Sutra 1.24: Ishvara who?

Sutra 1.24: Klesa Karma Vipaka Asayaih Aparmrstah Purusavisesah IsvarahSutra

God is a special Being who is free from afflictions, actions, fruits of actions and impressions (from yogapradipika.com)

Sutra 1.24 helps us to better understand Ishvara from the previous sutra where we were given an alternate route to samadhi (liberation), which was to surrender completely to Ishvara. Remember that Ishvara translated as God or Supreme Being.

While this sutra does not tell us exactly what is Ishvara, it does tell us what Ishvara is not succeptable to. Ishvara is untouched by karma which means actions or sometimes inaction and the consequences of either. Ishvara is free from all afflictions such as ignorance, ego, attachment to likes, aversion to dislikes, and fear of death. (The Kleshas)

Ishvara is not affected by these afflictions very simply because Ishvara is not a who. He is not a he, a she, and doesn’t have an IG account listed with a preferred pronoun. Ishvara is not a giant man in the sky with a gray beard standing in front of pearly gates ready to enroll you in the angel academy or damn you to hell. Ishvara is not a superior human and when we humanize by calling her or him a she or a he, perhaps we are confusing ourselves even further more on the subject.

Ishvara is being-ness and being-ness is neither past nor future, right or wrong, like or dislike, agree or disagree. Being-ness encompasses all that is with no grasp, with no rules, with no agenda, and with no preferred outcome. Being-ness belongs to no one and everyone all at the same time.

Ishvara is beyond words, beyond pronouns, beyond metaphor, and beyond my mind that so desperately wants to explain the unexplainable. Perhaps simply knowing that there is more that cannot be explained than can, is enough to release all previous beliefs of God, or to relieve ourselves so that we can just BE and soak in all the ness in the being.

Muchas Gracias dear Readers,

I am so grateful to be able to discuss “God” and open our minds and hearts to perhaps understand in a new and different way than we have in the past. I encourage you to explore with words to name “God” that might feel resonate to you, so that we can make it a practice to invite this “being-ness” into our lives each and every day.

So much love,

Andrea Dawn