When disturbing thoughts arise, the opposite should be cultivated.

Vitarka here means thoughts contrary to the yamas and niyamas: impulses of violence, lying, greed.

Pratipakṣa bhāvana is the cultivation of the opposite: facing the impulse to harm, cultivate compassion; facing the temptation to lie, reinforce commitment to truth.

This is a practical and powerful method. It’s not about suppressing negative thoughts by force, but actively replacing them with their antidotes.

The mind cannot be empty; if we don’t consciously fill it with the positive, the negative will take its place.

This sutra offers a concrete technique for daily work with ethical obstacles.