The Yoga Sutra for the iPad, iPhone, & iPod Touch: an original, novel yet perfectly
logical way to read, study, listen to, and learn to chant the Yoga Sutra - using digital
palm-leaves, aka. flashcards! This is the long awaited modern update to an ancient
classic!
But this is not just an e-Book, or a set of flashcards; Yoga XTC's Yoga Sutra app is
many things rolled into one:
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A new, remarkably readable and comprehensible English translation of the
Yoga Sutra
An effective tool for learning to read the sutras in the Devanagari script
A powerful way to learn the sounds of the Yoga Sutra - sutra by sutra, or word
by word - an audio recording is just a tap away
The Search function is essentially a convenient Sanskrit-English Yoga Sutra
dictionary - ever wonder where "asana" is mentioned in the Yoga Sutra? Search
and instantly discover its context within the Yoga Sutra!
Experience the ancient technology of Yoga via the modern technology of an app, and
enjoy a rewarding experience of the Yoga Sutra…
…May this app deepen your understanding of the Yoga Sutra!
Home Menu
When you launch the app, you will find yourself at the Home Menu (pictured above).
This is where you make chapter selections – one, or all - just tap on your desired
choice.
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Selection Menu
After making your chapter selection, you will come to the Selection Menu (pictured
below). Here you may be select individual sutras, or all; again, select as many, or as
few as you want:
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Tap on a ticked box to deselect
Tap on an empty box to select
TIP: By default, all sutras are selected. Tapping the ticked “All” box, all the sutras will
be deselected.
The buttons on the toolbar at the bottom are as follows:
Home: takes you to the Home Menu
?: provides in-app instructions, should you need it
Sutra-by-Sutra: whole sutras only
Word-by-Word: breaks each sutra into the component words only
Both: first breaks each sutra into the component words, then strings them together as
the whole sutra.
Start: takes you to the first card.
Search
The Selection Menu is also where you perform Searches; to do so, type in the search
field. Please note that the Search function acts as a Sanskrit-English dictionary, as
such, only the Sanskrit terms are searchable.
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The Cards
Title
Chapter
Sutra Number, this is
Chapter 1, Sutra 1.
Sutra in Devanagari
Sutra transliterated
shuffles
the cards
* deletes card
from selection
plays
pronunciation
opens “Settings” page
switches to English mode
(English-side up)
plays Slideshow
“Home” & “?” buttons function as described in the Selection Menu section.
Each card has a Sanskrit-side (as in the example above) and an English-side. By
default, the cards are in Sanskrit Mode (Sanskrit-side up, English on the reverse-side).
Also, by default:
• The cards display both Devanagari & Standard Transliteration
• Slideshow Loop mode is turned “OFF”
As always:
• Swipe left to advance to the next card
• Swipe right to return to the previous card
• Tap the card to flip it from Sanskrit-side to English-side, or vice-versa
TIP: if you swipe until you cannot swipe anymore, chances are you have reach the
final card of your selection.
* Returning “Home” reinstates all deleted cards.
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Settings
Slideshow Loop “ON” – the selected cards will automatically advance after playing the
audio file; when it reaches the end of the selection, it will return to the first card; this
will continue until it the “stop” button is pressed. The “stop” button will take the take
of the “play” button, when the Slideshow is on.
Slideshow Loop “OFF” – the slideshow will end upon reaching the last card of the
selection.
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Sandhi & Sanskrit
If you are wondering why the word endings of some words change when the are
broken down as “words”, and when they are in the context of a sūtra, the reason is
sandhi. Sandhi literally means “junction’ and there exists a complex set of rules
governing how words should join together.
Sanskrit places utmost importance to how the language flows and how it affects the
speaker / listener. Hence, when the ending of one word, and the beginning of the next
word are discordant, word-endings are changed to make the transition between the
two words smooth and harmonious.
For example, in Sutra 1.2 the first word words are “yogaḥ” and “citta”. But the “aḥ”
sound followed by the “c” sound creates a jerk in the heart and breath. If you place
your hand on your heart, and repeat aloud “yogaḥ citta”, we will feel / sense that jerk.
Therefore, according to the rules of sandhi, when these two particular words join, the
“aḥ” must be replaced by a “ś” sound, making the two words “yogaścitta” instead.
Now place your hand on your heart, and say aloud “yogaścitta”… and you will notice
that the jerk is no longer there. That is sandhi.
But this is just one example of sandhi. There are many other types of Sandhi with
their corresponding rules about the transformation of word-endings.
For more information about Sanskrit, please visit www.yogaxtc.com/sanskrit
Support
Our apps are a labor of love, if you require further assistance, have any questions, or
suggestions, we want to hear from you:
apps@yogaxtc.com
You will also find more resources on our website:
www.yogaxtc.com
May you always strive for Samādhi
And may you be blessed with the experience of Samādhi!
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