Samadhi Pada • sutra 31
| दुःखदौर्मनस्याङ्गमेजयत्वश्वासप्रश्वासा विक्षेप सहभुवः ॥१.३१॥ duḥkha-daurmanasya-aṅgamejayatva-śvāsapraśvāsāḥ vikṣepa sahabhuvaḥ ॥1.31॥ |
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| Suffering (duḥkha), frustration (daurmanasya), nervousness (aṅgamejayatva), and irregular inhalation (śvāsa) and exhalation (praśvāsa), are symptoms (sahabhuvaḥ) of the distractions (vikṣepa) listed in sutra 1.30. |
| Commentary In the previous sutra (1.30), Patañjali listed the main obstacles that disrupt the yogic path: illness, doubt, fatigue, attachment, and so on. Now he adds an important element: he shows us how these obstacles manifest concretely, in the body and mind. The sutra states that five states accompany (sahabhuvaḥ) the distractions (vikṣepa): • duḥkha, existential suffering, the subtle sense of discomfort or dissatisfaction that shadows many of our days; • daurmanasya, mental sadness, which can take the form of frustration, discouragement, or silent giving up; • aṅgamejayatva, bodily trembling, physical restlessness, the need to move without true necessity; • śvāsa e praśvāsa, altered inhalation and exhalation, the breath that shortens, becomes laboured, broken. All these signals indicate that the mind is not centred, that the thread has been lost. But we do not always notice it through thoughts: often the body tells us first. A restlessness rising without apparent cause, the chest tightening, an irritability we cannot explain. We do not always listen: often we react by judging: “I’m not focused enough,” “it’s not working,” “I’m not capable.” This sutra invites us to observe clearly: what appears in the body and breath is not the enemy. It is how a disturbed mind manifests itself. They are companions on the path of distractions (vikṣepa), like small bells ringing when we have strayed from home, that quality of stable and quiet mind that yoga cultivates. Recognising them in time does not mean suppressing or forcibly correcting them. It means returning. Often it is enough simply to notice they are there. Awareness is already part of the healing. And returning to what we are doing. To who we are. |
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