This guest post is by Satyan Sharma (PhD, Panjab University, Chandigarh).
In his chapter titled ‘Habit and Karmic result in Yogaśāstra’, published in the Oxford Handbook of Indian Philosophy, Christopher G. Framarin has many a time stated that Yogaśāstra does not explicitly state that actions lead to habits. For example, he states:
It is worth noting, however, that the Yogaśāstra never explicitly says that the relationship between actions and habits parallels the relationship between mental states and habits. – Framarin (2017, p. 136)
Based on Philipp A. Maas’ work, Framarin takes both the sūtras and the commentary (attributed to Vyāsa) to be composed by a single author, and for this reason the entire text including the commentary, is referred to by him as the Yogaśāstra (Framarin, 2017, p. 133).[1] Hence, in this response, I have used the term Yogaśāstra in the same sense. He has taken the term ‘saṃskāra‘ to mean habit. If we take ‘saṃskāra‘ to be habit, then it seems that Yogaśāstra does state that actions lead to habits.
Karma or action is said to produce karmāśaya or action deposit. As per the commentary on sūtra 1.24, āśaya means vāsanā which is in accordance with the fruits of actions.[2] Similarly, on sūtra 4.6, āśaya has been defined as the tendency of desire, aversion, et cetera.[3] In this way, the term karmāśaya means karmavāsanā, and it is to be noted that the commentator has himself used the latter term in the sense of the former term in the commentary on sūtra 4.9.[4]
In the commentary on sūtra 2.15, it has been stated that karmāśaya is of the form of merit (dharma) and demerit (adharma).[5] In the commentary on sūtra 3.18, it has been said that habits (saṃskāras) are of two kinds; first, those which cause memory and affliction (kleśa), and second, those which cause fruits of actions and are of the form of merit and demerit.[6] Vāsanā is also a form of saṃskāra, and so is that which causes fruits of actions. What leads to or causes the fruits of actions? In the commentary of sūtra 2.13, it has been said that if afflictions remain, the karmāśaya becomes the cause of fruits of actions.[7] So if karma leads to karmāśaya, and if karmāśaya is a kind of saṃskāra, saṃskāra being habit as per Framarin’s translation, it could imply that actions lead to habits as per Yogaśāstra.
References
Primary text
Yogasūtrabhāṣya (YSB) : Patañjali, & Vyāsa. (2013). Pātañjala Yoga Darśanam of Maharṣi Patañjali with The Bhāṣya of Vyāsa (R. Tripathi, Trans.; 4th ed.). Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy.
Secondary text
Framarin, C. (2017). Habit and Karmic result in Yogaśāstra. In J. Ganeri (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Indian Philosophy (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.
[1] Framarin refers to Maas’ work “A Concise Historiography Of Classical Yoga Philosophy”, published in Historiography and Periodization in Indian Philosophy, edited by Eli Franco, 2013.
[2] kuśalākuśalāni karmāṇi. tatphalaṃ vipākaḥ. tadanuguṇā vāsanā āśayāḥ – YSB, 1.24
[3] āśayo rāgādipravṛttiḥ – YSB, 4.6
[4] yathānubhavās tathā saṃskārāḥ. te ca karmavāsanānurūpāḥ yathā ca vāsanās tathā smṛtir iti jātideśakālavyavahitebhyaḥ saṃskārebhyaḥ smṛtiḥ. smṛteś ca punaḥ saṃskārā ity evam ete smṛtisaṃskārāḥ karmāśayavṛttilābhavaśād vyajyante – YSB, 4.9
[5] sukhasādhanāni ca prārthayamānaḥ kāyena vācā manasā ca parispandate tataḥ param anugṛhṇāty upahanti ceti parānugrahapīḍābhyāṃ dharmādharmāv upacinoti. sa karmāśayo lobhān mohāc ca bhavatīty eṣā tāpaduḥkhatocyate – YSB, 2.15
[6] dvaye khalv amī saṃskārāḥ smṛtikleśahetavo vāsanārūpā vipākahetavo dharmādharmarūpāḥ – YSB, 3.18
[7] satsu kleśeṣu karmāśayo vipākārambhī bhavati – YSB, 2.13
Totally agree that actions lead to habits and eventually the character of the person. Good article!