The Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras are important for all serious Yoga Aspirants to
study, these sutras (verses) contain timeless wisdom that can
help us to navigate our way through samsara (our experience of
the world) and ultimately find some inner peace. I hope these
pages can encourage us to keep reflecting on the true meaning
of our life and the many paths of yoga sadhana (disciplined
practice) that Yogamaharishi Patanajli reveals to us as a way to
Moksha (ultimate freedom).
This work on Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali is my simple
contemplative translation in my own understanding. There are
many translations and commentaries on Yoga Sutras. Some
of them are beautiful linguistic translations while others are
scholarly work.
The Yoga Sutras are considered to serve as the foundation of
all yogic techniques. Maharishi Patanjali, also widely known
as the father of Yoga, compiled 195 sutras, which serve as a
framework for integrating Yoga into a daily routine and leading
an ethical life. The exact date of the compilation of the Yoga
Sutras is not known. However, it is believed that they were
written somewhere around 2000 BC. The core of Patanjali's
teachings lie in the 'Ashta-anga' or eight-fold limbs of yoga.
The path shows the way to live a better life through yoga.
This practical system attempts to understand the nature of the
mind; it's different states of being, the impediments to spiritual
growth, it's afflictions and the methods of refining and stilling the
mind in order to attain 'Samādhi', which means absolute bliss,
deep joy, oneness with the super-consciousness.
The central doctrine of Yoga philosophy is that nothing exists beyond the
mind and its consciousness, which is the only ultimate reality.
The objective of this philosophy is to uproot misconceptions
about the existence of external realities from the minds of
men/women. It is believed that it is possible to reach this stage
of self-realisation through regular practice of certain yogic
meditative processes, which culminate in complete withdrawal
and detachment from all false sources of knowledge. This
inculcates an inner sense of balanced calm and tranquility.