As we know, the goal of yoga practice is to attain the highest state of inner peace. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, calls this the Asamprajnata Samadhi (seedless samadhi). This samadhi finally leads to the state of "Kaivalya" which can be translated as self-realization.
In this connection, Patanjali, in yoga sutra 1.20 provides us a great insight into the kind of endeavor needed to attain this state of seedless samadhi:
श्रद्धावीर्यस्मृतिसमाधिप्रज्ञापूर्वक इतरेषाम्॥२०॥
shraddhaavIryasmRutisamaadhipraj~jaapUravaka itareSham
"For those (who are willing to follow the path of prescribed effort), this Asamprajnata Samadhi is attained through faith (shraddha), energy (virya), memory (smriti), contemplation (samadhi) and discernment (prajna)."
You can think of these five steps as the rungs of a ladder. Most commentators depict these as successive steps, one leading to the next. Thus shraddha (faith) leads to virya (energy) and so on, until we reach the state of prajna (discriminative wisdom). Prajna has been identified elsewhere in the sutras as the state leading to "seedless samadhi" (sutras 1.48 – 1.51).
Let us take a closer look at these five endeavors.
Shraddha (faith)
Shraddha is usually translated as faith. However, faith can sometime mean blind faith which is not what is intended here. For example, one can have a blind faith in the religion they belong to or in the scriptures that they study. In that sense a more appropriate translation of shraddha would be "trust". Here we are talking of trust that is built on proper reasoning and analysis, not blind faith. Since our goal is to attain self-realization through the path of yoga, we are now talking about our total trust and devotion to the eight limbs of yoga, the path prescribed by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.These eights limbs are: 5 yamas, 5 niyamas (yamas and niyamas are social, moral and ethical guidelines), asana (physical posture), pranayama (breathing techniques), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). Through this trust and faith, we are totally committing ourselves to the practice of these eight limbs of yoga.
Virya (energy)
The unwavering trust (shraddha) in our endeavor gives us the will-power, courage and determination to follow the prescribed path until our goad is reached. One of the meanings of the Sanskrit word "virya" is "semen". So, some commentators have equated virya with the practice of Brahmacharya (celibacy) which is listed by Patanjali as one of the five yamas. I think when you are totally committed to the path of yoga as an endeavor to reach self-realization, you are more likely than not to automatically follow brahmacharya. Virya thus implies the indomitable courage and will to follow the path of yoga. This determination will bring us back on the path of yoga when the mind is distracted by the sensual objects.
Smriti (memory)
The most common meaning of Smriti is memory. So the question arises "memory of what?". In the current context, I think memory simply means that the only thing we try to remember is our goal and how we plan to attain that goal. Virya or courage that I mentioned earlier will help us stay focused and help us remember only our chosen goal. Memory of other mundane experiences can obviously lead us astray and take us away from our chosen endeavor. For example, when we practice "Ishwara Pranidhana" (surrender to God, which is one of the five niyamas) by repeatedly chanting the AUM sound, it brings the mind to a peaceful state. By keeping the memory of that experience, we can continue on the same path without distraction.
Samadhi (contemplation)
Samadhi, in this context means that the mind has attained a state where it is not distracted by stray thoughts or by the five senses. When we are able to maintain the memory of our goal constantly, the mind is less likely to be driven to objects of the senses. When the mind becomes free of distractions, it attains the state of samadhi which can be understood to mean a mind free of polarity (duality) and conflicts.
Prajna (discriminative wisdom)
The constant practice of samadhi can lead us to the state of discriminative wisdom. In this state, avidya (ignorance) which has been mentioned as the root cause of all kleshas (afflictions) (sutra 2.3) is removed and we are no more under the negative influence of the ego. The mind becomes pure and is able to discriminate between real and unreal. As mentioned in sutras 1.48-51, prajna finally leads us to the state of "seedless samadhi" which is the goal of our yoga practice.
Thus, from shraddha (faith) to prajna (discernment) are the means of attaining the ultimate state of yoga – seedless samadhi.
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