अविद्या क्षेत्रमुत्तरेषाम् प्रसुप्ततनुविच्छिन्नोदाराणाम् ॥२.४॥
पदविभाग: अविद्या, क्षेत्रम्, उत्तरेषाम्, प्रसुप्त-तनु-विच्छिन्न-उदाराणाम्।
अन्वय: प्रसुप्त-तनु-विच्छिन्न-उदाराणाम् उत्तरेषाम् (क्लेशानाम्) अविद्या क्षेत्रम् (भवति)।
प्रतिपदार्थ: अविद्या (avidyā) = spiritual ignorance / existential blindness, क्षेत्रम् (kṣetram) = the field / breeding ground / origin / soil, उत्तरेषाम् (uttareṣām) = of the subsequent ones / of those that follow (referring to the other four Kleshas), प्रसुप्त (prasupta) = dormant / sleeping / latent, तनु (tanu) = attenuated / weakened / thinned out, विच्छिन्न (vicchinna) = intercepted / interrupted / alternating, उदाराणाम् (udārāṇām) = fully active / aroused / fully expressed.
तात्पर्यम्: Avidya or ignorance is the breeding ground for the other four afflictions that follow it, whether they are currently in a dormant, attenuated, intercepted, or fully active state.
Further context on the 55th Sutra from Patanjali’s Yogasutras
As we saw in the previous verse on the five Kleshas, ignorance is the root cause of all pain bearing obstructions on the path of Yoga. It is an automated state of being where animal instincts drive us, completely bypassing the intervention of our thinking and discerning mind.
This ignorance arises directly from our Samskaras, the deep impressions formed by a mix of our past actions interacting with our current environment. These impressions exist within all of us to varying degrees and manifest in four distinct stages.
First are the dormant or latent impressions, known as प्रसुप्त (prasupta). Think of this as a blank canvas waiting for the world to color it. A baby, for example, possesses the seeds of ego and attachment, but the impressions remain entirely in this dormant stage.
Second are the attenuated impressions. In a dedicated practitioner, the impressions left by past actions are weakened to a fine state, allowing for conscious control. This attenuation is the exact goal of Kriya Yoga mentioned in Sutra 2.2. Through discipline and meditation, you actively starve the Kleshas of their energy. An impulse to react angrily might arise, but it is so weak that you can simply watch it pass without acting on it.
Third is the alternating or intercepted state. Sometimes, we think we have fully overcome our past conditioning and habits, only to realize later that we were merely repressing them. Once the repressing cause disappears, these old impressions bounce back. Most ordinary human life operates in this chaotic state, constantly bouncing between intense desires and deep aversions.
Finally, there is the fully active state. Given the right environment, Samskaras become fully expressed, manifesting as either good or evil actions. It is slightly paradoxical, but we must actually use the momentum of our own active Samskaras to rise above our inherent ignorance.
For all four of these states, Avidya, or spiritual ignorance, serves as the क्षेत्र (kshetra), the ultimate breeding ground.
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