“A particular Dharma is not there,
but somewhere we feel it is there.”
– T Krishnamacharya’s commentary to
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 8

“Even when our understanding is consistent with our perception or repeated experience,
it does not necessarily indicate a fact.
For instance,
if we assume that a person is a woman simply because that person is dressed in a woman’s clothes,
this is called Viparyaya or mental activity that is based on something other than fact.
Viparyaya, then, is comprehension based on a perceived characteristic in the observer,
which leads to false assumptions.”
– T Krishnamacharya’s commentary to
Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 8

“Viparyaya is seeing what we want to see,
or not seeing what we need to see.”
– Reflection on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 8

“Viparyaya is merely an opinion,
convincing in its rightness to exist.
A flight of fancy, posing, as if a truth.”
– Reflection on Yoga Sūtra Chapter One verse 8

“Wrong perception is false knowledge not established in form.”

“These problems in our observation are related to the mixing of:

• Vikalpa: Imagination is already there operating when we begin to observe. All the more that we are better and better informed about what we should see, etc.

• Viparyaya: Because of the past Saṃskāra, there is a sort of perversion in observation.

• Smṛti: Memory is, unfortunately, never factual.

Finally, we should never forget that all conclusions are wrong, because things change. Hence the importance of private lessons, which allow for more flexibility.”
– TKV Desikachar 1981