I. Samādhi Pāda · Practice and letting go (1.12–1.16)
1.14 · The Banyan Roots
And practice becomes firmly grounded when kept up for a long time, without a break, and with care.
Word by word
- saḥ
- it (practice)
- tu
- but, and
- dīrgha-kāla
- a long time
- nairantarya
- without interruption
- satkāra
- care, reverence, honouring
- āsevitaḥ
- pursued, cultivated
- dṛḍha-bhūmiḥ
- firm ground; firmly rooted
Where it fits
Practice was defined in 1.13; now it is tested by time. The point is durability: Vyāsa says firm practice is not suddenly overpowered by the impressions of the outward-turned mind (Woods p. 35). This contest between impressions returns at 1.50, where the impression of wisdom holds the others back.
Reading
Practice becomes firm ground under three conditions: a long time, no breaks, and care. Satkāra means honouring, treating the practice as worth something. Vyāsa fills this out as practice done with austerity, continence, knowledge and faith, so that old habits of mind cannot suddenly overpower it. None of the three can be rushed. A short burst of intensity does not take root, and neither does a long practice done carelessly. Think of the banyan, whose hanging roots take years to become trunks.
Vyāsa
“Kept up for a long time, kept up without a break, kept up with care: practice carried out with austerity, celibacy, knowledge and faith has care, and becomes firmly grounded. That is, its object is not suddenly overpowered by a latent impression of the outward-turned mind.”
Vyāsa's Yoga-bhāṣya, the oldest commentary. New translation from the Sanskrit, with reference to Woods (1914), p. 35.
Practice
Choose a practice so small you cannot fail at it: three slow breaths, one line of a text, two minutes of sitting. Do it every day this week at the same time, with care. Mark each day on a calendar.
A question to sit with
What are you willing to do for a long time?