Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are an ancient, foundational text of Yoga. In Indian
philosophy, Yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox philosophical schools. Though
brief, the Yoga Sutras are an enormously influential work on yoga philosophy and
practice, just as relevant today as when first composed.
The Sanskrit word yoga, as used in the work, refers to a state of mind where thoughts
and feelings are suspended or held in check (Sanskrit nirodha), and sutra means
"thread". This is a reference to the thread of a Japa mala (Hindu prayer beads), upon
which the aphorisms that make up the work are strung like beads. The title is sometimes
rendered in English as the Yoga Aphorisms.
Authorship and dating
The Sutras are ascribed to Patanjali, who, may have been, as Max Müller explains, "the
author or representative of the Yoga-philosophy without being necessarily the author of
the Sutras."
Radhakrishnan and Moore attribute the text to Patanjali, dating it as 2nd century BCE.
Scholars such as S.N. Dasgupta, claim this is the same Patanjali who authored the
Mahabhasya, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar.
Indologist Axel Michaels is dismissive of claims that the work was written by Patanjali,
characterizing it instead as a collection of fragments and traditions of texts stemming
from the second or third century. Gavin Flood cites a wider period of uncertainty for the
composition, between 100 BCE and 500 CE. A contemporary scholar with a focus on
Tibetan Buddhism, Robert Thurman writes that Patanjali was influenced by the success
of the Buddhist monastic system to formulate his own matrix for the version of thought
he considered orthodox.
Philosophical roots and influences
The Sutras are built on a foundation of Samkhya philosophy. The division into the Eight
Limbs (Sanskrit Ashtanga) of Yoga is reminiscent of Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path;
inclusion of Brahmaviharas (Yoga Sutra 1:33) also shows Buddhism's influence on parts
of the Sutras.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali prescribes adherence to eight "limbs" or steps (the sum of
which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga", the title of the second chapter) to quiet one's mind
and achieve kaivalya. The Yoga Sutras form the theoretical and philosophical basis of
Raja Yoga, and are considered to be the most organized and complete definition of that
discipline.
The Sutras not only provide yoga with a thorough and consistent philosophical basis,
they also clarify many important esoteric concepts which are common to all traditions of
Indian thought, such as karma.
Usage
Although Patanjali's work does not cover the many types of Yogic practices that have
become prevalent, its succinct form and availability caused it to be pressed into service
by a variety of schools of Yogic thought.
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. 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.
Patanjali divided his Yoga Sutras into 4 chapters or books (Sanskrit pada), containing in
all 196 aphorisms, divided as follows:
Samadhi Pada (51 sutras)
Samadhi refers to a blissful state where the yogi is absorbed into the One. The author
describes yoga and then the nature and the means to attaining samadhi. This chapter
contains the famous definitional verse: "Yogaś citta-vritti-nirodha" ("Yoga is the restraint
of mental modifications").
Sadhana Pada (55 sutras)
Sadhana is the Sanskrit word for "practice" or "discipline". Here the author outlines two
forms of Yoga: Kriya Yoga (Action Yoga) and Ashtanga Yoga (Eightfold or Eightlimbed
Yoga).
Kriya yoga, sometimes called Karma Yoga, is also expounded in Chapter 3 of the
Bhagavad Gita, where Arjuna is encouraged by Krishna to act without attachment to the
results or fruit of action and activity. It is the yoga of selfless action and service.
Ashtanga Yoga describes the eight limbs that together constitute Raja Yoga.
Vibhuti Pada (56 sutras)
Vibhuti is the Sanskrit word for "power" or "manifestation". Supra-normal powers are
acquired by the practice of yoga. The temptation of these powers should be avoided and
the attention should be fixed only on liberation.
Kaivalya Pada (34 sutras)
Kaivalya literally means "isolation", but as used in the Sutras stands for emancipation,
liberation and used interchangeably with moksha (liberation), which is the goal of Yoga.
The Kaivalya Pada describes the nature of liberation and the reality of the transcendental
self.
The eight limbs (asthanga)
The eight "limbs" or steps prescribed in the second pada of the Yoga Sutras are: Yama,
Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
Ashtanga yoga consists of the following steps: The first five are called external aids to
Yoga (bahiranga sadhana)
Yama refers to the five abstentions. These are the same as the five vows of Jainism.
Ahimsa: non-violence, inflicting no injury or harm to others or even to one's ownself, it
goes as far as nonviolence in thought, word and deed.
Satya: truth in word & thought.
Asteya: non-covetousness,, to the extent that one should not even desire something
that is not his own.
Brahmacharya: abstain from sexual intercourse; celibacy in case of unmarried people
and monogamy in case of married people. Even this to the extent that one should not
possess any unholy thoughts towards any other man or woman except one's own
spouse. It's common to associate Brahmacharya with celibacy.
Aparigraha: non-possessiveness
Niyama refers to the five observances
Shaucha: cleanliness of body & mind.
Santosha: satisfaction; satisfied with what one has..
Tapas: austerity and associated observances for body discipline & thereby mental
control.
Svadhyaya: study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul, which leads
to introspection on a greater awakening to the soul and God within,
Ishvarapranidhana: surrender to (or worship of) God.
Asana: Discipline of the body: rules and postures to keep it disease-free and for
preserving vital energy. Correct postures are a physical aid to meditation, for they
control the limbs and nervous system and prevent them from producing disturbances.
Pranayama: control of breath. Beneficial to health, steadies the body and is highly
conductive to the concentration of the mind.
Pratyahara: withdrawal of senses from their external objects.
The last three levels are called internal aids to Yoga (antaranga sadhana)
Dharana: concentration of the citta upon a physical object, such as a flame of a lamp,
the mid point of the eyebrows, or the image of a deity.
Dhyana: steadfast meditation. Undisturbed flow of thought around the object of
meditation (pratyayaikatanata). The act of meditation and the object of meditation
remain distinct and separate.
Samadhi: oneness with the object of meditation. There is no distinction between act of
meditation and the object of meditation. Samadhi is of two kinds:
Samprajnata Samadhi conscious samadhi. The mind remains concentrated (ekagra)
on the object of meditation, therefore the consciousness of the object of meditation
persists. Mental modifications arise only in respect of this object of meditation.
This state is of four kinds:
Savitarka: the Citta is concentrated upon a gross object of meditation such as a flame of
a lamp, the tip of the nose, or the image of a deity.
Savichara: the Citta is concentrated upon a subtle object of meditation , such as the
tanmatras
Sananda: the Citta is concentrated upon a still subtler object of meditation, like the
senses.
Sasmita: the Citta is concentrated upon the ego-substance with which the self is
generally identified.
Asamprajnata Samadhi supraconscious. The citta and the object of meditation are
fused together. The consciousness of the object of meditation is transcended. All mental
modifications are checked (niruddha), although latent impressions may continue.