Or through meditation on any object that is agreeable.

With this sutra, Patañjali shows his pedagogical flexibility. Yathā-abhimata means “according to what is agreeable or desirable” to the individual practitioner.

There is no universally mandatory object of meditation. Each person can choose that toward which they feel natural affinity: a deity, an element of nature, the breath, a mantra, an abstract quality.

What is essential is not the object but sustained practice. This freedom of choice ensures that each practitioner finds an accessible entry point. Yoga does not impose; it offers options and trusts the seeker’s intuition.