Krama — The Sequence of Transformation in Nature and Yoga
Krama (sequence, succession) is the principle underlying all natural change and the framework within which Patanjali's yoga practice operates — transformation always occurs in proper sequence, never through shortcuts.
Sutra 3.15 states 'krama anyatvam parinama anyatve hetuh' — the difference in the sequence is the cause of differences in transformation. This seemingly technical sutra contains a profound practical teaching: transformations occur in specific sequences determined by the underlying nature of things, and trying to bypass these sequences — whether in physical yoga practice, spiritual development, or natural processes — either fails or produces distortions. The yogi cannot achieve Samadhi before the ethical foundation is established; cannot sustain Dharana without the physical and energetic preparation of Asana and Pranayama; cannot achieve Kaivalya without the progressive dissolution of the kleshas. Every fruit has its season; every practice has its prerequisite. The concept of Krama is the yoga system's internal argument against shortcuts and spiritual bypassing: transformation has its own proper sequence, and respecting that sequence is itself the practice.
The difference in the sequence is the cause of differences in transformation.
Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development documents that children cannot acquire formal operational reasoning before concrete operational reasoning is established — confirming the universal principle of developmental krama: each stage of development requires the consolidation of its predecessors.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Written about in
- What the Yoga Sutras say about breath and pranayama
Change follows a sequence, and altering the order alters the result. This is the text's argument against lifting breath practice out of its place and expecting the same effect from it.
- What the Yoga Sutras say about habit and discipline
Sutra 3.15 holds that the difference in sequence causes the difference in transformation: practices have prerequisites and fruits have seasons. Concentration will not hold without the ethical and physical groundwork under it. This is the system's argument against skipping ahead, and why the eight limbs are numbered.