In our recent studies, we’re delving into aphorism 1.20 from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra. In a previous essay, we considered the first two listed qualities: śraddhā/faith and vīrya/strength or energy. The third listed quality is smṛti, variously translated as memory, remembering, or even mindfulness. This always reminds me (I remember!) of something Krishna Das said: remember to remember. I suspect he was talking about remembering the Highest, the Divine, the beloved, always and all ways.
One very concrete interpretation of smṛti is to remember the lessons you’ve learned in your life. This may be a recollection, but it also could be an active inquiry into your history to discern the connection between your actions and the outcomes in your life. First off, we don’t want to continue making the same mistakes. When we encounter some situation we have previous experience with, we bring to bear all we’ve learned about what type of action will bring about the highest in a given situation.
This is related to the concept of sambandha, which is the ability to see the relationship, to connect the dots between one thing and another. Especially important is remembering what takes us further along the path of yoga, understanding what actions on our part keep us most aligned with our Heartself. We must identify how our practice of yoga impacts our life, remember that connection between our practices and the unfolding of our life. This will feed back into the faith/śraddhā and energy/vīrya to do our practices, and to generally affirm we are continuing to move forward in an aligned way.
Another interpretation of smṛti that I see in the commentaries concerns recalling the calm, loving, and luminous states we experience during practice. This relates to the concept of vyutthāna, mentioned by Kṣemarāja in the Pratyabhijñā-hṛdayam (e.g., PH 19). This is a practice done as one is emerging from practice, like when getting up from śavāsana and sitting quietly for a moment to remember and imprint the state of sattva/luminosity the practice brings. Then one’s life can be uplifted by actively recalling that state later during daily life on a moment by moment basis.
Which brings us back around to remembering the Highest in each moment, being mindful of the dynamics of each situation and instead of reacting from some habitual behavioral pattern, remembering your heart, remembering you have some freedom of choice, remembering previous lessons and consciously choosing to move from the highest possible place. And remember to remember.
REFLECT AND EXPLORE
Contemplate and write about smṛti.
What are all the ways you think about smṛti? How can they be applied to your life?
What connection/sambandha do you see between your practice of yoga, and living your householder life?
How is smṛti related to śraddhā and vīrya?
