तत्र स्थितौ यत्नोऽभ्यासः ॥१३॥
पदविभाग: (separating individual words): तत्र, स्थितौ, यत्नः, अभ्यासः
अन्वय: (Rearranging in logical prose sequence): तत्र स्थितौ (यः) यत्नः (सः) अभ्यासः
प्रतिपदार्थ: (word-by-word meaning): तत्र = of these two (referring to Practice and Detachment from the previous sutra) / in that regard, स्थितौ = for steadiness / for being firmly established / for stillness, (यः) = (which), यत्नः = effort / continuous exertion, (सः) = (that), अभ्यासः = (is) practice,
तात्पर्यम्: (final translation): Of these two (tools), practice (abhyasa) is the continuous, dedicated effort to become firmly established in that state of steadiness.
Further context on the 13th Sutra from Patanjali’s Yogasutras
The next four verses focus on the foundational pillars of Abhyasa, or practice, and Vairagya, or non attachment. This specific verse asks a crucial question about how we should conduct ourselves within this practice. Patanjali states that we must continuously strive to anchor ourselves in a state of absolute steadiness.
I notice this struggle whenever I sit down for meditation. The mind very swiftly slides back into thoughts of the external world. The ego constantly tries to bring our daily fixations to the forefront. Whenever my mind is agitated, my eyeballs twitch and there’s an equivalent layer of restless flux within my mind.
But as I slowly gain more control, there is a split second where I can feel a sense of steadiness within. In that brief moment, the experience of time vanishes. The contact with the physical world fades away, even though I can still hear the sounds of birds chirping or vehicles passing by on the street. This fleeting moment of undisturbed steadiness is what I feel this verse asks us to seek and cultivate.
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