

 You get in tune with the cosmic power. By that tuning you feel that force in you, imbibe all those qualities, get the cosmic vision, transcend all your limitations and finally become that transcendental reality. Normally, the mind and body limit you, but by holding something infinite, you slowly raise yourself from the finite objects that bind you and transcend them. Through that you get rid of all the obstacles and your path is made easy. This probably reminds Patañjali of the different obstructions on the way, so he goes on to explain them next.

From that is gain (the knowledge of) introspection, and the destruction of obstacles.

 SV Commentary:

The first manifestation of this repetition and thinking of Om will be that the introspective power will be manifested more and more, and all the mental and physical obstacles will begin to vanish. What are the obstacles to the Yogi?

And what else comes to him ? “ The understanding of the individual self and the absence of obstacles.’” Whatever obstacles there may be — diseases, &c. —cease to be by feeling the omnipresence of the Lord ; and the true nature of himself is also seen. It ig known that just as Irfwara is a Purusa, pure, calm, free and without appendants, such is this Purusa also, the self underlying the individual manifestation of the Will-to-be.

~ Rāma Prasāda translation.

Yogasūtrabhāṣyavivaraṇa
or the Pātañjalayogaśāstravivaraṇa
by Śaṅkara

Patañjali Sūtra I.29

From that, realization of the separate consciousness, and absence of obstacles

As a result of devotion to the Lord, there are none of the obstacles like illness, and he has a perception of his own true nature. As the Lord is a Puruṣa, pure, radiant, alone, and beyond evil, so the Puruṣa in him, witness of the buddhi, knows himself to be.

The commentary introduces this sūtra with the words And what happens to him? The word And refers to the fact that one result, namely attainment of one-pointedness of mind, has already been mentioned in the previous sūtra. And is there some other result for him, or is it perhaps onepointedness alone? The sūtra now says From that, realization of the separate consciousness and absence of obstacles. From that devotion to the Lord, there is realization of the separate consciousness: it is conscious of its own buddhi as separate, and so the self (ātman) is called the separate consciousness. The realization of it is awareness of one’s own nature as it really is.

(Opponent) The Puruṣa is already realized in everyone in the feeling ‘I am happy’ or ‘I am sad’. This is a well-known fact; why the special mention of it?

(Answer) True, but it is not seen as distinct by the thought in the mind. In ‘I am happy’ or ‘I am sad’, the ‘happy’ and ‘sad’ have the same common referent, the idea ‘here I am’, and they are in the field of mental processes, so they are certainly merely ideas of Ignorance.

He realizes: As the Lord is a Puruṣa, pure free from the stains (mala) of the taints, etc., and therefore

• radiant clear, and therefore
• alone (kevala) without the three guṇa-s, and therefore
• beyond evil without the three kinds of suffering, a perfect being, who is
• witness, so this too, my own Puruṣa, is pure, radiant, alone, beyond evil, and witness of the buddhi.

With the words As and so, which point to an example and something like that example, he announces that there is a difference between the Lord and the individual selves (kṣetrajña). This is because they (unlike the Lord) are subject to bondage and release, and also because pradhāna serves their purposes (first experience and then release). For these reasons too the kṣetrajña-s differ among themselves.

Now what are the obstacles? They are what distracts the mind. Which are they, and how many are they?