**1) After outlining the five powers—five extraordinary spiritual techniques that we can use to advance ourselves along our spiritual journey—Master Patanjali gives us what he calls “another way” to speed up the trip, even faster. Explain this way.** It is what the Master calls “asking the Master for their blessing”—meaning to take oneself to a spiritual teacher. Reaching high spiritual goals is a difficult process, requiring more training than, for example, mastering piano or a foreign language. If an expert teacher is required even in these worldly pursuits, then there’s no need to say we need one in this life-or-death quest. The job then becomes *finding* a true teacher, and then *respecting* them in the proper way—without which no real progress is possible. **2) Give the Sanskrit word that Master Patanjali uses for the phrase “asking for a blessing” here; include its roots and English cognates. Then what he is trying to convey by this choice of words.** The Sanskrit word for “asking for a blessing” here is *pranidhana* ài\[xan*,* meaning “to make a prayer or supplication.” This word is composed of *pra* à*,* meaning “ahead” or “forward” or “very much.” It is found in the English words “forward,” “proud” (up front), and “prow” (front of a boat). *Ni* in is a Sanskrit prefix that means “below” or “down,” and is found in the English words “beneath,” or “netherworld.” *√Dha* xa is a root that means “to set down, or establish.” It is found in the English words “to do,” “deed” (an agreement set down in writing), and “doom” (a future which is set down in fate). The combination of all these elements then means a prayer which is “set down in front of” ones spiritual teacher. The reason that Master Patanjali uses this strong language for supplication is that he wants to show how critical it is for our spiritual progress that we honor and respect our teachers properly. **3) Master Patanjali then lists five special qualities that we should look for in a spiritual guide. Name and describe them (in English).** (a) Master Patanjali says that our teacher should be “an extraordinary person.” The traditional qualities that mark a teacher as extraordinary include: (1) they lead an ethical life; (2) they meditate well; (3) they understand reality in an intellectual way; (4) they are familiar with a wide variety of authentic spiritual texts; (5) they have gained actual realizations of ultimate reality, preferably directly; (6) they exceed their prospective student in their knowledge and other spiritual qualities; (7) they are skilled at teaching, to the level of the student; (8) they teach out of love for their students, and not for lower motivations; (9) they really enjoy working for the sake of others; and (10) they are never tired or discouraged to teach others, even if they must do so over and over. The most important of these qualities is the direct realization of ultimate reality, or emptiness. The four remaining qualities mentioned by Master Patanjali are all based on this. (b) They have been able to stop their negative emotions; this is what “nirvana” or “enemy destroyer” means, and can only be done by seeing ultimate reality directly. (c) They are beyond the reach of karma: they understand enough about how things really work that they no longer undertake actions based on a misperception of reality. This means that they are no longer capable of either ignorant liking or ignorant disliking. (d) Whatever negative karmic seeds they may have collected in the past can no longer ripen—the airplanes in queue at the airport will never take off. This is accomplished again through a deep understanding of ultimate reality. (e) The negative karmic seeds stored up in the past are themselves destroyed: this is accomplished through the four powers of karmic purification—which are again based on understanding ultimate reality: something which enables one to truly avoid committing any more negative karma as well. **4) How does Master Patanjali characterize a successful relationship with a truly qualified teacher?** He says “Herein lies, in the most excellent way of all, the seed for knowing all things,” or achieving the state of an enlightened Angel who can serve all beings on all planets. **5) Give the two ways of describing the Sanskrit word *kala,* or “time,” as it pertains to our relationship with a spiritual teacher.** One way to interpret the verse in this section which mentions *kala* is to read it as “time”; meaning that we should never allow ourselves to be separated from our spiritual teacher for any length of time. The other way to read it is in its meaning as “death,” in which case it means that there are spiritual guides wandering throughout the world who have overcome death itself, and who continue to guide both past and present students over the time of many centuries. **6) What does Master Patanjali call *pranava,* or “the first of all prayers”? Give the other meaning of this word too, and describe its three elements.** Calling upon our spiritual teacher is the first of all prayers, or *pranava.* The actual method for calling our Teacher can include asking them directly for their blessing and assistance, and at a more advanced level repeating their name as the highest form of mantra itself. *Pranava* is also another name for the mantra *om,* which is composed of three sounds: *ah, uh* (pronounced “oo”), and *ma.* These three sounds represent the sacred body, voice, and mind of the enlightened Angel that we will become through our successful practice of yoga. **7) Name two benefits that Master Patanjali says will come from calling upon our Teacher for their help.** Master Patanjali says first that we will gain the ability to focus the mind within, due to focusing on our mind on such a powerful positive object. Secondly we will be able to avoid the spiritual obstacles that normally come whenever we try to work hard at yoga or any other important practice. He lists these obstacles in the next section of the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra.