Dhyanaheyah tadvrttayah

This is the eleventh yogic sutra that is contained within the second phase of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra.

Dhyanaheyah tadvrttayah, Patanjali Yoga Sutradhyanaheyah tadvrttayah yogic sutra delineates about the waverings that one faces while meditating or pondering. These are generally induced by the subtle adversities, that too of severe intensities. Profound meditation is a means of curbing these diversions of thoughts.

dhyana meditation, reflection, attention, observation
heyah annihilated, rejected, quietened, avoided, silenced
tad their
vrttayah fluctuations, movements, operations

The fluctuations of consciousness created by gross and subtle afflictions are to be silenced through meditation.

This is a way to point towards a way of checking the modifications of thought-waves. In 10th yogic sutra, the mind is silenced through involution, the practice of renunciation or folding-in of the mind. Here, Patanjali offers meditation as another method to calm the mind. By these means, the mind`s whims are reduced to their subtlest point and it is constrained to rest silently in its source, the soul.

Afflictions are of three intensities - gross (sthula), subtle (suksma), and the subtlest of the subtle (suksmatama). Tapas, svadhyaya and Iivara pranidhana exterminate the gross, the subtle and the subtlest afflictions respectively.

Recently updated articles in Yoga

Khanda Manda Yoga
Khanda Manda Yoga Thumbnail

Khanda Manda Yoga

Khanda Manda Yoga is a difficult form of yoga where the Yogi cuts off his own arms and legs with a sharp cleaver, that is axe-like knife, and throws t...

Kaivalya Pada
Kaivalya Pada Thumbnail

Kaivalya Pada

Kaivalya Pada, the fourth chapter of Patanjali Yoga Sutra denotes an absolute, indivisible state of existence of the Yogi. The Kaivalya Pada is someti...

Vibhuti Pada
Vibhuti Pada Thumbnail

Vibhuti Pada

Vibhuti is the Sanskrit term for “power” or “manifestation.” In this third chapter, Patanjali introduces the final three limbs of Aṣṭanga Yoga, collec...

Sadhana Pada
Sadhana Pada Thumbnail

Sadhana Pada

Sadhana Pada in Patanjali Yoga Sutra denotes the idea of practicing yoga that leads to spiritual illumination. Sadhana, the Sanskrit term for “practic...

Samadhi Pada
Samadhi Pada Thumbnail

Samadhi Pada

Samadhi Pada is the first chapter of Patanjali Yoga Sutra. In this chapter, the author explains the essence of yoga, the nature of samadhi, and the me...