What Are Yoga Sutras of Patanjali?
When I heard the name Patanjali the first thing that came to my mind was that of an ancient sage, who was mysterious. In no long time I came to know that he was a compiler, a sage who was gathering the content of the older schools of thought such as Samkhya and the ascetic disciplines and coined them into a compact manual of system.
This text is referred to as the Yoga Sutras since it is composed in sutras which means thread. These are very thick, compact statements that are meant to be unfolded by thought and instruction of a teacher. The 196 sutras are separated into four chapters or pada which serve as a guide to the spiritual path.
The whole basis of the text is presented in the first few sutras. I prefer the following translation: Yoga is the stoppage of the movements of the consciousness. It seemed to me when I first read that. Yoga is not all about the body, it is a way to gradually calm down the mind, to nothingness. When the soul is silent, we can sleep in our perfect and unfathomable essence. This vital self is in most cases dwarfed by the unremitting bustle of our thoughts. Yoga Sutras show the means of transforming that.
A Roadmap in Four Chapters
To aid me in navigating the text I learnt to perceive the text as a four part journey. The table below disaggregates the subject of each chapter, which has been a priceless source of help to my studies:
| Chapter Name | Focus and Purpose |
|---|---|
| Samadhi Pada (Chapter on Contemplation) | Lays the foundation, defining yoga and exploring the nature of samadhi (absorption or enlightenment). |
| Sadhana Pada (Chapter on Practice) | Gets practical, outlining the “how-to” of yoga, including the famous Eight Limbs of Yoga. |
| Vibhuti Pada (Chapter on Powers) | Describes the extraordinary abilities (siddhis) that can manifest from advanced practice, while warning against attachment to them. |
| Kaivalya Pada (Chapter on Liberation) | Explores the final goal of yoga: absolute freedom and isolation (kaivalya) from all suffering. |
The core of the Practice The eight-limbs of Yoga.
The most transformative part of the whole text as far as I am concerned was the introduction to the second chapter where the author described the Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga). I imagined these were ladder rungs, and to be ascended by one after another. A sagacious teacher made me right, and told me they are the parts of one body–elements which we grow up together, with every pose and with every practice of practice.
Below is my insight on how each of the limbs practically means something to me that I attempt to apply in my day to day life on and off the mat:
Yamas (Restraints Ethics): This is what I have to say about the way I interact with the world. They consist of non-violence, telling the truth, it is not stealing, saving energy, and greed.
Niyamas (Personal Observances): This is a set of guidelines my inner world is developed with. These are purity, contentment, discipline, self study, and submission to a superior power.
Asana (Posture): The part that is familiar to Westerners. The Sutras merely recommend that I should sit in a stable and comfortable position, ready to be a vessel of meditation.
Pranayama (Breath Control): This is concerning spreading my life energy by practicing conscious breathing, learning to control my energy and direct it.
Pratyahara (Sense Withdrawal): I believe this can be referred to as conscious unplugging. It is making me look inwardly and discover the inner world rather than be constantly occupied with the outer world.
Dharana (Focused Concentration): This is training my mind to have one point of concentration and not to lose focus. It is the predecessor of meditation.
Dhyana (Meditation): I have achieved meditation when Dharana turns into an uninterrupted flow of concentration, which is effortless.
Samadhi (Blissful Absorption): The highest of all unions, when the feeling of a distinct self is resolved in the bliss of being.
Busting a Myth: Superpowers and Yoga Sutras.
To read the third chapter, Vibhuti Pada was like a rollercoaster ride to me. A list of supernatural powers, or siddhis, that a committed meditator can acquire is given by Patanjali – including knowledge of past lives, mind-reading, invisibility and levitation.
The whole text was to be dismissed by my modern, rational mind. But my teacher made me understand this differently. According to the text itself these achievements are the distractions which could pull a yogi into the ego and into the everyday worries. They are supposed to be accepted as an indicator of improvement and not adopted. It is not about magical powers, but freedom.
Introduction to Reading the Yoga Sutras Today.
The idea of approaching such an old book can be scary. Here’s what worked for me:
Discover a Translation that You Identify With: There are three translations I have on my shelf. Every commentator offers his/her point of view and you will find some of them closer to you than others. It’s a deeply personal choice .
Begin with the Second Chapter: There is no need to read the book right through. According to many teachers, such as mine, the best place to begin with is the Sadhana Pada (Chapter 2) to the extent that it is the most practical and introduces the Eight Limbs.
Take a Sutra at a Time: It is not a book to read and read. I maintain a copy on my bedside table and frequently ponder over either one single sutra at any given time and write down the things that it reminds me of.
Form a Study Group or Course: Reading the Sutras together with a teacher and a group of people makes the text alive. The discussion of the ideas imitates the oral tradition after which it originated and enables me to realize new horizons.
Very often Asked Questions (FAQs).
Who was Patanjali?
There is a lot of mystery surrounding Patanjali. He is thought to have been a sage who had collected the Yoga Sutras between the 500 BCE and the 400 CE, though many scholars would tend to date it to the later. He systematized knowledge of earlier yoga, Samkhya and Buddhism into the text that we possess today.
Do the Yoga Sutras have a religious background?
This was a big question for me. Yoga Sutras are a pragmatic and philosophic guideline, not a faith. Although they refer to a supreme consciousness or God-like principle called Isvara, this may be understood to mean God or just some higher power or the highest Self of one’s own and so the practice is open to all religions as well as to non-religious people.