Yoga Sutra 1.16

तत्परं पुरुषख्यातेर्गुणवैतृष्ण्यम् ॥१६॥

tatparaṁ puruṣa-khyāteḥ guṇa-vaitṛṣṇyam ॥16॥

1. tat: that
2. paraṁ: highest
3. puruṣa: pure consciousness, Self
4. khyāteḥ: through knowledge, vision
5. puruṣa-khyāteḥ: true knowledge of purusha
6. guṇa: the three basic elements of nature; sattvas, rajas, tamas
7. vaitṛṣṇyam: state of freedom from desire or craving (for the gunas)

That is highest in which there is freedom from the desire for gunas on account of the knowledge of purusha.

OR

The highest state of equanimity arises from the experience of the true self; in this state even the basic elements of nature lose their power over us.

Higher form of vairagya - Vairagya can be categorized as two forms of state; lower state and higher state. In the lower form, attachments for sense objects exist in subtle forms, and one tries to suppress the sense through religious consciousness and satsang. There is conscious effort by the mind to control the desires and cravings. But in Paravairagya (higher state of vairagya), one needs to give up not only enjoyments, but also the deep-rooted taste for enjoyment. One can easily go back or get distracted from the lower state of vairagya. But once attained Paravairagya, there is no return to the life of cravings and passions.

Paravairagya is characterised by the absence of desire in all its forms. There is no desire for pleasure, enjoyment, knowledge or even sleep. To make this happen, there should be awareness of the real nature of purusha. The aspirants overcomes all attractions and remains unshaken, even when the pleasures of the world are offered. Purusha is dormant, unmanifest in the living bodies, present as a consciousness. when Purusha and Prakriti come into being together, we see the universe in which in which we are a part.

In Yoga, Purusha is the highest manifestation of consciousness, which is free of the vrittis and has no attachment with Prakriti, and the mind is not influenced by three gunas; sattwa, rajo and tama.

References

• Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, published in 1976.