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The
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are one of the six darshanas of Hindu or Vedic
schools and, alongside Bhagavad-Gita and Gherand Samhita, are a milestone
in the history of Yoga. Yoga-Sutra are a set of aphorisms (sutras), which
are short and easy to memorize. They are part of an ancient oral
tradition, which means you don't learn by reading and reasoning alone but
you listen and chant. Though brief, the Yoga Sutras are an enormously
influential work that is just as relevant for yoga philosophy and practice
today as it was when it was written.
The title of the Patanjali's work consists of two
Sanskrit words: Yoga and Sutra. 'Yoga',
as used by Patanjali, refers to a state of mind wherein thoughts and
feelings are held in check, and 'Sutra' means thread. It refers to
the thread of a mala, upon which the yoga
aphorisms are strung like beads. For that
reason the title is sometimes rendered in English as the 'Yoga Aphorisms'.
Yoga as a system of thought and practice has a
primary reference to the philosophical system that flows from the
teachings of the ancient Indian Yoga philosopher, Patanjali. Other great
works elaborating on Yoga are the
Siva Samhita, the
Hath yoga Pradipika and the Gherand Samhita. Shiv
Samhita is the fundamental work on yoga, said to originate from Lord
Shiva, the founder of yoga. The Gherand Samhita is much more practical. It
comprises of seven lessons covering aspects such as asanas (32 of them to be specific),
how to perform it and its effects; mudras (25 of them),
the control of senses, pranayam (breath control), meditation, and
super consciousness. The Hatha Yoga Pradeepika by Swami
Swatmarama is a much later text (16th Century) which deals with the pre-requisites of
yoga, the asanas,
pranayam, mudras, bandhas and Raj Yoga.
The Patanjali's Yog Sutra provide terse treatment to
the
complex subject of Yoga and seamlessly covers aspects such as types of
yoga, practice of yoga, powers of
yoga and the ultimate aim or result of yoga. Yog Sutra deals with the subject matter at a psychological,
psychosomatic and metaphysical level. Although a spiritual document, Yog
Sutra doesn't deal with specific Gods, chakras, kundalini or other
trappings of the varied yogic traditions. It doesn't even elaborate us on
how to perform any postures. In all, Yog Sutra comprises of 195 aphorisms
divided into 4 chapters or Pada, as follows:
1) Samadhi Pada (51 sutras)
2) Sadhan Pada (55 sutras)
3) Vibhuti Pada (55 sutras)
4) Kaivalya Pada (34 sutras)
Patanjali's yoga is also
known as 'Astang yoga' (Astang means eight limbed). In Sadhan Pada, Patanjali
narrates
eight limbs of yoga practice. Interestingly, only one of them deals with
physical postures, and that too, mainly with seating positions. The eight
limbs are as follows:
1) Yama (abstentions):
Ahimsa (non-injury), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-covetousness),
Brahmacharya (continence) and Aparagriha (abstinence from avarice).
2) Niyama (observances):
Saucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerities), Svadhyaya
(study) and Ishvarapranidhana (surrender to God).
3) Asana (posture): Asana
literally means 'seat' but in broader sense they refer to various body
postures. Patanjali dwells only on seating postures in Yog Sutra.
4) Pranayama: Control of
prāna or vital breath
5) Pratyahara
(Abstraction): Control of the senses by the withdrawal of prana from them
so that they do not follow nature of mind.
6) Dharana
(Concentration): Fixing the attention on a single object.
7) Dhyana (Meditation): A
state of quiescence, wherein mind dissolves and become free of all
thoughts.
8) Samadhi: Super-conscious
state or state of liberation.
In spite of the Yoga Sutra being by far the most
definitive text on the philosophy of classical yoga, very little is known
about its author, Patanjali himself. In fact, the identity of this
sage scholar is still being debated in academic circles. Maharshi
Patanjali is believed to have compiled his Yoga Sutra around the 3rd or
4th century BC but archeological evidences and the study of ancient
scriptures suggest that yoga was practiced in ancient India as early as
3000 BC.
Shri Yogeshwarji, a
celebrated yogi and a great Gujarati saint and literate of modern times,
translated and presented Patanjali's work in Gujarati through his books entitled 'Yog Darshan'
and 'Patanjal Yog Darshan'. While the first one covers
comments on Yoga Sutra in-depth, the later one presents simplified meaning
of Yoga Aphorisms. As with his pioneering work on other
popular Indian scriptures like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita and
Upanishads, his dwelling on Yoga Sutra offers comprehensive insight on
the complex and often misunderstood subject of Yoga. Through the
medium of this website, it's our humble endeavor to present them to
Gujarati populace. Your
comments are most welcome on this offering.
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Yog Sutra text with
its meaning in Gujarati
