त्रयमन्तरङ्गं पूर्वेभ्यः || 3.7 ||
trayamantaraṅgaṁ pūrvebhyaḥ || 3.7 ||
Translation:
The three, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi are internal in contrast to the earlier limbs of yoga.
We have already discussed about the aṣṭāṅgayoga, the eight limbs of yoga. Among them, the first five—yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, and pratyāhāra are external while the other three—dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi are internal.
The purpose of this sutra
What is the purpose of this sūtra while it is obvious that three are internal? The answer lies in the fact that whatever is internal is also subtle. Whatever is subtle is also more powerful than the external things. Whatever is subtle is also more difficult to comprehend than the gross.
In order to emphasise the importance of the three internal exercises, the sage has coined a separate sūtra. The first five are, in some way related to the sense organs and their control while the last three relate to the control of the mind.
The first five are connected with the annnamaya kośa, prāṇamaya kośa, manomaya kośa, and to some extent vijñānamaya kośa but the last three have ānandamayakośa as the ultimate goal.
Stilling the mind
What is the boundary between the internal and the external? Skin is seen as the boundary: The skin of our body is usually seen as the boundary line between inner and outer; the world is out there, and the aspects of me are in here. In the beginning, it seems as if stilling the body, calming the breath, and dealing with the senses are inner practices.
The boundary systematically moves inward: However, the perceptual boundary line itself moves inward as we move along the steps of meditation. Once you move past the stilling of the physical body and are well absorbed in awareness of the breathing process, it starts to seem as if the body itself is external. When attention moves further inward, beyond the breath and into the sensory processes of the mind, both the body and breath are external.
Body, breath, and senses are external: Once the mind truly begins to be concentrated (dharana, 3.1), the perceptual boundary between inner and outer has moved significantly inward. The body, breath, and the sensory process themselves, all three, seem to be external or out there, while we are at a doorway of the deeper realities that now seem to be the only realities left, which are internal or in here.
Samyama are intimate
Concentration, meditation, and samadhi are intimate: When asana, pranayama, and pratyahara (body, breath, senses) fall away or are left behind, then concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and samadhi are seen as quite intimate or internal.
The boundary line between out there and in here has significantly shifted; we are now ready to explore the subtler realities, seeking the eternal Self at the core of our being
Summary: JKYog India Online Class- Patanjali Yog Sutra [English] - 2.1.2025
