Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.15

Sanskrit Sutra

परिणामताप-संस्कारदुःखैर्गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच्च दुःखमेव सर्वं विवेकिनः॥१५॥

Swami Vivekananda's translation

To the discriminating, all is, as it were, painful on account of everything bringing pain either as consequence, or as anticipation of loss of happiness, or as fresh craving arising from impressions of happiness, and also as counteraction of qualities.

Vyasa Bhashya (Sanskrit)

या भोगेष्विन्द्रियाणां तृप्तेरुपशान्तिस्तत्सुखम्। या लौल्यादनुपशान्तिस्तद्दुःखम्। न चेन्द्रियाणां भोगाभ्यासेन वैतृष्ण्यं कर्तुं शक्यम्। कस्मात्, यतो भोगाभ्यासमनु विवर्धन्ते रागाः कौशलानि चेन्द्रियाणामिति। तस्मादनुपायः सुखस्य भोगाभ्यास इति। स खल्वयं वृश्चिकविषभीत इवाऽऽशीविषेण दष्टो यः सुखार्थी विषयानुवासितो महति दुःखपङ्के निमग्न इति। एषा परिणामदुःखता नाम प्रतिकूला सुखावस्थायामपि योगिनमेव क्लिश्नाति।

अथ का तापदुःखता, सर्वस्य द्वेषानुविद्धश्चेतनाचेतनसाधनाधीनस्तापानुभव इति तत्रास्ति द्वेषजः कर्माशयः। सुखसाधनानि च प्रार्थयमानः कायेन वाचा मनसा च परिस्पन्दते ततः परमनुगृह्णात्युपहन्ति चेति परानुग्रहपीडाभ्यां धर्माधर्मावुपचिनोति। स कर्माशयो लोभान्मोहाच्च भवतीत्येषा तापदुःखतोच्यते। का पुनः संस्कारदुःखता, सुखानुभवात्सुखसंस्काराशयो दुःखानुभवादपि दुःखसंस्काराशय इति। एवं कर्मभ्यो विपाकेऽनुभूयमाने सुखे दुःखे वा पुनः कर्माशयप्रचय इति। गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच्च दुःरवमेव सर्वं विवेकिनः। प्रख्याप्रवृत्तिस्थितिरूपा बुद्धिगुणाः परस्परानुग्रहतन्त्री भूत्वा शान्तं घोरं मूढं वा प्रत्ययं त्रिगुणमेवाऽऽरभन्ते। चलं च गुणवृत्तमिति क्षिप्रपरिणामि चित्तमुक्तम्। रूपातिशया वृत्त्यतिशयाश्च परस्परेण विरुध्यन्ते, सामान्यानि त्वतिशयैः सह प्रवर्तन्ते। एवमेते गुणा इतरेतराश्रयेणोपार्जितसुखदुःखमोहप्रत्ययाः सर्वे सर्वरूपा भवन्तीति, गुणप्रधानभावकृतस्त्वेषां विशेष इति। तस्माद्दुःखमेव सर्वं विवेकिन इति।

तदस्य महतो दुःखसमुदायस्य प्रभवबीजमविद्या। तस्याश्च सम्यग्दर्शनमभावहेतुः। यथा चिकित्साशास्त्रं चतुर्व्यूहम् – रोगो रोगहेतुरारोग्यं भैषज्यमिति, एवमिदमपि शास्त्रं चतुर्व्यूहमेव। तद्यथा – संसारः संसारहेतुर्मोक्षो मोक्षोपाय इति। तत्र दुःखबहुलः संसारो हेयः। प्रधानपुरुषयोः संयोगो हेयहेतुः। संयोगस्याऽऽत्यन्तिकी निवृत्तिर्हानम्। हानोपायः सम्यग्दर्शनम्।

तत्र हातुः स्वरूपमुपादेयं वा हेयं वा न भवितुमर्हतीति हाने तस्योच्छेदवादप्रसङ्ग उपादाने च हेतुवादः। उभयप्रत्याख्याने शाश्वतवाद इत्येतत्सम्यग्दर्शनम् ॥ १५ ॥

Vyasa Bhashya (English Translation)

That which is the pacification (upashanti) of the senses through satisfaction in enjoyments is pleasure (sukha). That which is the non-pacification due to greed/restlessness (laulya) is pain (duhkha). And it is not possible to bring about the cessation of craving for the senses through the repeated practice of enjoyment. Why? Because following the practice of enjoyment, attachments (ragas) and the skills of the senses increase. Therefore, the practice of enjoyment is not a means to happiness. Indeed, the seeker of pleasure, captivated by sense objects, is like one who, frightened by the poison of a scorpion, is bitten by a venomous snake, and sinks into a great mire of pain. This is called the suffering of consequence (parinama-duhkhata), which is adverse and afflicts the yogi even in a state of pleasure. Now, what is the suffering of anguish/anxiety (tapa-duhkhata)? The experience of anguish for everyone is interwoven with aversion, being dependent on conscious or unconscious means (for pleasure); thus, there is a vehicle of karma (karmashaya) born of aversion. And while seeking the means of pleasure, one exerts oneself with body, speech, and mind. Thereby, one favors or harms others, and through such favoring or harming, one accumulates merit and demerit. This vehicle of karma arises from greed and delusion. This is called the suffering of anguish (tapa-duhkhata). What again is the suffering of latent impressions (samskara-duhkhata)? From the experience of pleasure arises a vehicle of latent impressions of pleasure; even from the experience of pain arises a vehicle of latent impressions of pain. Thus, while pleasure or pain is being experienced in the fruition of actions, there is again a further accumulation of the vehicle of karma. And because of the conflict in the activities of the gunas, everything is indeed pain to the discriminating one. The qualities of the intellect (buddhi)—whose nature is illumination (prakhya - sattva), activity (pravritti - rajas), and inertia (sthiti - tamas)—having become dependent on mutual support, initiate a cognition which is peaceful, terrifying, or deluded, but which always consists of the three gunas. And the activity of the gunas is unstable, thus the mind is said to be rapidly mutating. The intensities of forms and the intensities of activities conflict with one another, while the ordinary/subordinate ones operate along with the intense ones. Thus, these gunas, obtaining cognitions of pleasure, pain, and delusion by mutual dependence, all become of all forms; their distinction is merely due to which guna is predominant. Therefore, to the discriminating one, everything is indeed pain.

The seed of the origin of this great mass of suffering is ignorance (avidya). And the cause of its absence (destruction) is right knowledge (samyag-darshana). Just as the science of medicine has four parts (chatur-vyuha): disease (roga), the cause of disease (roga-hetu), health/cure (arogya), and medicine (bhaishajya); so too, this science (of Yoga) has four parts. Namely: worldly existence/transmigration (samsara), the cause of worldly existence (samsara-hetu), liberation (moksha), and the means to liberation (moksha-upaya). Among these, the world (samsara) full of suffering is that which is to be avoided/abandoned (heya). The conjunction of Prakriti (pradhana) and Purusha is the cause of that which is to be avoided (heya-hetu). The absolute cessation of this conjunction is the avoidance/liberation (hana). The means of avoidance (hanopaya) is right knowledge (samyag-darshana). Therein, the true nature of the one who avoids (the Purusha) cannot be something to be acquired (upadeya) nor something to be abandoned (heya). If it were to be abandoned, there would be the contingency of the doctrine of annihilation (ucchedavada); and if it were to be acquired, it would be the doctrine of causation (hetuvada). By the rejection of both, it is the doctrine of eternality (shashvatavada). This is right knowledge. || 15 ||

The Four Types of Suffering (Duhkha)

Type of Suffering	Sanskrit	Description / Cause
Suffering of Consequence	परिणामदुःखता (Parinama-Duhkhata)	Sensual pleasure eventually leads to pain. Enjoyment increases attachment rather than satisfying it. Thus, even during pleasure, the yogi perceives the inevitable painful consequence.
Suffering of Anguish / Anxiety	तापदुःखता (Tapa-Duhkhata)	The anxiety of maintaining pleasure and the aversion towards anything that opposes it. Seeking pleasure involves actions that cause merit/demerit, perpetuating karmic bondage.
Suffering of Latent Impressions	संस्कारदुःखता (Samskara-Duhkhata)	Every experience (pleasure or pain) leaves a subliminal impression (samskara) that guarantees future experiences and actions, creating an endless cycle of suffering.
Suffering from Conflict of Gunas	गुणवृत्तिविरोध (Guna-vritti-virodha)	The mind is composed of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, which are constantly fluctuating and conflicting. Because of this inherent instability, lasting peace is impossible for the worldly mind.

The Four Parts of Yoga Science (Chatur-Vyuha)

Vyasa compares the science of Yoga to the science of Medicine, outlining four essential components:

Medical Science (Ayurveda)	Yoga Science	Sanskrit	Description
Disease (Roga)	Worldly Existence (Samsara)	हेय (Heya)	दुःखबहुलः संसारो हेयः The cycle of birth, death, and suffering (samsara full of duhkha), which is to be avoided/abandoned.
Cause of Disease (Roga-hetu)	Cause of Worldly Existence (Samsara-hetu)	हेयहेतु (Heya-hetu)	प्रधानपुरुषयोः संयोगो हेयहेतुः The conjunction (Samyoga) of Purusha (Seer) and Prakriti (Pradhana/Seen), rooted in ignorance.
Cure / Health (Arogya)	Liberation (Moksha)	हान (Hana)	संयोगस्याऽऽत्यन्तिकी निवृत्तिर्हानम् The absolute cessation (atyantiki nivritti) of this conjunction and the resulting freedom.
Medicine (Bhaishajya)	Means to Liberation (Moksha-upaya)	हानोपाय (Hanopaya)	हानोपायः सम्यग्दर्शनम् Right Knowledge / Unbroken Discrimination (Samyag-darshana).

Chapter link: Yoga Sutra Chapter 2