We continue our journey with Yoga Sūtra 2.33, and now deepen into the next verse — 2.34. If 2.33 gave us the prescription — pratipakṣa-bhāvanam — then 2.34 shows us the diagnosis, the depth of the problem.
Let’s start by recalling the previous sutra:
vitarka-bādhane pratipakṣa-bhāvanam
वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम्॥२.३३॥
“When disturbed by negative thoughts, cultivate their opposites.”
Vitarka refers to thoughts that are harmful, unwholesome, or negative — especially those rooted in violence, attachment, or delusion. The antidote Patanjali gives is pratipakṣa-bhāvanam, the deliberate cultivation of opposing, positive thoughts.
Now, we chant and reflect on the next verse:
vitarkāḥ hiṃsādayaḥ kṛta-kārita-anumoditāḥ lobha-krodha-moha-pūrvakāḥ mṛdu-madhya-adhimātra duḥkha-ajñāna-ananta-phalāḥ iti pratipakṣa-bhāvanam
वितर्का हिंसादयः कृतकारितानुमोदिताः लोभक्रोधमोहपूर्वकाः मृदुमध्याधिमात्र दुःखाज्ञानानन्तफलाः इति प्रतिपक्षभावनम्॥२.३४॥
“When negative thoughts like violence, whether done by oneself, instigated, or approved of, arise — and are caused by greed (lobha), anger (krodha), or delusion (moha), and can be mild, moderate, or intense — they lead to endless suffering and ignorance. Thus, the remedy is to cultivate their opposite — pratipakṣa-bhāvanam.”
Patañjali breaks it down in such a precise and timeless way. He identifies the many forms that harm — hiṁsā — can take. Violence isn't just physical. It can be:
Kṛta: done by oneself.
Kārita: incited or commissioned by someone else.
Anumodita: passively approved of or silently endorsed.
And what’s underneath these harmful tendencies? He gives us the root causes:
Lobha – greed,
Krodha – anger,
Moha – delusion or confusion.
He also shows that these tendencies don’t manifest in just one way. They can be:
Mṛdu – mild,
Madhya – moderate,
Adhimātra – intense.
But no matter the strength or the form, he tells us the fruit is always the same:
duḥkha-ajñāna-ananta-phalāḥ — endless suffering and ignorance.
This is where the teachings connect so powerfully with modern psychology and recovery traditions. In the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, Bill Wilson talks about “character defects” — and not as moral failings, but as blind spots that bring pain when left unacknowledged.
No one wants to be known as greedy — as a thief. But who among us hasn’t reached for more than our fair share of credit or praise? No one wants to be labeled as violent or angry. But what about the little barbs of gossip we toss, the emotional jabs that quietly undermine others — forms of character assassination?
We all fall somewhere on this spectrum.
Patañjali's wisdom is not reserved for saints or sages. It's meant for us — for humans doing our best in the mess and magic of daily life. And he gives us a clear, consistent path forward: don’t fight the thoughts — redirect them. Cultivate the opposite.
Unchecked, these tendencies lead to duḥkha — suffering — and ajñāna — ignorance, or the forgetting of our true nature.
But the great gift of these teachings is that we can begin again. We can practice pratipakṣa-bhāvanam, moment by moment. Thought by thought. Choice by choice.
More tomorrow.
