PYS 4.1: Five Sources of Siddhi

Yogaśāstra 4.1: Birth, Herbs, Mantra, Tapas, Samādhi

Siddhis arise from birth, medicinal herbs, mantras, asceticism, or samādhi; for the path to liberation, the ability born of samādhi is especially significant.

Dr. Ronald Steiner

Laura von Ostrowski 27.01.2020

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 4.1

जन्मौषधिमन्त्रतपःसमाधिजाः सिद्धयः ||1||

janmauṣadhi-mantra-tapaḥ-samādhi-jāḥ siddhayaḥ ||1|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

janma dvandva-compound	janman substantive neuter	birth
oṣadhi dvandva-compound	oṣadhi substantive feminine	and medicinal herb
mantra dvandva-compound	mantra substantive masculine	and sacred formula
tapas dvandva-compound	tapas substantive neuter	and asceticism
samādhi tatpuruṣa-compound ablative	samādhi substantive masculine	and from complete unitive experience
jāḥ nominative plural feminine	ja adjective	arising from
siddhayaḥ nominative plural feminine	siddhi substantive feminine	extraordinary powers

Supernatural powers (siddhayaḥ | nom pl) arise through birth, medicinal herbs, mantra, asceticism, or Samādhi (janmauṣadhi-mantra-tapaḥ-samādhi-jāḥ | nom pl).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Extraordinary experiences can arise in many ways (siddhi). What matters is not how spectacular they are, but whether meditative absorption (samādhi) enables you to act with greater clarity, connection, and freedom.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

The Bhāṣya explains the five sources of siddhi concretely: birth as the attainment of another body, herbs as rasāyana in the dwellings of the Asuras, mantra as a means, for example, to movement through the sky and aṇimā, and tapas as fulfillment of resolve, including assuming any desired form and going anywhere at will. Siddhis arising from samādhi are said to have been explained earlier; the passage does not rank the five sources.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

Yogaśāstra 4.1: Birth, Herbs, Mantra, Tapas, Samādhi

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