4.10 Impressions and desire

4.10 It is unknown when these subconscious impressions (samskaras) originated, and since they are powered by desire, they will remain for as long as desire remains.

This sutra says that there is no clear explanation of when or why desire started. Desire is a powerful force compelling us to act. The will to live is an expression of a primordial desire in all living beings. Desire is an emotional charge causing impressions to stick to your awareness. These latent impressions emerge when the conditions are ripe for them generating more impressions in an endless cycle (4.8). Then, is it possible or necessary to eliminate all desire? At the beginning of this book we suggested harnessing the power of desire to move toward presence.

Can desire be like all experiences, either a vehicle for enjoyment or for liberation?
What desires are prevalent in you?
To what extent are those desires perpetuating some of your existing tendencies and inclinations?
Can you modulate your desire?
Is your desire a way to deepen your identification with temporary phenomena?
Is it possible to orient your desire towards liberation from conditioning?
As you cultivate presence, are you more aware of your own impressions emerging?
For instance, when you set your mind to focus on an idea or object during meditation, can you notice that the seemingly random thoughts distracting you emerge from your subconscious mind?
Can those distracting thoughts suggest viable paths for releasing them?

As usual, one more way of exploring the meaning of this sutra is by chanting it.
You can choose to chant it in its traditional form with some of the words coming together:

4.10 tāsāmanāditvaṃ cāśiṣo nityatvāt
तासामनादित्वं चाशिषो नित्यत्वात् ॥१०॥

Another option is to chant each word in the sutra individually:

• tāsām
• anāditvaṃ
• ca
• āśiṣaḥ
• nityatvāt

If you prefer, you may listen to the podcast:

This is an excerpt from the book Unravel the thread: Applying the ancient wisdom of yoga to live a happy life

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