The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali

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Some pages from a historic Yogasutra manuscript (Sanskrit, Devanagari). The verses are highlighted and are embedded inside the bhasya (commentary).
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The Sutras are presented here in the purest form, with the original Sanskrit and with translation, transliteration, and commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda, one of the most respected and revered contemporary Yoga masters. Yoga Link – June (Winter) 2011 1 Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali II.52 tatah ksiyate prakasa avaranam. Tatah from that, then ksiyate destroyed, dissolved prakasa light avaranam covering Pranayama removes the veil covering the light of knowledge and heralds the dawn of wisdom. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Raja Yoga - Ashtanga Yoga: Yoga Sutras is a preliminary step: In the tradition of the Himalayan sages, this ancient, oral yoga system, recorded by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras is accepted as a preliminary step. Building on that foundation, the Advaita Vedanta system is practiced. Patanjali Yoga Sutras Knowledge Sheet 1 We will begin with a story, the greatest and most effective way of conveying knowledge. Once upon a time, long ago, all the Munis and Rishis approached Lord Vishnu to tell him that even though He (incarnated as Lord Dhanvanthari) had given them the means to cure illnesses through Ayurveda, people still fell ill. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda The Yoga Sutras The Yoga Sutras contain 196 Sutras, divided between four chapters, discussing the aims and practice of yoga, the development of yogic powers and finally, liberation. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are one of contemporary yoga’s favourite sources of inspiration and guidance on how to live a balanced and ethical life both on and off the mat.

Patañjali Statue (traditional form indicating kundalini or incarnation of Shesha)

The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali are a collection of 196 Indian sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga. The Yoga Sutras were compiled prior to 400 CE by Patanjali who synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from older traditions.[1][2][3] The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali was the most translated ancient Indian text in the medieval era, having been translated into about forty Indian languages and two non-Indian languages: Old Javanese and Arabic.[4] The text fell into relative obscurity for nearly 700 years from the 12th to 19th century, and made a comeback in late 19th century due to the efforts of Swami Vivekananda, the Theosophical Society and others. It gained prominence again as a comeback classic in the 20th century.[5]

Before the 20th century, history indicates that the medieval Indian yoga scene was dominated by the various other texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Vasistha, texts attributed to Yajnavalkya and Hiranyagarbha, as well as literature on hatha yoga, tantric yoga and Pashupata Shaivism yoga rather than the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali.[6]

Hindu orthodox tradition holds the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali to be one of the foundational texts of classical Yoga philosophy.[7][8] However, the appropriation - and misappropriation - of the Yoga Sutras and its influence on later systematizations of yoga has been questioned by scholars such as David Gordon White,[5] but reaffirmed by others such as James Mallinson.[9]

Modern scholars of yoga such as Philipp A. Maas[10] and Mallinson[11] consider the Bhasya commentary on the Sutras to be Patanjali's own, and the Sutras to be his summary of older accounts of yoga. The combined document is thus considered to be a single work, the Pātañjalayogaśāstra.[11]

  • 1Author and dating
  • 2Contents
    • 2.2Ashtanga, the eight components of yoga
  • 3Discussion
  • 4Philosophical roots and influences
  • 5Translations and commentaries
  • 6Influence
  • 10Sources

Author and dating[edit]

Author[edit]

The Yoga Sūtras text is attributed to Patanjali.[12][13][14][15] Much confusion surrounds this Patañjali, because an author of the same name is credited to be the author of the classic text on Sanskrit grammar named Mahābhāṣya. Yet the two works in Sanskrit are completely different in subject matter. Furthermore, before the time of Bhoja (11th century), no known text states that the authors were the same.[note 1]

Dating[edit]

Philipp A. Maas assesses Patañjali's Yogasutra's date to be about 400 CE, based on tracing the commentaries on it published in the first millennium CE, and a review of extant literature.[10]

Edwin Bryant, on the other hand, surveys the major commentators in his translation of the Yoga Sūtras.[16] He observes that 'Most scholars date the text shortly after the turn of the Common Era (circa first to second century), but that it has been placed as early as several centuries before that.'[17] Bryant concludes that 'A number of scholars have dated the Yoga Sūtras as late as the fourth or fifth century C.E., but these arguments have all been challenged. .. All such arguments [for a late date] are problematic.'[18]

Michele Desmarais summarizes a wide variety of dates assigned to Yogasutra, ranging from 500 BCE to 3rd century CE, noting that there is a paucity of evidence for any certainty. She states the text may have been composed at an earlier date given conflicting theories on how to date it, but latter dates are more commonly accepted by scholars.[19]

Compilation[edit]

The Yoga Sutras are a composite of various traditions.[2][3][1] The levels of samādhi taught in the text resemble the Buddhist jhanas.[20][note 2] According to Feuerstein, the Yoga Sutras are a condensation of two different traditions, namely 'eight limb yoga' (aṣṭāṅga yoga) and action yoga (Kriya yoga).[21] The kriya yoga part is contained in chapter 1, chapter 2 sutras 1-27, chapter 3 except sutra 54, and chapter 4.[2] The 'eight limb yoga' is described in chapter 2 sutras 28-55, and chapter 3 sutras 3 and 54.[2]

According to Maas, Patañjali's composition was entitled Pātañjalayogaśāstra ('The Treatise on Yoga according to Patañjali') and consisted of both SūtrasandBhāṣya.[10] According to Wujastyk, referencing Maas, Patanjali integrated yoga from older traditions in Pātañjalayogaśāstra, and added his own explanatory passages to create the unified work that, since 1100 CE, has been considered the work of two people.[1] Together the compilation of Patanjali's sutras and the Vyasabhasya, is called Pātañjalayogaśāstra.[22]

According to Maas, this means that the earliest commentary on the Yoga Sūtras, the Bhāṣya, that has commonly been ascribed to some unknown later author Vyāsa (the editor), was Patañjali's own work.[10]

Contents[edit]

Patañjali divided his Yoga Sutras into four chapters or books (Sanskrit pada), containing in all 196 aphorisms, divided as follows:[23][24][page needed]

  • Samadhi Pada[23][24] (51 sutras). Samadhi refers to a state of direct and reliable perception (pramāṇa) where the yogi's self-identity is absorbed into the object meditated upon, collapsing the categories of witness, witnessing, and witnessed. Samadhi is the main technique the yogin learns by which to dive into the depths of the mind to achieve Kaivalya. The author describes yoga and then the nature and the means to attaining samādhi. This chapter contains the famous definitional verse: 'Yogaś citta-vritti-nirodhaḥ' ('Yoga is the restraint of mental modifications').[25]
  • Sadhana Pada[23][24] (55 sutras). Sadhana is the Sanskrit word for 'practice' or 'discipline'. Here the author outlines two forms of Yoga: Kriyā Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga (Eightfold or Eightlimbed Yoga).
  • * Kriyā Yoga in the Yoga Sūtras is the practice of three of the Niyamas of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga: tapas, svādhyaya, and iśvara praṇidhana – austerity, self-study, and devotion to god.
  • * Aṣṭāṅga Yoga is the yoga of eight limbs: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyahara, Dhāraṇa, Dhyāna, and Samādhi.
  • Vibhuti Pada[23][24] (56 sutras).[26] Vibhuti is the Sanskrit word for 'power' or 'manifestation'. 'Supra-normal powers' (Sanskrit: siddhi) are acquired by the practice of yoga. Combined simultaneous practice of Dhāraṇā, Dhyana and Samādhi is referred to as Samyama, and is considered a tool of achieving various perfections, or Siddhis. The text warns (III.37) that these powers can become an obstacle to the yogi who seeks liberation.
  • Kaivalya Pada[23][24] (34 sutras). Kaivalya literally translates to 'isolation', but as used in the Sutras stands for emancipation or liberation and is used where other texts often employ the term moksha (liberation). The Kaivalya Pada describes the process of liberation and the reality of the transcendental ego.

Purpose of yoga[edit]

A statue of Patañjali practicing dhyana at Patanjali Yogpeeth

Patanjali begins his treatise by stating the purpose of his book in the first sutra, followed by defining the word 'yoga' in his second sutra of Book 1:[27]

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥२॥
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ

— Yoga Sutras 1.2

This terse definition hinges on the meaning of three Sanskrit terms. I. K. Taimni translates it as 'Yoga is the inhibition (nirodhaḥ) of the modifications (vṛtti) of the mind (citta)'.[28]Swami Vivekananda translates the sutra as 'Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta) from taking various forms (Vrittis).'[29]Edwin Bryant states that, to Patanjali, 'Yoga essentially consists of meditative practices culminating in attaining a state of consciousness free from all modes of active or discursive thought, and of eventually attaining a state where consciousness is unaware of any object external to itself, that is, is only aware of its own nature as consciousness unmixed with any other object.'[30][31]

Ashtanga, the eight components of yoga[edit]

Patanjali defines yoga as having eight components (अष्टाङ्ग aṣṭ āṅga, 'eight limbs'): 'The eight limbs of yoga are yama (abstinences), niyama (observances), asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption).'[32]

1. Yamas[edit]

Yamas are ethical rules in Hinduism and can be thought of as moral imperatives. The five yamas listed by Patañjali in Yogasūtra 2.30 are:[33]

  1. Ahiṃsā (अहिंसा): Nonviolence, non-harming other living beings[34]
  2. Satya (सत्य): truthfulness, non-falsehood[34][35]
  3. Asteya (अस्तेय): non-stealing[34]
  4. Brahmacarya (ब्रह्मचर्य): chastity,[35] marital fidelity or sexual restraint[36]
  5. Aparigraha (अपरिग्रह): non-avarice,[34] non-possessiveness[35]

The commentaries on these teachings of Patanjali state how and why each of the above self restraints help in the personal growth of an individual. For example, in verse II.35, Patanjali states that the virtue of nonviolence and non-injury to others (Ahimsa) leads to the abandonment of enmity, a state that leads the yogi to the perfection of inner and outer amity with everyone, everything.[37][38]

2. Niyama[edit]

The second component of Patanjali's Yoga path is called niyama, which includes virtuous habits, behaviors and observances (the 'dos').[39][40] Sadhana Pada Verse 32 lists the niyamas as:[41]

  1. Shaucha (शौच): purity, clearness of mind, speech and body[42]
  2. Santosha (संतोष): contentment, acceptance of others, acceptance of one's circumstances as they are in order to get past or change them, optimism for self[43]
  3. Tapas (तपस्): persistence, perseverance, austerity[44][45]
  4. Svadhyaya (स्वाध्याय): study of Vedas (see Sabda in epistemology section), study of self, self-reflection, introspection of self's thoughts, speeches and actions[45][46]
  5. Ishvarapranidhana (ईश्वरप्रणिधान): contemplation of the Ishvara (God/Supreme Being, Brahman, True Self, Unchanging Reality)[43][47]

3. Āsana[edit]

Patanjali begins discussion of Āsana (आसन, posture) by defining it in verse 46 of Book 2, as follows,[27]

स्थिरसुखमासनम् ॥४६॥
Translation 1: An asana is what is steady and pleasant.[48]
Translation 2: Motionless and Agreeable form (of staying) is Asana (yoga posture).[49]

Asana is thus a posture that one can hold for a period of time, staying relaxed, steady, comfortable and motionless. Patanjali does not list any specific asana, except the terse suggestion, 'posture one can hold with comfort and motionlessness'.[50] Āraṇya translates verse II.47 of Yoga sutra as, 'asanas are perfected over time by relaxation of effort with meditation on the infinite'; this combination and practice stops the quivering of body.[51]

The Bhasya commentary attached to the Sutras, now thought to be by Patanjali himself,[10] suggests twelve seated meditation postures:[52]Padmasana (lotus), Virasana (hero), Bhadrasana (glorious), Svastikasana (lucky mark), Dandasana (staff), Sopasrayasana (supported), Paryankasana (bedstead), Krauncha-nishadasana (seated heron), Hastanishadasana (seated elephant), Ushtranishadasana (seated camel), Samasansthanasana (evenly balanced) and Sthirasukhasana (any motionless posture that is in accordance with one's pleasure).[49]

4. Prānāyāma[edit]

Prāṇāyāma is made out of two Sanskrit words prāṇa (प्राण, breath)[53] and āyāma (आयाम, restraining, extending, stretching).[54]

After a desired posture has been achieved, verses II.49 through II.51 recommend the next limb of yoga, prāṇāyāma, which is the practice of consciously regulating breath (inhalation and exhalation).[55] This is done in several ways, inhaling and then suspending exhalation for a period, exhaling and then suspending inhalation for a period, slowing the inhalation and exhalation, consciously changing the time/length of breath (deep, short breathing).[56][57]

5. Pratyāhāra[edit]

Pratyāhāra is a combination of two Sanskrit words prati- (the prefix प्रति-, 'against' or 'contra') and āhāra (आहार, 'bring near, fetch').[58]

Pratyahara is drawing within one's awareness. It is a process of retracting the sensory experience from external objects. It is a step of self extraction and abstraction. Pratyahara is not consciously closing one's eyes to the sensory world, it is consciously closing one's mind processes to the sensory world. Pratyahara empowers one to stop being controlled by the external world, fetch one's attention to seek self-knowledge and experience the freedom innate in one's inner world.[59][60]

Pratyahara marks the transition of yoga experience from first four limbs that perfect external forms to last three limbs that perfect inner state, from outside to inside, from outer sphere of body to inner sphere of spirit.[61]

6. Dhāraṇā[edit]

Dharana (Sanskrit: धारणा) means concentration, introspective focus and one-pointedness of mind. The root of word is dhṛ (धृ), which has a meaning of 'to hold, maintain, keep'.[62]

Dharana as the sixth limb of yoga, is holding one's mind onto a particular inner state, subject or topic of one's mind.[63] The mind is fixed on a mantra, or one's breath/navel/tip of tongue/any place, or an object one wants to observe, or a concept/idea in one's mind.[64][65] Fixing the mind means one-pointed focus, without drifting of mind, and without jumping from one topic to another.[64]

7. Dhyāna[edit]

Dhyana (Sanskrit: ध्यान) literally means 'contemplation, reflection' and 'profound, abstract meditation'.[66]

Dhyana is contemplating, reflecting on whatever Dharana has focused on. If in the sixth limb of yoga one focused on a personal deity, Dhyana is its contemplation. If the concentration was on one object, Dhyana is non-judgmental, non-presumptuous observation of that object.[67] If the focus was on a concept/idea, Dhyana is contemplating that concept/idea in all its aspects, forms and consequences. Dhyana is uninterrupted train of thought, current of cognition, flow of awareness.[65]

Dhyana is integrally related to Dharana, one leads to other. Dharana is a state of mind, Dhyana the process of mind. Dhyana is distinct from Dharana in that the meditator becomes actively engaged with its focus. Patanjali defines contemplation (Dhyana) as the mind process, where the mind is fixed on something, and then there is 'a course of uniform modification of knowledge'.[68]

Adi Shankara, in his commentary on Yoga Sutras, distinguishes Dhyana from Dharana, by explaining Dhyana as the yoga state when there is only the 'stream of continuous thought about the object, uninterrupted by other thoughts of a different kind for the same object'; Dharana, states Shankara, is focussed on one object, but aware of its many aspects and ideas about the same object. Shankara gives the example of a yogin in a state of dharana on morning sun may be aware of its brilliance, color and orbit; the yogin in dhyana state 'contemplates on sun's orbit alone for example, without being interrupted by its color, brilliance or other related ideas', according to Trevor Leggett.[69]

8. Samādhi[edit]

Samadhi (Sanskrit: समाधि) literally means 'putting together, joining, combining with, union, harmonious whole, trance'.[70][71]

Samadhi is oneness with the subject of meditation. There is no distinction, during the eighth limb of yoga, between the actor of meditation, the act of meditation and the subject of meditation. Samadhi is that spiritual state when one's mind is so absorbed in whatever it is contemplating on, that the mind loses the sense of its own identity. The thinker, the thought process and the thought fuse with the subject of thought. There is only oneness, samadhi.[65][72][73]

Discussion[edit]

Samadhi[edit]

Samadhi is of two kinds,[74][web 1] with and without support of an object of meditation:[web 2]

  • Samprajnata Samadhi, also called savikalpa samadhi and Sabija Samadhi,[web 3][note 3] meditation with support of an object.[web 2][note 4]
    Samprajnata samadhi is associated with deliberation, reflection, bliss, and I-am-ness.[78][note 5]
The first two associations, deliberation and reflection, form the basis of the various types of samapatti:[78][80]
  • Savitarka, 'deliberative':[78][note 6] The citta is concentrated upon a gross object of meditation,[web 2] an object with a manifest appearance that is perceptible to our senses,[81] such as a flame of a lamp, the tip of the nose, or the image of a deity.[citation needed] Conceptualization (vikalpa) still takes place, in the form of perception, the word and the knowledge of the object of meditation.[78] When the deliberation is ended this is called nirvitarka samadhi.[82][note 7]
  • Savichara, 'reflective':[81] the citta is concentrated upon a subtle object of meditation,[web 2][81] which is not percpetible to the senses, but arrived at through inference,[81] such as the senses, the process of cognition, the mind, the I-am-ness,[note 8] the chakras, the inner-breath (prana), the nadis, the intellect (buddhi).[81] The stilling of reflection is called nirvichara samapatti.[81][note 9]
The last two associations, sananda samadhi and sasmita, are respectively a state of meditation, and an object of savichara samadhi:
  • Sananda Samadhi, ananda,[note 10] 'bliss': this state emphasizes the still subtler state of bliss in meditation;[web 2]
  • Sasmita: the citta is concentrated upon the sense or feeling of 'I-am-ness'.[web 2]
  • Asamprajnata Samadhi, also called Nirvikalpa Samadhi[web 1] and Nirbija Samadhi:[web 1][note 11] meditation without an object,[web 2] which leads to knowledge of purusha or consciousness, the subtlest element.[81][note 12]

Ananda and asmita[edit]

According to Ian Whicher, the status of sananda and sasmita in Patanjali's system is a matter of dispute.[84] According to Maehle, the first two constituents, deliberation and reflection, form the basis of the various types of samapatti.[78] According to Feuerstein,

'Joy' and 'I-am-ness' [..] must be regarded as accompanying phenomena of every cognitive [ecstasy]. The explanations of the classical commentators on this point appear to be foreign to Patanjali's hierarchy of [ecstatic] states, and it seems unlikely that ananda and asmita should constitute independent levels of samadhi.

— [84]

Ian Whicher disagrees with Feuerstein, seeing ananda and asmita as later stages of nirvicara-samapatti.[84] Whicher refers to Vācaspati Miśra (900-980 CE), the founder of the BhāmatīAdvaita Vedanta who proposes eight types of samapatti:[85]

  • Savitarka-samāpatti and Nirvitarka-samāpatti, both with gross objects as objects of support;
  • Savicāra-samāpatti and Nirvicāra-samāpatti, both with subtle objects as objects of support;
  • Sānanda-samāpatti and Nirānanda-samāpatti, both with the sense organs as objects of support
  • Sāsmitā-samāpatti and Nirasmitā-samāpatti, both with the sense of 'I-am-ness' as support.

Vijnana Bikshu (ca. 1550-1600) proposes a six-stage model, explicitly rejecting Vacaspati Misra's model. Vijnana Bikshu regards joy (ananda) as a state that arises when the mind passes beyond the vicara stage.[80] Whicher agrees that ananda is not a separate stage of samadhi.[80] According to Whicher, Patanjali's own view seems to be that nirvicara-samadhi is the highest form of cognitive ecstasy.[80]

The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali

Epistemology[edit]

The epistemology in Patanjali's system of Yoga, like the Sāmkhya school of Hinduism, relies on three of six Pramanas, as the means of gaining reliable knowledge.[86] These included Pratyakṣa (perception), Anumāṇa (inference) and Sabda (Āptavacana, word/testimony of reliable sources).[87][88]

Patanjali's system, like the Samkhya school, considers Pratyakṣa or Dṛṣṭam (direct sense perception), Anumāna (inference), and Śabda or Āptavacana (verbal testimony of the sages or shāstras) to be the only valid means of knowledge or Pramana.[87] Unlike few other schools of Hinduism such as Advaita Vedanta, Yoga did not adopt the following three Pramanas: Upamāṇa (comparison and analogy), Arthāpatti (postulation, deriving from circumstances) or Anupalabdi (non-perception, negative/cognitive proof).[88]

Metaphysics[edit]

The metaphysics of Patanjali is built on the same dualist foundation as the Samkhya school.[89] The universe is conceptualized as of two realities in Samkhya-Yoga schools: Puruṣa (consciousness) and prakriti (matter). It considers consciousness and matter, self/soul and body as two different realities.[90][91]Jiva (a living being) is considered as a state in which puruṣa is bonded to prakriti in some form, in various permutations and combinations of various elements, senses, feelings, activity and mind.[92] During the state of imbalance or ignorance, one of more constituents overwhelm the others, creating a form of bondage. The end of this bondage is called liberation, or moksha by both Yoga and Samkhya school of Hinduism.[93] The ethical theory of Yoga school is based on Yamas and Niyama, as well as elements of the Guṇa theory of Samkhya.[89]

Patanjali adopts the theory of Guṇa from Samkhya.[89] Guṇas theory states that three gunas (innate tendency, attributes) are present in different proportions in all beings, and these three are sattva guna (goodness, constructive, harmonious), rajas guna (passion, active, confused), and tamas guna (darkness, destructive, chaotic).[94][95] These three are present in every being but in different proportions, and the fundamental nature and psychological dispositions of beings is a consequence of the relative proportion of these three gunas.[89] When sattva guna predominates an individual, the qualities of lucidity, wisdom, constructiveness, harmony, and peacefulness manifest themselves; when rajas is predominant, attachment, craving, passion-driven activity and restlessness manifest; and when tamas predominates in an individual, ignorance, delusion, destructive behavior, lethargy, and suffering manifests. The guṇas theory underpins the philosophy of mind in Yoga school of Hinduism.[89]

Soteriology[edit]

The fusion of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi is Sanyama – the path to Kaivalya in Yoga school.

Samkhya school suggests that jnana (knowledge) is a sufficient means to moksha, Patanjali suggests that systematic techniques/practice (personal experimentation) combined with Samkhya's approach to knowledge is the path to moksha.[89] Patanjali holds that ignorance is the cause of suffering and saṁsāra.[89] Liberation, like many other schools, is removal of ignorance, which is achieved through discriminative discernment, knowledge and self-awareness. The Yoga Sūtras is Yoga school's treatise on how to accomplish this.[89]Samādhi is the state where ecstatic awareness develops, state Yoga scholars, and this is how one starts the process of becoming aware of Purusa and true Self. It further claims that this awareness is eternal, and once this awareness is achieved, a person cannot ever cease being aware; this is moksha, the soteriological goal in Hinduism.[89]

Book 3 of Patanjali's Yogasutra is dedicated to soteriological aspects of yoga philosophy. Patanjali begins by stating that all limbs of yoga are necessary foundation to reaching the state of self-awareness, freedom and liberation. He refers to the three last limbs of yoga as sanyama, in verses III.4 to III.5, and calls it the technology for 'discerning principle' and mastery of citta and self-knowledge.[65][96] In verse III.12, the Yogasutras state that this discerning principle then empowers one to perfect sant (tranquility) and udita (reason) in one's mind and spirit, through intentness. This leads to one's ability to discern the difference between sabda (word), artha (meaning) and pratyaya (understanding), and this ability empowers one to compassionately comprehend the cry/speech of all living beings.[97][98] Once a yogi reaches this state of samyama, it leads to unusual powers, intuition, self-knowledge, freedoms and kaivalya, the soteriological goal of the yogi.[97]

God[edit]

Patanjali differs from the closely related non-theistic/atheistic Samkhya school by incorporating the concept of a 'personal, yet essentially inactive, deity' or 'personal god' (Ishvara).[99][100][101][102] Hindu scholars such as the 8th century Adi Sankara, as well as many modern academic scholars describe Yoga school as 'Samkya school with God.'[100][103][104]

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The Yogasutras of Patanjali use the term Isvara in 11 verses: I.23 through I.29, II.1, II.2, II.32 and II.45. Ever since the Sutra's release, Hindu scholars have debated and commented on who or what is Isvara? These commentaries range from defining Isvara from a 'personal god' to 'special self' to 'anything that has spiritual significance to the individual'.[100][105] Whicher states that while Patanjali's terse verses can be interpreted both as theistic or non-theistic, Patanjali's concept of Isvara in Yoga philosophy functions as a 'transformative catalyst or guide for aiding the yogin on the path to spiritual emancipation'.[106]

Patanjali defines Isvara (Sanskrit: ईश्वर) in verse 24 of Book 1, as 'a special Self (पुरुषविशेष, puruṣa-viśeṣa)',[27]

क्लेशकर्मविपाकाशयैरपरामृष्टः[107] पुरुषविशेष ईश्वरः ॥२४॥

— Yoga Sutras I.24

This sutra adds the characteristics of Isvara as that special Self which is unaffected (अपरामृष्ट, aparamrsta) by one's obstacles/hardships (क्लेश, klesha), one's circumstances created by past or one's current actions (कर्म, karma), one's life fruits (विपाक, vipâka), and one's psychological dispositions/intentions (आशय, ashaya).[108][109]

Philosophical roots and influences[edit]

The Yoga Sutras incorporated the teachings of many other Indian philosophical systems prevalent at the time. Samkhya and Yoga are thought to be two of the many schools of philosophy that originated over the centuries that had common roots in the non-Vedic cultures and traditions of India.[110][note 13][note 14] The orthodox Hindu philosophies of Samkhya, Yoga, Vedanta, as well as the non-orthodox Nastika systems of Jainism and Buddhism can all be seen as representing one stream of spiritual activity in ancient India, in contrast to the Bhakti traditions and Vedic ritualism which were also prevalent at the same time. The Vedanta-Sramana traditions, iconolatry and Vedic rituals can be identified with the Jnana marga, Bhakti marga and the Karma marga respectively that are outlined in the Bhagavad Gita.

Hinduism[edit]

The Yoga Sutras are built on a foundation of Samkhya philosophy, an orthodox (Astika) and atheistic Hindu system of dualism, and are generally seen as the practice while Samkhya is the theory. The influence of Samkhya is so pervasive in the Sutras that the historian Surendranath Dasgupta went so far as to deny independent categorization to Patañjali's system, preferring to refer to it as Patanjala Samkhya, similar to the position taken by the Jain writer Haribhadra in his commentary on Yoga.[114] Patañjali's Yoga Sutras accept the Samkhya's division of the world and phenomena into twenty-five tattvas or principles, of which one is Purusha meaning Self or consciousness, the others being Prakriti (primal nature), Buddhi (intellect or will), Ahamkara (ego), Manas (mind), five buddhindriyas (sensory capabilities), five karmendriyas (action-capabilities) and ten elements.[115][116] The second part of the Sutras, the Sadhana, also summarizes the Samkhya perspectives about all seen activity lying within the realm of the three Gunas of Sattva (illumination), Rajas (passion) and Tamas (lethargy).[117]

The Yoga Sutras diverge from early Samkhya by the addition of the principle of Isvara or God, as exemplified by Sutra 1.23 - 'Iśvara pranidhãnãt vã', which is interpreted to mean that surrender to God is one way to liberation.[115][118]Isvara is defined here as 'a distinct Consciousness, untouched by afflictions, actions, fruitions or their residue'.[119] In the sutras, it is suggested that devotion to Isvara, represented by the mystical syllable Om may be the most efficient method of achieving the goal of Yoga.[120] This syllable Om is a central element of Hinduism, appearing in all the Upanishads, including the earliest Chandogya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishads, and expounded upon in the Mandukya Upanishad.[121]

Another divergence from Samkhya is that while the Samkhya holds that knowledge is the means to liberation, Patañjali's Yoga insists on the methods of concentration and active striving. The aim of Yoga is to free the individual from the clutches of matter, and considers intellectual knowledge alone to be inadequate for the purpose – which is different from the position taken by Samkhya.[115]

However, the essential similarities between the Samkhya and Patañjali's system remained even after the addition of the Isvara principle,[note 15] with Max Müller noting that 'the two philosophies were in popular parlance distinguished from each other as Samkhya with and Samkhya without a Lord..'[122] The Bhagavad Gita, one of the chief scriptures of Hinduism, is considered to be based on this synthetic Samkhya-Yoga system.[123][124]

The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali is a foundational text of the Yoga philosophy school of Hinduism.[7][8]

Buddhism[edit]

Scholars have presented different viewpoints on the relationship between Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the teachings in Buddhist texts.[125][126][127]

Karel Werner writes, 'Patanjali's system is unthinkable without Buddhism. As far as its terminology goes there is much in the Yoga Sutras that reminds us of Buddhist formulations from the Pāli Canon and even more so from the SarvāstivādaAbhidharma and from Sautrāntika.'[128] He adds, 'upon the whole it [Patanjali's Yoga sutras] is more elaborate and summarizes the actual technique of Yoga procedures more exactly than the Buddhist exposition'.[129] However, states Werner, 'The Buddha was the founder of his system, even though, admittedly, he made use of some of the experiences he had previously gained under various Yoga teachers of his time. Patanjali is neither a founder nor a leader of a new movement. (..) The ingenuity of his [Patanjali's] achievement lies in the thoroughness and completeness with which all the important stages of Yoga practice and mental experiences are included in his scheme, and in their systematic presentation in a succinct treatise.'[129] Werner adds that the ideas of existence and the focus on 'Self, Soul' in Patajali's Yogasutra are different from the 'no Self' precepts of Buddhism.[130]

According to David Gordon White, the language of the Yoga Sutras is often closer to 'Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, the Sanskrit of the early Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, than to the classical Sanskrit of other Hindu scriptures'.[131] He adds, historical evidence suggests that yoga philosophical systems influenced, and were influenced by, other philosophical systems in India such as early Buddhism and Jainism.[132] White mentions controversies about the Yoga Sutras.[125] A significant minority of scholars, notes White for example, believes that Vyasa lived a few centuries after Patanjali and his 'Hindu-izing' commentary subverted Yoga Sutras' original 'Buddhist' teachings; while the majority scholarly view disagrees with this view.[133]

Other scholars state there are differences between the teachings in the Yoga Sutras and those in Buddhist texts.[126][127] Patanjali's Yoga Sutras for example, states Michele Desmarias, accept the concept of a Self or soul behind the operational mind, while Buddhists do not accept such a Self exists. The role of Self is central to the idea of Saṃyoga, Citta, Self-awareness and other concepts in Chapters 2 through 4 of the Yoga sutras, according to Desmarias.[127]

According to Barbara Miller,[126] the difference between Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and teachings in Buddhist texts is, 'In Samkhya and Yoga, as in Buddhism and Jainism, the most salient characteristic of existence is duhkha or suffering. According to Buddhism, the origin of suffering is desire; according to Yoga, it is the connection between the observer (Purusha) with the observed (Prakrti). In both systems, the origin of duhkha is ignorance. There are also similarities in the means of deliverance recommended by the two systems. In Buddhism, the aspirant is asked to follow the eightfold path, which culminates in right meditation or samadhi. In Yoga, the aspirant is asked to follow a somewhat different eight fold path, which also culminates in samadhi. But the aim of yoga meditation is conceived in terms that a Buddhist would not accept: as the separation of an eternal conscious self from unconscious matter. The purpose of Patanjali's Yoga is to bring about this separation by means of understanding, devotion and practice.'[126]

Robert Thurman writes that Patañjali was influenced by the success of the Buddhist monastic system to formulate his own matrix for the version of thought he considered orthodox.[134] However, it is also to be noted that the Yoga Sutra, especially the fourth segment of Kaivalya Pada, contains several polemical verses critical of Buddhism, particularly the Vijñānavāda school of Vasubandhu.[135]

Jainism[edit]

The five yamas or the constraints of the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali bear an uncanny resemblance to the five major vows of Jainism, indicating influence of Jainism.[136][137][138] Three other teachings closely associated with Jainism also make an appearance in Yoga: the doctrine of 'colors' in karma (lesya); the Telos of isolation (kevala in Jainism and Kaivalyam in Yoga); and the practice of nonviolence (ahimsa), though nonviolence (ahimsa) made its first appearance in Indian philosophy-cum-religion in the Hindu texts known as the Upanishads [the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, dated to the 8th or 7th century BCE, one of the oldest Upanishads, has the earliest evidence for the use of the word Ahimsa in the sense familiar in Hinduism (a code of conduct). It bars violence against 'all creatures' (sarvabhuta) and the practitioner of Ahimsa is said to escape from the cycle of metempsychosis/reincarnation (CU 8.15.1).[139] It also names Ahimsa as one of five essential virtues].[140]

Translations and commentaries[edit]

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali was the most translated ancient Indian text in the medieval era, having been translated into about forty Indian languages and two non-Indian languages: Old Javanese and Arabic.[4]

  • In early 11th century, the Persian scholar Al Biruni (973-1050 CE) visited India, lived with Hindus for 16 years, and with their help translated several significant Sanskrit works into Arabic and Persian languages. One of these was Patanjali's Yogasutras. His translation included the text and a hitherto unknown Sanskrit commentary.[141][142][143] Al Biruni's translation preserved many of the core themes of Yoga philosophy of Hinduism, but certain sutras and analytical commentaries were restated making it more consistent with Islamic monotheistic theology.[142][144] Al Biruni's version of Yoga Sutras reached Persia and Arabian peninsula by about 1050 AD.
  • The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali was translated into Old Javanese by Indonesian Hindus, and the text was called Dharma Patanjala.[145] The surviving text has been dated to about 1450 CE, however it is unclear if this text is a copy of an earlier translation and whether other translations existed in Indonesia. This translation shares ideas found in other Indian translations particularly those in the Śaiva traditions, and some in Al Biruni translation, but it is also significantly different in parts from the 11th century Arabic translation.[145] The most complete copy of the Dharma Patañjala manuscript is now held at the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin.[146]

By early 21st century, scholars had located 37 editions of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras published between 1874 and 1992, and 82 different manuscripts, from various locations in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Europe and the United States, many in Sanskrit, some in different North and South Indian languages.[147][148] The numerous historical variants show that the text was a living document and it was changed as these manuscripts were transmitted or translated, with some ancient and medieval manuscripts marked with 'corrections' in the margin of the pages and elsewhere by unknown authors and for unclear reasons. This has made the chronological study of Yoga school of philosophy a difficult task.[147]

Many commentaries have been written on the Yoga Sutras.[note 16]

Yogabhashya and others[edit]

The Yogabhashya is a commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali which has traditionally been attributed in the discourse of the tradition to the legendary Vedic sage Vyasa who is said to have composed the Mahabharata. This commentary is indispensable for the understanding of the aphoristic and terse Yoga sutras, and the study of the sutras has always referred to the Yogabhashya.[141] Some scholars see Vyasa as a later 4th or 5th century CE commentator (as opposed to the ancient mythic figure).[141] Other scholars hold that both texts, the sutras and the commentary were written by one person. According to Philipp A. Maas, based on a study of the original manuscripts, Patañjali's composition was entitled Pātañjalayogaśāstra ('The Treatise on Yoga according to Patañjali') and consisted of both SūtrasandBhāṣya. This means that the Bhāṣya was in fact Patañjali's own work.[10] The practice of writing a set of aphorisms with the author's own explanation was well-known at the time of Patañjali, as for example in Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (that, incidentally, Patañjali quotes). These research findings change the historical understanding of the yoga tradition, since they allow us to take the Bhāṣya as Patañjali's very own explanation of the meaning of his somewhat cryptic sūtras.[10][note 17]

The Yogabhashya states that 'yoga' in the Yoga Sutras has the meaning of 'samadhi'. Another commentary (the Vivarana) by a certain Shankara, confirms the interpretation of yogah samadhih (YBh. I.1): 'yoga' in Patañjali's sutra has the meaning of 'integration'.[149] This Shankara may or may not have been the famed Vedantic scholar Adi Shankara (8th or 9th century). Scholarly opinion is still open on this issue.[141] Another later writer is Vācaspati Miśra (900–980 CE) who composed the commentary Tattvavaiśāradī on the sutras.

Other commentaries on the Yoga sutras include:

  • Bhoja Raja's Raja-Martanda, 11th century.
  • Vijnanabhiksu's Yogabhashyavarttika ('Explanation of the Commentary on the Yoga Sutras' of Vyasa). The writer was a Vaishnava philosopher and exegete who tried to harmonize Samkhya and Vedanta and held the Bhedabheda view.[141]
  • Ramananda Sarasvati's Yogamani-Prabha (16th century)
  • Swami Hariharananda Aranya's Bhasvati

Modern translations and commentary[edit]

The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali Summary

Countless commentaries on the Yoga Sutras are available today. The Sutras, with commentaries, have been published by a number of successful teachers of Yoga, as well as by academicians seeking to clarify issues of textual variation. There are also other versions from a variety of sources available on the Internet.[note 18] The many versions display a wide variation, particularly in translation. The text has not been submitted in its entirety to any rigorous textual analysis, and the contextual meaning of many of the Sanskrit words and phrases remains a matter of some dispute.[150] Some modern translations and interpretations are:

  • Ganganath Jha (1907) rendered a version of the Yoga Sutras with the Yogabhashya attributed to Vyasa into English in its entirety.[151] This version of Jha's also include notes drawn from Vācaspati Miśra's Tattvavaiśāradī amongst other important texts in the Yoga commentarial tradition.
  • Raja Yoga - an 1896 book by Swami Vivekananda which provides translation and an in-depth explanation of Yoga Sutra.
  • The Science of Yoga - a 1961 book by I.K. Taimni which provides commentary with Sutras in Sanskrit and translation and commentary in English.[152] An online version is available.[153]
  • Barbara Stoler Miller, The Yoga Sutras Attributed to Patanjali; 'Yoga – Discipline of Freedom. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1996.
  • Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Integral Yoga, Yogaville.
  • Swami Prabhavananda, Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madras, India.
  • B. K. S. Iyengar's Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali
  • Edwin F. Bryant's The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary
  • Georg Feuerstein PHD, The Yoga-Sûtra of Patanjali: A New Translation and Commentary, Inner Traditions International; Rochester, Vermont, 1989.
  • Swami Kriyananda, Demystifying Patanjali: The Yoga Sutras - The Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda. Crystal Clarity Publishers, Nevada City, CA, 2013.
  • Charles Johnston Dublin University, Sanskrit Prizeman: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man], 1912.

Influence[edit]

Indian traditions[edit]

Patañjali was not the first to write about yoga.[154] Much about yoga is written in the Mokṣadharma section of the epic Mahābhārata.[citation needed] The members of the Jaina faith had their own, different literature on yoga,[155] and Buddhist yoga stems from pre-Patanjali sources.[156]

Some of the major commentaries on the Yoga Sutras were written between the ninth and sixteenth century.[157] After the twelfth century, the school started to decline, and commentaries on Patanjali's Yoga philosophy were few.[157] By the sixteenth century Patanjali's Yoga philosophy had virtually become extinct.[157] The manuscript of the Yoga Sutras was no longer copied, since few read the text, and it was seldom taught.[158]

Popular interest arose in the 19th century, when the practice of yoga according to the Yoga Sutras became regarded as the science of yoga and the 'supreme contemplative path to self-realization' by Swami Vivekananda, following Helena Blavatsky, president of the Theosophical Society.[159]

Western interest[edit]

According to David Gordon White, the popularity of the Yoga Sutras is recent, 'miraculously rehabilitated' by Swami Vivekananda after having been ignored for seven centuries.[4] It was with the rediscovery by a British Orientalist in the early 1800s that wider interest in the Yoga Sutras arose in the West.[158] It has become a celebrated text in the West, states White, because of 'Big Yoga – the corporate yoga subculture'.[4]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Radhakrishnan and Moore attribute the text to the grammarian Patañjali, dating it as 2nd century BCE, during the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE): see Radhakrishnan and Moore, p. 453. Scholars such as S.N. Dasgupta, (Yoga-As Philosophy and Religion Port Washington: Kennikat Press, 1924) claim this is the same Patañjali who authored the Mahabhasya, a treatise on Sanskritgrammar. For an argument about the philosophical nature of Sanskrit grammarian thought see: Lata, Bidyut (editor); Panini to Patañjali: A Grammatical March. New Delhi, 2004. Against these older views, Axel Michaels disagrees that the work was written by Patañjali, characterizing it instead as a collection of fragments and traditions of texts stemming from the 2nd or 3rd century: see Michaels, p. 267.
  2. ^See Eddie Crangle (1984), Hindu and Buddhist techniques of Attaining Samadhi
  3. ^The seeds or samskaras are not destroyed.[web 3]
  4. ^According to Jianxin Li Samprajnata Samadhi may be compared to the rupa jhanas of Buddhism.[75] This interpretation may conflict with Gombrich and Wynne, according to whom the first and second jhana represent concentration, whereas the third and fourth jhana combine concentration with mindfulness.[76] According to Eddie Crangle, the first jhana resembles Patnajali's Samprajnata Samadhi, which both share the application of vitarka and vicara.[77]
  5. ^Yoga Sutra 1.17: 'Objective samadhi (samprajnata) is associated with deliberation, reflection, bliss, and I-am-ness (asmita).[79]
  6. ^Yoga Sutra 1.42: 'Deliberative (savitarka) samapatti is that samadhi in which words, objects, and knowledge are commingled through conceptualization.'[78]
  7. ^Yoga Sutra 1.43: 'When memory is purified, the mind appears to be emptied of its own nature and only the object shines forth. This is superdeliberative (nirvitaka) samapatti.'[82]
  8. ^Following Yoga Sutra 1.17, meditation on the sense of 'I-am-ness' is also grouped, in other descriptions, as 'sasmita samapatti'
  9. ^Yoga Sutra 1.44: 'In this way, reflective (savichara) and super-reflective (nirvichara) samapatti, which are based on subtle objects, are also explained.'[81]
  10. ^See also Pīti
  11. ^Without seeds or Samskaras[web 1] According to Swami Sivananda, 'All the seeds or impressions are burnt by the fire of knowledge [..] all the Samskaras and Vasanas which bring on rebirths are totally fried up. All Vrittis or mental modifications that arise form the mind-lake come under restraint. The five afflictions, viz., Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-dvesha (love and hatred) and Abhinivesha (clinging to life) are destroyed and the bonds of Karma are annihilated [..] It gives Moksha (deliverance form the wheel of births and deaths). With the advent of the knowledge of the Self, ignorance vanishes. With the disappearance of the root-cause, viz., ignorance, egoism, etc., also disappear.'[web 1]
  12. ^According to Jianxin Li, Asamprajnata Samadhi may be compared to the arupa jhanas of Buddhism, and to Nirodha-Samapatti.[75] Crangle also notes that sabija-asamprajnata samadhi resembles the four formless jhanas.[77] According to Crangle, the fourth arupa jhana is the stage of transition to Patanjali's 'consciousness without seed'.[83]
  13. ^Zimmer: '[Jainism] does not derive from Brahman-Aryan sources, but reflects the cosmology and anthropology of a much older pre-Aryan upper class of northeastern India - being rooted in the same subsoil of archaic metaphysical speculation as Yoga, Sankhya, and Buddhism, the other non-Vedic Indian systems.'[111]
  14. ^Zimmer's point of view is supported by other scholars, such as Niniam Smart, in Doctrine and argument in Indian Philosophy, 1964, p.27-32 & p.76,[112] and S.K. Belvakar & R.D. Ranade in History of Indian philosophy, 1974 (1927), p.81 & p.303-409.[112] See Crangle 1994 page 5-7.[113]
  15. ^Zimmer (1951), p. 280.These two are regarded in India as twins, the two aspects of a single discipline. Sāṅkhya provides a basic theoretical exposition of human nature, enumerating and defining its elements, analyzing their manner of co-operation in a state of bondage ('bandha'), and describing their state of disentanglement or separation in release ('mokṣa'), while Yoga treats specifically of the dynamics of the process for the disentanglement, and outlines practical techniques for the gaining of release, or 'isolation-integration' ('kaivalya').
  16. ^For an overview of the scope of earlier commentaries: Complete Commentary by Sankara on the Yoga Sutras: Vivarana Sub-commentary to Vyasabhasya on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Tr.fr. Sanskrit, Trevor Leggett, Rev. Ed. Routledge (1990) ISBN978-0-7103-0277-9.
  17. ^See James Woods, The yoga-system of Patañjali; or, The ancient Hindu doctrine of concentration of mind, embracing the mnemonic rules, called Yoga-sutras, of Patañjali, and the comment, called Yoga-bhashya (1914), archive.org for a complete translation
  18. ^A list of 22 Classical commentaries can be found among the listings of essential Yoga texts at mantra.org).Mantra.org.in, Fundamental Texts of Yoga

References[edit]

  1. ^ abcWujastyk 2011, p. 33.
  2. ^ abcdFeuerstein 1978, p. 108.
  3. ^ abTola, Dragonetti & Prithipaul 1987, p. x.
  4. ^ abcdWhite 2014, p. xvi.
  5. ^ abWhite 2014, p. xvi-xvii.
  6. ^White 2014, p. xvi-xvii, 20-23.
  7. ^ abWhicher 1998, p. 49.
  8. ^ abStuart Sarbacker (2011), Yoga Powers (Editor: Knut A. Jacobsen), Brill, ISBN978-9004212145, page 195
  9. ^Mallinson & Singleton 2017, p. xxxvi note 34.
  10. ^ abcdefgMaas 2006.
  11. ^ abMallinson & Singleton 2017, pp. xi, xvi–xvii.
  12. ^Tola, Dragonetti & Prithipaul 1987, p. xi.
  13. ^Surendranath Dasgupta (1992). A History of Indian Philosophy. Reprint: Motilal Banarsidass (Original: Cambridge University Press, 1922). pp. 230–238. ISBN978-81-208-0412-8.
  14. ^James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 506–507. ISBN978-0-8239-3180-4.
  15. ^White 2014, pp. 34–38.
  16. ^Bryant, Edwin F. (2009). The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation and Commentary. New York: North Poinnt Press. ISBN0865477361.
  17. ^Bryant 2009, p. xxxiv.
  18. ^Bryant 2009, p. 510, notes 43-44.
  19. ^Michele Desmarais (2008), Changing Minds: Mind, Consciousness and Identity in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120833364, pages 16-17
  20. ^Pradhan 2015, p. 151-152.
  21. ^Feuerstein 1978, p. 108, Quote: 'As I have shown in my own detailed examination of the Yoga-Sûtra, this great scripture could well be a composite of only two distinct Yoga lineages. On the one hand there is the Yoga of eight limbs or ashta-anga-yoga (written ashtângayoga), and on the other, there is the Yoga of Action (kriyâ-yoga).' Feuerstein, Georg (2013-09-11). The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice (Kindle Locations 7580-7582). Hohm Press. Kindle Edition.
  22. ^Wujastyk 2011, p. 32-33.
  23. ^ abcdeWoods 2003.
  24. ^ abcdeIyengar 2002.
  25. ^Radhakrishnan and Moore, p.454
  26. ^Griffin, Mark. Shaktipat: The Doorway to Enlightenment - Mark Griffin - Google Books. p. 213.
  27. ^ abc
    • Sanskrit Original with Translation 1: The Yoga Philosophy TR Tatya (Translator), with Bhojaraja commentary; Harvard University Archives;
    • Translation 2: The Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa GN Jha (Translator), with notes; Harvard University Archives;
    • Translation 3: The Yogasutras of Patanjali Charles Johnston (Translator)
  28. ^For text and word-by-word translation as 'Yoga is the inhibition of the modifications of the mind.' See: Taimni, p. 6.
  29. ^Vivekanada, p. 115.
  30. ^Edwin Bryant (2011, Rutgers University), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali IEP
  31. ^Bryant 2009, p. 10.
  32. ^Yoga Sutras 2.29.
  33. ^Āgāśe, K. S. (1904). Pātañjalayogasūtrāṇi. Puṇe: Ānandāśrama. p. 102.
  34. ^ abcdJames Lochtefeld, 'Yama (2)', The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 2: N–Z, Rosen Publishing. ISBN9780823931798, page 777
  35. ^ abcArti Dhand (2002), The dharma of ethics, the ethics of dharma: Quizzing the ideals of Hinduism, Journal of Religious Ethics, 30(3), pages 347-372
  36. ^[a] Louise Taylor (2001), A Woman's Book of Yoga, Tuttle, ISBN978-0804818292, page 3;
    [b]Jeffrey Long (2009), Jainism: An Introduction, IB Tauris, ISBN978-1845116262, page 109; Quote: The fourth vow - brahmacarya - means for laypersons, marital fidelity and pre-marital celibacy; for ascetics, it means absolute celibacy; John Cort states, 'Brahmacharya involves having sex only with one's spouse, as well as the avoidance of ardent gazing or lewd gestures (..) - Quoted by Long, ibid, page 101
  37. ^The Yoga Philosophy TR Tatya (Translator), with Bhojaraja commentary; Harvard University Archives, page 80
  38. ^Jan E. M. Houben and Karel Rijk van Kooij (1999), Violence Denied: Violence, Non-Violence and the Rationalization of Violence in South Asian Cultural History, Brill Academic, ISBN978-9004113442, pages 4-5 with footnotes
  39. ^N Tummers (2009), Teaching Yoga for Life, ISBN978-0736070164, page 13-16
  40. ^Y Sawai (1987), 'The Nature of Faith in the Śaṅkaran Vedānta Tradition', Numen, Vol. 34, Fasc. 1 (Jun., 1987), pages 18-44
  41. ^Āgāśe, K. S. (1904). Pātañjalayogasūtrāṇi. Puṇe: Ānandāśrama. p. 102.
  42. ^Sharma and Sharma, Indian Political Thought, Atlantic Publishers, ISBN978-8171566785, page 19
  43. ^ abN Tummers (2009), Teaching Yoga for Life, ISBN978-0736070164, page 16-17
  44. ^Kaelber, W. O. (1976). 'Tapas', Birth, and Spiritual Rebirth in the Veda, History of Religions, 15(4), 343-386
  45. ^ abSA Bhagwat (2008), Yoga and Sustainability. Journal of Yoga, Fall/Winter 2008, 7(1): 1-14
  46. ^Polishing the mirrorYoga Journal, Gary Kraftsow, February 25, 2008
  47. ^Īśvara + praṇidhāna, Īśvara and praṇidhāna, Spoken Sanskrit.
  48. ^The Yoga Philosophy TR Tatya (Translator), with Bhojaraja commentary; Harvard University Archives, page 86
  49. ^ abHariharānanda Āraṇya (1983), Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0873957281, page 228 with footnotes
  50. ^The Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa GN Jha (Translator); Harvard University Archives, page xii
  51. ^Hariharānanda Āraṇya (1983), Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0873957281, page 229
  52. ^The Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa GN Jha (Translator); Harvard University Archives, page 89
  53. ^prAna Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
  54. ^AyAma Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
  55. ^Hariharānanda Āraṇya (1983), Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0873957281, pages 230-236
  56. ^The Yoga Philosophy TR Tatya (Translator), with Bhojaraja commentary; Harvard University Archives, page 88-91
  57. ^The Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa GN Jha (Translator); Harvard University Archives, pages 90-91
  58. ^AhAra Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
  59. ^Geeta Iyengar (1998), Yoga: A Gem for Women, ISBN978-8170237150, pages 29-30
  60. ^Charlotte Bell (2007), Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice, Rodmell Press, ISBN978-1930485204, pages 136-144
  61. ^RS Bajpai (2002), The Splendours And Dimensions Of Yoga, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8171569649, pages 342-345
  62. ^dhR, Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision), Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, Germany
  63. ^Bernard Bouanchaud (1997), The Essence of Yoga: Reflections on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, Rudra Press, ISBN9780915801695, page 149
  64. ^ abCharlotte Bell (2007), Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice, Rodmell Press, ISBN978-1930485204, pages 145-151
  65. ^ abcdThe Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa - Book 3 GN Jha (Translator); Harvard University Archives, pages 94-95
  66. ^dhyAna, Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision), Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, Germany
  67. ^Charlotte Bell (2007), Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice, Rodmell Press, ISBN978-1930485204, pages 151-159
  68. ^The Yoga Philosophy T. R. Tatya (Translator), with Bhojaraja commentary; Harvard University Archives, page 94-95
  69. ^Trevor Leggett (2006), Shankara on the Yoga Sutras: A Full Translation of the Newly Discovered Text, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN81-208-2989-1, pages 282-284
  70. ^samAdhi, Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision), Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, Germany
  71. ^samAdhi Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
  72. ^Hariharānanda Āraṇya (1983), Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0873957281, pages 252-253
  73. ^Michele Marie Desmarais (2008), Changing Minds : Mind, Consciousness And Identity In Patanjali'S Yoga-Sutra, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120833364, pages 175-176
  74. ^Jones & Ryan 2006, p. 377.
  75. ^ abJianxin Li n.d.
  76. ^Wynne 2007, p. 106; 140, note 58.
  77. ^ abCrangle 1984, p. 191.
  78. ^ abcdefMaehle 2007, p. 177.
  79. ^Maehle 2007, p. 156.
  80. ^ abcdWhicher 1998, p. 254.
  81. ^ abcdefghMaehle 2007, p. 179.
  82. ^ abMaehle 2007, p. 178.
  83. ^Crangle 1984, p. 194.
  84. ^ abcWhicher 1998, p. 253.
  85. ^Whicher 1998, p. 253-254.
  86. ^John A. Grimes, A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0791430675, page 238
  87. ^ abLarson 1998, p. 9
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    • Eliott Deutsche (2000), in Philosophy of Religion : Indian Philosophy Vol 4 (Editor: Roy Perrett), Routledge, ISBN978-0815336112, pages 245-248;
    • John A. Grimes, A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English, State University of New York Press, ISBN978-0791430675, page 238
  89. ^ abcdefghiEdwin Bryant (2011, Rutgers University), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali IEP
  90. ^Haney 2002, p. 17[citation needed]
  91. ^Isaac & Dangwal 1997, p. 339[citation needed]
  92. ^Samkhya - HinduismEncyclopædia Britannica (2014)
  93. ^Gerald James Larson (2011), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120805033, pages 36-47
  94. ^Alban Widgery (1930), The principles of Hindu Ethics, International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 40, No. 2, pages 234-237
  95. ^James G. Lochtefeld, Guna, in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Vol. 1, Rosen Publishing, ISBN978-0-8239-3179-8, page 265
  96. ^Gregor Maehle (2007), Ashtanga Yoga: Practice & Philosophy, ISBN978-1577316060, pages 237-238
  97. ^ abThe Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa - Book 3 GN Jha (Translator); Harvard University Archives, pages 108-126
  98. ^The Yoga Philosophy TR Tatya (Translator), with Bhojaraja commentary; Harvard University Archives, pages 108-109
  99. ^Mike Burley (2012), Classical Samkhya and Yoga - An Indian Metaphysics of Experience, Routledge, ISBN978-0415648875, page 39-41
  100. ^ abcLloyd Pflueger, Person Purity and Power in Yogasutra, in Theory and Practice of Yoga (Editor: Knut Jacobsen), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120832329, pages 38-39
  101. ^Kovoor T. Behanan (2002), Yoga: Its Scientific Basis, Dover, ISBN978-0486417929, pages 56-58
  102. ^Roy Perrett (2007), Samkhya-Yoga Ethics, Indian Ethics: Classical Traditions and Contemporary Challenges (Editors: Purusottama Bilimoria et al), Volume 1, ISBN978-0754633013, page 151
  103. ^Maurice Phillips (Published as Max Muller collection), The Evolution of Hinduism, Origin and Growth of Religion, p. 8, at Google Books, PhD. Thesis awarded by University of Berne, Switzerland, page 8
  104. ^Mike Burley (2012), Classical Samkhya and Yoga - An Indian Metaphysics of Experience, Routledge, ISBN978-0415648875, pages 31-46
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    • Hariharānanda Āraṇya (2007), Parabhaktisutra, Aporisms on Sublime Devotion, (Translator: A Chatterjee), in Divine Hymns with Supreme Devotional Aphorisms, Kapil Math Press, Kolkata, pages 55-93;
    • Hariharānanda Āraṇya (2007), Eternally Liberated Isvara and Purusa Principle, in Divine Hymns with Supreme Devotional Aphorisms, Kapil Math Press, Kolkata, pages 126-129
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  108. ^aparAmRSTa, kleza, karma, vipaka and ashaya; Sanskrit English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany
  109. ^Lloyd Pflueger (2008), Person Purity and Power in Yogasutra, in Theory and Practice of Yoga (Editor: Knut Jacobsen), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120832329, pages 31-45
  110. ^Zimmer 1951, p. 217, 314.
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  112. ^ abCrangle 1994, p. 7.
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  114. ^p222. A history of Indian philosophy, Volume 1 By Surendranath Dasgupta
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  119. ^Reconciling yogas: Haribhadra's collection of views on yoga. By Christopher Chapple, Haribhadrasūri, John Thomas Casey. p15
  120. ^An outline of the religious literature of India. By John Nicol Farquhar. p. 132.
  121. ^Meditation on Om in the Mandukya Upanishad
  122. ^Müller (1899), Chapter 7, 'Yoga Philosophy,' p. 104.
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  128. ^Karel Werner (1994), The Yogi and the Mystic. Routledge, ISBN978-0700702725, page 26
  129. ^ abKarel Werner (1998), Yoga and the Indian Philosophy, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN978-8120816091, page 131
  130. ^Karel Werner (1994), The Yogi and the Mystic. Routledge, ISBN978-0700702725, pages 120-125, 139-145
  131. ^White 2014, p. 10.
  132. ^White 2014, p. 19.
  133. ^White 2014, pp. 40-41, Quote: 'A significant minority opinion, however, maintains that Vyasa lived several centuries later, and that his 'Hindu-izing' commentary, rather than elucidating Patanjali’s text, actually subverted its original 'Buddhist' teachings.'.
  134. ^Robert Thurman, The Central Philosophy of Tibet. Princeton University Press, 1984, page 34.
  135. ^An outline of the religious literature of India, By John Nicol Farquhar p.132
  136. ^Christopher Chapple (2008) Yoga and the Luminous: Patanjali's Spiritual Path to Freedom New York: SUNY Press, ISBN978-0-7914-7475-4 p. 110
  137. ^Zydenbos, Robert. Jainism Today and Its Future. München: Manya Verlag, (2006) p.66
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  139. ^Tähtinen pp. 2–5; English translation: Schmidt p. 631.
  140. ^Christopher Chapple (2008) Yoga and the Luminous: Patañjali's Spiritual Path to Freedom New York: SUNY Press, ISBN978-0-7914-7475-4
  141. ^ abcdeBryant, Edwin F. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary; Introduction
  142. ^ abS Pines and T Gelblum (Translators from Arabic to English, 1966), Al-Bīrūni (Translator from Sanskrit to Arabic, ~ 1035 AD), and Patañjali, Al-Bīrūnī's Arabic Version of Patañjali's Yogasūtra, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Vol. 29, No. 2 (1966), pages 302-325
  143. ^Hellmut Ritter, al-Bīrūnī's übersetzung des Yoga-Sūtra des Patañjali, Oriens, Vol. 9, No. 2 (31 December 1956), pages 165-200 (in German)
  144. ^Maas 2013, pp. 53-90.
  145. ^ abAndrea Acri (2012), Yogasūtra 1.10, 1.21–23, and 2.9 in the Light of the Indo-Javanese Dharma Pātañjala, Journal of Indian Philosophy, Volume 40, Issue 3, pages 259-276
  146. ^Andrea Acri (2011), Dharma Pātañjala: a Śaiva scripture from ancient Java: studied in the light of related old Javanese and Sanskrit texts, Doctoral dissertation, Leiden University Institute for AREA Studies (LIAS), Leiden University.
  147. ^ abPhilipp Maas (2010), On the Written Transmission of the Pātañjalayogaśāstra, in 'From Vasubandhu to Caitanya, Studies in Indian Philosophy and its Textual History' (Editors: Johannes Bronkhorst und Karin Preisendanz), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN9788120834729, pages 157-172
  148. ^Philipp Maas (2008), 'Descent with Modification': The Opening of the Pātañjalayogaśāstra, in Śāstrārambha: Inquiries Into the Preamble in Sanskrit (Editor: Walter Slaje), Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN978-3447056458, pages 97-119
  149. ^Sankaracarya; Patañjali; T. S. Rukmani; Vyasa. Yogasutrabhasyavivarana of Sankara: Vivarana Text with English Translation, and Critical Notes along with Text and English Translation of Patañjali's Yogasutras and Vyasabhasya. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 2001. ISBN978-81-215-0908-4.
  150. ^Christopher Key Chapple; Reading Patañjali without Vyasa: A Critique of Four Yoga Sutra Passages, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 62, No. 1 (Spring, 1994), pp. 85-105.
  151. ^Ganganatha Jha (translator) (1907). The Yoga Darśana: The Sutras of Patañjali with the Bhāṣya of Vyāsa. With notes from Vācaspati Miśra's Tattvavaiśāradī, Vijnana Bhiksu's Yogavartika and Bhoja's Rajamartanda. Rajaram Tukaram Tatya: Bombay Theosophical Publication Fund. Source: [1] (accessed: 16 January 2011)
  152. ^'The Science of Yoga'. Goodreads. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
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  155. ^Williams, R. (1998). Jaina Yoga. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN978-8120807754.
  156. ^Tola, Dragonetti & Prithipaul 1987, p. xi note 3.
  157. ^ abcWhite 2014, p. 6.
  158. ^ abWhite 2014, p. 16.
  159. ^White 2011, p. 20-21.

Sources[edit]

Printed sources[edit]

  • Bryant, Edwin F. (2009), The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation and Commentary, New York: North Poinnt Press, ISBN0865477361
  • Crangle, Eddie (1984), 'A Comparison of Hindu and Buddhist Techniques of Attaining Samādhi', in Hutch, R. A.; Fenner, P. G. (eds.), Under The Shade of the Coolibah Tree: Australian Studies in Consciousness(PDF), University Press of America
  • Crangle, Edward Fitzpatrick (1994), The Origin and Development of Early Indian Contemplative Practices, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag
  • Feuerstein, Georg (1978), Handboek voor Yoga (Dutch translation; English title 'Textbook of Yoga', Ankh-Hermes
  • Iyengar, B. K. S. (2002), Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, HarperCollins UK
  • Jianxin Li (n.d.), A Comparative Study between Yoga and Indian Buddhism, asianscholarship.org, archived from the original on 4 March 2016
  • Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006), Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Infobase Publishing
  • Larson, Gerald James (1998), Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning, London: Motilal Banarasidass, ISBN81-208-0503-8
  • Maas, Philipp A. (2006), Samādhipāda. Das erste Kapitel des Pātañjalayogaśāstra zum ersten Mal kritisch ediert. (Samādhipāda. The First Chapter of the Pātañjalayogaśās-tra for the First Time Critically Edited)., Aachen: Shaker
  • Maas, Philipp A. (2013), A Concise Historiography of Classical Yoga Philosophy, in: Eli Franco (ed.), Periodization and Historiography of Indian Philosophy., Vienna: Sammlung de Nobili, Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde der Universität Wien
  • Maehle, Gregor (2007), Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, New World Library
  • Michaels, Axel (2004). Hinduism: Past and Present. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN978-0-691-08953-9.
  • Müeller, Max (1899). Six Systems of Indian Philosophy; Samkhya and Yoga, Naya and Vaiseshika. Calcutta: Susil Gupta (India) Ltd. ISBN978-0-7661-4296-1. Reprint edition; Originally published under the title of The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy.
  • Pradhan, Basant (2015), Yoga and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Springer
  • Radhakrishnan, S.; Moore, C. A. (1957). A Source Book in Indian Philosophy. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN978-0-691-01958-1. Princeton paperback 12th printing, 1989.
  • Ranganathan, Shyam (2008). Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra: Translation, Commentary and Introduction. Delhi: Penguin Black Classics. ISBN978-0-14-310219-9.
  • Sen, Amiya P. (2006). 'Raja Yoga: The Science of Self-Realization'. The Indispensable Vivekananda. Orient Blackswan. pp. 219–227. ISBN978-81-7824-130-2.
  • Sharma, Chandradhar (1987). An Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN978-81-208-0365-7.
  • Tola, Fernando; Dragonetti, Carmen; Prithipaul, K. Dad (1987), The Yogasūtras of Patañjali on concentration of mind, Motilal Banarsidass
  • Vivekananda, Swami (1980). Raja Yoga. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center. ISBN0-911206-23-X.
  • Whicher, Ian (1998), The Integrity of the Yoga Darsana: A Reconsideration of Classical Yoga, SUNY Press
  • White, David Gordon (2011), Yoga, Brief History of an Idea (Chapter 1 of 'Yoga in practice')(PDF), Princeton University Press
  • White, David Gordon (2014), The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Biography, Princeton University Press, ISBN978-0691143774
  • Wood, Ernest (1951). Practical Yoga, Ancient and Modern, Being a New, Independent Translation of Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms. Rider and Company.
  • Woods, James Haughton (translator) (2003), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Courier Dover Publications, ISBN978-0-486-43200-7
  • Wujastyk, Dominik (2011), The Path to Liberation through Yogic Mindfulness in Early Ayurveda. In: David Gordon White (ed.), 'Yoga in practice', Princeton University Press
  • Wynne, Alexander (2007), The Origin of Buddhist Meditation(PDF), Routledge
  • Zimmer, Heinrich (1951), Philosophies of India, New York, New York: Princeton University Press, ISBN0-691-01758-1 Bollingen Series XXVI; Edited by Joseph Cambell.

Web sources[edit]

  1. ^ abcdeSri Swami Sivananda, Raja Yoga Samadhi
  2. ^ abcdefgSwami Jnaneshvara Bharati, Integrating 50+ Varieties of Yoga Meditation
  3. ^ abSwami Sivananda, Samprajnata Samadhi

Further reading[edit]

History
  • White, David Gordon (2014). The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Biography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN978-0-691-14377-4.
Translations
  • Bryant, Edwin F. (2009) The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. New York: North Point Press. ISBN978-0-86547-736-0
  • Tola, Fernando; Dragonetti, Carmen; Prithipaul, K. Dad (1987), The Yogasūtras of Patañjali on concentration of mind, Motilal Banarsidass
Practice and commentaries
  • Govindan, Marshall. Kriya Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Siddhas, Babaji’s Kriya Yoga and Publications,2000, 2nd edition 2010, ISBN978-1-895383-12-6
  • Iyengar, B.K.S. (1993, 2002). Light on Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Hammersmith, London, UK: Thorsons. ISBN978-0-00-714516-4
  • Master, E. K. The Yoga of Patañjali Kulapathi Book Trust ISBN978-81-85943-05-3
  • Swami SatyandandaFour Chapters on Freedom: Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of PatanjaliISBN81-85787-18-2

External links[edit]

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  • Works by Patañjali at Project Gutenberg
  • Works by or about Yoga Sutras of Patanjali at Internet Archive
Translations
  • James Woods, The yoga-system of Patañjali; or, The ancient Hindu doctrine of concentration of mind; Yoga-sutras, of Patañjali (1914) Harvard University Press
  • The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, translation by BonGiovanni, at sacred-texts.com
  • Yoga Sutras and related yoga texts, at sanskritdocuments.org
Yoga bhashya
Commentaries
  • The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: the Book of the Spiritual Man by Patañjali, an interpretation by Charles Johnston, at Project Gutenberg
  • The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali by Charles Johnston. Read Online at LibriPass
  • Audio lectures on the Yoga Sutras, by Swami Harshananda, at archive.org
  • Yoga Sutras Online Program by A. G. Mohan
  • 111 Audio lectures on the Yoga Sutras by Swami Tattwamayananda
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“A wonderful translation, full of contemporary insight yet luminous with eternal truth.”—Jacob Needleman
The Yoga Sutras were cast in their present form in India around the third century b.c. Yoga is from the Sanskrit root meaning “union,” and a sutra is a thread or aphoristic verse. The basic questions “Who am I?” “Where am I going?” “What is the purpose of life?” are aske
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Published January 8th 2002 by Harmony (first published 400)
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Rating details

Apr 23, 2010Dennis Littrell rated it really liked it
Engaging translation but not the best commentary
This book was first published in London in 1982 as Effortless Being: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. I assume the translation of the sutras is the same while Shearer, who is a disciple of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has updated his Introduction. The text is presented in a sky blue color that is easy on the eyes and does not distract from the meaning of the words. The design by Barbara Sturman is indeed very attractive while the small size of the book
..more
Jan 19, 2015David Haberlah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
If there would be only one single book that I could recommend to aspiring Yoginis and Yogis, it would be this peerless translation of and commentary on the classic text on Yoga!
This is simply the most comprehensive and readable translation and concordance of 15 centuries of commentaries on the Yoga Sûtra by Patanjali. It is an exceptionally well researched work, full of insight and interesting references. I find it particularly valuable in providing the historical context of interpretations and
..more
Apr 30, 2014Bernie Gourley rated it really liked it · review of another edition
There are about a billion editions of Patanjali’s The Yoga Sutras. The one I got was a free or very cheap on Kindle, and is, therefore, probably not the best edition. I don’t know that the Kindle version I got still exists because it included a supplemental essay by Swami Vivekananda that the version I linked to on Amazon doesn’t. However, the translation is the same, and is by Charles Johnston.
For many old works, the edition might not matter too much, but for Patanjali’s Sutras it matters a gr
..more
May 23, 2014Ashley Adams rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
A wonderful book to be read over and over again. Stiles includes a section providing word-by-word breakdown of the Sanskrit to accompany a translation meant to capture true meaning. A valuable addition to the bookshelf of any yogi.
Dec 19, 2014Saiisha rated it it was amazing
Until Patanjali wrote his original yoga sutras about 4000 years ago, there was no written record about yoga, even though it was already being practiced for centuries. Sutra in Sanksrit means a thread that holds things together. Each of Patanjali's short, sharp and succinct sutras is like a little knot in the thread, to be teased apart for its wisdom. So there are several translations and interpretations of his work, and I've read quite a few. All of them have something to say - with a different..more
Dec 01, 2012Scott Bischke rated it it was ok · review of another edition
From my blog post about this book; see http://www.emountainworks.com/scottbi..
I spent some time looking for a book about Patañjali's Yoga Sutras. I've got some idea now just what sutra's are, but I want better insight into the content of Patañjali's take on the sutras as they relate to yoga, and more broadly to life.
So I started where I often start, looking for a book on the topic. I found no shortage of versions of Patañjali's Yoga Sutras, as well as no shortage of opinions on those books. Oft
..more
Nov 03, 2016Michael Lloyd-Billington rated it it was ok · review of another edition
I will try to expand this review later when I have more time, but for the moment I need to be brief, so I will start by saying I can comfortably call Edwin Bryant's version the least-helpful translation and commentary I've read (out of about 30 at this point). The reasons for this require and deserve more time, especially as the work itself represents a vast degree of effort on the author's behalf, but for now there are four primary points I will make: 1. First and foremost, Bryant's style and d..more
The amount of time I've spent rereading Asian scriptures in the past month is embarrassing, but its an obsession that always helps me pull myself together when I'm crazy and heartbroken. I spent a few weeks reading this one every single morning (don't panic - it's short and only takes about 20 minutes if you skip the commentary), and it cheered me up enormously. Shearer's translation is accessible, clean, and elegant -- but not particularly accurate. It is a good gateway translation to the text,..more
Sep 18, 2016AJ Dreadfulwater rated it it was amazing
'That which unites is called Yoga.' -Patanjali
A simple, yet brilliant foundational text of yogic philosophy. Patanjali writes the on the eight limbs of yoga and progression of the yogi via the limbs of 'the organic process' of enlightenment. A non religious, but spiritual and philosophic text for all!
Jul 13, 2015Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Dec 22, 2015Ying Zhao rated it it was amazing
This book is one which you constantly go back to.
Sep 17, 2017Sherri rated it it was amazing
This has become one of my favorite translations of the Yoga Sutras, having read a few different versions during my years of study and practice.
This is the most understandable translation I have read. I enjoyed it! Now I feel lead to study this side by side with another version and see what I can decipher from between the lines.
This is a great book. Patanjali would be someone I would like to converse with in 2017. He was way way ahead of his time.
The intellectual depth of this book is astounding.
Nov 21, 2013Tomme Fent rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I find this interpretation much more accessible than Swami Satchidananda's interpretation.
Feb 26, 2019JoAnne rated it really liked it · review of another edition
It took me 7 months to get through Edwin Bryant's mammoth translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras. Mind you, it is completely possible to plow through the epic text in less time than that, but I approached it slowly and deliberately - underlining, re-reading, and cluttering it's pages with my own comments in the margins and on post-it notes. This version of the sutras is not for the faint of heart, as it is truly a text book. For those looking for philosophical inspiration that you can rel..more
Feb 09, 2019Stephanie MacDonald rated it it was ok
Many excellent examples of ways to liberate oneself, however as all the 'old systems of beLIEf' it teaches 'selflessness' and 'surrender to outside sources'.. This absurd programming of 'ego is bad' and do EVERYTHING for others and 'God' and not yourself.
None of the old systems are truly liberating, they are just more subtle forms of control to keep the masses disempowered, 'less than', and in need of some God or Guru to offer yourself to. This strange idea of 'find someone else to blame or fi
..more
I really liked the long introduction by Mr Shearer. I understand that there are other translations of the Sutras, but without having read them, not being a bodhisattva, and not reading Sanskrit, I'm willing to go with this one for now.
Mr Shearer quotes from the Vishnu Purana:
'Society reaches a stage where property confers rank, wealth becomes the only source of virtue, passion the sole bond of union between husband and wife, falsehood the source of success in life, sex the only means of enjoymen
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Mar 23, 2019Prashanth Nuggehalli Srinivas rated it really liked it
Enjoyed this gentle and quick introduction to Patanjali’s Yoga sutras. About half the book is the initial discourse about the sutras, following which is the translation of the sutras. I appreciated the authors purposeful humanist interpretation of Patanjali, framing the entire learning as an achievement of collective human consciousness. The only somewhat disappointment is the exposition on the concept of “sanyama” which tends to invoke lot of quantum physics and ventures into territories of sci..more
This book is an eye opener for anyone who is into yoga. It is amazing how old all this knowledge is and how apropriate for us to apply it today.
The good part is that it says nothing about asanas - yoga postures - so you can apply its wisdom in your everyday life, activities, meditation routine and so on, even if you do not practice the classical yoga asanas.
Although it might seem like a quick read, one should try and meditate on each sutra and try to see if they can apply it in real life, if it
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The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: I need to reread this. It's a teeny tiny book that is so dense with information and stuff to think about. I learned a TON about yoga (which is 1000000x more than just the exercise class) from the analysis chapters that preceded the sutras themselves, and I'm glad to have read all of that before reading the sutras, but still need to read them again. Would def recommend this translation and explanation to Americans; it was easy enough to understand without being conde..more
Mar 28, 2018THT Steph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
With the original text being written between the first and third centuries, it might appear that there is little to be offered by reading another edition at this point, especially since I have personally read the text a dozen times, give or take. Edition matters though..greatly. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is required reading for yoga certification training, and it has become a book of great importance, and this edition delivers the text very nicely with quality translation. I checked the text..more
Mar 31, 2018Heather rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I've read a few other commentaries of the sutras now, and I'm glad that I did. When I first approached this text it felt inaccessible, but upon returning to it after reading some of the other commentaries, I appreciate its depth and am more equipped to engage with the material. The front matter is outstanding and is tremendously helpful in tracking the origins of yoga. Primarily drawing on the traditional commentators, this text also honors the original intent of Pantanjali.
Jul 09, 2018Sandy L Jones rated it really liked it · review of another edition
An interesting look at. the Mind
I do not agree with reincarnation. But many things he describes as the mind are excellent. Things I have used in my life and more. An interesting read
Jan 23, 2018Duncan Reed rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Amazing :-) Best read with 2 bookmarks - 1 for the main text, and 1 for the notes to the text in the back of the book. Of particular note is just how well the similarities and differences between Yogic and Buddhist ideas are examined and explained.
Jan 28, 2018Maria rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I really liked this audiobook, but if I may suggest you don’t listen while getting ready for bed if you want the full benefit.
Lulled me to sleep so very nicely, I didn’t want to get up in the morning
Easy to digest translation with a lengthy but interesting introduction that prepares the modern mind to understand ancient texts. I recommend this book to anyone who practices yoga and wants to learn more.
Dec 13, 2018Darius rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I read this pretty quickly, but this is a text that should be meditated on and carefully re-read many times. It’s a straight-forward and practical treasure trove of wisdom for spiritual seekers & practitioners
Dec 10, 2018Aaron Schuschu rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Like a mindfulness thing on SoundCloud
Feb 03, 2019Justina Mejias rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Such a clear and excellent guide to living. The Yoga Sutras are essential study for any student that wants to understand how to live yoga off of the Matt.
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Patañjali (Devanāgarī पतञजलि) (fl. 150 BCE or 2nd c. BCE) is the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice, and also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a major commentary on Pāṇini's Ashtadhyayi. However, it is unlikely that these two works are that of the same author.
In recent decades the Yoga Sutra has become quite popular worldwide for the precepts regarding
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“Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked.” — 211 likes
“For those who have an intense urge for Spirit and wisdom, it sits
near them, waiting.”
— 86 likes
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