This book offers a systematic and radical introduction to the Buddhist roots of Pātañjala-yoga, or the Yoga system of Patañjali. By examining each of 195 aphorisms (sūtras) of the Yogasūtra and discussing the Yogabhāṣya, it shows that traditional and popular views on Pātañjala-yoga obscure its true nature. The book argues that Patañjali’s Yoga contains elements rooted in both orthodox and heterodox philosophical traditions, including Sāṅkhya, Jaina and Buddhist thought. With a fresh translation and a detailed commentary on the Yogasūtra, the author unearths how several of the terms, concepts and doctrines in Patañjali’s Yoga can be traced to Buddhism, particularly the Abhidharma Buddhism of Vasubandhu and the early Yogācāra of Asaṅga. The work presents the Yogasūtra of Patañjali as a synthesis of two perspectives: the metaphysical perspective of Sāṅkhya and the empirical–psychological perspective of Buddhism. Based on a holistic understanding of Yoga, the study explores key themes of the text, such as meditative absorption, means, supernormal powers, isolation, Buddhist conceptions of meditation and the interplay between Sāṅkhya and Buddhist approaches to suffering and emancipation. It further highlights several new findings and clarifications on textual interpretation and discrepancies. An important intervention in Indian and Buddhist philosophy, this book opens up a new way of looking at the Yoga of Patañjali in the light of Buddhism beyond standard approaches and will greatly interest scholars and researchers of Buddhist studies, Yoga studies, Indian philosophy, philosophy in general, literature, religion and comparative studies, Indian and South Asian Studies and the history of ideas.

The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali are universally acknowledged as the fundamental text on yoga and meditation in the Indian classical tradition. This English translation of Yoga Philosophy of Patañjali is widely regarded as the most authoritative and authentic that has been available in recent times. It is a serious and clear presentation of Patañjali's sutras and Vyāsa's Bhāsya, providing these basic texts both in the original Sanskrit and in readable and accurate English. These classical works are augmented by the commentary of Swami Hariharananda Aranya, a scholar and yogi of great repute, who, in his lifetime, was the foremost exponent in India of the Sāṃkhya Yoga system of which the Yoga Aphorisms of Patañjali are the principal work.

The Yoga System was formulated by Patanjali. His sutras, the formulas or equations, are complex to comprehend without a thorough knowledge of Sanskrit language. Since the sutras are written in a kind of shorthand manner, they require a sound understanding of the yoga philosophy and the vedic culture in order to decipher each word of the sutra clearly. Prof. Ratnakar Narale has analyzed each word in basic terms and English transliterated it to make the learning of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali easy. Dr. Narale has organized the entire subject under 90 unique subheadings and has formulated all the definitions and indices to the make it a valuable reference guide.

This book explores Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra from a contemporary scholarly perspective. Chapters in this book explore questions regarding its metaphysics, epistemology, and praxis. Contributors to this volume guide us in a philosophical journey through this text that will be of interest to scholars and yoga practitioners alike.

Providing an explanation of the practical and philosophical foundations of Raja Yoga, The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali is arguably the most important text on Yogic philosophy. The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali is widely regarded as the most authoritative text on yoga. It comprises a collection of 196 Indian sutras (“threads” – as sutra translates from Sanskrit) written 1,700 years ago. These threads or aphorisms were compiled by the Indian sage Patañjali and offer guidelines for living a meaningful and purposeful life. The book is organized into four parts and provides descriptions of the eight limbs of yoga, such as pranayama and asana. The translated text is presented alongside a clear and insightful commentary by Swami Vivekananda, which makes them more accessible to the modern reader and yoga practitioner. His message of universal brotherhood and self-awakening remains relevant today, especially in the current backdrop of widespread political turmoil around the world.

Patanjali is the author of the book. Patanjali's sutras were written at some time in the fourth or fifth century of our era. The book 'Yoga-System of Patanjali' deals with Sanskrit Text with English Translation and Embracing the Mnemonic rules, called 'Yoga-system of Patanjali' and the comment, called 'Yoga Bhasya' attribute to Veda Vyasa and the explanation called 'Tattva-Vaisarsdi' of vacaspati-Misra. The book also deals with these topic like : Analytical summary of the yogs-sutras, The yoga-sutras translated without the comment of the explanation, Translation of patanjali yoga-sutra or mnemonic rules together with the Comment or Yoga-bhasya, attributed to Veda vyasa And Vacaspatimisra's Explanation or Tattva-vasisaradiBook 1, Concentration (Samadhi), 2. Book 2, Means of attainment (sadhana) Book 3, Supernormal powers (vibhuti) Book 4, Isolation (kaivalya) .

This pocket edition offers a convenient format for this ageless guide and companion to the student on the Yogic path. Includes the full text of this classic Yoga work, along with brief commentary from a revered master of Raja Yoga.