Atha Yoga Anushashanam - Yoga Chirtta Vritti Nirodha
Summary: This page explains the first two aphorisms of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras—Atha Yoga Anushashanam and Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha. It explores yoga as disciplined teaching that unites body, mind, and consciousness. By restraining mental modifications, practitioners attain tranquility and self‑absorption. The discussion highlights yoga’s philosophical roots in Samkhya and its enduring relevance as a path to inner harmony and spiritual realization.
Atha Yoga Anusasanam
Patanjali’s Yogasutras begins with the first sutra: Atha Yoga Anusasanam, meaning now the teaching of Yoga.
Atha means now. It suggests that this is a continuation of another teaching or study. Most likely, it refers to the study of Kapila’s Samkhya Karika, popularly known as the Samkhya Philosophy, with which the Yoga Philosophical System has been traditionally associated with. In the later traditions, it may refer to any school of philosophy, an Upanishad or a sectarian doctrine, as the practice of yoga became popular and the system became associated with many schools and sectarian traditions. Yoga refers to the system of knowledge, techniques, and practices, which are meant to facilitate a union between the outer and inner consciousness, the mind and body or the wakeful and transcendental consciousness, often referred to as the pure consciousness of the Self. This verse also alludes to the fact that by Patanjali's time, Yoga because a separate and specialized study within the Vedic tradition. In its long history, yoga has been defined variously by many teachers. However, Patanjali's definition stands out among them as the most fundamental and basic definition of yoga. Here, we accept this definition and acknowledge yoga as a practice that leads to union or unification of the various aspects of the mind into an integrated state of absorption, stillness, or oneness. Anusasanam means discipline, teaching, instruction, percept, etc. It refers to the teaching of Yoga. The word also confirms that the teaching of Yoga was already in existence and taught to students in the ancient schools. In other words, the Yoga Sutras was not the first scripture of Yoga, and Patanjali was not the first author. He probably codified and summarized the knowledge of yoga he knew from study or practice.
Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha
The second sutra of Patanjali states the purpose of yoga in very practical terms without any mystery about it. It says: Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha.
Chitta refers to the mind, consciousness, or mind-body consciousness consisting of thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions, memories, desires, attachments, concepts, ideas, and latent impressions or past lives. In other words, chitta refers to the sum of things or mental objects present in the mind or consciousness. Vritti means modifications or disturbances of the mind of various kinds. Patanjali identified five types of modifications, according to their source of nature, arising from right knowledge, false knowledge, imagination, sleep, and memory. They disturb the mind in different ways, for the better or the worse. Hence, Patanjali grouped the five types of modifications under two broad categories: critical (klishta) and noncritical (aklishta). We will learn more about the modifications in the subsequent verses. In our daily lives, our minds are prone to many disturbances. We are troubled by what we know, do not know, imagine, dream or remember. Anything that happens to us or may happen to us or we remember as it happened to us or imagine it may happen to us can potentially disturb our minds and make us restless or stressed. Hence, yoga is useful to stop these modifications and experience peace and tranquility.