Patanjali Yoga Sutra 3.53

Sanskrit Sutra

क्षण-तत्क्रमयोः संयमाद्विवेकजं ज्ञानम्॥५३॥

Swami Vivekananda's translation

By making Samyama on a particle of time and its precession and succession comes discrimination.

Vyasa Bhashya (Sanskrit)

यथाऽपकर्षपर्यन्तं द्रव्यं परमाणुरेवं परमापकर्षपर्यन्तः कालः क्षणो यावता वा समयेन चलितः परमाणुः पूर्वदेशं जह्यादुत्तरदेशमुपसंपद्येत स कालः क्षणः। तत्प्रवाहाविच्छेदस्तु क्रमः। क्षणतत्क्रमयोर्नास्ति वस्तुसमाहार इति बुद्धिसमाहारो मुहूर्ताहोरात्रादयः। स खल्वयं कालो वस्तुशून्योऽपि बुद्धिनिर्माणः शब्दज्ञानानुपाती लौकिकानां व्युत्थितदर्शनानां वस्तुस्वरूप इवावभासते। क्षणस्तु वस्तुपतितः क्रमावलम्बी। क्रमश्च क्षणानन्तर्यात्मा तं कालविदः काल इत्याचक्षते योगिनः। नच द्वौ क्षणौ सह भवतः। क्रमश्च न द्वयोः सहभुवोरसंभवात्। पूर्वस्मादुत्तरभाविनो यदानन्तर्यं क्षणस्य स क्रमः। तस्माद्वर्तमान एवैकः क्षणो न पूर्वोत्तरक्षणाः सन्तीति। तस्मान्नास्ति तत्समाहारः। ये तु भूतभाविनः क्षणास्ते परिणामान्विता व्याख्येयाः। तेनैकेन क्षणेन कृत्स्नो लोकः परिणाममनुभवति। तत्क्षणोपारूढाः खल्वमी सर्वे धर्माः। तयोः क्षणतत्क्रमयोः संयमात्तयोः साक्षात्करणम्। ततश्च विवेकजं ज्ञानं प्रादुर्भवति ॥ ५२ ॥

Vyasa Bhashya (English Translation)

Just as an atom is the ultimate limit of a substance (dravya) in its diminutiveness, so a ‘moment’ (kshana) is the ultimate limit of time. Or, the time taken by an atom in motion to leave its previous point of space and reach the next point is a moment. The continuous flow of these moments is its sequence (krama). There is no actual aggregate of the moment and its sequence in reality; hours, days, nights, etc., are mental aggregates. Thus, time, though devoid of objective reality, is a creation of the mind, following verbal knowledge, and appears as if it had an objective reality to ordinary people with outgoing perceptions. The moment, however, falls within objective reality and serves as the basis for the sequence. Sequence has for its essence the uninterrupted succession of moments. Yogis who know time call this sequence ‘time’. Two moments do not exist simultaneously. Nor does sequence exist for two simultaneous things, because that is impossible. The uninterrupted succession of a subsequent moment from a preceding one is called sequence. Therefore, there is only a single present moment; the past and future moments do not exist [in the present]. Hence, there is no real aggregate of them. As for past and future moments, they should be explained as being inherent in the modifications. In a single moment, the entire universe experiences a modification (parinama). Indeed, all these characteristics rest upon that one moment. By making Samyama on the moment and its sequence, their direct realization occurs. And from that, discriminative knowledge arises. || 52 ||

Chapter link: Yoga Sutra Chapter 3