path lies in the world of phenomena which is unreal and illusory while the objective
lies in the world of the Eternal which is Real.
It is this possibility of taking different paths that enables the Yogi to cut short
the process of unfoldment in the phenomenal worlds and to attain perfection in the
shortest possible time. He is not bound to go along the long and easy road of evolution
which humanity as a whole is treading. He can step out of this broad road and take the
short and difficult climb to the mountain top by following the path of Yoga. But if he
is bent on breaking through the world of phenomena into the world of Reality he must
first understand the nature of these phenomena and the manner in which they are per-
ceived by the mind. That is why Patanjali has dealt with this question in IV-12.
- They, whether manifest or unmanifest, are of the nature of Gunas.
In the last Sutra it was pointed out that all kinds of phenomena which are the
object of perception by the mind are nothing but different combinations of Dharmas or
properties which are inherent in Prakrti. In this Sutra the idea is carried one step fur-
ther and it is pointed out that the Dharmas themselves are nothing but different combi-
nations of the three primary Gunas. This is a sweeping statement which is likely to
startle anyone who is not familiar with the theory of Gunas but to one who understands
this theory it will appear as a perfectly logical conclusion which flows naturally from
that theory. If the three Gunas are the three fundamental principles of motion (inertia,
mobility, vibration) and if motion of some kind or another lies at the basis of manifes-
tation of all kinds of properties then these properties must be of the nature of Gunas.
Physical, chemical and other kinds of properties which modern Science has studied so
far can be traced ultimately to motions and positions of different kinds and so the the-
ory that properties are of the nature of Gunas is in accord with the latest scientific de-
velopments as far as they go. But the statement in the Sutra under discussion is of an
all-embracing character and comprises not only physical properties which we can cog-