_The below are my personal thoughts and interpretation on Yoga Sutra 1:33. As with the rest of this site it is a continuous work in progress._ Sutra 1:33 "Mentality brightens, and gets to be of a serene disposition and good humour, when one takes on an attitude of friendliness towards the pleasant, of compassion for those who suffer, of joy for the meritorious, and of equanimity towards the unmeritorious." - Ranganathan, Shyam. PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRA (Penguin Classics) (p. 109). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition. [[YP - Yoga Sutras#^8dd97f|Sutra-1-33]] When studying morals and yogic philosophy a teacher of mine brought this verse up as one of the main verses that are applicable to ethics. It's a beautifully simple idea: be friendly to happy people, show compassion for those suffering, allow yourself to feel joy when encountering a virtuous person, and meet those who are not virtuous with equanimity. If we could easily act in accord with this advice we would create little to no harm (acting in accordance with Ahimsa) and potentially alleviate the suffering of others. Now reading this as an suggestion of ethics may be a fine interpretation of this sutra, certainly a useful reading of it, but it might be better to look at this verse within the context of the surrounding verses. This sutra follows a handful of verses which list disturbances that keep us from liberation (1:30 [[YP - Yoga Sutras#^114c58|Sutra-1-30]]), and 1:32 which states that the disturbances can be avoided by the implementation of the suggestions given in verses 1:33 through 1:39. So the suggested attitudes in 1:33, while being a good group of guidelines for interacting with others and the world, is really a suggestion for avoiding disturbances which keep us from liberation (or enlightenment). The other suggested practices for eliminating these disturbances are listed on the Yoga Sutras page [[YP - Yoga Sutras#^d529d5]]. #### What is virtuous? Of course the meaning of virtuous is probably going to be brought up in the course of discussion on philosophical concepts. Many may argue that "virtuous" is a subjective label that can't be quantified in an objective manner. While this is true to a certain degree, I think we can get a general idea of what is meant here by virtuous. And the point isn't really about defining virtuousness, but that we most likely are disturbed whenever we encounter someone acting in a way don't approve of. My personal explanation is that virtuous activity would be uplifting. By uplifting I mean actions that are non-harming at minimum, though more so actions whose effects are most beneficial for all. A virtuous person would be a person who believes we are all the same stuff, are of the same value, and should all be afforded the same respect regardless of whether we have the right credentials. An unvirtous person would be someone who takes advantage of others, has a nihilistic view on life (that life has no meaning and therefore there is no reason to treat others well), treats people based on what they can get from them, or otherwise interacts with other people in a way that causes suffering. It's always fun, and sometimes helpful, to go to the dictionary, and at Merrium-Webster we find virtuous defined as: 1. a. having or exhibiting virtue b. morally excellent: righteous There are two other definitions, but I don't think they relate to our usage of virtuous here. The first definition above sends us on to define the word virtue, which has 7 definitions, affording a lot of interpretation, but the first two align best with our purpose. 1. a. conformity to a standard of right: morality b. a particular moral excellence 2. a beneficial quality or power of a thing Now once we get to the term morality a lot of people have the hair on the back of their neck stand up, but let's just take the first part of 1a. Philosophy majors who love to split hairs will want to argue the word "right" here, so honestly I would just skip to the second definition of virtue; a beneficial quality or power of a thing. So maybe an easy definition of virtuous is a person whose actions are of beneficial quality to those about them, similar to what I expressed above. This could, of course, be interpreted in ways where a robber baron is a virtuous person if you're someone they employ; even if what they pay you is not much more than a poverty wage the argument would be that at least it's better than no wage at all. #### What is equanimity? Another word that might give us pause in 1:33 is equanimity. Equanimity is one of those words that sounds good, but what exactly does it mean? Here Merriam-Webster gives us an easier time: 1. evenness of mind especially under stress 2. right disposition: balance So it would seem the suggestion for dealing with non-virtuous people is to remain balanced, to try and refrain from emotional reaction or upset when we encounter someone acting in a way we believe is not virtuous. #### Comparison to Brahmaviharas An aspect of Buddhism that overlaps with what is expressed in this sutra are the brahmaviharas. These "sublime attitudes", or prized mindsets, loving-kindness compassion empathetic joy equanimity [Brahmaviharas - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmavihara) #### To Summarize Sutra 1:33 provides some good general guidance for interacting with the world. Its underlying point though is a suggestion for how to avoid obstacles that disturb the mind and make it difficult to concentrate to the point of Samadhi. --- Created on: 2023-07-25 [[Home]]