Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras 1.37–1.39: Methods of Calming the Mind-Field (Part 2 of 2)
Inner Stillness Through Detachment, Dream, and Chosen Focus
Introduction
In the last article, Patañjali introduced four powerful methods for calming the mind: cultivating emotional attitudes, working with the breath, awakening subtle perception, and meditating on the sorrowless, radiant inner self.
Now, in Sūtras 1.37 to 1.39, he completes the list with three more. These final methods are more open-ended: inviting the yogi to contemplate a desireless mind, reflect on inner states like dreams or deep sleep, or simply choose whatever object brings inner steadiness. The common thread is clear: when the mind learns to rest, the path to stillness unfolds.
Audio Recordings for Sūtras 1.37-1.39
🎧 Listen – Vaishali’s Recitation
🎧 Listen – Rohit’s Recitation
Sūtra 1.37
Devanāgarī
वीतरागविषयं॑ वा चि॒त्तम् ॥ १.३७॥Transliteration
vīta-rāga-viṣayaṁ vā cittam || 1.37 ||Chanting
vī-ta-rā-ga-vi-ṣa-yaṁ vā cit-tamMeaning
Or (vā)
a mind-field (cittam)
engaged with an object (viṣayam)
that is free (vīta)
from attachment (rāga).
Audio Recordings
🎧 Listen – Vaishali’s Recitation
🎧 Listen – Rohit’s Recitation
Chanting Tips
Pay close attention to short a vs long ā (e.g., vīta vs rāga).
Enunciate the two t sounds clearly in cittam.
All t characters are dental: touch the tongue to the top teeth.
Curl tongue back for retroflex ṣ (sh) in viṣayaṁ.
Grammatical Breakdown
vīta (वीत)
Meaning: Free from; departed; gone away
Form: Masculine adjective; Nominative singular: Describes a quality or state
Origin: vi (apart, away) + ita (gone), from root √i (to go)
Context: Describes the condition of being free from attachment or desire
rāga (राग)
Meaning: Attachment; desire; passion
Form: Masculine noun; Nominative singular: Functions as the thing being transcended
Origin: From root √rañj (to color, to be emotionally affected)
Context: Emotional craving that binds the mind to objects or experiences
viṣayam (विषयम्)
Meaning: Object; field of experience; sphere of activity
Form: Neuter noun; Accusative singular: Refers to the object being experienced
Origin: Possibly from root √viṣ (to act) or vi (apart) + si (to extend)
Context: Any external or internal object the mind can engage with
vā (वा)
Meaning: Or
Form: Indeclinable particle: Used to present an alternative
Origin: Common Sanskrit conjunction
Context: Offers this as one more option for calming the mind
cittam (चित्तम्)
Meaning: Mind-Field
Form: Neuter noun; Nominative singular: Functions as the subject or experiencer
Origin: From root √cit (to perceive, observe, know)
Context: The mental field that becomes steady when detached from desire
Commentary & Insights
Another method Patañjali offers for calming the mind-field is this: contemplate a mind that is free from desire. By meditating on such a state, the yogi’s own mind becomes still.
What It Refers To
A mind free from desire is naturally undisturbed. It does not reach outward to grasp objects or outcomes. Instead, it rests in itself, calm and unattached.
Patañjali suggests that by contemplating such a mind, your own begins to mirror that stillness. This can be done in three ways:
By observing a saint or teacher whose mind is genuinely free from cravings. Their presence communicates a sense of ease and inner freedom.
By imagining the mind of a perfected being like Hiraṇyagarbha: serene, luminous, untouched by longing.
By accessing your own moments of desirelessness, and staying with that experience until it becomes familiar and steady.
How to Practice
Reflect on what it feels like to want nothing: to simply be.
Recall a moment when your mind was inward, content, and at peace.
Or bring to mind the serene presence of a teacher or saint whose desires have been stilled.
Rest your awareness in that image or memory, letting it soak into your own mind.
This is not about forcefully suppressing desire but about absorbing the flavor of detachment.
Why This Works
A passionate mind is restless: it constantly seeks.
A desireless mind, by contrast, is unburdened and still.
When the mind reflects on that stillness, it begins to imitate it.
Over time, this reflection becomes a habit, and the pull of outward distraction weakens.
Result
With practice, the yogin:
Develops true detachment, not as suppression but as natural freedom.
Experiences a deep tranquility of mind, untouched by craving.
Moves steadily toward inner steadiness and the readiness for deeper states of meditation.
Contemplating a desireless mind is, in itself, an act of vairāgya, a quiet doorway into stillness.
Sūtra 1.38
Devanāgarī
स्व॒प्ननि॒द्राज्ञानाल॑म्बनं॒ वा ॥ १.३८॥Transliteration
svapna-nidrā-jñānālambanaṁ vā || 1.38 ||Chanting
sva-pna-ni-drā-jñā-nā-lam-ba-nam vāMeaning
Or (vā)
a support (ālambanam)
based on knowledge (jñāna)
from dream (svapna)
or sleep (nidrā)
Audio Recordings
🎧 Listen – Vaishali’s Recitation
🎧 Listen – Rohit’s Recitation
Chanting Tips
Emphasize the long ā sounds in nidrā and jñānā.
Keep the a sounds short in svapna and lambanam.
Pay close attention jñ in jñānā and pronounce smoothly.
Grammatical Breakdown
svapna (स्वप्न)
Meaning: Dream; the dreaming state
Form: Masculine noun; part of a compound
Origin: From root √svap (to sleep)
Context: Refers to the mental imagery or experiences occurring during dreams
nidrā (निद्रा)
Meaning: Sleep; sleepiness
Form: Feminine noun; part of a compound
Origin: ni (down) + root √drā (to sleep); Dvandva compound with svapna
Context: The deep sleep state, often considered contentless but leaving subtle impressions
jñāna (ज्ञान)
Meaning: Knowledge; understanding
Form: Neuter noun; Nominative singular: Acts as the subject or main concept in the compound
Origin: From root √jñā (to know, be aware)
Context: Knowledge arising from or associated with dream and sleep states
ālambanam (आलम्बनम्)
Meaning: Support; foundation; resting point
Form: Neuter noun; Nominative singular: Functions as the main grammatical subject of the sentence
Origin: ā (toward) + lambana (hanging, resting), from root √lamb (to hang)
Context: Refers to the mental support or focus, especially knowledge drawn from subtle states like dream or sleep
vā (वा)
Meaning: Or
Form: Indeclinable particle: Introduces an alternative method
Origin: Common Sanskrit conjunction
Context: Presents this as one more valid support for calming or steadying the mind
Commentary & Insights
Patañjali now introduces an unconventional but powerful method for stilling the mind: contemplating the images of dreams or the state of dreamless sleep. These internal states, when used intentionally, can lead to deep mental stability.
What It Refers To
Two inner experiences are used as supports for meditation:
Dream (svapna): A state where external perception is suspended, but mental imagery continues vividly.
Deep sleep (nidrā): A state beyond mental images, where even thought is absent, and only a subtle impression of stillness remains.
How to Practice
Dream-based meditation can be approached in three ways:
Imaginal method: Visualize an object internally and treat it as fully real.
Lucid dream method: Train yourself to become aware during dreams and use that state for focused contemplation.
Dream recollection method: Upon waking, hold on to a meaningful dream image or feeling and meditate on it while awake.
Sleep-based meditation involves:
Focusing on the subtle, inert feeling of deep sleep.
Contemplating the quality of inactivity that characterizes dreamless rest.
Letting the mind rest in that same non-grasping, silent state during wakefulness.
Why This Works
Dreams shut out the sensory world and reveal the mind’s own vivid imagery.
Deep sleep reveals the mind in its most inward, inactive state.
Both create a natural condition of inwardness that supports meditation.
If the mind can be made still in one domain, dream, sleep, or waking, it learns the habit of stillness everywhere.
Result
When practiced steadily:
The mind becomes calm and capable of holding a single state for longer periods.
This steadiness builds the foundation for deeper meditative absorption.
Eventually, the yogin can apply this skill to contemplation on higher principles and move toward liberation (kaivalya).
By turning even sleep and dreams into tools for awareness, the boundaries between states begin to dissolve and the path to inner stillness opens.
Sūtra 1.39
Devanāgarī
यथाभिमत॑ध्याना॒द्वा ॥ १.३९॥Transliteration:
yathābhimata-dhyānād-vā || 1.39 ||Chanting
ya-thā-bhi-ma-ta-dhyā-nā-dvāMeaning
Or (vā)
from meditation (dhyānāt)
on what is desired (abhimata)
as one wishes (yathā)
Audio Recordings
🎧 Listen – Vaishali’s Recitation
🎧 Listen – Rohit’s Recitation
Chanting Tips
Add a puff of air for exhalants: th in yathā, bh in ābhimata, dh in dhyānād.
Keep dhyānād-vā flowing smoothly. Pronounce dvā together as a single unit.
Grammatical Breakdown
yathā (यथा)
Meaning: As; in the manner of; according to
Form: Indeclinable word used to express comparison or conformity
Origin: From root √ya (to go), often used idiomatically to mean “just as” or “according to”
Context: Indicates that the method described aligns with the practitioner’s own inclination
abhimata (अभिमत)
Meaning: Desired; preferred; cherished
Form: Masculine adjective; agrees with dhyāna
Origin: abhi (toward) + mata (thought, opinion), from root √man (to think, believe)
Context: Refers to any object or form of meditation that is personally meaningful to the practitioner
dhyānāt (ध्यानात्)
Meaning: From meditation; from contemplation
Form: Masculine noun; Ablative singular: Indicates the source or means
Origin: From root √dhyai (to meditate, contemplate); dhyāna means deep mental absorption
Context: The practice of meditation from which steadiness of mind arises
vā (वा)
Meaning: Or
Form: Indeclinable particle: Introduces another valid option
Origin: Common Sanskrit conjunction
Context: Presents meditation on any personally chosen object as a valid alternative method
Commentary & Insights
To conclude this series of methods, Patañjali leaves room for personal choice. The yogin may contemplate whatever is suitable, as long as it supports inner steadiness.
What It Refers To
There is no single path for every mind. Each practitioner can choose an object that naturally draws their attention inward. This could be:
A symbol or image
A sensation or feeling
A concept, memory, or spiritual idea
What matters is not what is chosen, but how it is used: with one-pointed attention and reverence.
Why This Works
The mind has a habit-forming nature.
If it learns to become still with one object, it gains the capacity to become still with others.
Sage Vyāsa says: “If you can hold your attention on a pot, you can hold it on a mountain.”
This flexibility allows the yogin to begin wherever there is accessibility and connection, and then gradually refine the object of focus.
Result
Mental steadiness becomes portable: available in any state or situation.
Over time, the mind gains the strength to stay absorbed in deeper principles (tattvas), leading eventually to the realization of kaivalya, or liberation.
In the end, the object is just a doorway. What matters is training the mind to enter and remain in the stillness on the other side.
Summary
These sūtras complete the list of methods for calming the mind. The final three techniques offer a flexible and intuitive approach: contemplating a desireless mind, reflecting on the subtle experiences of dreams and deep sleep, and meditating on whatever object brings stillness. Each method points to the same truth: the mind becomes stable not through force, but through repeated contact with quiet, subtle, and steady states.
In the next article, we’ll explore what happens after the mind is stilled. Patañjali describes how the mind becomes clear like a crystal, capable of deep absorption (samāpatti): first with form and language, then beyond both.
