There is a wisdom that does not come from books or teachers. It does not rise from memory or reasoning. It shines when the mind is quiet, like sunlight breaking through clouds. Patanjali, the ancient sage of yoga and author of the Yoga Sutras, called this truth-bearing wisdom.

Ritambhara Prajna – Truth-Bearing Wisdom

ritambhara tatra prajna

(Yoga Sutra 1.48)

In that state, there arises truth-bearing wisdom.

The word Ritambhara means “truth-bearing intelligence” – a radiant awareness that reflects reality exactly as it is, without distortion. Unlike ordinary knowledge gained from study, memory, or reasoning, this wisdom arises directly from the stillness of meditation. It shines by itself, free from doubt and untouched by external proof.

Jyotismati – The Dawn of Inner Light

Before talking about ritambhara prajna, Patanjali also points to jyotismati – the inner light that arises in meditation.

vishoka va jyotismati

(Yoga Sutra 1.36)

Or (steadiness of mind is attained) by meditation on the sorrowless inner light.

Jyotismati is the luminous clarity that steadies the mind and dissolves sorrow – like the first glow of dawn before sunrise. Resting in this light, the mind becomes transparent and receptive. From this radiance, ritambhara prajna arises – not as a fleeting glimpse, but as the full brilliance of truth itself.

How Ritambhara Is Attained

Patanjali explains that ritambhara prajna dawns in the state of samadhi, when the fluctuations of the mind (vrittis) subside. The steps are simple in outline but profound in depth:

Concentration (dharana) gathering the wandering mind.

Meditation (dhyana) sustaining that focus in an unbroken stream.

Absorption (samadhi) resting in deep silence beyond thought.

Along the way, the yogi may encounter jyotismati – the luminous inner light that steadies the mind and clears sorrow. In this silence, the yogi does not create knowledge – instead, the inner light of intelligence shines by itself. This is ritambhara prajna: wisdom in harmony with rta, the cosmic order of truth.

Jyotismati steadies → samadhi deepens → Ritambhara prajna dawns.

Beyond Ordinary Knowledge

Patanjali immediately clarifies the uniqueness of this wisdom:

shrutanumana-prajabhyam anya-vishaya vishesharthatvat

(Yoga Sutra 1.49)

This wisdom is of a different order from knowledge gained through scripture or inference, because it is concerned with direct experience of the specific reality.

Scriptural study (shruti) and logical inference (anumana) can guide us, but they remain second-hand. Ritambhara prajna is first-hand – an unmediated seeing of truth.

It is like the difference between reading about fire in a book and actually feeling its warmth. One is borrowed knowledge, the other is living experience.

Why It Matters

Ordinary intellect can be clouded by bias and limited by perspective. Ritambhara prajna is different. It is direct perception of reality, untouched by imagination or error. For the yogi, it becomes the very foundation of liberation – wisdom that does not just inform, but transforms. Ritambhara prajna is truth itself shining through, a living wisdom that sets the seeker free.