Sequential and Non-Sequential Progression (in Knowledge)

We all have had flashes of insight in which the solution to a very complex problem we have been grappling with suddenly becomes so clear in a flash and all pieces of the puzzle seem to fit together instantaneously. In the yoga sutras, Patanjali uses the words Taarakam and Akramam to describe this type of knowledge. Taarakam means transcendent and Akramam refers to non-sequential (krama is a sequence). This, says Patanjali in sutra 3.54 (or 3.55 in some versions), is the result of stilling the mind down to such a level that the discrimination becomes so sharp that all objects in all conditions are comprehended simultaneously.

Taarakam Sarva Vishayam Sarvatha Vishayam Akramam

cha iti Vivekajam Jnanam

This non-sequential transcendental knowledge is the power of the regular practice of any of the limbs of yoga.