3.7 · The Inner Chamber

These three are inner limbs, compared with those before.

Word by word

trayam

the three

antar-aṅgam

inner limb

pūrvebhyaḥ

compared with the previous ones

Where it fits

Now Patañjali places the three within the eight limbs of 2.29. Compared with the five before them, described in 2.30–2.55, they are inner. Vyāsa adds that they are inner limbs of absorption with an object (p. 207). That qualification matters, because 3.8 at once sets a limit.

Reading

Vyāsa calls concentration, meditation and absorption direct aids, and Vācaspati explains why: they work on the same object as the absorption they lead to. Restraints, observances, posture, breath and withdrawal (2.29) prepare the ground. Concentration, meditation and absorption are the mind working on itself. Inner does not mean better. A house needs its walls and courtyard before its inner room can be quiet.

Vyāsa

“These three, concentration, meditation and absorption, are inner limbs of absorption with an object, compared with the five earlier means that begin with the restraints.”

Vyāsa's Yoga-bhāṣya, the oldest commentary. New translation from the Sanskrit, with reference to Woods (1914), p. 207.

Practice

Before sitting today, spend a few minutes on the outer limbs: set aside, for now, a quarrel you are carrying, tidy your space, sit comfortably, slow the breath, close your eyes. Then turn to one object. Notice how the outer preparation shapes the inner work.

A question to sit with

Is the outer house ready for the inner room?

Key ideas

aṣṭāṅga (the eight limbs), saṃyama (holding together), samādhi (absorption)