वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः॥५॥
पदविभाग: (separating individual words): वृत्तयः, पञ्चतय्यः, क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः
अन्वय: (Rearranging in logical prose sequence): वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः
प्रतिपदार्थ: (word-by-word meaning): वृत्तयः = The mental modifications (fluctuations of the mind), पञ्चतय्यः = are of five types (or five-fold), क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः = are either painful (causing affliction) or non-painful (not causing affliction).
तात्पर्यम्: (final translation): The fluctuations of the mind are five-fold, and they are either painful or non-painful.
Further context on the 5th sutra in Patanjali’s Yogasutras
वृत्तयः (Vṛttayaḥ) is the plural form of वृत्ति..
The word क्लिष्ट (Kliṣṭa) is derived from the root verb क्लिश् (kliś), which means “to torment” or “to suffer”.
So a kliṣṭa vritti is any thought, emotion, or mental modification that causes suffering or reinforces bondage to the material world. These are thoughts rooted in the five Kleshas (afflictions) which Patanjali defines later in Chapter 2.
An akliṣṭa vritti is a thought or mental state that doesn’t lead to pain. These thoughts do not cause suffering because they are not driven by the ego or ignorance. They move the mind toward a state of stillness and detachment.
In the next verse, Patanjali lists these five Vrittis.
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