Yoga Sutra 3.11 the destruction of the mind’s dispersiveness

Sūtra III.11

The destruction of the mind’s dispersiveness, and rise of its one-pointedness, is the samādhi transformation

Dispersiveness (sarvārthatā) of mind is its multifarious capacity for worldly experiences and also for release, that capacity being a characteristic of mind. It will be said (IV.23): ‘The mind coloured by the seer and the objects of sight has all purposes (sarvārtham).’

one-pointedness also is a characteristic of mind. The sameness of the dying down and the following uprising process of a mind in samādhi is the destruction of dispersiveness, meaning its disappearance, for an existent thing never (really) perishes. Rise of one-pointedness means (similarly) its manifestation, for there is no coming to be of something which is non-existent.

the mind conforms itself to each of them destruction and rise as they are its characteristics. This sūtra goes with the previous one and is to be taken with it.

By a process of restriction (niyama), the mind, conforming to destruction of dispersion and rise of one-pointedness, changes so that samādhi is predominant. The conforming by mind to destruction of dispersiveness and rise of one-pointedness is the samādhi transformation. Predominance of samādhi in the state of one-pointedness may be defined as: that which in the state of one-pointedness illumines the object (of concentration).

He says: That very mind conforming to the natural passing away and uprising both inherent in it of its two characteristics dispersiveness and one-pointedness, is concentrated. It is called the samādhi transformation because samādhi is predominant in it.