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CONCEPTION OF IŚVARA
IN PATANJALA YOGA Yogasutra
First we present before the scholars of Indian philosophy our explanation of Patañjali's three aphorisms on Isvara. While explaining these aphorisms we shall use only those concepts that are found in the Yogsutra. By doing so we intend to keep our explanation as free as possible from the later concepts. Let us take up the concerned aphorisms one by one for explanation. [1] kleśa-karma-vipākāśayair ‘aparāmrstaḥ purusaviseşaḥ iśvaraḥ 1
I. 24. The extra-ordinary person who is untouched by klesas,
karmas, vipāka and āśaya is called Isvara. I. 24. We shall try to explain this aphorism on the basis of the concepts or ideas found in other aphorisms.
Patañjali tells us that during the practice of samprajñāta yoga if one does not desire anything (or any siddhi) he surely attains infallible perfect vivekakhyāti, and as a result of this he attains Dharmamegha samādhi;' further he says that on the attainment of Dharmamegha samādhi follows the destruction of klešas and karmas. From this we deduce that a viveki who has attained Dharmamegha samādhi is always free from klesas and karmas. (Bhāṣyakāra Vyäsa calls this person a jivanmukta.")
Patañjali. states that kleśas are the root-cause of karmāsaya'. He further declares that so long as the root (viz. klesas) exists, there will be vipāka. These two statements imply that in the absence of klesas, there cannot be karmāśaya and vipāka.
On the attainment of Dharmamegha samādhi a viveki becomes free from klesas and karmas, and as soon as he becomes free from kleśas he becomes free from vipāka and āśaya. From all this it naturally follows that a viveki who has attained Dharmamegha samadhi is untouhed by klešas, karmas, vipāka and āśaya. Hence this viveki can legitimately be called extra-ordinary person. By Isvara
