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'''Patanjali''' is considered the patron of [[Yoga]] as a philosophical school, and partial or complete authorship of the [[Yogasutras]] is ascribed to him. Patanjali (or sometimes Phanin or Sesha, the ‘divine serpent’) likely lived in the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE. Patanjali generally means ‘Hindu scholar,’ and there are other writers of the same name, notably a grammarian and a physician, who may have been the same man. The [[Yogasutras]] (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. The anonymity of the individuals who worked on the [[Yogasutras]] is perhaps not so surprising, considering that they were more engaged in discovering Truth than in promoting themselves. His teachings positioned Yoga as one of the six "orthodox" (Veda-affirming) ''darsanas''. It is often paired with another of the six, the Sankhya school, whose teachings it closely resembles. Sankhya is known for its [[dualism|dualistic]] metaphysics, in which ''prakriti'' ("matter") and ''purusa'' ("consciousness") are separate entities.


'''Patanjali''' is considered the patron of [[Yoga]] as a philosophical school.  His teachings positioned Yoga as one of the six "orthodox" (Veda-affirming) ''darsanas''. It is often paired with another of the six, the Sankhya school, whose teachings it closely resembles.
==References==
 
* Dasgupta, S.N. '''Hindu Mysticism'''. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers Pvt Ltd., 1977.
Sankhya is known for its [[dualism|dualistic]] metaphysics, in which ''prakriti'' ("matter") and ''purusa'' ("consciousness") are separate entities.
* 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.
Patanjali's yoga is sometimes called [[Raja Yoga]], or the Royal Path. The Yoga Sutras are divided into four books (Sanskrit ''pada''), containing in all 195 aphorisms (sutras), divided as follows:
 
'''I. 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 means to attaining samadhi. This chapter 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).
 
'''II. Sadhana Pada''' (55 sutras)
 
''Sadhana'' is the Sanskrit word for "practice". Here the author outlines two forms of Yoga: ''kriya yoga'' (action yoga) and ''ashtanga yoga'' (eightfold yoga).
 
''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. It is the yoga of selfless action or as some have observed, of service.
 
''Ashtanga'' ("eight-limbed") yoga consists of the following aspects:
 
1. *The five ''yama'' (abstentions; the word means "restraint"). These are also found in Jainism; Buddhism has a similarly-conceived list.
 
:(1) ''Ahimsa'' (abstention from violence, ''himsa'')
:(2) ''Satya''  ("truth", abstention from lying)
:(3) ''Asteya'' (abstention from theft)
:(4) ''Brahmacharya'' (abstention from sexual activity)
:(5) ''Aparigraha'' (abstention from possessions)
 
2. The five ''niyama'' ("observances"):
 
:(1) ''Shaucha'' ("{purity")
:(2) ''Santosha'' ("contentment")
:(3) ''Tapas'' ("heat", i.e., austerities, self-mortification)
:(4) ''Svadhyaya'' ("self-contemplation")
:(5) ''Ishvarapranidhana'' "surrender to the Creator")
 
3. ''[[Asana]]'' ("seat"). The term which is now generally translated as "physical postures" originally referring to ''seated'' postures.
 
4. ''Pranayama'' (control of ''prana'', the  vital breath or "life force")
 
5. ''Pratyahara'' ("withdrawal" of the mind from the senses, or the senses from objects)
 
6. ''Dharana'' (concentration, i.e., fixing the attention on a single object)
 
7. ''Dhyana'' (meditation)
 
8. ''Samadhi'' (equipoise)
 
'''III. Vibhuti Pada''' (55 sutras)
 
Vibhuti is the Sanskrit word for "power" or "manifestation". This book describes the higher states of awareness and the techniques of yoga to attain them.
 
'''IV. Kaivalya Pada''' (34 sutras)

Revision as of 11:49, 27 December 2007

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Patanjali is considered the patron of Yoga as a philosophical school, and partial or complete authorship of the Yogasutras is ascribed to him. Patanjali (or sometimes Phanin or Sesha, the ‘divine serpent’) likely lived in the 3rd or 2nd centuries BCE. Patanjali generally means ‘Hindu scholar,’ and there are other writers of the same name, notably a grammarian and a physician, who may have been the same man. The Yogasutras (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. The anonymity of the individuals who worked on the Yogasutras is perhaps not so surprising, considering that they were more engaged in discovering Truth than in promoting themselves. His teachings positioned Yoga as one of the six "orthodox" (Veda-affirming) darsanas. It is often paired with another of the six, the Sankhya school, whose teachings it closely resembles. Sankhya is known for its dualistic metaphysics, in which prakriti ("matter") and purusa ("consciousness") are separate entities.

References

  • 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.
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