6.6 The Prescribed Sutras: PYS I.1-12, II.1-2, II.46-55, III.1-6
Key Takeaways
- Syllabus item 2.7 names an exact set of sutras for study: Samadhi Pada 1-12, Sadhana Pada 1-2 and 46-55, and Vibhuti Pada 1-6 - thirty sutras in all.
- PYS I.1-12 covers the definition of Yoga, the state of the Seer, the five Vrittis with their definitions, and the twin means of Abhyasa and Vairagya.
- PYS II.1-2 defines Kriya Yoga as Tapas, Svadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhana, with the twofold purpose of attenuating the Kleshas and cultivating Samadhi.
- PYS II.46-55 is the practical core: Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara with their definitions, means of perfection and results.
- PYS III.1-6 defines Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi, unites them as Samyama, and states that Samyama yields Prajna-aloka and must be applied stage by stage.
6.6 The Prescribed Sutras: PYS I.1–12, II.1–2, II.46–55, III.1–6
Syllabus item 2.7 does not say "study the Yoga Sutra." It says:
"Study of Patanjal Yoga Sutra including selected sutras from following chapters (I- 1 to 12, II- 1 to 2, 46 to 55, III- 1 to 6)."
That is thirty sutras, named exactly. Sections 6.1–6.5 teach the Padas thematically; this section is the reference list, so that you can check whether you actually hold every prescribed sutra. If you can state these thirty in transliteration and give their sense, you have covered the item completely.
Group 1 — Samadhi Pada I.1–12: definition, Vrittis, and the means
| Sutra | Transliteration | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| I.1 | Atha yoganushasanam | Now, the exposition of Yoga. Atha signals both auspicious beginning and prior qualification; anushasanam means an exposition of a pre-existing teaching, not an invention |
| I.2 | Yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah | Yoga is the restraint of the modifications of the mind-stuff |
| I.3 | Tada drashtuh svarupe'vasthanam | Then the Seer abides in its own nature |
| I.4 | Vritti-sarupyam itaratra | At other times, identification with the modifications |
| I.5 | Vrittayah panchatayyah klishta-aklishtah | The modifications are fivefold; afflicted or unafflicted |
| I.6 | Pramana-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidra-smritayah | They are: right knowledge, misconception, imagination, sleep, memory |
| I.7 | Pratyaksha-anumana-agamah pramanani | The sources of right knowledge: perception, inference, testimony |
| I.8 | Viparyayo mithya-jnanam atad-rupa-pratishtham | Misconception is false knowledge not resting in the true form of the object |
| I.9 | Shabda-jnana-anupati vastu-shunyo vikalpah | Imagination follows from words and is empty of an object |
| I.10 | Abhava-pratyaya-alambana vrittir nidra | Sleep is the modification resting on the cognition of absence |
| I.11 | Anubhuta-vishaya-asampramoshah smritih | Memory is the not-slipping-away of an experienced object |
| I.12 | Abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah | Their restraint comes by practice and dispassion |
Three points worth marking. I.5 says the Vrittis are klishta or aklishta — the mind is not the enemy, only its afflicted movements are. I.10 makes sleep a vritti, an active cognition of absence rather than a blank, which is why Yoga Nidra is possible at all. And I.12 is where the whole practical apparatus of the text is compressed into six syllables.
Group 2 — Sadhana Pada II.1–2: Kriya Yoga
| Sutra | Transliteration | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| II.1 | Tapah-svadhyaya-ishvarapranidhanani kriya-yogah | Austerity, self-study and surrender to Ishvara constitute Kriya Yoga |
| II.2 | Samadhi-bhavanarthah klesha-tanukaranarthash cha | Its purpose is to cultivate Samadhi and to attenuate the afflictions |
Two sutras carrying disproportionate weight. Note that the same three items reappear as the last three Niyamas in II.32 — Patanjali gives them twice, once as an entry practice for the active seeker and once as personal observances. The verb in II.2 is tanukarana, thinning, not destroying: Kriya Yoga does not eliminate the Kleshas, it reduces them to a manageable state so that discriminative knowledge can do the rest.
Group 3 — Sadhana Pada II.46–55: Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara
| Sutra | Transliteration | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| II.46 | Sthira-sukham asanam | Posture is steady and comfortable |
| II.47 | Prayatna-shaithilya-ananta-samapattibhyam | It is perfected by relaxing effort and by absorption in the infinite |
| II.48 | Tato dvandva-anabhighatah | Thence, no assault from the pairs of opposites |
| II.49 | Tasmin sati shvasa-prashvasayor gati-vichchhedah pranayamah | That being accomplished, Pranayama is the cutting off of the movement of inhalation and exhalation |
| II.50 | Bahya-abhyantara-stambha-vrittir desha-kala-samkhyabhih paridrishto dirgha-sukshmah | It is external, internal or suspended, regulated by place, time and number, becoming long and subtle |
| II.51 | Bahya-abhyantara-vishaya-akshepi chaturthah | The fourth transcends the external and internal spheres |
| II.52 | Tatah kshiyate prakasha-avaranam | Thence the covering of the light is thinned |
| II.53 | Dharanasu cha yogyata manasah | And the mind becomes fit for concentration |
| II.54 | Sva-vishaya-asamprayoge chittasya svarupa-anukara ivendriyanam pratyaharah | Pratyahara is the senses' disengagement from their objects, as if following the nature of the mind |
| II.55 | Tatah parama vashyatendriyanam | Thence, supreme mastery of the senses |
Notice the conditional at the head of II.49: tasmin sati, "that being accomplished." Pranayama is not offered as a parallel option to Asana; it is offered as what follows once posture is established. The syllabus's own ordering of the practical syllabus repeats that logic exactly.
Group 4 — Vibhuti Pada III.1–6: Antaranga Yoga and Samyama
| Sutra | Transliteration | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| III.1 | Desha-bandhash chittasya dharana | Dharana is the binding of the mind to a place |
| III.2 | Tatra pratyaya-ekatanata dhyanam | Dhyana is the unbroken flow of a single cognition there |
| III.3 | Tad eva artha-matra-nirbhasam svarupa-shunyam iva samadhih | Samadhi is when the object alone shines, as if empty of one's own form |
| III.4 | Trayam ekatra samyamah | The three together upon one object are Samyama |
| III.5 | Taj-jayat prajna-alokah | From mastery of it, the light of insight |
| III.6 | Tasya bhumishu viniyogah | Its application is by stages |
III.6 is the safety sutra of the whole text, and it is regularly under-quoted. Samyama is applied bhumishu — stage by stage, in graded planes. The tradition's explicit warning is against attempting a later stage before an earlier one is stable, which is the classical statement of the pedagogical principle a Level 3 teacher applies every time they refuse to teach an advanced practice to an unprepared student.
The six most quotable
If time is short, these are the sutras that recur most across YCB papers, mock tests and vivas:
- I.2 Yogash chitta-vritti-nirodhah
- I.3 Tada drashtuh svarupe'vasthanam
- I.12 Abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah
- II.1 Tapah-svadhyaya-ishvarapranidhanani kriya-yogah
- II.46 Sthira-sukham asanam
- III.4 Trayam ekatra samyamah
What the prescribed set leaves out
Worth knowing so you can calibrate. The prescribed thirty exclude the Antarayas (I.30–31), Ishvara (I.23–29), the Kleshas (II.3–9), the Chaturvyuha (II.15–26), the eight limbs list (II.29), the Yamas and Niyamas (II.30–34) and the whole of Kaivalya Pada. Those topics are nevertheless examinable, because other syllabus items require them — 2.8 covers Chitta and Klesha, 2.9 covers Ishvara, 2.10 covers Kriya Yoga, 2.11 and 2.12 cover the limbs. Item 2.7 is a close-reading requirement layered on top of the thematic items, not a limit on what may be asked.
Summary of Exam-Key Points
- Prescribed: I.1–12, II.1–2, II.46–55, III.1–6 = 30 sutras.
- I.5: Vrittis are klishta or aklishta.
- I.10: sleep is a vritti, resting on the cognition of absence.
- II.2: Kriya Yoga thins (tanukarana) the Kleshas; it does not destroy them.
- II.49 opens with tasmin sati — Pranayama follows established Asana.
- III.6 Tasya bhumishu viniyogah — Samyama is applied stage by stage.
Which sutras does syllabus item 2.7 prescribe for close study?
What does PYS I.5 add to the classification of the five Vrittis?
How does PYS I.10 characterise sleep, and why is this significant for yogic practice?
Why does PYS II.49 begin with the words 'tasmin sati'?
What safety principle does PYS III.6 state?