Yoga Sūtra Chapter Two verse 28

योगाङ्गानुष्ठानादशुद्धिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिराविवेकख्यातेः ॥२८॥

yoga-aṅga-anuṣṭhānāt aśuddhi-kṣaye jñāna-dīptiḥ āviveka-khyāteḥ ||28||

From performance of the limbs of Yoga the impurities diminish
and knowing illuminates up to recognition of discrimination.

yoga - the act of yoking, joining, attaching, harnessing; a yoke, team, vehicle, conveyance; employment, use, application, performance; a means, expedient, device, way, manner, methodaṅga - a limb; the bodyanuṣṭhāna - doing; performance; practice; execution; to live with and put the teachings into practiceaśuddhi - impuritykṣaya - diminish, wasting or wearing awayjñāna - knowing; knowledge; higher knowledgedīpti - illuminates; brightness, light, splendour, beautyviveka - discrimination, discernment; the faculty of distinguishing and classifying things according to their real properties; the power of separating the invisible Spirit from the visible world (or spirit from matter); truth from untruthkhyāti - recognition; perception, knowledge

Commentaries and Reflections

Commentary by TKV Desikachar:

“Aṅgānuṣṭhānāt – Commitment
Irrespective of failures and testing times you will not leave it.”

“For Anuṣṭhānāt to become and remain important there needs to be Śraddhā.”

“In the Yoga Sūtra,
the purpose of the different Sādhana is to clear the mind,
so the light can come out.”

“The purpose of Āsana and Prāṇāyāma are twofold,
to reduce symptoms of ill-health or,
to prepare the mind towards fulfilling the
main emphasis of Patañjali, which is Meditation.
However according to the teaching I have received,
both of these roles can be fulfilled with relatively
few Āsana postures and Prāṇāyāma techniques.”

Commentary by Paul Harvey:

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