Patanjali Yoga Sutra 3.17

Sanskrit Sutra

शब्दार्थप्रत्ययानामितरेतराध्यासात्सङ्करस्तत्प्रविभागसंयमात् सर्वभूतरुतज्ञानम्॥१७॥

Translation

Word (Shabda), Meaning (Artha), and Idea/Perception (Pratyaya) are ordinarily superimposed upon one another, creating confusion. By performing Samyama on their distinction, the yogi attains the knowledge of the sounds (language) of all living beings.

Explanation: In ordinary human perception, we mistakenly fuse three entirely distinct elements into one identity: the physical sound/word (Shabda), the actual object (Artha), and the mental concept (Pratyaya). By performing Samyama to disentangle these three dimensions, the yogi strips away arbitrary human linguistic conventions. This allows them to directly perceive the underlying mental intent and feeling state (Pratyaya) that prompted a vocal sound (Shabda) in any creature, enabling intuitive comprehension of all animal sounds.

Chapter link: Yoga Sutra Chapter 3