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| The '''Yoga Sutras''' are a collection of [[Sanskrit]] aphorisms attributed to the Indian sage [[Patanjali]] sometime around the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE. But the Yoga sutras (drawn from ideas that had already existed for a long time in [[India]]) were compiled over many years, and some historians claim that the final chapter was added after [[Patanjali]]. They are regarded by most as the first genuine codification of Yoga into a system of spiritual practice. | | The '''Yoga Sutras of Patanjali''' are a collection of [[Sanskrit]] sutras (verses) attributed to the Indian sage [[Patanjali]] around the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE. The text is considered to be the earliest major treatment of [[yoga]] as a psychological or spiritual practice, compiling and consolidating information from various ancient texts, including the [[Vedas]], [[Upanishad]]s, and the [[Bhagavad Gita]]. The ''Yoga Sutras'' appear to have been compiled over many years and are short, consisting of 195 (or 196, by some sources) sutras grouped into four chapters (aka books). Some historians maintain that the final chapter was added later by someone other than Patanjali. |
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| ==Yoga==
| | The ''Yoga Sutras'' state that the main goal of yoga is to achieve a quiet mind, leading to a feeling of bliss and peace, and that yoga allows this goal to be pursued in an organized, methodical fashion similar to the pursuit of science. The verses constitute a formula by which anyone can test the reliability of Patanjali's approach. |
| Yoga is an idea that existed long before [[Patanjali]], and the Yoga Sutras present themselves merely as a revision of the doctrine. The term yoga literally means 'union' or 'yoke' (between the personal and impersonal self, or between the individual and the universal). Yoga also has the object of escaping sorrow, and of controlling passion and mental processes. The philosophy of Yoga, formalized in the Yoga Sutras, is related to other schools, or darshanas, of [[Hinduism]], including Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimansa (based on the early Vedas), Vedanta (based on the last Vedas), and Sankhya. Each of these schools, born between the sixth and second centuries BCE, draws heavily from the [[Upanishads]], and shares basic notions like [[karma]] (innate tendencies), dharma (duty or morality), the cycle of rebirth, and liberation. New forms and interpretations have in turn arisen from these schools; Yoga has branched into forms that include Laya, Mantra, Tantra, and Hatha, while the essence of [[Patanjali]]’s instruction has been retained in a form known as [[Raya Yoga]], or the Royal Path. (Modern [[Yoga]] is based on Hatha Yoga, which, dating to 1000 CE, has developed special breathing exercises and posture, such as the familiar lotus position.) [[Raya Yoga]] is the most composite approach to [[yoga]], not concentrating on one element like chanting or physical training.
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| ==Sutras==
| | The ''Yoga Sutras'' are known for their reference to ''ashtanga'', eight elements of practice leading to the goal of a blissful mind. The eight elements are also sometimes referred to as the "8 limbs of yoga", and they express 8 different kinds of activity that are helpful in attaining the goal. The eight elements are: |
| Each of the schools of [[Hinduism]] has its own set of [[sutras]], or aphorisms (short sayings or pithy observation). The sutras help to systematize the philosophy of the writer, and they facilitate memorization and transmission by generations of students. (The brevity of the sutra created the need for commentaries based on them, the first of which is believed to have been written by [[Vyasa]] in the 6th or 7th century CE.) The sutras have the goal of making the mystical experience of Yoga understandable, and more importantly, accessible. Thus [[Patanjali]]'s Yoga is very systematic, even "scientific". (Indeed, it seems to attempt a unification of ethics with the scientific discipline of physics.) The sutras penetrate the mystery of yoga in an organized and methodical fashion, as science does, and although the author does not say they are based directly on empirical evidence, the aphorisms do constitute a formula by which anyone can test the reliability of [[Patanjali]]'s approach. (Furthermore, while it might seem that the observer and the observed in Yoga are the same, [[Patanjali]] claims that the "I" of our everyday lives is different from our true self, and can be observed using objective 'thought waves'.)
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| ==The Books (Pada)==
| | * ''yama'' (five things one should abstain from doing) |
| The Yoga Sutras are divided into four books (Sanskrit ''pada''), containing a total of 195 ''sutras''. These books include: the [[Samadhi]] Pada (concerning the Theory of Yoga), [[Sadhana]] Pada (the Practice of Yoga), [[Vibhuti]] Pada (Attainments), and [[Kaivalya]] Pada (Emancipation).
| | * ''niyama'' (five things one should be sure to do) |
| | * ''[[Asana|asana]]'' (various physical poses) |
| | * ''pranayama'' (practices to increase breath control) |
| | * ''pratyahara'' (practices in learning to disregard inputs from the senses) |
| | * ''dhāraṇā'' (practicing single-minded mental focus) |
| | * ''dhyana'' (practicing various levels of meditation) |
| | * ''samadhi'' (experiencing the ceasing of the mental thought stream; aka a state of bliss) |
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| ==='''I. [[Samadhi]] Pada''' (51 sutras)===
| | In his model of the mind, Patanjali identifies an Observer (often translated as "The Seer") as being different from The Observed Mind. Patanjali claims that what people normally mean when they say "I" is the Observed Mind, roughly akin to the ego or personality of Western psychology. The "I" differs from the true self (the Observer). Per the ''Yoga Sutras'', the luminous and blissfully peaceful Observer usually operates undetected in the background and can only be perceived after the incessant thought-stream has been quietened via the regular practice of yoga. The main aim of yoga practice is, per Patanjali, ''[[kaivalya]]'' (discernment of ''[[purusha]]'', the witness-consciousness), as distinct from ''[[prakriti]]'' (the cognitive apparatus, or thinking mind); and disentanglement of ''purusha'' from ''prakriti's'' muddled defilements. |
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| ''Samadhi'' refers to a blissful state where the yogi is absorbed into the One. The author describes the theory of yoga and then the means to attaining samadhi.
| | Yoga is an idea that existed long before [[Patanjali]], and the Yoga Sutras present themselves merely as a revision of the doctrine. The philosophy of Yoga, formalized in the Yoga Sutras, is related to other schools, or darshanas, of [[Hinduism]], including Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimansa (based on the early Vedas), Vedanta (based on the last Vedas), and Sankhya. Each of these schools, born between the sixth and second centuries BCE, draws heavily from the [[Upanishads]], and shares basic notions like [[karma]], dharma (duty or morality), the cycle of rebirth, and liberation. |
| Much of the theory presented is shared by the older [[Sankhya]] school of [[Hindu|Hinduism]] philosophy. The belief in the endless process of creation and dissolution is explained in terms of three gunas, or qualities: sattwa (the essence of a form), tamas (the obstacle in a form’s realization), and rajas (the constructive force and manifest form). In equilibrium, these qualities compose a universe that exists only in potential. But when they become unbalanced (through mahat, 'the great cause'), Prakriti, the elemental matter of the cosmos, becomes differentiated. This leads to a consciousness which includes five powers of perception, five organs of action, five tanmatras (the inner essences of sound, feel, sight, flavor, and odor), and the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether). In this evolved universe, [[Patanjali]] saw chitta, the mind, as composed of manas (sensation), buddhi (discrimination), and ahamkar (ego). However, only the real self, the Atman (Reality) or Purusha (the cosmic soul), is conscious. The mind is merely an object of perception, seen through vritti, the thought waves of knowledge (which arise from the interaction of the gunas). There are five principal thought waves (right knowledge, wrong knowledge, verbal delusion, sleep, and memory) which are either painful (bringing greater ignorance, addiction, and bondage), or not painful. Through the discipline of practice and the discrimination of non-attachment, a person can direct their thought waves away from the objective world and desire to true self-knowledge and liberation. A yogi, one who practices Yoga, engages in bhakti, the purification of body, heart and mind, and the mental process of concentration, with its four stages of examination, discrimination, joyful peace, and simple awareness of individuality. Beyond this, there is only concentration without object, upon consciousness itself, for the yogi has entered into union with the Atman (which is Brahman). Yoga can be considered evolution in reverse, seeking always the cause behind an appearance, until finally the original condition of Purusha is regained. This is a state of samadhi, liberation from Prakriti (matter), and moksha, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. It is also a liberation from suffering (which includes any temporary moods or states, even those that might normally be considered joyful), leaving eternal bliss.
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| This book contains the most famous verses: "Atha yoga anusasanam" ("Yoga begins with discipline") and "Yogas citta vritti nirodha" ("Yoga is control of citta vrittis" - i.e., thoughts and feelings).
| | ==The Chapters == |
| | The ''Yoga Sutras'' are grouped into four books or chapters (Sanskrit ''pada''): |
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| ==='''II. [[Sadhana]] Pada''' (55 sutras)===
| | * ''Samadhi Pada'' (the Theory of Yoga, 51 sutras) |
| | * ''Sadhana Pada'' (the Practice of Yoga, 55 sutras) |
| | * ''Vibhuti Pada'' (Attainments, 55 sutras) |
| | * ''Kaivalya Pada'' (Emancipation, 34 or 35 sutras) |
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| ''Sadhana'' is the Sanskrit word for "practice".
| | People later wrote extensive commentaries on each individual sutra. The first commentary is believed to have been written by [[Vyasa]] in the 6th or 7th century CE. |
| This section lists and describes the ''Sadhana'' ("practice") designed to purify the mind from false knowledge and afflictions (including attachment, aversion, egoism, love of life, and especially ignorance). The author outlines two forms of Yoga: ''kriya yoga'' (action yoga) and ''ashtanga yoga'' ("eight-limbed", or eightfold, yoga).
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| ''Kriya yoga'', sometimes called ''karma yoga'', is reflected in the philosophy of the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]], Chapter 3'', where ''Arjuna'' is encouraged to act without attachment to the results of action. The yogi must similarly take to certain restraints (non-violence, non-theft, continence, truthfulness, and non-avariciousness). It is the yoga of selfless action or as some have observed, of service. | | The contemporary Yoga tradition holds the ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' to be one of the foundational texts of the philosophy of [[Classical Yoga]]. |
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| ====A definition of ashtanga==== | | ==Notes== |
| To control the senses and the mind, the yogi must also conform to eight ashtanga. ''[[Ashtanga|ashtanga]]'' yoga (also known as the Great Vows) consists of the following aspects:
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| 1. *The five ''[[Yama|yamas]]'' (abstentions; the word means "restraint"). These are also found in [[Jainism]]; [[Buddhism]] has a similarly-conceived list.
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| :(1) ''[[Ahimsa]]'' (abstention from violence, ''himsa'')
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| :(2) ''[[Satya]]'' ("truth", abstention from lying)
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| :(3) ''[[Asteya]]'' (abstention from theft)
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| :(4) ''[[Brahmacharya]]'' (abstention from sexual activity)
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| :(5) ''[[Aparigraha]]'' (abstention from possessions)
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| 2. The five ''[[Niyama|niyamas]]'' ("observances"):
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| :(1) ''[[Shaucha]]'' ("{purity")
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| :(2) ''[[Santosha]]'' ("contentment")
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| :(3) ''[[Tapas]]'' ("heat", i.e., austerities, self-mortification)
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| :(4) ''[[Svadhyaya]]'' ("self-contemplation")
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| :(5) ''[[Ishvarapranidhana]]'' "surrender to the Creator")
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| 3. ''[[Asana]]'' ("seat"). The term which is now generally translated as "physical postures" originally referring to ''seated'' postures.
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| 4. ''[[Pranayama]]'' (control of ''prana'', the vital breath or "life force")
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| 5. ''[[Pratyahara]]'' ("withdrawal" of the mind from the senses, or the senses from objects)
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| 6. ''[[Dharana]]'' (concentration, i.e., fixing the attention on a single object)
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| 7. ''[[Dhyana]]'' (meditation, or contemplation)
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| 8. ''[[Samadhi]]'' (equipoise, or trance)
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| ==='''III. [[Vibhuti]] Pada''' (55 sutras)===
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| This book describes the higher states of awareness and the techniques of yoga to attain them. Through the practice of Yoga, a person comes to possess samyama, the three attainments of concentration, meditation, and samadhi. [[Patanjali]] further describes'' Vibhuti'' ("powers" or "manifestations") that arise from the attainments, including omniscience, heightened sensation, discriminative knowledge, and perfection of the body.
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| ==='''IV. [[Kaivalya]] Pada''' (34 sutras)===
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| The final book of the Yoga Sutras describes the nature of the ''Kaivalya'' ("emancipation") attained by the yogi. While the powers described in the third book can also arise by birth, by the use of drugs, incantations, or purificatory action, only through the active process of Yoga can people realize their true self. This involves removing ignorance and destroying innate tendencies, or [[karma]], which have carried over from previous lives. (The [[karma]] of a yogi is described as neither black nor white, while those of ordinary people are either black or white, or both black and white.) The three gunas (qualities) of rajas, tamas, and sattva then become powerless, and the yogi achieves kaivalya, or absolute freedom within Purusha (the cosmic soul).
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| ==References==
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| * Dasgupta, S.N. ''Hindu Mysticism''. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd., 1977. | | * Dasgupta, S.N. ''Hindu Mysticism''. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd., 1977. |
| * Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree. ''Yoga: The Science of the Soul, Volume 1''. Rajneeshpuram, Oregon: Rajneesh Foundation International, 1976. | | * Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree. ''Yoga: The Science of the Soul, Volume 1''. Rajneeshpuram, Oregon: Rajneesh Foundation International, 1976. |
| * Dvivedi, M. N. ''The Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali'''. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1980. | | * Dvivedi, M. N. ''The Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali'''. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1980. |
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| | <references> |
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| | </references> |
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are a collection of Sanskrit sutras (verses) attributed to the Indian sage Patanjali around the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE. The text is considered to be the earliest major treatment of yoga as a psychological or spiritual practice, compiling and consolidating information from various ancient texts, including the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. The Yoga Sutras appear to have been compiled over many years and are short, consisting of 195 (or 196, by some sources) sutras grouped into four chapters (aka books). Some historians maintain that the final chapter was added later by someone other than Patanjali.
The Yoga Sutras state that the main goal of yoga is to achieve a quiet mind, leading to a feeling of bliss and peace, and that yoga allows this goal to be pursued in an organized, methodical fashion similar to the pursuit of science. The verses constitute a formula by which anyone can test the reliability of Patanjali's approach.
The Yoga Sutras are known for their reference to ashtanga, eight elements of practice leading to the goal of a blissful mind. The eight elements are also sometimes referred to as the "8 limbs of yoga", and they express 8 different kinds of activity that are helpful in attaining the goal. The eight elements are:
- yama (five things one should abstain from doing)
- niyama (five things one should be sure to do)
- asana (various physical poses)
- pranayama (practices to increase breath control)
- pratyahara (practices in learning to disregard inputs from the senses)
- dhāraṇā (practicing single-minded mental focus)
- dhyana (practicing various levels of meditation)
- samadhi (experiencing the ceasing of the mental thought stream; aka a state of bliss)
In his model of the mind, Patanjali identifies an Observer (often translated as "The Seer") as being different from The Observed Mind. Patanjali claims that what people normally mean when they say "I" is the Observed Mind, roughly akin to the ego or personality of Western psychology. The "I" differs from the true self (the Observer). Per the Yoga Sutras, the luminous and blissfully peaceful Observer usually operates undetected in the background and can only be perceived after the incessant thought-stream has been quietened via the regular practice of yoga. The main aim of yoga practice is, per Patanjali, kaivalya (discernment of purusha, the witness-consciousness), as distinct from prakriti (the cognitive apparatus, or thinking mind); and disentanglement of purusha from prakriti's muddled defilements.
Yoga is an idea that existed long before Patanjali, and the Yoga Sutras present themselves merely as a revision of the doctrine. The philosophy of Yoga, formalized in the Yoga Sutras, is related to other schools, or darshanas, of Hinduism, including Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimansa (based on the early Vedas), Vedanta (based on the last Vedas), and Sankhya. Each of these schools, born between the sixth and second centuries BCE, draws heavily from the Upanishads, and shares basic notions like karma, dharma (duty or morality), the cycle of rebirth, and liberation.
The Chapters
The Yoga Sutras are grouped into four books or chapters (Sanskrit pada):
- Samadhi Pada (the Theory of Yoga, 51 sutras)
- Sadhana Pada (the Practice of Yoga, 55 sutras)
- Vibhuti Pada (Attainments, 55 sutras)
- Kaivalya Pada (Emancipation, 34 or 35 sutras)
People later wrote extensive commentaries on each individual sutra. The first commentary is believed to have been written by Vyasa in the 6th or 7th century CE.
The contemporary Yoga tradition holds the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali to be one of the foundational texts of the philosophy of Classical Yoga.
Notes
- Dasgupta, S.N. Hindu Mysticism. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd., 1977.
- Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree. Yoga: The Science of the Soul, Volume 1. Rajneeshpuram, Oregon: Rajneesh Foundation International, 1976.
- Dvivedi, M. N. The Yoga-Sutras of Patanjali'. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1980.
