Yoga chitta vritti nirodhah - योग चित्त वृत्ति निरोध
Yoga is the control (nirodhah, regulation, channeling, mastery, integration,
coordination, stilling, quieting, setting aside) of the modifications (gross and subtle
thought patterns) of the mind field.
Patanjali has summed up the entire philosophy of yoga in the second sutra (aphorism). This converges with the stithapragya (the man of steady wisdom) described by the lord Krishna in Bhagvad Gita in the second chapter.
This is the ultimate goal of yoga, following eight limbs of yoga prepares you for this stage. By calling it goal, I don't mean you reach there and that's it. This goal is also a journey, you reach there and stay there. It's a way of life.
Here's what B. K. S. Iyengar has to say about this sutra:
This vital sutra contains the definition of yoga. Yoga is the cessation of all vibrations in the seat of consciousness.
Restraining the fluctuations of the mind is a process which leads to an end; samadhi. Initially, yoga acts as a means of restraint. When the sadhaka has attained a total state of restraint, yogic discipline is accomplished and the end is reached: the consciousness remains pure. Thus, yoga is both the means and the end.
Wonderful!
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