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 aphorisms collected in this book, first published in 1953, were composed by Patanjali, a great Indian sage, over 1,500 years ago, and here translated into clear English prose. The accompanying commentary interprets the sayings for the modern world, and in doing so gives a full picture of what yoga is, what its aims are, and how it can be practised.

A contemporary interpretation of the foundational text for the practice of yoga. Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra (second century CE) is the basic text of one of the nine canonical schools of Indian philosophy. In it the legendary author lays down the blueprint for success in yoga; now practised the world over. Patañjali draws upon many ideas of his time; and the result is a unique work of Indian moral philosophy that has been the foundational text for the practice of yoga since. The Yoga Sutra sets out a sophisticated theory of moral psychology and perhaps the oldest theory of psychoanalysis. For Patañjali; present mental maladies are a function of subconscious tendencies formed in reaction to past experiences. He argues that people are not powerless against such forces and that they can radically alter their lives through yoga—a process of moral transformation and perfection; which brings the body and mind of a person in line with their true nature. Accompanying this illuminating translation is an extended introduction that explains the challenges of accurately translating Indian philosophical texts; locates the historical antecedents of Patañjali’s text and situates Patanjali’s philosophy within the history of scholastic Indian philosophy.

This book presents contemporary scholarship on the Yoga Sūtra. It revisits Patañjali’s philosophy by bringing it into dialogue with contemporary concerns across a variety of topics and perspectives. Questions regarding the role of the body in the practice of classical yoga, the debate between the realistic or idealistic interpretation of the text, the relation between Yoga and other Indian philosophical schools, the use of imagination in the pursuit of self-knowledge, the interplay between consciousness and nature, the possibilities and limitations of using it as a therapeutic philosophy, the science of meditation, and overcoming our fear of death probe the many dimensions that this text continues to offer for thought and reflection.

Excerpt from Yoga Sastra: The Yoga Sutras of Patenjali Examined; With a Notice of Swami Vivekananda's Yoga Philosophy It has been the unhappy lot of India to have had for thousands of years a succession of teachers who palmed off their crude ideas as inspired. The result has been, in the words of Sir H. S. Maine, "false morality, false history, false philosophy, false physics." All educated Hindus will admit that the history, geography, and astronomy of the Hindu sacred books are egregiously wrong. In the following pages it is shown that belief in Yoga powers and charms is equally mistaken. Marvellous power may indeed be acquired, but not by Yoga. The reader is advised to follow the course pointed out at page 58. "Awakened India," instead of adopting the Fowl or Tortoise Upset Posture, with his eye fixed on the tip of his nose and seeking "the suppression of the transformations of the thinking principle," should rather endeavour to have his muscles braced like those of Prince Ranjitsinhji, his faculties of observation cultivated like those of Professor Bose, his ability to weigh evidence developed like that of Dr. Bhandarkar. Instead of a dreamy pessimism, let there be active benevolence. Thus would India advance in civilization with a speed before unknown. "Above all, let the deep religious feeling of the Hindu mind be wisely directed. Let the Bhakti Yoga have for its object the loftiest ideal of majesty, wisdom, goodness and purity. Such is the great Creator and Lord of the Universe." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.