अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ॥१२॥
पदविभाग: (separating individual words): अनुभूत-विषय-असंप्रमोषः, स्मृतिः
अन्वय: (Rearranging in logical prose sequence): अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः
प्रतिपदार्थ: (word-by-word meaning): अभ्यास = (Through) practice / continuous effort, वैराग्याभ्याम् = and through detachment / dispassion, तत् = their (referring to the five-fold mental fluctuations / vrittis from the previous sutras), निरोधः = cessation / restraint / absolute stillness
तात्पर्यम्: (final translation): The complete cessation of those mental fluctuations is achieved through the dual practice of continuous effort (Abhyasa) and detachment (Vairagya).
Further context on the 12th Sutra from Patanjali’s Yogasutras
Having defined the five vrittis and shown how they trap the Seer in a cycle of suffering, Patanjali now introduces the core operational method of Yoga. To achieve Nirodha (the cessation of mental fluctuations), you need Abhyasa and Vairagya:
अभ्यास (Abhyasa – Practice):
Etymological deconstruction:
- Prefix (उपसर्ग): अभि (abhi) — meaning “towards,” “into,” “over,” or “repeatedly.”
- Root Verb (धातु): अस् (as) — meaning “to throw,” “to cast,” or “to apply.”
- Suffix (प्रत्यय): घञ् (ghañ) — a suffix used to turn a verb into a masculine abstract noun.
Literal meaning: When you combine abhi and as, it literally translates to “throwing repeatedly in one direction” or “continuous application.”
In Yogah, this is the positive and active effort. It is the continuous, willful application of energy to build new (aklishta) mental grooves. It is the act of repeatedly redirecting the mind toward the object of meditation, cultivating focus, and bringing the mind into a state of luminous Sattva.
वैराग्य (Vairagya – Detachment):
Etymological deconstruction:
- Root Verb (धातु): रञ्ज् (rañj) — meaning “to dye,” “to color,” or “to glow.” It’s the same root for the word राग (rāga), which means attachment, passion, or “that which colors the mind.”
- Prefix (उपसर्ग): वि (vi) — meaning “without,” “apart from,” or “devoid of.” When added to rāga, it creates विराग (virāga)—meaning “colorless” or “without passion.”
- Derivative Suffix (तद्धित प्रत्यय): ष्यञ् (ṣyañ) — a Paninian suffix used to denote a “state of being.” It transforms virāga into the abstract noun वैराग्य (vairāgya).
Literal meaning: “The state of being completely uncolored.”
This is the negative or the preventative effort. It is the conscious letting go of cravings, attachments, and the emotional pull of worldly desires. It is the act of starving the painful (klishta) mental grooves rooted in Rajas and Tamas.
Therefore by continuous observance of the rise and fall of Vrittis and being able to witness it without being identified by it, one is able to restrain the mind from its afflictions.
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