Upaniṣads · Jābāladarśana 6.20
॥
Devanāgarī
प्राणायामैकनिष्ठस्य न किंचिदपि दुर्लभम् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन प्राणायामान्समभ्यसेत्
Transliteración (IAST)
prāṇāyāmaikaniṣṭhasya na kiṃcidapi durlabham | tasmātsarvaprayatnena prāṇāyāmānsamabhyaset
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
प्राणायाम-एक-निष्ठस्यprāṇāyāma-eka-niṣṭhasyafor one devoted to breath control alone
न किंचित् अपि दुर्लभम्na kiṃcit api durlabhamnothing whatever is hard to attain
तस्मात् सर्व-प्रयत्नेनtasmāt sarva-prayatnenatherefore with every effort
प्राणायामान् समभ्यसेत्prāṇāyāmān samabhyasetlet him practice breath controls
Traducción
"For one devoted to breath control alone, nothing whatever is hard to attain; therefore let him practice breath controls with every effort."
Versión
72abf2804348 · publicado 12 ago 2026, 5:00:00 UTC
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It is promised that nothing will be unattainable; and this is a promise of siddhi, "perfections," that is, miraculous powers. Their lists in books on yoga are long: shrinking to the size of an atom, becoming enormous, taking what is far away, walking on water, reading others' thoughts. Let us say of this what the yogic books themselves say, for they are not as naive as they seem.
The Yoga-sutras, having listed the perfections through a whole chapter, close it with the words: te samadhau upasarga vyutthane siddhayah, "they are obstacles to concentration, though perfections for one turned outward" (3.37). That is, Patanjali himself, having set out everything, calls it a hindrance. The reason is understandable and deserves stating. A power gives authority; and authority is the last thing a person gives up, and the first thing that stops him. One who has arrived at wonders usually stays there, for there he is finally respected.
The Vaishnava side says the same, and states it in persons. The Bhagavatam tells how Durvasa, possessing all perfections, fled through every world on their strength, escaping a discus, and found refuge nowhere (9.4); and the whole story is built on the fact that powers did not help where humility was required. It adds too the Lord's word to Uddhava: "the perfections that appear before a concentrated yogi, I count a waste of time" (11.15.33). The word there is antarayan, "obstacles"; and it is the same as in Patanjali.
The agreement of the two sides here is complete, and hence this line, promising "nothing unattainable," diverges not only from the Vaishnava, but from its own yogic tradition.