Throughout The Yoga Sūtras, lasting peace and spiritual liberation (kaivalya) are closely associated with cultivating non-attachment, or vairāgya. This principle fosters deep inner freedom by encouraging practitioners to relinquish the ego’s craving for specific outcomes, objects, and experiences. Patanjali presents non-attachment alongside consistent practice as a means of steadying the mind. This detachment extends to worldly pleasures, the fruits of one’s actions, and even the supernatural powers (siddhis) that may arise on the path, which can become obstacles if the practitioner becomes attached to them.

From the outset, the text establishes non-attachment as a central element of Yogic practice. Book 1, Sūtra 12 states that the modifications of the mind are restrained by both practice (abhyāsa) and non-attachment (vairāgya). The Sūtra presents these two principles as complementary means of calming the mind. The commentary defines vairāgya as a state of “self-mastery in one who is free from craving from objects seen or heard about” (22). It explains that desires color the mind and create ripples of disturbance, preventing the stillness required for meditation. Initially, non-attachment involves consciously restraining the mind’s tendency to grasp at external sources of happiness while recognizing that true peace comes from within instead of possession or sensory gratification.

The text further distinguishes between ordinary non-attachment and a more complete state of detachment. Supreme non-attachment, as described in Book 1, Sūtra 16, arises spontaneously from the direct realization of the True Self (Puruṣa). Once a practitioner has tasted this inner bliss, the commentary explains, the “petty enjoyments” of the world become as insignificant as “specks of light in front of the brilliant sun” (28). Having discovered a deeper source of fulfillment, the practitioner no longer finds external pleasures appealing. The practice of Īśvara praṇidhāna, or total surrender to God, helps cultivate this attitude. By dedicating all actions and their results to a higher power, the practitioner lets go of the ego’s need to control and possess, finding greater freedom from disappointment and anxiety.

Non-attachment also extends to the practitioner’s response to spiritual accomplishments. Book 3 details numerous supernatural powers, or siddhis, that can be attained through advanced concentration, such as knowledge of past lives or the ability to become invisible. While these powers are presented as real possibilities, the text also warns that they can become obstacles to spiritual progress. Sūtra 38 notes that these powers are obstacles to the highest state of samādhi, and Sūtra 51 concludes that through “non-attachment even to that [siddhis], the seed of bondage is destroyed and thus follows kaivalya.” (189) This teaching emphasizes how easily the ego becomes attached to spiritual attainments. Clinging to powers, even extraordinary ones, reinforces the sense of a separate, accomplished “I” and strengthens the attachment that sustains bondage. The text therefore presents freedom from attachment—even to spiritual attainments—as essential for achieving kaivalya.