7.5 Sadhaka & Badhaka Tattva, Matha, and the Types of Aspirants
Key Takeaways
- HYP 1.12-1.14 prescribes the Matha: a small, well-plastered hut with a small door, free of holes and pests, in a well-governed country, in a place free from rocks, fire and water, and one Yojana around it free of disturbance.
- The six Badhaka Tattvas of HYP 1.15 are Atyahara, Prayasa, Prajalpa, Niyamagraha, Jana-sanga and Laulya; the six Sadhaka Tattvas of HYP 1.16 are Utsaha, Sahasa, Dhairya, Tattvajnana, Nishchaya and Jana-sanga-parityaga.
- Niyamagraha is doubly translated - excessive rigidity about rules or their neglect - and both readings are examinable.
- The Shiva Samhita classifies aspirants into four grades: Mridu (mild, suited to Mantra Yoga), Madhyama (moderate, Laya Yoga), Adhimatra (ardent, Hatha Yoga) and Adhimatratama (the highest, Raja Yoga).
- Patanjali's parallel classification uses intensity of practice - Mridu, Madhya and Adhimatra Samvega at PYS 1.21-1.22 - with the swiftest result for the most intense.
7.5 Sadhaka & Badhaka Tattva, Matha, and the Types of Aspirants
Two syllabus items sit together here. Item 2.15 asks for the Sadhaka Tattva and Badhaka Tattva principles to be followed by a Hatha Yoga practitioner. Item 2.16 asks for the concept of Matha, Mitahara, Pathya and Apathya, and the types of aspirants. Mitahara, Pathya and Apathya are covered in full in Section 12.5, so this section takes Matha, the two lists of six, and the classification of aspirants.
Matha: the place of practice
Before Svatmarama says anything about technique, he specifies the building. HYP 1.12–1.14:
"The yogi should practise Hatha Yoga alone, in a small Matha, situated in a place free from rocks, water and fire, of the extent of a bow's length, in a well-governed, virtuous, prosperous kingdom where alms are easily obtainable and where there are no disturbances."
| Requirement | Specification |
|---|---|
| Size | Small (alpa-dvaram) — a modest room, not a hall |
| Door | Small, with no windows, holes or crevices |
| Floor and walls | Neither too high nor too low; plastered with cow dung, level, clean, free of insects |
| Surroundings | Enclosed, with a small courtyard, a well and a compound wall |
| Location | In a well-governed, virtuous, prosperous country where alms are easily available and there are no disturbances |
| Terrain | Free from rocks, fire and water — i.e. from rockfall, fire risk and flooding |
| Radius of quiet | The distance of a bow's length (some editions, one Yojana) free from disturbance |
The list is not quaint. It states, in seventeenth-century terms, exactly the environmental conditions the Common Yoga Protocol repeats today: clean, insect-free, temperature-stable, safe, quiet, and materially secure. The clause about the country being well-governed and alms easily obtainable is the most interesting one — the tradition acknowledges that sustained practice depends on political stability and food security, which is an unusually clear-eyed admission for a text about liberation.
For a Level 3 teacher, the item translates directly into venue selection criteria: sound, ventilation, temperature, cleanliness, floor safety, freedom from interruption, and a location students can reach without hazard.
The six Badhaka Tattvas — factors that destroy Yoga
"Atyaharah prayasas cha prajalpo niyama-grahah | Jana-sangas cha laulyam cha shadbhir yogo vinashyati ||" — HYP 1.15
| Tattva | Literal | What it actually means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Atyahara | Over-eating | Excess intake of any kind — food, information, stimulation. Dulls Agni, produces Tamas |
| Prayasa | Over-exertion | Straining in practice, or exhausting oneself in worldly labour so that nothing remains for sadhana |
| Prajalpa | Idle talk | Speech that scatters energy: gossip, argument, commentary. The counterpart of Mauna |
| Niyamagraha | Rigid rule-keeping or rule-neglect | Both readings are traditional and both are examinable: obsessive attachment to minor observances, or refusal to observe any rule at all. Compare Patanjali's Bhranti-darshana |
| Jana-sanga | Company | Attachment to worldly company that reinforces sensory habits |
| Laulya | Fickleness | Instability of mind; changing practice, teacher or method before anything has time to work |
The six Sadhaka Tattvas — factors that bring success
"Utsahat sahasad dhairyat tattva-jnanas cha nishchayat | Jana-sanga-parityagat shadbhir yogah prasiddhyati ||" — HYP 1.16
| Tattva | Meaning | Its function |
|---|---|---|
| Utsaha | Enthusiasm, zeal | Supplies the energy to begin, and to begin again |
| Sahasa | Courage, boldness | Willingness to face difficulty and discomfort without retreat |
| Dhairya | Patience, perseverance | Sustains practice across the long plateau where nothing appears to change |
| Tattvajnana | Knowledge of the principles | Prevents mechanical practice; the practitioner knows why |
| Nishchaya | Firm resolve, conviction | Faith in the method and the teacher; the antidote to Laulya |
| Jana-sanga-parityaga | Renouncing unhelpful company | The direct counter to Jana-sanga |
The pairing
The two lists are constructed as opposites, and being able to state the pairing is worth a mark on its own:
| Badhaka | Sadhaka counter |
|---|---|
| Atyahara | Mitahara (implied; HYP 1.58 supplies it) |
| Prayasa | Dhairya — patient sustained effort in place of straining |
| Prajalpa | Nishchaya — settled conviction removes the need to argue |
| Niyamagraha | Tattvajnana — understanding the principle dissolves both rigidity and neglect |
| Jana-sanga | Jana-sanga-parityaga — stated explicitly |
| Laulya | Utsaha + Sahasa — steady zeal in place of restless novelty |
Note that four of the six Badhakas are behavioural and two are attitudinal, while four of the six Sadhakas are attitudinal and two behavioural. Svatmarama's implicit claim is that obstacles are mostly things you do, and aids are mostly things you are.
Types of aspirants
The Shiva Samhita's fourfold classification
The most examined classification, because it maps grades of aspirant onto the four Yogas:
| Grade | Sanskrit | Characteristics | Yoga prescribed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mridu | Mild: little enthusiasm, changeable, fearful, dependent, ill-tempered; needs constant encouragement | Mantra Yoga |
| 2 | Madhyama | Moderate: even-mindedness, forbearance, a desire for virtue, kind speech, moderation in all things | Laya Yoga |
| 3 | Adhimatra | Ardent: firm understanding, independent, energetic, magnanimous, full of faith, steady, courageous, mature, patient, well-conducted | Hatha Yoga |
| 4 | Adhimatratama | The highest: possessing the greatest energy, enthusiasm, perception, learning, freedom from delusion, self-reliance, generosity and stability | Raja Yoga |
The pedagogical claim embedded in this scheme is the one a Master Trainer needs most: the practice must be matched to the practitioner, not the practitioner to the practice. Prescribing intense Hatha to a Mridu aspirant is not rigour, it is bad teaching.
Patanjali's parallel classification
Patanjali does not classify by temperament but by intensity of application:
Tivra-samveganam asannah — PYS 1.21: "For those with intense urgency, it is near." Mridu-madhya-adhimatratvat tato'pi visheshah — PYS 1.22: "There is further differentiation according to whether the practice is mild, moderate or intense."
| Intensity | Sanskrit | Expected pace |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | Mridu | Slowest |
| Moderate | Madhya | Intermediate |
| Intense | Adhimatra | Swiftest |
The two schemes are complementary, not rival: the Shiva Samhita classifies who you are, Patanjali classifies how hard you are working. Their common vocabulary — Mridu, Madhya/Madhyama, Adhimatra — is the reason they are so often confused, and telling them apart is a reliable discriminator question.
The Gheranda Samhita adds a further practical note in the same spirit, prescribing different degrees of practice by season and by the constitution of the practitioner.
Summary of Exam-Key Points
- Matha (HYP 1.12–1.14): small, small-doored, no holes, cow-dung plastered, insect-free, in a well-governed prosperous country, free from rock, fire and water, quiet for a bow's length around.
- 6 Badhaka (1.15): Atyahara, Prayasa, Prajalpa, Niyamagraha, Jana-sanga, Laulya.
- 6 Sadhaka (1.16): Utsaha, Sahasa, Dhairya, Tattvajnana, Nishchaya, Jana-sanga-parityaga.
- Niyamagraha = rigidity about rules or their neglect — both readings accepted.
- Shiva Samhita aspirants: Mridu → Mantra Yoga; Madhyama → Laya; Adhimatra → Hatha; Adhimatratama → Raja.
- Patanjali (1.21–1.22) classifies by intensity — Mridu, Madhya, Adhimatra samvega — not by temperament.
Which set correctly lists the six Sadhaka Tattvas of HYP 1.16?
Which grade of aspirant does the Shiva Samhita match to Raja Yoga?
How is Niyamagraha, one of the six Badhaka Tattvas, translated?
According to HYP 1.12-1.14, what is required of the country in which the Matha is situated?
What is the difference between the Shiva Samhita's classification of aspirants and Patanjali's at PYS 1.21-1.22?