Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.26

Sanskrit Sutra

विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः॥२६॥

Swami Vivekananda's translation

The means of destruction of ignorance is unbroken practice of discrimination.

Vyasa Bhashya (Sanskrit)

विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः ॥ २६ ॥

सत्त्वपुरुषान्यताप्रत्ययो विवेकख्यातिः। सा त्वनिवृत्तमिथ्याज्ञाना प्लवते। यदा मिथ्याज्ञानं दग्धबीजभावं वन्ध्यप्रसवं संपद्यते तदा विधूतक्लेशरजसः सत्त्वस्य परे वैशारद्ये परस्यां वशीकारसंज्ञायां वर्तमानस्य विवेकप्रत्ययप्रवाहो निर्मलो भवति। सा विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः। ततो मिथ्याज्ञानस्य दग्धबीजभावोपगमः पुनश्चाप्रसव इत्येष मोक्षस्य मार्गो हानस्योपाय इति ॥ २६ ॥

Vyasa Bhashya (English Translation)

Discriminative knowledge (viveka-khyati) is the cognition of the distinction between the intellect (sattva) and the Purusha. But as long as false knowledge (mithya-jnana) has not ceased, this discrimination fluctuates or is unsteady. When false knowledge attains the state of a burnt seed, becoming barren of offspring, then the sattva—whose afflictions (kleshas) and impurities (rajas) have been washed away—rests in supreme purity and the highest state of mastery (vashikara-samjna). At that time, the flow of discriminative cognition becomes stainless. That unbroken/unfluctuating discriminative knowledge is the means to liberation. From this comes the reduction of false knowledge to the state of a burnt seed, and its non-reproduction; this is the path to liberation, the means of avoidance. || 26 ||

Chapter link: Yoga Sutra Chapter 2