Yoga
Your face is hard,
they think you are a loveless wench
To me you are like a lover’s song
gentle as the spring breeze
Like a mango tree in full bloom
every leaf hides a delicious fruit
Such bare and scarce ways
did your progenitor describe you:
folks would never know
the luscious lass that you are
Clothed in rough and common raiment,
who could dream
of the uncommon possibility
that you are
I espied and pursued you
with a stout heart
Waiting and wooing
for lifetimes three
Trailing you through terrain unknown
of untold pain and sweetness too
The very journey has left me so complete—
the creation and creator are within me
Can no more see the world without you
Lyrics and Meaning:
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
yogaś-citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
Yoga is to still the patterning of consciousness
तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम्
tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe-'vasthānam
Then, pure awareness can abide in its very nature
वृत्ति सारूप्यमितरत्र
vṛtti sārūpyam-itaratra
Otherwise, awareness takes itself to be the patterns of consciousness
वृत्तयः पञ्चतय्यः क्लिष्टाक्लिष्टाः
vṛttayaḥ pañcatayyaḥ kliṣṭākliṣṭāḥ
There are five types of patterns, including both hurtful and benign
प्रमाण विपर्यय विकल्प निद्रा स्मृतयः
pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ
They are right perception, misperception, conceptualization, deep sleep, and remembering
प्रत्यक्षानुमानागमाः प्रमाणानि
pratyakṣa-anumāna-āgamāḥ pramāṇāni
Right perception arises from direct observation, inference, or the words of others
विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूप प्रतिष्ठम्
viparyayo mithyā-jñānam-atadrūpa pratiṣṭham
Misperception is false knowledge, not based on what actually is
शब्दज्ञानानुपाती वस्तुशून्यो विकल्पः
śabda-jñāna-anupātī vastu-śūnyo vikalpaḥ
Conceptualization derives from linguistic knowledge, not contact with real things
अभावप्रत्ययालम्बना तमोवृत्तिर्निद्र
abhāva-pratyaya-ālambanā tamo-vṛttir-nidra
Deep sleep is a pattern grounded in the perception that nothing exists
अनुभूतविषयासंप्रमोषः स्मृतिः
anu-bhūta-viṣaya-asaṁpramoṣaḥ smṛtiḥ
Remembering is the retention of experiences
अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः
abhyāsa-vairāgya-ābhyāṁ tan-nirodhaḥ
Both practice and non-reaction are required to still the patterning of consciousness