Muni's PlayIn the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Ishwara (the Supreme Ruler) is defined not as a creator-god in the conventional sense, but as a “Special Purusha” (Soul) who remains eternally free.
According to Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.24, Ishwara is characterized by four distinct conditions of being “untouched” or “unaffected”:
Sutra 1.24
क्लेशकर्मविपाकाशयैरपरामृष्टः पुरुषविशेष ईश्वरः ॥२४॥
Ishvara (the Supreme Ruler) is a special Purusha, untouched by misery, actions, their results, and desires.
The Four Conditions
| Condition | Sanskrit | Transliteration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misery | क्लेश | Klesha | The five-fold afflictions (Ignorance, Egoism, etc.) |
| Actions | कर्म | Karma | The impulse to act or the bondage of activity |
| Results | विपाक | Vipāka | The fruits or consequences of actions (Merit/Demerit) |
| Desires | आशय | Āśhaya | Latent impressions or the “stock” of past karma |
Further Attributes (Sutras 1.25–1.27)
- Omniscience: In Him, the germ of all-knowingness becomes infinite (Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.25).
- The First Teacher: He is the Teacher of even the ancient teachers, being unlimited by time (Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.26).
- Symbol: His manifesting word is Om (Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.27).
See also: