Today's Vedika insight
21 June 2026 · Yoga Sutra 1.2
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ ||
“Yoga is the restraint of the modifications of citta.”
Patañjali defines yoga as nirodha: the disciplined settling of the modifications (vṛttis) of citta. It is not merely posture or relaxation, but an inward discipline of clarity and steadiness.
“Patañjali defines yoga as the disciplined stilling of the mind’s fluctuations.”
Yoga Sutra 1.2 Bharat
Vedika commentary
Read with the following sutra, Yoga Sūtra 1.3, this teaching points toward the seer abiding in its own nature when the vṛttis are brought to nirodha. The aim is not dullness or emotional numbness, but lucid inward steadiness.
Vedika distinguishes the original Sanskrit, a literal rendering, and an interpretive paraphrase so that the words of the text are never confused with explanation.