विरामप्रत्ययाभ्यासपूर्वः संस्कारशेषोऽन्यः ॥ १८॥
पदविभाग: (separating individual words): विराम-प्रत्यय-अभ्यास-पूर्वः, संस्कार-शेषः, अन्यः।
अन्वय: (Rearranging in logical prose sequence): विरामप्रत्ययाभ्यासपूर्वः संस्कारशेषः (यः समाधिः सः) अन्यः
प्रतिपदार्थ: (word-by-word meaning): विराम = complete cessation / stopping, प्रत्यय = cognition / thought-waves, अभ्यास = practice / continuous effort, पूर्वः = preceded by, संस्कार = latent impressions / deep mental grooves, शेषः = residue / remaining, अन्यः = the other (Samadhi)
तात्पर्यम्: (final translation): “The other” (Asamprajnata Samadhi) is the state preceded by the practice of completely ceasing all cognitions, where only the unmanifested impressions (samskaras) remain as a residue.
Further context on the 18th Sutra from Patanjali’s Yogasutras
Asamprajnata Samadhi can be understood as the perfect superconscious state. In the previous verse, we explored how one can attain Samadhi by fixating the mind on a single object. However, Patanjali warns that this state does not grant us complete freedom or liberation. A yogi might conquer all the forces of nature but still remain bound as a function of that very same nature. The soul needs to transcend nature entirely, and this verse provides the method to do so.
This specific method of meditation requires us to strike down every single thought the moment it arises. The ultimate aim is to create an absolute mental vacuum. It’s tough, but if one is able to achieve this, it is said that liberation can be attained right then and there.
So when the mind is completely halted in this state of Nirodha, what happens to all the past experiences, memories, and habits we have accumulated over countless lifetimes? Patanjali specifies that they do not simply vanish in an instant. Instead, they remain behind as संस्कार (samskaras), which are unmanifested latent impressions.
In Raja Yoga philosophy, this concept is compared to roasted seeds. If you plant a raw seed in the ground, it will naturally sprout into a tree. The active vrittis of a normal mind are exactly like raw seeds. They are constantly sprouting into new desires and creating further suffering. But if you take that same seed and roast it in a fire, and then expect it to grow into a tree, that doesn’t happen. It still looks exactly like a seed, but it has completely lost its power to germinate.
The latent impressions might still physically remain, but they can never again sprout into suffering or pull the Seer back into the illusion of nature.
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