History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.310

v7.c94.310

It is unnecessary to dwell upon the results of all *saṃyamas* mentioned in Y. S. pāda three. A few are cited by way of sample. By samyama on the power of an elephant one secures the strength of an elephant (III. 24), by samyama on the sun there arises the knowledge of the seven worlds (III. 26) and by samyama on the moon, there arises knowledge of the arrangement of the stars (III. 27), by samyama on the navel *cakra* arises knowledge of the arrangement of the body (III. 29, viz. the three *doṣas*, *vāta*, *pitta*, *kapha* and the seven dhātus viz. skin, blood, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow and semen). By samyama on the coarse²³⁸⁸ forms, the essential attributes (svarūpa), the subtle form (tanmātrās), the inherence (anvaya) and the purposiveness of the five elements results the conquest (or mastery over) elements and from this results the appearance of the perfections called *aṇimā* and others, perfection of body and non-obstruction (of the actions of the yogin by the qualities of the elements i. e the earth cannot prevent the yogin by its hardness from penetrating inside the earth's rocks nor can fire burn him &c.) In IV. 1 Patañjali states that supernormal powers (siddhis) arise in five ways viz. by birth in certain²³⁸⁹ bodies (e. g. being born as a bird which can fly high in the sky), by the use of certain drugs, by the *japa* of certain mantras, by *tapas* (which is one of the niyamas) and by samādhi, each succeeding one being superior to each preceding one.