Vairagya

Vairagya is non-attachment - the conscious choice to release identification with desires and aversions. Paired with abhyasa (practice), it forms the foundation of yoga. While abhyasa is the active engagement, vairagya is the letting go.

Vairagya is not suppression or denial but a mature dispassion born from understanding. When we see clearly that external objects cannot provide lasting satisfaction, attachment naturally loosens. This seeing comes through practice and discrimination.

Patanjali describes two levels of vairagya: apara vairagya (lower) where we release attachment to sensory objects, and para vairagya (higher) where even the attraction to subtle states and powers is released. The highest vairagya leads to kaivalya - liberation through complete independence from all phenomena.