Let that be known as yoga — the state of disconnection from the union with suffering. This yoga should be practiced with determination and an unwavering mind, free from despair.
Synthesis
Let that be known as yoga — disconnection from the union with suffering, practiced with determination and unwavering resolve. The Advaita tradition sees yoga as breaking false identification. Ramanuja teaches yoga as union with God that transcends suffering. The Bhakti tradition values determined devotion. Madhvacharya defines yoga as breaking identification with pain through resolve. Abhinavagupta sees severing false identification with the body-mind complex. Vallabhacharya teaches connection with divine bliss automatically disconnects from worldly pain. Tilak emphasizes unwavering commitment. Vivekananda celebrates the universal practical definition — freedom from suffering.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara defines yoga here as the severance of the mind's connection with suffering — which means the severance of identification with the body-mind complex. This must be pursued with firm intellectual conviction (nishchaya) and without losing heart, because the path requires sustained effort against deep-rooted habits.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
Transformation is the disconnection from suffering — but it requires grit. When your meditation practice feels pointless, when your therapy feels slow, when change seems impossible — that is precisely when determination matters most. Don't quit.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"How do I keep going when progress feels invisible?"
- ?"I want to quit my practice — is that normal?"
- ?"How do I build determination that doesn't burn out?"
- ?"What does it mean to practice without despair?"