Savitarka
Sanskrit: सवितर्काTransliteration: Savitarkā (IAST)
Translation: “with reasoning”
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Definition: "one of the two types of Vitarka concentration"
Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo)
Translation: "with reasoning"
Definition: "a type of Samādhi in which the mind is withdrawn into itself, but goes on thinking and reasoning."
The Science of Yoga (I. K. Taimni)
Translation: "reasoning"
Commentary: "Part 1, Sutra 42 deals with the mental processes involved in the very first stage of Samādhi and may best be understood in relation to a concrete object having a name and form. We are so used to taking all things which come within the range of our experience for granted that we never pay any attention to the mysteries which are obviously hidden within the simplest of objects. Every physical object which we can perceive through our sense organs is really a conglomerate of several kinds of mental impressions which can be sorted out to a certain extent by a process of mental analysis on the basis of our knowledge of sensuous perception and other facts discovered by Science. Let us take for the sake of illustration a simple concrete object like a rose. Our knowledge regarding a rose is a mixture in which facts like those given below enter:
A consideration of some of the facts given above will show to the student how mixed up our ideas are regarding even common objects with which we come in contact every day. Our true knowledge with regard to the real objects is mixed up or confused with all kinds of mental images and it is not possible for us to separate the pure knowledge from these mental images by ordinary processes of mental analysis or reasoning. The only way in which this can be done is by performing Saṃyama on the object and fusing the mind with it as explained in Part 1, Sutra 41. The pure, real, internal knowledge regarding the object is isolated from the mixed external knowledge and the Yogi can then know the real object by making the mind one with it.
It is obvious that there must be two stages in this process of ‘knowing by fusing’. In the first stage, the heterogeneous knowledge regarding the object must be separated into its different constituents. In this stage, all the constituents of the knowledge, internal and external, are present, but from an undifferentiated and confused state, they are resolved more and more into a state of clearly-defined and differentiated constituents. In the second stage, the mind is fused with the pure knowledge which has been isolated in the first stage. In this process of selective fusion, naturally, all the other constituents which depend upon memory drop out automatically and the mind shines only with the pure knowledge of the object, nothing else. Part 1, Sutra 42 deals with the first stage and Part 1, Sutra 43 with the second stage.
Let us now consider the significance of the words used in Part 1, Sutra 42 to indicate this resolution and differentiation of this composite knowledge with regard to the object into its clearly defined constituents. The word Tatra refers to the state of Samādhi described in the previous Sutra and is obviously used to point out that this process of resolution is carried out in a state of Samādhi and cannot be accomplished by an ordinary process of mental analysis. It is only when the mind has been completely isolated from external influences and has reached the concentrated state of Dhyāna that it can successfully tackle this problem of resolution. Śabda-Artha-Jñāna define the three categories of knowledge which are inextricably mixed up in the mind of the ordinary man and can be resolved only in Savitarkā-Samādhi. Śabda refers to knowledge which is based only on words and is not connected in any way with the object which is being considered. Much of our thinking is of this superficial nature, based merely on words and not touching the object at all. Artha refers to the true knowledge about the object or its real meaning which the Yogi wants. And Jñāna refers to the ordinary knowledge based on the perception of the sense-organs and the reasoning of the mind. The condition of not being able to distinguish clearly between these three kinds of knowledge with the result that the mind hovers between them is sought to be conveyed by the word Vikalpaiḥ. This is inevitable as long as the three kinds of knowledge have not separated out, as it were, in three separate layers but are present in a state of mixture or con-fusion which is indicated by the word Saṅkīrṇā.
It will perhaps help the student to understand this progressive resolution of the three kinds of knowledge if we illustrate the process diagrammatically as follows:
It will be seen that while in the first step knowledge based on Śabda only covers the other two, the progressive resolution results in the last step in the complete separation of the three. Students of Science will also find the analogy of an emulsion helpful in understanding this progressive resolution and separation into two separate and distinct constituents. If two immiscible liquids are shaken together vigorously, it is possible to prepare an emulsion in which both appear to be present in a homogeneous condition though they really remain separate. But if the emulsion is allowed to stand for some time, the two liquids will gradually separate out into two separate layers. This analogy is especially apt because it is the absence of agitation which leads to the separation of the two layers just as in Savitarkā Samādhi it is really the extreme tranquilization of the mind which brings about the separation of the different kinds of knowledge.
When the different mental components have separated and are seen in their correct relationship, then there can be no confusion or going from one to the other. It is because they are mistaken for one another and the proper province of each is not defined that there is confusion and consequent Vitarka (see also in this connection Part 3, Sutra 17). When the mental picture clears up and each component is seen in true perspective, Vitarka must come to an end." (p. 100-102)
References:
Definition: "one of the two types of Vitarka concentration"
- This is a type of union (Samādhi) in which the mind concentrates on objects, remembering their names and qualities.
- See Samādhi and Vitarka.
Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo)
Translation: "with reasoning"
Definition: "a type of Samādhi in which the mind is withdrawn into itself, but goes on thinking and reasoning."
The Science of Yoga (I. K. Taimni)
Translation: "reasoning"
Commentary: "Part 1, Sutra 42 deals with the mental processes involved in the very first stage of Samādhi and may best be understood in relation to a concrete object having a name and form. We are so used to taking all things which come within the range of our experience for granted that we never pay any attention to the mysteries which are obviously hidden within the simplest of objects. Every physical object which we can perceive through our sense organs is really a conglomerate of several kinds of mental impressions which can be sorted out to a certain extent by a process of mental analysis on the basis of our knowledge of sensuous perception and other facts discovered by Science. Let us take for the sake of illustration a simple concrete object like a rose. Our knowledge regarding a rose is a mixture in which facts like those given below enter:
- It has a name which has been chosen arbitrarily and has no natural relationship with the object.
- It has a form, color, odor etc. which we can perceive through our sense-organs. These will vary from rose to rose, but there is an irreducible minimum of qualities which are common to all roses and which make a rose a rose.
- It is a particular combination of certain atoms and molecules (or electrons at a deeper level) distributed in a certain manner in space. The mental image which is formed in our mind on the basis of this scientific knowledge is quite different from the mental image derived from the sense-organs.
- It is a particular specimen of an archetype, all roses which come into being conforming to this archetypal rose.
A consideration of some of the facts given above will show to the student how mixed up our ideas are regarding even common objects with which we come in contact every day. Our true knowledge with regard to the real objects is mixed up or confused with all kinds of mental images and it is not possible for us to separate the pure knowledge from these mental images by ordinary processes of mental analysis or reasoning. The only way in which this can be done is by performing Saṃyama on the object and fusing the mind with it as explained in Part 1, Sutra 41. The pure, real, internal knowledge regarding the object is isolated from the mixed external knowledge and the Yogi can then know the real object by making the mind one with it.
It is obvious that there must be two stages in this process of ‘knowing by fusing’. In the first stage, the heterogeneous knowledge regarding the object must be separated into its different constituents. In this stage, all the constituents of the knowledge, internal and external, are present, but from an undifferentiated and confused state, they are resolved more and more into a state of clearly-defined and differentiated constituents. In the second stage, the mind is fused with the pure knowledge which has been isolated in the first stage. In this process of selective fusion, naturally, all the other constituents which depend upon memory drop out automatically and the mind shines only with the pure knowledge of the object, nothing else. Part 1, Sutra 42 deals with the first stage and Part 1, Sutra 43 with the second stage.
Let us now consider the significance of the words used in Part 1, Sutra 42 to indicate this resolution and differentiation of this composite knowledge with regard to the object into its clearly defined constituents. The word Tatra refers to the state of Samādhi described in the previous Sutra and is obviously used to point out that this process of resolution is carried out in a state of Samādhi and cannot be accomplished by an ordinary process of mental analysis. It is only when the mind has been completely isolated from external influences and has reached the concentrated state of Dhyāna that it can successfully tackle this problem of resolution. Śabda-Artha-Jñāna define the three categories of knowledge which are inextricably mixed up in the mind of the ordinary man and can be resolved only in Savitarkā-Samādhi. Śabda refers to knowledge which is based only on words and is not connected in any way with the object which is being considered. Much of our thinking is of this superficial nature, based merely on words and not touching the object at all. Artha refers to the true knowledge about the object or its real meaning which the Yogi wants. And Jñāna refers to the ordinary knowledge based on the perception of the sense-organs and the reasoning of the mind. The condition of not being able to distinguish clearly between these three kinds of knowledge with the result that the mind hovers between them is sought to be conveyed by the word Vikalpaiḥ. This is inevitable as long as the three kinds of knowledge have not separated out, as it were, in three separate layers but are present in a state of mixture or con-fusion which is indicated by the word Saṅkīrṇā.
It will perhaps help the student to understand this progressive resolution of the three kinds of knowledge if we illustrate the process diagrammatically as follows:
Fig. 6
It will be seen that while in the first step knowledge based on Śabda only covers the other two, the progressive resolution results in the last step in the complete separation of the three. Students of Science will also find the analogy of an emulsion helpful in understanding this progressive resolution and separation into two separate and distinct constituents. If two immiscible liquids are shaken together vigorously, it is possible to prepare an emulsion in which both appear to be present in a homogeneous condition though they really remain separate. But if the emulsion is allowed to stand for some time, the two liquids will gradually separate out into two separate layers. This analogy is especially apt because it is the absence of agitation which leads to the separation of the two layers just as in Savitarkā Samādhi it is really the extreme tranquilization of the mind which brings about the separation of the different kinds of knowledge.
When the different mental components have separated and are seen in their correct relationship, then there can be no confusion or going from one to the other. It is because they are mistaken for one another and the proper province of each is not defined that there is confusion and consequent Vitarka (see also in this connection Part 3, Sutra 17). When the mental picture clears up and each component is seen in true perspective, Vitarka must come to an end." (p. 100-102)
References:
- Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
- Hartz, Richard. Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo). Retrieved from http://wiki.auroville.org.in/wiki/Glossary_to_the_Record_of_Yoga
- Taimni, I. K. (1975). The Science of Yoga: The Yoga-Sūtras of Patañjali in Sanskrit with Transliteration in Roman, Translation in English and Commentary: Theosophical Publishing House. p. 100-102.
