Samadhi Pada • sutra 25
| तत्र निरतिशयं सर्वज्ञबीजम् ॥१.२५॥ tatra niratiśayaṁ sarvajña-bījam ॥1.25॥ |
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| There (in Īśvara) is the unmatched (niratiśayam) source (bījam) of omniscience (sarvajña). |
| Commentary After presenting Īśvara as a special consciousness untouched by afflictions and karma (sutra 1.24), Patañjali continues by outlining another fundamental quality: Īśvara is the supreme source of all knowledge. Īśvara is like a seed (bījam) from which sprouts a knowledge that transcends the limits of the individual mind with its illusions. In the context of yogic practice, this sutra invites the practitioner to recognize Īśvara as the foundation of a direct, intuitive, and complete awareness, which does not depend on sensory experience or discursive reasoning. Meditating on Īśvara, as suggested in sutra 1.28, is a way to connect with this profound, ever-present knowledge, going beyond the limitations of the ego and uniting with the entire universe. Often, in our desire to understand, we risk falling into the trap of arrogance — for example, thinking that reading a text once is enough to grasp its full meaning, perhaps even without the support of teachers. But true understanding — the kind that does not limit itself to the intellect but transforms the being — requires patience, humility, and the recognition that the path is long and that we cannot do without guidance to help us see what we may not yet perceive. Even in commenting on Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, I am aware of my limitations: I know well that the depth of these teachings far exceeds my current understanding. As I wrote in the Introduction to the Yoga Sūtras, what you are reading is one of my notebooks, which I picked up and I am now reviewing as part of my practice of svādhyāya (self-reflection, one of the niyamas), hoping that even a small fragment of clarity may be helpful to the reader. Like any practice, studying these teachings also requires constant dedication, without the pretension of having everything under control. And it is precisely in this humility that the true strength of the practitioner lies. Admitting that we do not know is perhaps the first step towards accessing that greater knowledge which — as Patañjali reminds us — has its origin in Īśvara.  Daily Mindfulness Bites“I am convinced that, by now, around the world, among the most diverse people, a new awareness is growing of what is wrong and what needs to be done. This new awareness is, in my opinion, the great good of our time. It must be nurtured. From there, from that awareness and not from a new religion, a new prophet, a new dictator, or liberator, will come the spiritual guidance of the future. The solution is within us; it is a matter of conquering it by bringing order, discarding everything that is unnecessary, and reaching the core of who we are.“ – Tiziano Terzani, One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round |
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