In this sutra and the following one, Patanjali is enlarging upon an earlier formulation of the truth. (See Sutra 7.) He teaches that meditation is of two kinds:

1. With an object or seed, and therefore employing the rationalizing judicial mind, the mental body with its concretizing faculty, and its ability to create thought forms,
2. Without an object or seedless, and therefore employing a different faculty, and one which is only possible when the concrete mind is understood, and utilized with correctness. This correct [95] use involves the ability to "still the modifications of the mind," reduce the "chitta" or mind stuff to quietude so that it can take on the coloring of the higher knowledge and reflect the higher realities.

The perceiver has to arrive at a knowledge of subliminal things by the process, first of all, of awareness of the external form, then a passing beyond the external form to the internal state of that form, to that which produces externality (being force of some kind), until he arrives at that which is the cause of both. These three are called in this sutra:

Students of Raja Yoga have, however, to grasp the elementary facts concerning all forms and to familiarize themselves in their meditation with the work of separating the triplicities, so as to be able eventually to contact any of the component aspects as they will. In this way the nature of consciousness is understood, for the perceiver (who is trained in these differentiations) can enter into the consciousness of the atoms composing any tangible form, and can advance further and enter into the consciousness of the energies who produce the objective body. These are literally what has been called the "Army of the Voice." He can also contact eventually the consciousness of that Great Life who is responsible for the initial word. These are the great landmarks, but in between are many grades of lives responsible for the intermediate sounds and these can therefore be contacted and known. [97]