Bhūtasandhānabhūtapṛthaktvaviśvasaṃghaṭṭāḥ भूतसन्धानभूतपृथक्त्वविश्वसंघट्टाः (sūtra 20)

bhūta – living beings; sandhān – joining or uniting; bhūta – living beings; pṛthaktva – separating;viśva – universal; saṃghaṭṭāḥ - joining together

This sūtra is virtually an extension of the previous sūtra. Śiva discusses certain superhuman powers that accrue to a yogi. In the last sūtra it was seen that the thought process of a yogi when energized with supreme consciousness, leads to desired effects. The present sūtra says that a yogi at his will can unite or separate any element from his own body or body of anyone else.

By focusing his awareness (which means fixing his consciousness) towards healing of his ailment or other’s ailments, the yogi is able disconnect the illness from the body of the one who suffers from the ailment. He is able to cure ailments using his will power and concentration. With his concentrated will power, a yogi is able to segregate any unwanted features from one’s body. This yogi is also able to satiate his hunger and thirst this way. His thought process alone satiates his requirements.

During this process, a yogi is able to disconnect his gross body from his awareness, transcending space and time. Thirst, hunger, ailments, etc are associated only with gross bodies. When a yogi is able to segregate his body from his consciousness, he does not experience thirst, hunger, ailments, etc as these pertain only to the physical body. He lives in his purified form of consciousness, which in no way gets associated with gross forms. By using viśvasaṃghaṭṭāḥ, Shiva has chosen to indicate that such a yogi can transcend time and space. He can explore past, feel the present and predict the future.

If someone approaches him, with an prognosticated issue, a yogi is able to fix his concentration on that issue and come to know of the future and accordingly, he suggests remedies to avoid catastrophe. Time, space and distance are not hindrances to that yogi, as he can transcend all the three. This becomes possible because of union of his will power with his purest form of consciousness. Such power of a yogi is known as yogic power. By practice, anyone can reach this stage.

Generally, a yogi does not involve himself in such superhuman acts, as he knows well that everyone has to suffer on account of his karma-s. Even Śiva does not transcend the law of karma.