When a person is no longer attached to sense objects nor to actions, having renounced all selfish desires (sankalpas), that person is said to be established in yoga.
Synthesis
When one is attached neither to sense objects nor to actions, having renounced all selfish desires, one is said to have ascended to yoga. The Advaita tradition sees this as the mind purified for Self-knowledge. Ramanuja teaches total detachment as readiness for God. The Bhakti tradition sees desires transformed into divine love. Madhvacharya teaches genuine transcendence through knowledge of God. Abhinavagupta sees dissolution of mental constructions creating a separate self. Vallabhacharya teaches redirecting all desire toward God. Tilak sees maturity from sustained selfless practice. Vivekananda teaches the culmination where detachment becomes natural.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara explains that the yogaroodha is one who has transcended both sensory attachment and the compulsive identification with action. Having renounced all sankalpa (desire-driven intention), the sage rests in the Self alone, needing nothing external for completeness.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
Freedom isn't about denying yourself pleasures but about reaching a state where you don't need them to feel whole. Cultivate inner fullness and external cravings naturally diminish.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"How do I reach a state where I don't need external things to be happy?"
- ?"What does inner fullness actually feel like?"
- ?"Can I enjoy things without being attached to them?"
- ?"How do I know if I'm truly free or just suppressing desires?"