Links to Related Resources & Longer Articles:

• 108 Saṃskṛta Key Terms Pointers – Collected and Collated
• 8. Sāṃkhya – Pathways for Awareness
• Online Sāṃkhya Kārikā of Īśvara Kṛṣṇa Study PDF Workbooks
• Paul’s Sāṃkhya Kārikā Quotes Collected and Collated
• Sāṃkhya Kārikā of Īśvara Kṛṣṇa Study Quotes Collected and Collated
• Welcome to the Sāṃkhya Kārikā Philosophy Freenotes Overview
• A Twelve Day Intensive Prāṇāyāma Sadhana proposal for Nāḍī Śodhana….
• Notes from a lecture by TKV Desikachar – ‘Is Veda a Religion?’
• YOGA AND MODRN MEDICINE – Interview by TKV Desikachar

Collated Related Short Posts & Quotes:

“In Sūtra 1.16 Patañjali introduces two concepts which are
fundamental to the philosophical foundations in Sāṃkhya.
What are they and what is their relationship to Vitṛṣṇasya
within the Sāṃkhya teachings discussing cause and effect?”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 16

“What causes Duḥkha?
In the school of Sāṃkhya it arises from within, or from external influences,
or from extraordinary phenomena such as drought, storm, earthquake.
However, the experience of Duḥkha is not the same for everyone.
The same circumstance may not bring Duḥkha in erveryone.
Hence the cause of Duḥkha is association. Association implies “two”,
that which is “associated to” and that which is the “cause of association.”
In Yoga they are known as Draṣṭṛ and Dṛśya;
that which perceives and that which is perceived.
The next three Sūtra describe them.
How these two get associated is a subject matter of great debate.
Suffice it to say that this mystery is the Lord’s will.”
– T Krishnamacharya on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 17

“Within the practice guidelines for Prāṇāyāma
Length and Subtlety are the fruits of a process,
they are not tools for use within this process.
The tools here are Deśa, Kāla and Sāṃkhya.
By these the breath becomes Dīrgha and Sūkṣma,
in other words the breath becomes Long and Subtle.”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 50

“The mutual aim of Yoga and Sāṃkhya is to
experience the more discerning aspects of the psyche,
rather than just the more grasping aspects of the psyche.
In the former, the tendency of the Buddhi to discern discriminately
prevails over the tendency of Ahaṃkāra to grasp indiscriminately.
In the latter, the tendency of the Ahaṃkāra to grasp indiscriminately
prevails over the tendency of the Buddhi to discern discriminately.
The former is a state known as Buddhi Sattva,
where the clarity of discernment prevails over the
indiscriminate grasping nature of the Ahaṃkāra.
The latter is a state of Buddhi Tamas,
where the discerning clarity of the Buddhi
is obscured by the grasping nature of the Ahaṃkāra.
Thus our Yoga Sādhana has but one primary Saṃkalpa,
that of the reduction of the obscuration by Tamas in the Buddhi.
This reduction of Tamas facilitates the advent of the clarity of Sattva,
as in the metaphor of the reduction of the cloud facilitates the advent of the sun.”
– Paul Harvey on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Three verse 49

“Sāṃkhya proposes a permanent solution to suffering.
If we look and see.
And see what produces what we see.”
– TKV Desikachar on Sāṃkhya and Yoga

“Sāṃkhya postulates what appears
and what causes it to appear.”
– TKV Desikachar on Sāṃkhya and Yoga

“Sāṃkhya will not make sense to
those people who have not tried anything.
i.e. Prayer, Mantra, Medicine.”
– TKV Desikachar on Sāṃkhya and Yoga

“Sāṃkhya and its aspects, what are the characteristics?
1. What is seen – The effect
2. What is not seen – The cause
3. What sees – Something other than cause and effect
The relationship between these three is discussed in Sāṃkhya philosophy.”
– TKV Desikachar on Sāṃkhya and Yoga

“Everything we see,
including the instrument of mind,
has three qualities or natures.
All matter has the three qualities.
In Saṃskṛta they are known as Guṇa.
In Sāṃkhya it is said that every problem
comes from the Guṇa and their interplay.
The effects can be based on what we see, eat, hear,
and the effects of what we see, eat, hear.
In Yoga one who has mastered themselves is one
who can produce whatever Guṇa is required.”
– TKV Desikachar on Sāṃkhya and Yoga

“In other situations,
I may use teachings from the Upaniṣad
to define certain aspects of a human being,
like the one about the five aspects of a human being, Maya.
This proves very useful to highlight specific aspects of Yoga
like the Yama and Niyama, etc.
When I must explain the Guṇa,
I cannot avoid referring to the teachings of Sāṃkhya,
which first mentioned this subject.
I often use ideas derived from the Bhagavad Gītā,
but I am not mistaking this teaching with Patañjali‘s.
In short,
I don’t hesitate to make use of any valid source
which helps me to explain, or to clarify a Yoga teaching,
provided I know where it comes from and of which system it is part.”
– Extract from an interview with TKV Desikachar on Vedic Chanting

“The inquiry into the nature, purpose
and potential within the long term
practice of Prāṇāyāma has at least
five initial progressions such as in:
Firstly, looking at choosing
accessible and appropriate
techniques and breath ratios.
Secondly, progressing through
both the length of a breath,
and slowing down the number
of breaths needed per minute.
Thirdly, in cultivating experiential
skills to access a range of variable
ratio choices, according to short
term daily needs within broader
longer term developmental steps.
Fourthly, the ongoing refinement
of the subtlety within the external
vibrational sound, enhancing the
inner sense of flow, within the
overall experience of the breath.
Fifthly, the integration of Prāṇāyāma into
our personal Sādhana, its role as a primary
means towards Dhāraṇā, and its place as a
priority choice within our Yoga practice.”
– 108 Prāṇāyāma Practice Pointers

“Sāṃkhya is about living
more from within that
which doesn’t change,
rather than living more from
within that which does change.”
– 108 Yoga Study Path Pointers