Yogaśāstra 2.15–17: The Cause of Future Suffering

For the discerning person, every conditioned experience is painful. Future suffering can be avoided; its cause is the conjunction of puruṣa and prakṛti.

Dr. Ronald Steiner

Laura von Ostrowski

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 2.15

परिणामतापसंस्कारदुःखैर्गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच्च दुःखमेव सर्वं विवेकिनः ||15||

pariṇāma-tāpa-saṃskāra-duḥkhair guṇa-vṛtti-virodhāc ca duḥkham eva sarvaṃ vivekinaḥ ||15|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

pariṇāma dvandva-compound	pariṇāma substantive masculine	change
tāpa dvandva-compound	tāpa substantive masculine	anxiety
saṃskāra dvandva-compound	saṃskāra substantive masculine	imprint
duḥkhaiḥ instrumental case plural	duḥkha substantive neuter	through the pains
guṇa tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	guṇa substantive masculine	of the qualities
vṛtti tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	vṛtti substantive feminine	of their activities
virodhāt ablative singular	virodha substantive masculine	because of conflict
ca	ca particle	and
duḥkham nominative singular	duḥkha substantive neuter	painful
eva	eva particle	exclusively
sarvam nominative singular neuter	sarva pronoun quant	everything
vivekinaḥ genitive singular masculine	vivekin adjective	for the discriminating person

For the discriminating person (vivekinaḥ | gen sg m), everything (sarvam | nom sg n) is nothing but (eva) pain (duḥkham | nom sg): because of the pains arising from transformation, distress and latent impressions (pariṇāma-tāpa-saṃskāra-duḥkhaiḥ | ins pl), and (ca) because the activities of the guṇa oppose one another (guṇa-vṛtti-virodhāt | abl sg).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Discernment (viveka) recognises that even what is pleasant will change (pariṇāma). You can experience joy fully without demanding that it last forever.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

For one who discriminates, everything is suffering. Sensory pleasure produces rāga and further karma; enjoyment does not satisfy desire or the capacities of the senses but makes them grow. Pain produces dveṣa, while striving for pleasure again produces merit and demerit through helping and harming. Experiences of pleasure and pain leave saṃskāra from which further karma arises when they ripen. Nor can the ever-changing and mutually conflicting guṇa provide any lasting condition.

Only the yogin is said to feel this beginningless stream of suffering as sensitively as a thread laid upon the eyeball. The Vyāsa-Bhāṣya therefore arranges the teaching like a four-part medical system: saṃsāra is the suffering to be removed, the conjunction of pradhāna and puruṣa its cause, mokṣa its removal, and correct vision the remedy.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

And, to the discriminating, all is grief, simply, since the modifications due to the qualities are adverse (to the summum bonum) through the vexations of the various forms (of nature) and of anxiety and of impressions self-continuant.

James R. Ballantyne - 1852

To the wise, all is pain,—because of the adverse functions of the Attributes, and of the pains of consequence, anxiety and impression.

Ganganatha Jha - 1907

Wegen der Schmerzen, die aus der Unbeständigkeit [des Genießens], aus der Beängstigung [während des Genießens] und aus den [nachbleibenden und künftig abzubüßenden] Charaktereindrücken entspringen, und weil die Funktionen der guṇa [z.B. Liebe und Haß] sich gegenseitig bekämpfen (vgl. Sāṃkhya-Kārikā 12), ist für den Weisen alles ein Leiden.

Paul Deussen - 1908

As being the pains which are mutations and anxieties and subliminal-impressions, and by reason of the opposition <1> of the fluctuations of the aspects (guṇa), to the discriminating all is nothing but pain.

James Haughton Woods - 1914

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 2.16

हेयं दुःखमनागतम् ||16||

heyaṃ duḥkham anāgatam ||16|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

heyam nominative singular neuter	heya adjective	to be avoided
duḥkham nominative singular	duḥkha substantive neuter	pain
anāgatam nominative singular neuter	anāgata adjective	not yet arisen

Pain that has not yet arisen (duḥkham anāgatam | nom sg) [is] to be avoided (heyam | nom sg n).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Not every future suffering has to occur (anāgata-duḥkha). A clear boundary, an honest conversation, or a small change of course today may protect something tomorrow.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

Past suffering has already been experienced, and present suffering has already arisen in its particular moment. Only future suffering can therefore be removed; according to the Vyāsa-Bhāṣya, it is this suffering that afflicts the sensitively discriminating yogin.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

What is to be shunned is pain not yet come.

James R. Ballantyne - 1852

Avoidable is the pain not yet come.

Ganganatha Jha - 1907

Das künftige Leiden ist das zu Vermeidende.

Paul Deussen - 1908

That which is to be escaped is pain yet to come.

James Haughton Woods - 1914

Patañjali Yoga Sūtra 2.17

द्रष्टृदृश्ययोः संयोगो हेयहेतुः ||17||

draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ saṃyogo heya-hetuḥ ||17|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

draṣṭṛ dvandva-compound	draṣṭar substantive masculine	seer
dṛśyayoḥ genitive dual	dṛśya substantive neuter	and visible
saṃyogaḥ nominative singular	saṃyoga substantive masculine	conjunction
heya tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	heya adjective	of what is to be avoided
hetuḥ nominative singular	hetu substantive masculine	cause

The conjunction (saṃyogaḥ | nom sg) of the seer and the seen (draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ | gen du) [is] the cause of the pain to be avoided (heya-hetuḥ | nom sg).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Suffering intensifies when perceiving and what is perceived seem inseparably fused (saṃyoga). Create one breath of space between an experience and your response.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

The seer is puruṣa, which is aware of buddhi; the seen consists of all properties resting upon buddhi-sattva. Like a magnet, it acts through mere proximity for the sake of the seer and becomes the object of experience. Their beginningless, purposive conjunction is the cause of suffering.

Strictly speaking, sattva is afflicted by rajas. The immutable, inactive puruṣa only appears to suffer because it conforms to the shape of afflicted sattva. The Vyāsa-Bhāṣya compares avoiding this conjunction to understanding the sole of the foot, the thorn and the protective shoe.

Yoga Śāstra Vyāsa-Bhāṣya

The cause of what is to be shunned is the conjunction of the seer with the visual.

James R. Ballantyne - 1852

The conjunction of the Spectator and the Spectacle is the cause of that which is to be warded off.

Ganganatha Jha - 1907

Die Ursache dieses zu Vermeidenden [des Leidens] ist die Verbindung von Seher und zu Sehendem (puruṣa und prakṛti).

Paul Deussen - 1908

The correlation of the Seer and the object-of-sight is the cause of that which is to be escaped.

James Haughton Woods - 1914

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Dr. Ronald Steiner

From Ulm

The "Yoga Doc" - Dr. Ronald Steiner is the founder of the AYI method. This method links traditional Ashtanga Yoga with innovative Yogatherapy and living Philosophy. This forms a practice that is personal for each and... more ›

Laura von Ostrowski

Ich bin 2004 das erste Mal mit Yoga in Berührung gekommen und habe seitdem unendlich viele Facetten kennengelernt. Einerseits die vielfältigen praktischen Seiten von Yoga - in Form verschiedener Ausbildungen (500 h... more ›

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Yogaśāstra 2.15–17: The Cause of Future Suffering

Yogaśāstra 2.15–17: The Cause of Future Suffering

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