Tatpratisedhanham ekatattva abhyasah

The tatpratisedhanham ekatattva abhyasah yogic sutra states that absolute surrendering and yielding to the Almighty is impossible for an ordinary individual, except the highly evolved souls that have graced the earth very few occasions. One needs to be cleansed from every worldly attribute that prevents a person to attain such a state. He or she must be totally uninhibited towards the Lord and give up their everything, expecting nothing in return.

Tatpratisedhanham for their prevention
Eka one, single
Tattva a real state, reality, truth, essential nature, the very essence, a principle, a doctrine
abhyasah practice

Adherence to single-minded effort prevents these impediments.

To remove the thirteen obstructions and thwart their reappearance, several specific methods have been distinguished.

Though most observers have concluded that ekatattva is loyalty and surrender to God, it is beyond an average person`s comprehension that surrendering to God is the cure for all maladies. If surrendering to God was possible for everyone, and could by itself eliminate all deterrents, Patanjali need not have dilated on all the other means of reaching the divine state. Only a few stupendous personalities like Ramana Maharsi, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Mahatma Gandhi, Jada Bharata and the great acaryas of the past could submit wholeheartedly to God, as they were angels in human form, exceedingly evolved souls, whose subliminal impressions from previous lives facilitated them to assume their final human form in order to clear up the residues.

But absolute surrender to God is beyond the abilities of most ordinary men and women, who are still entangled in pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, success and failure. Meditation undoubtedly helps to minimise the mental agitations of such people. But in order to conquer all the obstacles to Self-Realisation, all the eight stages of yoga must be followed.

Only when body, mind and intelligence are fully sanctified is it possible to submit whole-heartedly to God, without awaiting any return. This is a surrender of the highest order, beyond the capacity of the average individual.