वृत्तिसारूप्यमितरत्र ॥४॥
पदविभाग: (separating individual words): तदा, द्रष्टुः, स्वरूपे, अवस्थानम्
अन्वय: (Rearranging in logical prose sequence): इतरत्र वृत्तिसारूप्यम्
प्रतिपदार्थ: (word-by-word meaning): इतरत्र = At other times (when the mind is not in the restrained state of Yoga), वृत्तिसारूप्यम् = identification with the form of the mental modifications (fluctuations)
तात्पर्यम्: (final translation): At other times, the Seer is identified with the mental modifications.
Further context on the 4th sutra in Patanjali’s Yogasutras
The word इतरत्र (at other times) directly contrasts with तदा (then) from Sutra 1.3. When the mind is not stilled through Yoga, the Seer (pure consciousness) becomes totally absorbed in the vrittis (thoughts, emotions, memories). Because the Seer is observing the mind so closely, it falls into सारूप्यम् (sameness of form), mistakenly believing itself to be the angry thought, the sad memory, or the joyful emotion it is currently witnessing.
The word वृत्तिसारूप्यम् (vṛttisārūpyam). It is composed of two parts:
- वृत्ति (vṛtti): Fluctuations or modifications
- सारूप्यम् (sārūpyam): Sameness of form, assimilation, or identification
Think about the nature of water. Water is not defined by the rising and falling of its waves. It possesses an intrinsic nature that exists far beyond the temporary shapes and forms it takes, whether it is flowing in a river or resting in a lake.
Similarly, the mind is not truly defined by the continuous modifications it undergoes. Instead, it is defined by the profound, underlying experience of being / is-ness.
It is also implied that the state of pure consciousness is one or complete and EVERYTHING else is mind being distracted from this integral knowing. In the following verse, Patanjali classifies these Vrittis (mental modifications) into five categories.
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