Psychology of Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Psychology, is the study of the human mind and its effects on human behaviour. It is impossible to locate the
mind in a single part of our body. It is almost like every cell of the body has a mind of its own. “The Mind of
Cells” by Satprem speaks along the same lines. When such be the abstract nature of mind, study of the
abstract entity has been a subject matter for psychologists for several years now. An intriguing fact is that
this complex and abstract mind was studied close to 1700 years ago by Sage Patanjali.
Several ancient texts have tried to explain the mind in the context of understanding the self. There is a
repeated contemplation of the nature of the mind and its existence being apart from the self in our ancient
texts. For instance, the Kathopanishad used the analogy of the chariot with horses which is again quoted by
Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Yoga Vasishta, a text summarizing the teachings of Sage Vasishta to Sri Rama
when the latter went into a state of Vairagya explains the influence of mind over body. Sage Vasishta said
that it is through the mind that disturbances begin as Adhi. They eventually lead to physical disturbances that
we term as Vyadhi. This is being scientifically accepted today with the presentation of psychosomatic
disorders which have their naissance in the mental disturbances.
When contemplated upon, Patanjali Yoga Sutras carry in them the understanding of the complex apparatus
called mind, the effect it has on our body and also provides us with the right tools and directions to take
control of the mind. In fact, the sutras go beyond the reach of physiological psychology to explain concepts
of consciousness, concentration, individuality and states of existence. All of these are essentially the subject
matter content of Cognitive Psychology in today’s world.
1. What is the mind?
Buddha said, “What we think we become”. Swami Vivekananda resonated with the same thought when he
said “Whatever you think, that you will be”. So, thoughts seem to be the entity closely associated with
behaviour and thoughts in turn arise in the mind, hence mind has an effect on behaviour. But where does
the mind exist? Is mind the same as consciousness? The distinction of mind from consciousness has been the
common theme of discussion across several ancient texts. Researches in psychology also explore the mind
with the same vigour till date.
Quoting from the Dictionary of Psychology by American Psychological Association one of the definitions is as
follows, “broadly, all intellectual and psychological phenomena of an organism, encompassing motivational,
affective, behavioural, perceptual, and cognitive systems; that is, the organized totality of an organism’s
mental and psychic processes and the structural and functional cognitive components on which they depend.
The term, however, is also used more narrowly to denote only cognitive activities and functions, such as
perceiving, attending, thinking, problem solving, language, learning, and memory. The nature of relationship
between the mind and the body, including the brain and its mechanisms or activities, has been, and continues
to be, the subject of much debate.” Another definition found is, “The brain itself and its activities. In this
view, the mind essentially is both the anatomical organ and what it does”
Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, points out that mind is but just one of the branches of Consciousness. Based on
B.K. Iyengar’s interpretation of Yoga Sutras in his book “Light on Patanjali Yoga Sutras”, Consciousness
emerges from the unalterable seer “Cit”- the constant, ever-existent entity. It says that if seer is the seed,
then consciousness is the seedling. From this seedling emerges a stem called “Mind”. The fluctuating “Vrittis”
or “thought waves” are the leaves which are relayed out through the mind. Through this single correlation,
Sage Patanjali points out the intricate relationship between consciousness, mind and thoughts. The fact that
mind owes its existence to consciousness suggests that it owes its existence to consciousness which in turn
owes its existence to the seer. He defines “Cit” as a passive entity whereas “Chitta” is the active entity or the
sprouted consciousness coming out from Cit.
So, the mind, intelligence and thoughts- each of these can be considered as offshoots of the Chitta, entities
with no existence of their own.
2. Disturbances of the mind
In the previous section, we tried to understand the mind from point of view of the Sutras. Sage Patanjali went
on to decipher the disturbances of the mind. In its normative state, the mind reflects the light from Citta and
Citta reflects the pure light that we refer to as Cit. But in reality, there are several disturbances that prevent
this process from happening seamlessly. That is because of the effect of the sense organs on the mind. The
Cit is a passive entity that does not interact with the world. The only interaction of the world is through our
sense organs which let us experience life around us. This life around, we refer to as “Prakriti”. Patanjali’s Yoga
Sutras are an extension of the Sankhya philosophy where the world is defined as an interplay of Shiva and
Shakti; Shiva being the passive force or “Jada” and Shakti being the active force or “Chaitanya”. Patanjali
referred to these forces as Purusha and Prakriti respectively. Purusha is the constant, the unchanging whereas
Prakriti, after being fertilized by Purusha’s reflection manifests as the many and transient forms around us.

Disturbances of the mind occur when the senses are drawn to Prakriti as we perceive the ouert world to be
real. Our Citta then starts being drawn outwards rather than gravitating inwards towards the ever-constant
Purusha. Since Prakriti is transient, the mind becomes wavery when it engages with the transience world.
Sage Patanjali describes these disturbances as follows:
pramâña-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidrâ-smëtayah (Patanjali Yoga Sutras-1.6)
The words literally mean “right perceptions, misconceptions, a mere conceptualization, sleep and memory
“are the 5 disturbances of the mind. In its undisturbed form, mind is still. What causes that stillness to be
disturbed is the interaction of sense organs with the world. The senses perceive and relay information to
brain. Brain then tries to identify the object of perception and later, this perception gets further interpreted
by the mind through lens of past experiences, memories and preconceived ideas and notions. It is known
that no two people perceive a given object in the same manner. This is because each one has a repository of
experiences and interpretations which play a role in the current perception of objects. This is the subject
matter of Cognitive psychology which unveils the process of thoughts,
3. Suffering and its root cause
Psychology studies the inter relationship between mind and behaviour. This scientific study later helps us
design therapeutic interventions when people suffer from psychological or psychosomatic disturbances. Is it
the disturbances of mind that causes suffering? Afterall, mind’s activity is in associating our experiences and
memories to help us perceive a given object or situation. True suffering is in the kind of impressions we have
stored which go on to create these perceptions. Impressions of the past become “Kleshas” or cause of
suffering. Kleshas are of the following types:
avidyâsmitâ-râga-dvesâbhiniveśâh (Patanjali Yoga Sutras- 2.3)
Lack of wisdom, egoism, desire, aversion and tendency to cling to life are all the root causes of suffering. This
interpretation of the root cause of suffering is a foundation stone towards our progression towards healing.
Several interventions of psychology delve into exploratory conversations to gauge the root cause of an issue
at hand. Most of these interventions, however, are reactive rather than proactive. Applications of
Psychological approaches, to a large extent, are when people develop psychotic disorders to an extent that
it prevents him from living a normal life. On the other hand, Sage Patanjali gives us a proactive approach to
regulate and develop awareness of our mental health beforehand. Patanjali not only points us the root causes
but also specifies ways through which these can be overcome. They are presented in the for of Yamas and
Niyamas. Talked about in the first few versus of Sadhana Pada, Patanjali gives ethical rules to live by in order
to enjoy a harmonious life both in the inner world and outer world.
4. Yamas
The 5 Yamas that Patanjali deals with are the rules or guidelines for regulating our behaviours involving
interactions with people or world around us. They are:
4.1. Ahimsa: non-violence
Ahimsa refers to non-violence in any form whether physically or mentally. Patanjali includes Ahimsa as a
prerequisite to the practice of Yoga in order to adopt a pleasant state of mind. When there is no aggression
or hint of violence, there is a calmness and understanding in relationships. Hence, the mind continues to be
less agitated in spite of worldly interactions.
Violence of any form is a negative emotion. Every emotion has its impact on the mind and body. On a physical
level, we become more agitated, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, the sympathetic nervous system is
active and there is a release of adrenaline hormones into the body. The adrenal glands make and release
corticosteroid hormones and epinephrine that maintain blood pressure and regulate metabolism.
Automatically, we experience dysfunctions in metabolism and blood pressure varies which in turn manifests
as ailments in the body.
One cannot help but notice a close correlation between stress levels and violent or aggressive behaviour. As
quoted in an article in the American Psychological Association (Hormones, stress and aggression), a group of
researchers conducted five experiments on 53 male rats, electrically stimulating their brains' aggression-
control centers to see if this raised blood levels of a stress hormone. They also investigated whether higher
levels of the same hormone were associated with the aggressive behaviour elicited by that center. The
results: Raising (or lowering) one variable raised (or lowered) the other. Thus, stress and aggression worked
in a fast positive feedback loop.
If a similar mechanism is found in humans, it could help explain not only why the stress of traffic jams leads
to road rage, but also why aggressive behaviour triggers an ongoing stress reaction that is hard to stop. Says
Michael Potegal, PhD, a researcher at the University of Minnesota Hospital who studies anger and aggression,
the result is "consistent with, and advances, earlier work. We recently found a brief and modest rise in
salivary cortisol following tantrums in 3-year-old children."
All these scientific researches go on to prove the importance of Ahimsa or non-violence to have a peaceful
state of mind with stress levels completely in control and a sound control over the mind.
4.2. Satya: Truthfulness
The Mundaka Upanishad has the famous quote “Satyameva Jayate” meaning it is the truth that always wins.
This is incorporated in our national emblem in the Devanagari script. We have several Upanishadic stories
emphasizing on the life of truthfulness and honesty which was also highlighted by Sage Patanjali as one of
the main aspects of Ashtanga Yoga.
People lie due to several reasons but irrespective of their motivation to lie, it makes room for anxiety and
discomfort which eventually hampers our relationships. This fact is substantiated through a detailed
experiment conducted by researchers and published in an article called “Lying less linked to better health”.
Researchers conducted an honesty experiment which was awaiting peer review before publishing, but the
research results point to the impact of non-lying on health of individual.
Kelly and co-author Lijuan Wang, PhD, also of Notre Dame, conducted the honesty experiment over 10
weeks with a sample of 110 people, of whom 34 percent were adults in the community and 66 percent were
college students. They ranged in age from 18 to 71 years, with an average age of 31. The just-completed study
has not yet undergone peer review and has yet to be published.
Approximately half the participants were instructed to stop telling major and minor lies for the 10 weeks.
The other half served as a control group that received no special instructions about lying. Both groups came
to the laboratory each week to complete health and relationship measures and to take a polygraph test
assessing the number of major and white lies they had told that week.
Over the course of 10 weeks, the link between less lying and improved health was significantly stronger for
participants in the no-lie group, the study found. For example, when participants in the no-lie group told
three fewer white lies than they did in other weeks, they experienced on average about four fewer mental-
health complaints, such as feeling tense or melancholy, and about three fewer physical complaints, such as
sore throats and headaches, the study found. In contrast, when control group members told three fewer
white lies, they experienced two fewer mental-health complaints and about one less physical complaint. The
pattern was similar for major lies, Kelly said.

In weeks when participants told fewer lies, they reported that their close personal relationships had
improved and that their social interactions overall had gone more smoothly that week, the study revealed.
“Statistical analyses showed that this improvement in relationships significantly accounted for the
improvement in health that was associated with less lying,” said Wang, who is a statistician.
Sage Patanjali very simply put truthfulness as one of the required characteristics to experience harmony in
our relationships and environment.
4.3. Asteya: non-stealing
It is mandatory to claim ownership for what is rightfully yours alone. Stealing or using other’s possessions
without their consent is considered to be wrong and should not be practiced especially in the path of Yoga.
In Sutra 2.37, Sage Patanjali says:
Asteya pratisthayam sarva ratna upasthanam (Patanjali Yoga Sutras- 2.37)
Translated literally, this means, “For those who have no inclination to steal, the truly precious is at hand”.
When one refrains from stealing other’s assets, intellectual or physical, he automatically commands trust.
This improves inter relationships with people. Eventually, people will feel confident to confide in you, they
are more willing to share with you an you elevate yourself to a level that brings the most precious traits and
situations in your life. We experience deep trust and affection in our relationships leading to peace of mind.
4.4. Brahmacharya: non-excess
Largely interpreted as Celibacy, Brahmacharya signifies non-excess. Moderation is the key to a healthy, happy
and pure life. This has also been elaborated by Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. “Brahmani Charati iti
Brahmacharya” is the literal translation of the word Brahmacharya. It is a mind that is engaged in the
Brahman, the Brahma Swaroop Atman. Hence Brahmacharya calls for looking inwards. It is a way of finding
and establishing yourself in the path of Brahman. Entire energy is focused on the inward journey. Detachment
from sense pleasures is not forced but something that comes naturally to a person in the path of
Brahmacharya. This requires a strong control over the mind which is developed by Sadhana Chatushtya i.e.,
Viveka, Vairagya, Shamadhishat Sampatti and Mumukshutvam. In the Sutras of Sage Patanjali, we see a
similar theme. It says:
Brahmacharya Pratishthayam Viirya Labhah (Patanjali Yoga Sutras- 2.38)
By exercising moderation in our day-to-day activities, we conserve energy for what is most relevant. Hence,
we gain the vigour needed for achieving higher goals.
 4.5. Aprarigraha: non-possessiveness
Several psychological disorders are a result of a sense of possession, either towards physical objects or
towards the mental processes. Possession itself would be preoccupation of resources. When we possess
several materialistic things, the mind is engaged towards safeguarding them, enhancing them etc. This
process slowly develops into an obsession and drains us of the vital energy. Patanjali tells us that a
prerequisite for the practice of Yoga is a mind that is disengaged from worldly pleasures. When mind is free
and slowly directed inwards, vital energy follows the same path. It brings in a deep harmony between the
mind, body and intellect which is Yoga in its complete form.
The mind is always trying to find security in the world, be it through our possessions or relationships. It is
when we understand or acknowledge our own completeness that we move towards higher dimensions and
elevate ourselves intellectually. This is substantiated by the Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Maslow believed
that it is our physiological and psychological needs that motivate our actions. These needs progress from
basic ones to complex. While some of the existing schools of thought at the time—such as psychoanalysis
and behaviourism—tended to focus on problematic behaviours, Maslow was more interested in learning
about what makes people happy and what they do to achieve that aim. He came up with the following
hierarchy explaining progressions of our needs as we evolve:

Self-realization stands at the highest rung in the hierarchy to show that it is only when human’s basic needs
are met that he seeks for higher goals. Aparigraha helps us keep our needs to a minimum and hence
accelerates us towards higher dimensions seamlessly.
5. Niyamas
While Yamas list moral disciplines to be followed, Niyamas, on the other hand, enlist the various observances
or inner disciplines to be followed by the practitioner.
5.1. Saucha: Purity
There is a commonly quoted example when talking about saucha which is of a pot which has impurities.
When we pour milk into a pot with impurities, the milk is sure to be contaminated. In yogic analogy, the body
is equated to a “ghata” or pot. Purity has to be maintained in the body and mind i.e., in the “ghata”, else all
life’s experiences will be comprehended in a contaminated manner as it will be dominated by Kleshas. The
purification practice needs certain observances, continuous examining and contemplation. The whole
process begins with Saucha which is purificatory practice categorized as external and internal. While external
purification is achieved by taking bath, maintaining hygienic surroundings etc, internal purification is attained
though Yoga and Pranayama practices. Such practices remove toxins from the body and keep the body young
and healthy.
5.2. Santosha: contentment
Humans are often encompassed by feelings of greed and lust i.e., lobha and moha. There is a constant greed
to achieve more and gain more. This is due to attachment or moha we develop in worldly objects. Seeking
security though worldly pursuits is to be avoided since it deprives us of a calm mind. Instead, we should
develop contentment with what we have and work with an equanimous attitude towards our goals. This is
the essence of Santosha.
5.3. Tapas: austerity
Tapas is austerity and can be of 3 types: bodily austerities, austerity of speech and austerity of the mind. The
word Tapas comes from root word “Tap” which means to burn. Modern psychology characterises several
mental illnesses like depression, multiple personality disorder etc based on symptoms exhibited by people.
The root cause for such issues is often considered to be environment, early childhood experiences,
physiological issues such as structure of brain etc. However, Sage Patanjali talks of something much deeper
called “Klesha Karma Vipakashaya” or a store of latent impressions which explains that a person’s perceptions
or understanding of the world is shaped by latent impressions carried from across several lives. This is the
reason that 2 or more people exposed to the same situation choose to act on it differently. It goes back to
their inherent disposition and temperament which is influenced by karma vipakashaya
Tapas are austerities that help us burn down the inherent latencies. We move beyond our instinct since we
become observers first. We understand our impulsive nature and develop a complete control over it, we
literally burn down those natural instincts to rewire our though process and approach to situations.
5.4. Swadhyaya
The word “swa” stands for self and “adhyaya” means chapter. Swadhyaya means study of the self. Knowledge
is light and awareness. When this knowledge is on the self, we learn to reflect and understand our nature.
The scriptures are the sources of self-knowledge since they hold a mirror that reflects our true self.
“Shravanam”, “Mananam” and “Nidhidhyasanam” become the 3 pillars to gain self-knowledge.

5.5. Ishvara Pranidhana

Ishvara refers to “collective consciousness” as per the Upanishadic teachings. Ishvara Pranidhana calls for a
complete surrender to that collective consciousness through which we came to be, which sustains us and
into which we will dissolve. When applied in daily lives, we begin following our duties with a sense of
surrender and also surrender the fruit of our actions. We accept events around us as a part of the grand plan
by Ishvara and surrender to his will. This “let go” nature makes us calmer, less anxious and more receptive to
life.
Sage Patanjali says that all principles running against Yama and Niyama are to be countered through his sutra
Vitarkabadhane pratipaksabhavanam (Patanjali Yoga Sutra-2.33)
Meaning “Principles which run contrary to yama and niyama are to be countered with knowledge of
discrimination.” It is knowledge that is supreme. Uncertain or unprocessed knowledge sets us on the edge
causing feelings of insecurity which manifest as anger, greed, delusion etc. He also says that not all are
affected to the same intensity. One can be mildly, moderately or intensely affected by negative emotions
mentioned above and the only way out of this is to develop knowledge. Knowledge about the right and wrong
and knowledge about the self.
Through all the above discussions, one cannot help but notice the nuances that Sage Patanjali has considered
while putting forth the sutras. The sutras are a simple way to have a life of quality with peaceful mind and
healthy body without delving into psychological nitty-gritties to overwhelm the common man.