For others, [samādhi] is preceded by faith, energy, memory, concentration, and wisdom.

Unlike the beings of the previous sutra, most practitioners must actively cultivate the path. Patañjali describes five essential qualities:

1. Śraddhā — Faith, trust in the path and teachings
2. Vīrya — Energy, vigor, tireless determination
3. Smṛti — Memory, mindfulness, not forgetting the practice
4. Samādhi — Concentration, meditative absorption
5. Prajñā — Discriminative wisdom, discernment

These qualities reinforce each other. Faith generates energy; energy sustains practice; practice develops concentration; concentration reveals wisdom; wisdom deepens faith.