4.34 The power of presence

4.34 Having fulfilled their purpose, the tendencies of nature (gunas) return to their original state, and awareness, no longer being veiled by the activities of the gunas, abides in its own essential nature, the power of consciousness.

The yogi is liberated from the flow of causality, time, and experiences. The sense of I, with its limiting perspective, no longer colors existence, so there are no longer any personal agendas, opinions or drama. The yogi continues to exist with heart and mind fully open, abiding in the bottomless wisdom of ever-present consciousness until the body of the yogi reaches its death.

Although concise, this sutra offers us many possibilities for contemplation, including, what is my relationship to the flow of causality? How do I relate to time? What is my perspective on the experiences that I participate in? To what extent is my inner life filled with agendas, opinions and drama? Am I aware of the continuous guidance I am receiving to make life affirming choices? What is the embodied experience of presence? How do an open mind and an open heart contribute to the quality of my actions and interactions?

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:

4.34 puruṣārthaśūnyānāṃ guṇānāṃpratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṃ svarūpapratiṣṭhā vā citiśaktiriti
पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानांप्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति ॥३४॥

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

• puruṣa
• artha
• śūnyānāṃ
• guṇānāṃ
• pratiprasavaḥ
• kaivalyaṃ
• svarūpa
• pratiṣṭhā
• vā
• citi
• śaktiḥ
• iti

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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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