अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथंतासंबोधः॥३९॥
aparigraha=non-covetousness; sthairye=constancy; janmakathaMtaa=how and why of birth; saMbodhaH=knowledge, thorough illumination
Sw. Satchidananda
"When non-greed is confirmed, a thorough illumination of the how and why of one’s birth comes".
Aparigraha is abstention from greed or hoarding, or not receiving gifts. Accepting gifts may bind us and make us lose our neutrality. We may feel obligated to return the offer one day. The gift giver may also have expectations of something in return. We want to be free of any mental binding whether we are the gift giver or the gift receiver.
When the mind is calm and clear and free of desires and obligations, we gain capacity to see how our desires caused our present birth.
Bryant
"When refrainment from covetousness becomes firmly established, knowledge of the whys and wherefores of births manifests".
On perfecting the yama of aparigraha, the yogi knows exactly who he or she was in a previous birth. The connection between cause and effect is hereby revealed since each birth, human or animal, is the outcome of previous karma. The yogi comes to know not only the previous birth but also how his/her present activities will impact future births. Buddha, for example, was able to recall thousands of his past lives.
Non-covetousness involves not coveting any means of enjoyment, including those for the body. When awareness is focused inward and not dissipated externally, it is channeled into one’s chitta, the repository of past samskaras, thus giving access to the past lives. Chitta can be imagined as a lake and samskaras as pebbles. Only when the lake (mind) is calm can we see the pebbles (samskaras) clearly. The chitta can be purified by maximizing the sattva (purity) potential of the mind.
Discussion
(Commentary by Kailasam Iyer)
YSP II-39 Non-covetous state of mind is open to knowledge of the true meaning of life.
The term Aparigraha in Patanjali and the phrase atmabhavajignasa in Vyasa’s commentary are the key concepts for understanding the import of this sutra. Aparigraha refers to a state of minimalism as a consumer. Not just “not wanting” but “rejecting”. Again, we are confronted with the questions of what belongs to us and what doesn’t and what rights we have what doesn’t belong to us. We are part of the Universe and we have a right to exist but when does need transform into greed ? Also, the consideration has to extend beyond material things to intellectual property, fame, limelight, attention, dignity, personal space, etc., When the practitioner refrains from appropriating anything more than the most minimal needs, the hypothesis in this sutra is, the mind is now free to engage in thoughts of why such a need for greed arises in the first place. A certain vividness about our samskaras occurs in the mind. An understanding of the effect of past on the present and a freedom from having to react in a certain way in the future arise. Free will begins to rule over instinct.
Well-known psychotherapists of the twentieth century had come to understand that the conscious part of the mind is only the tip of the iceberg and that we are driven by what is hidden in the unconscious part. They had devised many techniques ( dream analyses, word/picture association, etc., ) to delve into the hidden part of the psyche. The ancients did the same thing by not wanting things. I get the feeling that if you don’t have a dog in the race you are likely to see and enjoy the race for what it is. I am staying away from all discussions of past and future lives of beings. I’d like you to think about a phenomenon in biology called “molting”. Shedding of restrictive clothing in order to be able to move forward over and over in one lifetime as in the attachment.
The slogan is “What do I want? Why do I want it?” and not “when do I want it?”.
It’s always good to remember that this step is in the context of the path to attaining knowledge of discrimination between Purusha and Prakriti OR driving Prakriti back to its unmanifest state..
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