स्वरूपम्- Svarūpa

 

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Blog author Jayaraman Mahadevan

 

स्वरूपम्- Svarūpa

Etymology

स्वस्य रूपम्  = स्वरूपम्

svasya rūpam  = Svarūpam

This is a compound term.

Svasya of oneself (first term), Rūpam – form (second term) - One’s own form

This is a ṣaṣṭhītatpuruṣa compound as per the grammatical  rule षष्ठी ṣaṣṭhī (aṣṭādhyāyī 2.2.8)

 

Lexicon

There are two references in Amarakośa for Svarūpa.

 

…स्वरूपं च स्वभावश्च निसर्गश्च …(1.7.38)

… Svarūpa, svabhāva, nisarga indicate the meaning nature.

 

प्राप्तरूपस्वरूपाभिरूपा बुधमनोज्ञयोः (3.3.131)

The words prāptarūpa, Svarūpa, abhirūpa are used to indicate an intelligent person. It can also be used to indicate a beautiful entity.

 

Textual occurrences

Yogasūtra

There are nine occurrences of the term Svarūpa in this text. The following is a chapter-wise summary.

 

Chapter 1 – 2 occurrences

1.     तदा द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽवस्थानम् ॥ १.३ ॥ - tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe'vasthānam .. 1.3 ..  – The consciousness (seer) is established in its original (conscious) form (svarūpa) during the state of Yoga.

 

2.     स्मृतिपरिशुद्धौ स्वरूपशून्येवार्थमात्रनिर्भासा निर्वितर्का ॥ १.४३ ॥ - smṛtipariśuddhau Svarūpaśūnyevārthamātranirbhāsā nirvitarkā .. 1.43 .. – The Svarūpa or the form here, refers to that of the mind. When the mind reaches the state of Nirvitarka-samādhi, it is as if it loses its own form (Svarūpa) and completely attains the form of the object of focus.

 

Chapter 2 – 2 occurrences

3.     स्वस्वामिशक्त्योः स्वरूपोपलब्धिहेतुः संयोगः ॥ २.२३ ॥

svasvāmiśaktyoḥ svarūpopalabdhihetuḥ saṃyogaḥ .. 2.23 .. – Here Svarūpa of two entities are discussed. When the Svarūpa of the sva – the matter – the possession of the consciousness – the dṛśya - is known, then it is called as  Bhoga (worldly experience/pleasures).

When the Svarūpa of svāmi – the one who possesses – the consciousness - draṣṭā - is known - then it is called apavarga (liberation). Both Bhoga and Apavarga are caused by the conjunction saṃyoga of sva and svāmi. It is interesting to note the centrality of the term Svarūpa in the context of both dimensions of experiences (Bhoga and Apavarga) of the consciousness.

 

4.     स्वविषयासंप्रयोगे चितस्वरूपानुकार इवेन्द्रियाणां प्रत्याहारः ॥ २.५४ ॥

svaviṣayāsaṃprayoge citasvarūpānukāra ivendriyāṇāṃ pratyāhāraḥ .. 2.54 ..  – The term Svarūpa here is used in the context of the definition of the fifth limb of Yoga – Pratyāhāra. When the senses do not get associated with their respective objects and as if imitate the form (Svarūpa) that the citta takes, it is called as Pratyāhāra. The commentators clarify that the citta operates at a subtle level and the senses operate at a gross level. Hence imitation of citta’s Svarūpa by the senses as such cannot happen. So it is stated “as if”. The essence is – the absolute obedience of the senses in not dissipating/distracting the focus of the mind which tries to take the form (Svarūpa) of object of meditation. 

 

Chapter 3 – 3 occurrences

5.     तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिव समाधिः ॥ ३.३ ॥ - tadevārthamātranirbhāsaṃ Svarūpaśūnyamiva samādhiḥ .. 3.3 .. The meaning of the term Svarūpa is the same as has been discussed above in the reference 1.43.

6.     स्थूलस्वरूपसूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद्भूतजयः ॥ ३.४४ ॥ - sthūlaSvarūpasūkṣmānvayārthavattvasaṃyamād bhūtajayaḥ .. 3.44 ..

7.     ग्रहणस्वरूपास्मि​तान्वयार्थवत्त्व​संयमादिन्द्रियजयः ॥ ३.४७ ॥ - grahaṇasvarūpāsmi​tānvayārthavattva​saṃyamādindriyajayaḥ .. 3.47 ..  – References 3.44 & 3.47 use the word Svarūpa in a unique technical sense.  Towards the attainment of bhūtajaya (complete control over the elements) and indriyajaya (Complete control over the senses) – five levels (from gross to subtle levels) of Samyama  (Dhāraṇā-Dhyāna-Samādhi) is advised on the Bhūtas and Indiryas respectively. From the gross level the second/next level of Bhūtas and Indiryas is Svarūpa . Svarūpa of Bhūtas according to Sadāśiva Brahmendra’s commentary to this Sūtra is – काठिन्य-स्नेहौष्ण्य-प्रेरणा-सर्वगतत्व-लक्षण-स्वरूपम्  - kāṭhinyasnehauṣṇya-preraṇāsarvagatatva-lakṣaṇaSvarūpam  –The toughness (of the earth), the binding nature (of the water), heat (of the fire), the nature of inducing movement (in the wind) and all pervasive nature (of the space).  In the case of Indriyas, their Svarūpa , is stated in simpler terms by Sadāśiva Brahmendra in his commentary  as  प्रकाशकत्वम्  prakāśakatvam - the ability to shine light on objects/ reveal the nature of the objects.

 

Chapter 4 – 2 occurrences

8.     अतीतानागतं स्वरूपतोऽस्त्यध्वभेदाद्धर्माणाम् ॥ ४.१२ ॥ - atītānāgataṃ Svarūpato'styadhvabhedāddharmāṇām .. 4.12 .. – This Sūtra establishs the views that – the world in all its dimensions is a reality and not an imagination or just a projection unlike the Buddhist or the Vedāntis. Even the things of the past and the things of the future also exist in their true form (Svarūpa) (and not in mere imagination). In the subsequent Sūtra the how of this is clarified - the Svarūpa of things present is manifest, whereas the Svarūpa of the things of the past and future are un-manifest but exist.

 

9.     पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानां प्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति ॥ ४.३४ ॥- puruṣārthaśūnyānāṃ guṇānāṃ pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṃ Svarūpapratiṣṭhā vā citiśaktiriti .. 4.34 .. – The Svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā – establishment in true nature is comparable to the svarūpe avasthānam stated in Sūtra 1.3 earlier.  While it can be stated that svarūpe avasthānam (staying in the pure conscious state) – which is but a glimpse of Kaivalya – happens during the state of Yoga (as long as the state of Samādhi lasts), ultimate establishment in the pure conscious form - Svarūpapratiṣṭhā – is attained when the guṇas attain pratiprasava (rolling back into their causal state) once for all.

Thus it can be seen the term Svarūpa, a very common term in Saṃskṛta language has many shades of meanings in Yoga-sūtras depending upon the context.  

 

Bhagvad-gītā

While the word rūpa is found in its various forms (rūpa, viśvarūpa, ugrarūpa, anantarūpa ) in this text, the word Svarūpa is not found.

 

Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā

There is just one reference to the utilization of this term in the text.

ततो यातो वह्न्यपानौ प्राणमुष्णस्वरूपकम् ।
तेनात्यन्तप्रदीप्तस्तु ज्वलनो देहजस्तथा ॥ ३.६७ ॥

tato yāto vahnyapānau prāṇamuṣṇasvarūpakam ।

tenātyantapradīptastu jvalano dehajastathā ॥ 3.67 .. – The process of awakening of  kuṇḍalī is being described here. The verse states that the apāna and jaṭharāgni reach the prāṇa which is already of the nature of being hot(uṣṇa-svarūpaka). 

 

 Observation 

As evident, in comparison to the other two, Yogasūtras give a lot of importance to the word svarūpa

In this text  svarūpa of the consciousness, dṛśya, guṇas are discussed. 

The term svarūpa has significance in the context of the state of Kaivalya, attainment of state of samādhi, pratyāhāra and such other yogic states and practices. Even in the attaiment of siddhis the riole the term svarūpa has been used. This underlines the importance of the term svarūpa in the Yogic context. 

 

 

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