{"id":35272,"date":"2016-09-11T16:19:03","date_gmt":"2016-09-11T16:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/?p=35272"},"modified":"2023-07-25T18:46:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T18:46:05","slug":"sutra-1-38-yoga-and-interpretation-of-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/sutra-1-38-yoga-and-interpretation-of-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Sutra 1.38. Yoga and Interpretation of Dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"
In his developing the subject of chitta stabilization techniques Patanjali offers another group of methods, namely \u2013 the mechanisms of dreams interpretation. The corresponding sutra is very short and almost completely ignored by modern commentators, whereas classical scholiasts did not pay much attention to it as well. However puzzling it out is possible.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Now, the sutra 1.38 reads as follows:<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n
\u0938\u094d\u0935\u092a\u094d\u0928\u0928\u093f\u0926\u094d\u0930\u093e\u091c\u094d\u091e\u093e\u0928\u093e\u0932\u092e\u094d\u092c\u0928\u0902 \u0935\u093e \u0965 \u0969\u096e\u0965<\/b><\/div>\n
1.38 svapna-nidra\u0304-j\u00f1a\u0304na-a\u0304lambanam\u0323 va\u0304<\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
svapna<\/i><\/b> (m.) \u2013 dream; from the root svap (to sleep);<\/div>\n
nidra\u0304<\/i><\/b> (f.) \u2013 dream; ni (in(to), down) + the root dra (to sleep);<\/div>\n
j\u00f1a\u0304na<\/i><\/b> (n.) \u2013 knowledge;<\/div>\n
a\u0304lambanam\u0323<\/i><\/b> (n. nom. sg.) \u2013 support, reliance. The word is made up of the prefix a\u0304 + root lamb (to hang);<\/div>\n
va\u0304<\/i><\/b> (ind.) \u2013 or.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Thus the line shall have the following meaning:<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/i><\/div>\n
1.38. Or [stability of manas is attained] by reliance upon knowledge [obtained] in sleep.\u00a0<\/b><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Let us try to understand what the author of Yoga Sutras speaks about. For this purpose let us first consult classical commentaries. Unfortunately Vyasa confines himself to pure grammatical analysis of the line and reminds the same to deal with the problem of chitta<\/b>calming by means of yoga. The Sankara I so much like launches into philosophizing about the nature of dream yet also leaves the concept of \u201creliance upon knowledge gained in sleep\u201d without explanations. However there is another, a less well-known commentary (though a very good one) \u2013 the Yoga Sudhakara \u2013 whose author, Sadasivendra Saraswati, gives the prompt so looked after. He writes the peace of chitta<\/b>, moreover, its ultimate \u2018one-pointedness\u201d (ekagrata<\/b>) to result from dhyana<\/b>, i.e. correct deliberation or meditation on the knowledge that has come in one\u2019s dream. The knowledge received while sleep is the contest of a dream that, as we know from psychoanalysis, is a symbolic expression of emotional problems (samskaras<\/b> in terms of classical language, or the ones we refer to as energetic ties<\/b><\/a>)<\/b> a person suppresses. Consequently, by deciphering these symbols one can understand the core point of the problem, and thus solve the problem proper<\/b>. This is why Patanjali mentions \u201creliance on knowledge\u201d. Even the most clever interpretation of a dream is not yet a way out and it alone does not make one\u2019s mind tranquil. The knowledge gained needs to be applied<\/b> by using other types of psycho-techniques. Patanjali here is very accurate in using the terms.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Amazing as it may seem, yet this sutra represents the ultimate essence of psychoanalysis. But how could it be possible? Could Hindu sages have been so much ahead of the European science discoveries? In terms of theory \u2013 why not. The findings of Jung and Freud required no sophisticated equipment or scientific background. The essential components needed were just keen observation and delicate reflection the Hindu practitioners had more than enough. In fact, the one and only hindrance to psychoanalysis ideas evolvement was their dealing with post-Christian paradigm that was still flying through European minds of that time.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But let us proceed to scrutinize the subject of dreams interpretation in Ancient India.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Going back even further we might see that Hindu culture has always been paying utmost attention to dreaming. If we take Rigveda only, we might find that the word svapna there occurs at least 40 times in nominative singular and just as much in other cases. Almost every school of thought had its own concept of dreams and their origin. But notwithstanding minor differences in details all of the said theories were resting upon Vedic culture that due to its reflective nature had noted the nature of dreams basic features. To be substantive I shall quote here some excerpts from a stunningly insightive hymn of Atharva Veda that in a very delicate way singles out the key elements of the origin of dream. The hymn is dedicated to Sleep and addresses the same.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A HYMN TO SLEEP \u2013 AGAINST EVIL DREAMS<\/i><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
Thou art come hither from the world of Yama:\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
thou, resolute, affectest men with rapture.<\/i><\/div>\n
\u2026<\/i><\/div>\n
At first the all-containing, depth beheld thee<\/i><\/div>\n
\u2026.<\/i><\/div>\n
Thence hast thou come, thence, Sleep, hast thou come hither,<\/i><\/div>\n
concealing, deep within, all form and figure<\/i><\/div>\n
\u2026<\/i><\/div>\n
Thou whose severity hath reached ill-doers,\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
and whose reward the good have gained in slumber,<\/i><\/div>\n
Delightest heaven with thy most lofty kinship, born from his<\/i><\/div>\n
spirit who was stung with remorse[1]<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
[English version is quoted after The Hymns of the Atharvaveda transl. by Ralf T. H. Griffith \u2013 transl.note]<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This hymn obviously displays archaic yet thoroughly reflexive attitude to sleep. The Vedic rishis noticed what we would refer to as its association with unconsciousness (coming from the depth, formlessness), the relation between the dream and a person\u2019s deeds and states. Unafraid of criticism, I would even suggest their feeling of the unconsciousness\u2019 collective nature (in the sense implied by Jung) in the line \u201cthou, resolute, affectest men\u201d.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It was already in ancient Upanishads \u2013 the Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Maitri, Prashna etc. \u2013 that they were developing the ideas about the nature of dreams. Moreover, they were the Upanishads that advanced the theory of sleep phases (or depth degrees) \u2013 svapna, nidra, susupti. Apparently Patanjali\u2019s introduction of two terms in the line under consideration was done on the basis of the said concept. The text of Aitraeya Aranyaka mentions inauspicious dreams and the means of preventing adverse events they predict. A number of dreams interpretations can be found in Ayurvedic Sushruta Samhita. A little bit later designated dream-dictionaries appeared. One can find references to Acharamayukha\u2019s Svapna Adhyaya and so on. The best known extant dream-book, the Svapnacintamani of Jagaddeva dates back to the 12-13 cent. The text, particularly, states the following:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1.4. There are nine sources of dreams: something heard, something experienced, the seen, something that corresponds to its own nature, anxiety, violation of natural course, gods, merits, sins.<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In all fairness it has to be added that the author\u2019s proposed interpretations are a far cry from the level of Jungian therapy. But I believe dreams-dictionaries \u2013 both of now and then \u2013 to be a kind of literature meant rather for the \u201cgeneral public\u201d. The genuine analysis of a dream in nothing but individual, or even more: is done on one\u2019s own by applying the method of dhyana and basing on personal experience and specific features of individual symbolism.<\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In finishing the article \u2013 both for the purpose of reader\u2019s entertainment as well as illustrating the symbolism of dreams \u2013 I shall draw an excerpt from Eugene Onegin, namely, the description of Tatyana\u2019s dream that most of us have probably failed to study at school. But we\u2019d better had! Taking into account the fact of Pushkin\u2019s writing it 100 years prior to Freud, the profoundness of the poet\u2019s feeling the dreams symbolism is really striking. And it is another confirmation of Pushkin to have been a true expert in the field of woman\u2019s souls and bodies))).<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
A reader of today \u2013 and the more so a well-prepared one \u2013 shall easily see the way sub-consciousness of the dreamer represents the basic sexual desires suppressed by the leading female character, and even her sexual scenarios that are though far from implementation yet already crystallized… For the rest of the readers whose background in the field of psychology has been not that professional I shall highlight in italics the most significant symbols, while scenarios hints shall be underlined.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XI.<\/div>\n
But wonders come to her in dreams:<\/div>\n
She wanders through a snowy<\/i> vale<\/div>\n
Wrapped in mist<\/i> and gloom<\/i>, it seems<\/div>\n
Hidden<\/i> from the world: while pale,<\/div>\n
Among the snowdrifts<\/i>, roars<\/i><\/div>\n
A seething torrent, foaming, pours<\/i><\/div>\n
Into the shadows, still the same,<\/i><\/div>\n
A thing the winter cannot tame;<\/i><\/div>\n
Two slender boughs glued by ice,<\/div>\n
Stretched across to form a bridge,<\/i><\/div>\n
A delicate and trembling ridge,<\/i><\/div>\n
To make a passer-by think twice:<\/div>\n
And in deep perplexity<\/i>,<\/div>\n
There she stands, helplessly.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XII.<\/div>\n
As if before some mournful parting,<\/i><\/div>\n
She sorrows at the dark divide;<\/div>\n
No one is there, beyond its seething,<\/div>\n
To lead her to the other side;<\/div>\n
A snowdrift shifts<\/i>, a shaggy bear<\/u>,<\/div>\n
Rises from his hidden lair,<\/div>\n
Tatyana screams! …She hears a roar,<\/div>\n
He offers her a long curved claw,<\/div>\n
To help her cross, she gathers strength<\/div>\n
And putting out a trembling hand<\/div>\n
Lets him draw her to dry land,<\/div>\n
Along the fragile bridge\u2019s length.<\/i><\/div>\n
She stumbles on \u2013 and yet, beware,<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
She\u2019s followed closely by the bear!<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XIII.<\/div>\n
She dare not stop, or look behind,<\/div>\n
She quickens her despairing pace,<\/div>\n
There\u2019s no escape,<\/i> in her sad mind,<\/div>\n
From that dark forbidding face;<\/div>\n
She plunges on, he grunts and follows,<\/div>\n
Far into the silent hollows<\/i>;<\/div>\n
Here\u2019s a wood: in beauty, pines<\/div>\n
Meet the sky in sombre lines,<\/div>\n
Their branches, as she stumbles on,<\/i><\/div>\n
Heaped with snow;<\/i> glittering there<\/div>\n
Birch, and lime, and aspen bare,<\/div>\n
With starlit crowns; the track is gone;<\/div>\n
All the world seems lost in sleep,<\/div>\n
Drowned in snow, and buried deep.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XIV.<\/div>\n
Through the wood she flees the bear;<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
The soft snow reaches to her knee;<\/div>\n
A branch leans down to snag her hair,<\/i><\/div>\n
And scratch her neck, and stubbornly<\/div>\n
Pluck the gold earrings from her ears;<\/i><\/div>\n
And then one wet shoe disappears<\/div>\n
Covered by the powdery snow;<\/div>\n
Her handkerchief is next to go;<\/div>\n
No time to retrieve it, in her fright,<\/div>\n
The creature once again is near;<\/div>\n
She dare not, in her shame and fear,<\/i><\/div>\n
Lift her trailing hem, in flight;<\/i><\/div>\n
She runs, he follows, on and on,<\/div>\n
Until her strength is all but gone.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XV.<\/div>\n
She falls to the snow,<\/i> the bear alert<\/u><\/div>\n
Rushes to lift her, swiftly sheathing<\/u><\/div>\n
His sharp claws<\/u>, she lies inert,<\/div>\n
In his grasp, and barely breathing;<\/div>\n
Now along the track he crashes,<\/div>\n
Here\u2019s a hut, to which he dashes,<\/div>\n
Trees crowd round; it\u2019s drowned in snow,<\/div>\n
One window yields a rosy glow,<\/div>\n
From inside there\u2019s noise and clatter;<\/div>\n
The bear speaks: \u2018Friends live here,<\/i><\/u><\/div>\n
Come in, warm yourself, my dear,<\/i><\/u><\/div>\n
I<\/u>gnore the tumult and the chatter\u2019;<\/div>\n
He pushes through the open door,<\/div>\n
And sets her down upon the floor.<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XVI.<\/div>\n
She recovers, gazes round,<\/div>\n
The bear has gone; she\u2019s in a hall;<\/div>\n
Behind a door cheers resound,<\/div>\n
Cries, the clash of glasses, all<\/div>\n
The clamour of a wake; unsure,<\/div>\n
She finds a spy-hole in the door,<\/div>\n
And, there? …..Around a table sit<\/div>\n
A monstrous crew, imagine it!<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
One has a horned and doglike face;<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
One a cockerel\u2019s head; and see<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
A frightful witch with a goatee;<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
A skeleton haughtily in place;<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
A dwarf who sports a tail; and that,<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
Seems half a heron, half a cat!<\/u><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XVII.<\/div>\n
And stranger still, behold a spider<\/div>\n
Sits a crayfish; wonderful,<\/i><\/div>\n
In red night-cap, a second rider<\/i><\/div>\n
Mounts a goose\u2019s neck, a skull!<\/i><\/div>\n
A windmill dances a wild jig,<\/i><\/div>\n
Its sails a creaking whirligig;<\/div>\n
Bark, laugh, whistle, sing and screech,<\/div>\n
Horses\u2019 hooves and human speech!<\/div>\n
Then in the crowd inside that hovel,<\/div>\n
Our poor Tatyana recognises,<\/div>\n
The one she fears and idolises \u2013<\/u><\/div>\n
Who but the hero of our novel?<\/div>\n
Onegin drinks amidst the roar,<\/div>\n
Glancing stealthily at the door.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XVIII.<\/div>\n
He nods \u2013 and there\u2019s a mighty shout;<\/div>\n
He drinks \u2013 the creatures howl and swill,<\/div>\n
He laughs \u2013 and they all fall about,<\/div>\n
He frowns \u2013 and everyone is still;<\/div>\n
It\u2019s plain that he\u2019s the master here,<\/div>\n
Tanya recovers from her fear,<\/div>\n
And curious as young girls are,<\/div>\n
Pushes the door till it\u2019s ajar\u2026<\/div>\n
But suddenly a draught of air<\/i><\/div>\n
Agitates the candle-flames;<\/i><\/div>\n
Among them all, confusion reigns,<\/div>\n
With glittering eyes Onegin there<\/div>\n
Clatters his chair against the floor;<\/div>\n
All rise; he rushes to the door.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XIX.<\/div>\n
Filled with terror, see her try<\/div>\n
To flee the place; She cannot move,<\/div>\n
The greater her attempts to fly<\/div>\n
The less of use her efforts prove.<\/div>\n
Eugene flings wide the door, reveals<\/div>\n
Her to that hellish crew \u2013 and peals<\/u><\/div>\n
Of raucous laughter swell; all eyes,<\/u><\/div>\n
Turn to her; and every guise,<\/u><\/div>\n
Of horn and hoof and crooked snout,<\/u><\/div>\n
Fang and tusk and blood-stained jaw,<\/u><\/div>\n
Beard, tufted tail, sharp gleaming claw,<\/u><\/div>\n
And bony finger, point her out;<\/u><\/div>\n
And all their voices now combine<\/u><\/div>\n
To cry aloud: \u2018She\u2019s mine, she\u2019s mine!\u2019<\/u><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
XX.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u2018Mine\u2019, Yevgeny\u2019s voice rings out,<\/u><\/div>\n
The wild host vanishes from sight,<\/u><\/div>\n
And leaves them in the gloomy light<\/div>\n
Alone together, at his shout.<\/div>\n
Onegin quietly carries her<\/u><\/div>\n
To a frail bed in a corner, there,<\/u><\/div>\n
On her shoulder leans his head;<\/u><\/div>\n
When suddenly they\u2019re visited,<\/div>\n
By Olga and her lover Lensky.<\/u><\/div>\n
Light flashes; Eugene lifts his arm,<\/div>\n
As if to raise a magic charm<\/div>\n
Against intruders; furiously,<\/div>\n
Contests their entry in a breath;<\/div>\n
Tanya lies there, cold as death.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
[transl.into English by A. S. Kline – transl.note]<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
[1]<\/a> The translation of the last line is my own version and it slightly differs from the traditional \u201cborn from his spirit who was worn and weary\u201d. The thing is that the root \u2018tap\u2019 it contains means not only \u2018tapas\u2019 as a spiritual practice but also person\u2019s inner torments that we refer to as \u201cpangs of remorse\u201d. It is in the said context that this root was used, for instance, in the first lines of Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This translation variant is more in line with the general meaning of the verse.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his developing the subject of chitta stabilization techniques Patanjali offers another group of methods, namely \u2013 the mechanisms of dreams interpretation. The corresponding sutra is very short and almost completely ignored by modern commentators, whereas classical scholiasts did not pay much attention to it as well. However puzzling it out is possible. Now, the… Continue reading Sutra 1.38. Yoga and Interpretation of Dreams<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-yoga-sutra-en","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.in.yoga\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}