Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 25
तदभाबात्संयोगाभावो हानं तद्दृशेः कैवल्यम् ॥२५॥
tat-abhāvāt-saṃyoga-abhāvaḥ hānaṃ tat-dṛśeḥ kaivalyam ||25||
That non-appearance is
the non-appearance of the conjunction,
that giving up is the seer in its abstraction.
Commentaries and Reflections
Commentary by T Krishnamacharya:
“Avidyā and Freedom do not exist together.
Here Avidyā represents both the basis
and attitude towards our action.”
“The aim of Yoga is to reach that state
where our actions are not based on Avidyā.”
Commentary by S Ramaswami:
“How do we achieve that Abhāva of Avidyā?
When the removal of Avidyā removes that state of Saṃyoga between Puruṣa and Buddhi.
When it is destroyed it leads to the aloneness of Puruṣa or Dṛṣṭa.
This state of aloneness is Kaivalya. This is the state described in I. 3. as the ‘Seer abiding in itself’.
So far we have dealt with suffering in three ways, the fourth is dealt with in the next Sūtra.
To summarise:
II. 16 – HEYAṂ DUḤKHAM. The Suffering that is to be avoided.
II. 17 – HEYA HETŪH. The cause of that which is the be avoided. Or the cause of Suffering.
II. 25 – HĀNAM. Cessation of suffering.
II. 26 – HĀNO UPĀYAḤ. Means of removal of suffering.
Thus we have have four aspects:
1. Suffering
2. The cause of Suffering
3. Cessation of Suffering
4. Means of ending Suffering
VYĀSA in the commentary to II. 15. describes these four aspects as:
1. Cycle of births and deaths – To be discarded
2. Its Cause – Association of Prakṛti Puruṣa
3. Liberation – Perpetual or final stoppage of this association
4. Means of Liberation – Right Knowledge
Parallels can be draw with Buddhism and its four Noble Truths:-
1. All is Duḥkha or Suffering
2. The cause of Suffering i.e. Craving, causing the cycle of rebirth
3. The cessation of Suffering i.e. The ending of craving for existence
4. The means of ending suffering i.e. The noble eightfold path
Or, Ayurveda and its therapeutics:-
1. The Symptom
2. The cause of the Symptom
3. The cure leading to health
4. The means by which we come to the cure and so to a state of health.
So the next Sūtra is concerned with the ending or removal of Suffering.”