Sutra 2.24

Sutra 24, tasya hetura vidya, it tasya it's hetuhu, it's reason, it's cause, avidya. So the sun yoga that was mentioned in the previous sutra, it's cause is avidya. So potentially is reaffirming the idea that avidya, that partiality, is the underlying cause for the sun yoga, for that overly strong conjunction, that identification with something that is less than who we really are, that is actually the opportunity to come to mastery, the underlying cause is avidya. So this is a reiteration of the idea that's already been expressed at the beginning of the chapter, but now it's in this context of how we're going to practically come out of the suffering that is to be avoided, the pain that is to be removed. So initially what's this telling us, okay partiality, avidya, that is the field, the underlying enabling cause for our troubles and for our opportunities.

So there's the idea, well avidya is the field, so get on the field of play, get in the game, keep doing the jigsaw, keep exploring, keep playing, keep things light, keep curious, keep inquisitive, stay a student. And with this sutra, we've kind of had this reiteration now of these key points. So Patanjali's told us that the pain that does not yet come is to be avoided. So now he's also told us that why does this pain that does exist, but is to be avoided, is to be removed, why does it exist? So it's on account of the sanyoga, the overly strong conjunction of the drastri and the radishya of the seer and the scene.

And he's told us the reason for that is our own empowerment, it's to give us this field in which we can actually come to recognize ourselves. So again the idea of what is the purpose of all of this manifest existence, it is for the seer to recognize itself, it's for consciousness to have that thrill of recognition. Okay, well and good. So we know pain that does not yet come is to be avoided. Okay, there's this sanyoga business going on, yeah I can relate to that, I am identified with my bodily identification and my ideas and my sense of limitation and all of this.

What's the question now? Well what to do about it, yeah? And yoga is the practical school of Indian philosophy and Patanjali always very practical. So having told us all that, now this pain that is to be removed, how is it going to be removed? What is its removal like?

And that's where Patanjali continues.