Sūtra 3.48

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Sūtra 3.48:

सत्त्वपुरुषान्यताख्यातिमात्रस्य सर्वभावाधिष्ठातृत्वं सर्वज्ञातृत्वं च ॥ ३.४८ ॥

sattvapuruṣānyatākhyātimātrasya sarvabhāvādhiṣṭhātṛtvaṃ sarvajñātṛtvaṃ ca || 3.48 ||

sattva—pure objective essence. puruṣa—consciousness, anyatā—the distinction between. Khyāti mātrasya—to him only who recognises. sarva-bhāva—over all states. Adhiṣṭhātṛtvam, supremacy. Sarva-jñātṛtvam, omniscience, Ca, and.

48. To him who recognizes the distinction between consciousness and pure-objective-existence comes supremacy over all states of being and omniscience.—154.

The Sankhya-pravachana commentary of Vyasa

[English translation of the 7th century commentary by Vyāsa called the Sāṅkhya-pravacana, Vyāsabhāṣya or Yogabhāṣya]

[Sanskrit text for commentary available]

Supremacy over all states of being comes to him who, having the essence of the Will-to-be in the highest state of purity on account of the impurities of the Rajas and the Tamas having been destroyed, and when the consciousness of power is at the highest, takes his stand at the manifestation of the distinction between the Objective Essence and consciousness (puruṣa). It means that the ‘qualities’ which are the substrata of all phenomena, being of the nature of the things that are in existence, as well as of the power which determines this existence, present themselves before the Lord, the knower of the field, as one whole.

Omniscience means the simultaneously discriminative knowledge of the ‘qualities’ being as they are of the nature of all phenomena, and showing forth as they do separately the quiescent, the disturbed and the unpredicable characteristics. This attainment is known as the ‘Sorrowless’ (viśoka).

Reaching this the Yogī moves omniscient and powerful, with all his afflictions ended.—154.

The Gloss of Vachaspati Mishra

[English translation of the 9th century Tattvavaiśāradī by Vācaspatimiśra]

Now the author shows the attainments subsidiary to the attainment of the knowledge of the distinction between the Objective Essence and the Puruṣa, with the object of attaining which are performed the Saṃyamas which bring about power of knowledge and action, and which by direct knowledge, and one after the other, go on strengthening faith in the object promised, by means of the presents of the attainments that are being made constantly:—‘To him who realizes the distinction between the Objective Existence and consciousness, comes just then supremacy over all the states of being and omniscience.’

Purity comes by the dirt of Rajas and Tamas being removed. Thence comes the consciousness of the highest power. The mental Essence was before the attainment of this state covered by the Rajas and the Tamas. On the removal thereof it becomes subject to the power of the masterful Yogī. When it becomes subject to the Yogī who has just attained to the possession of the knowledge of the distinction between Objective Essence and consciousness then the Yogī becomes supreme over all states of being. The Commentator explains the state:—‘The Guṇas which are the substrata, &c.’ The objects to be determined and the determination mean the intelligent and the non-intelligent phenomena. The power of action is explained by this.

He mentions the power of knowledge: ‘Omniscience, &c.’ and gives a name to this two-fold attainment well-known to the Yogis, with the object of inclining towards desirelessness: “This is named the ‘Sorrowless’.” Such a Yogī is described to be one whose afflictions and bonds, i.e., Karmas have been destroyed.—48.