यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते | सर्वसंकल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते || ४ ||
yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu na karmasv anuṣajjate sarva-saṅkalpa-sannyāsī yogārūḍhas tadocyate
yadā—when; hi—certainly; na—not; indriya-artheṣu—in sense gratification; na—nor; karmasu—in fruitive activities; anuṣajjate—one necessarily engages; sarva-saṅkalpa—all material desires; sannyāsī—renouncer; yoga-ārūḍhaḥ—elevated in yoga; tadā—at that time; ucyate—is said.
“When one is not attached to sense objects and actions, having renounced all selfish intentions — at that time he is said to have ascended to yoga.”
The criterion for yoga-arudha (having ascended to yoga) is twofold: freedom from attachment to sense pleasures and freedom from attachment to the fruits of action. These are not achieved by suppression but by the natural loosening of desire that comes through sustained practice, discrimination, and the repeated return of attention to the Self. When these two freedoms are stabilised, the yogi has arrived.
Track your progress not by how many hours you meditate, but by how often sense objects and desired outcomes pull you away from your centre. As your practice matures, you will notice that fewer things have the power to disturb your equanimity — this is the sign of genuine ascent.