Verse 4.11
हेतुफलाश्रयालम्बनैः संगृहीतत्वातेषामभावेतदभावः ॥११॥
hetu-phala-āśraya-ālambanaiḥ saṃgṛhītatvād-eṣām-abhāve tat-abhāvaḥ ||11||
Being held together by cause, effect, support, and objects, in the absence of these is its absence.
Verse 4.12
अतीतानागतं स्वरूपतोऽस्तिअध्वभेदाद् धर्माणाम् ॥१२॥
atīta-anāgataṃ svarūpataḥ asti-adhva-bhedāt-dharmāṇām ||12||
The past and future exist in their own nature, qualities having different ways.
Lack of understanding, avidya, creates afflictions, which in turn create desires. This causes the cycle of rebirths. The accumulated impressions of
memory are without beginning, but have a definite end provided the individual becomes cultured and discerning. When the formation of desire is kept in abeyance, the cycle of rebirths comes to an end.
Due to the play of the gunas of nature, conditions change, producing the illusion that time has changed. Past and future are woven into the present, though they appear different due to the movement of moments.
Desire nourishes action aimed at its gratification. The intermission between desire, action and fulfilment involves time, which manifests as past,
present and future. True understanding of motivation and the movement of moments releases a yogi from the knot of bondage.
Moment is changeless and eternal. Moments flow into movements eternally and are measurable as past, present and future. This measurable time is finite, when contrasted with eternity.
The negative effects of time are intellectual {lack of spiritual knowledge, avidyii, and pride ; emotional {attachment to pleasure, raga, and aversion to pain) ; and instinctive {the desire to cling to life) .
Time's positive effect is the acquisition of knowledge. The experience of the past supports the present, and progress in the present builds a sound foundation for the future. One uses the past as a guide to develop discriminative power, alertness and awareness which smooth the path for Self-Realization.
The yogi who studies in depth this unique rotation of time keeps aloof from the movement of moments; he rests in the present, at which crucial point desires are kept in abeyance. Thus he becomes clear of head, clean of heart, and free from time, which binds consciousness. When the conjunction between the movement of moments and consciousness terminates, freedom and .beatitude, kaivalya, are experienced.
PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS
