yoga-sutrapatanjaliasanayoga-sutra-2-47

Prayatna Shaithilya Ananta Samapattibhyam (Yoga Sutra 2.47)

Prayatna Shaithilya Ananta Samapattibhyam (Yoga Sutra 2.47) in English · English

🕉️ yoga·📿 3× repetitions·🕐 While settling into posture for asana or meditation·📜 Patanjali Yoga Sutras 2.47

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This sutra reveals how the steady, comfortable posture defined in 2.46 is perfected. It names two means: relaxing all unnecessary effort (prayatna-shaithilya) and absorbing the mind in the infinite (ananta-samapatti). When striving is released and awareness rests in the boundless, the body becomes naturally still and at ease, and the posture is mastered — fit for deep meditation.

Origin & Story

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 2.47 · Patanjali · Classical (c. 2nd century BCE – 4th century CE)

This aphorism appears in the Sadhana Pada of Maharshi Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, immediately following the definition of asana as steady and comfortable. Here Patanjali gives the method by which such a posture is perfected — relaxation of effort and absorption in the infinite. Traditional commentators link 'ananta' to the cosmic serpent Ananta-Shesha who effortlessly bears the earth, a perfect image of steadiness without strain.

✦ As told in scripture

Meditators report that the moment they stop fighting the posture and let the mind dissolve into boundless space, the body settles into a stillness that can last for hours — light, effortless and forgotten — exactly the steadiness and ease Patanjali promised.

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The Mantra

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Prayatna-shaithilya-ananta-samapattibhyam || 2.47 || (pada-patha — prayatna-shaithilya-ananta-samapattibhyam)

Meaning:Posture is mastered by relaxing effort and by absorbing the mind in the infinite.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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prayatna🔊Effort, striving, tension, exertion

shaithilya🔊Relaxation, loosening, slackening, letting go

prayatna-shaithilya🔊By relaxing the effort; the loosening of striving

ananta🔊The infinite, the endless, the boundless (also Ananta, the cosmic serpent)

samapatti🔊Absorption, complete merging, coalescence of the mind with an object

ananta-samapatti🔊Absorption in / meditation upon the infinite

samapattibhyam🔊By these two (means) — used in the dual / instrumental

prayatna-shaithilya-ananta-samapattibhyam🔊By relaxation of effort and absorption in the infinite (the posture is perfected)

Benefits of Chanting Prayatna Shaithilya Ananta Samapattibhyam (Yoga Sutra 2.47)

✦

Reveals the secret of perfecting any posture: relax the effort and absorb the mind in the infinite.

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Teaches that ease in asana comes not from forcing but from letting go of unnecessary tension.

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Turns physical posture into a doorway to meditation by resting awareness in the boundless.

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Reduces strain and struggle in practice, bringing effortless steadiness and comfort.

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Completes Patanjali's teaching on asana (with 2.46), uniting body and mind in stillness.

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Cultivates inner expansiveness, calm and one-pointed absorption.

How to Chant Prayatna Shaithilya Ananta Samapattibhyam (Yoga Sutra 2.47)

Repetitions3times

Best TimeWhile settling into posture for asana or meditation

FaceEast or facing one's place of practice

Recite the sutra as you settle into your seat, then apply its two keys: gently release every unnecessary effort in the body, and let the mind rest in something boundless — the infinite sky, vast space, or the limitless Self. As striving dissolves and awareness expands, the posture grows steady and comfortable of its own accord. It is to be practiced directly in the body and mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete Prayatna Shaithilya Ananta Samapattibhyam (Yoga Sutra 2.47) written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It means 'Posture is mastered by relaxing effort and by absorbing the mind in the infinite.' Patanjali gives two means — prayatna-shaithilya (relaxing the effort) and ananta-samapatti (merging the mind with the boundless) — to perfect the asana defined in the previous sutra.

Prayatna-shaithilya means releasing all the unnecessary tension and striving used to hold a pose. One keeps only the minimum needed for stability and lets everything else soften, so the posture becomes effortless and the body forgets itself.

Ananta-samapatti is letting the mind merge with something boundless — endless space, the infinite, or (in tradition) Ananta the cosmic serpent who supports the earth. As the mind rests in the limitless, the body grows steady and the restlessness that disturbs posture fades away.

Sutra 2.46 defines posture as steady and comfortable; sutra 2.47 explains how that quality is achieved — by relaxing effort and absorbing the mind in the infinite. Together they form Patanjali's complete teaching on asana and its perfection.