“The Saṃskāra of Yoga prepares one for Ātma Vidyā and is open to everyone.”
– T Krishnamacharya commentary on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 1

“Avidyā is anything else other than Vidyā.”
Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 3
– TKV Desikachar January 1997

“We may have intellectual Vidyā,
but in reality we follow some deeper force of Avidyā.”
– Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 3
– TKV Desikachar January 1997

“The search for understanding is driven by misunderstanding,
though not always in the right direction.”
– Reflections on Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 5

“A Yogi is one in who Pariṇāma and Saṃskāra are in harmony.
When there is no harmony there is the wrong combination of Pariṇāma and Saṃskāra.
This is known as Avidyā or not knowing a thing as it is.
The right combination is Vidyā.”
– TKV Desikachar Madras December 8th 1979 on Sāṃkhya and Yoga

“Our action has two foundations.
One, Vidyā never leads us into trouble.
Two, Avidyā leads us into trouble
because of something we did into the past
influencing our present action.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983

Question to TKV Desikachar on Pariṇāma:
“Change is universal but not the same for everybody.
Pariṇāma gives life to Saṃskāra.
Saṃskāra gives stability to Pariṇāma.
So there is an order in any change.
If there is no Pariṇāma or Saṃskāra there is no Vidyā or Avidyā.”
– TKV Desikachar France 1983