The Contribution of Patanjali’s Yoga Suta
The Contribution of Patanjali’s Yoga Suta
When we speak of Yoga the first thing in mind is the posture, the breaths, the exercise. Yoga is commonly associated with flexibility and its complex postures. It is also associated with breathing excercises and meditation. But this is not always the case. There is more to Yoga than just the exercise. For those who studied Indian Philosophy, Hinduism or Indian culture and history, Yoga is not just all those things; it is something more. So what is Yoga to begin with? The word yoga literally means ‘union’. Union in the sense of spiritual union of the individual soul with the Universal Soul. Yoga is “a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation.”To put it simply, Yoga is a school of thought in Indian Philosophy; one of the Orthodox Systems. The said founder of the Yoga system is Patanjali. Although there had been other Yoga sutras written from an ancient pre-existing oral yoga tradition which were composed of practical advice and theoretical context, Patanjali’s Yoga sutra has been the most accepted form. For Patanjali, “Yoga does not mean union but spiritual effort to attain perfection through the control of the body, senses and mind.” The aim of Yoga is to achieve a transcendent state and spiritual discipline. Yoga can also be traced back in the Bhagavadgita. In this most popular and sacred book, Bhagavadgita, Yoga means the synthesis of action, devotion and knowledge. The Bhagavadgita defines Yoga as “that state than which there is nothing higher or worth realizing and firmly rooted in which a person is never shaken even by the greatest pain; that state free from all pain and misery is Yoga.” In the Bhagavadgita, Yoga is considered as one with Sankhya. On one hand, Sankhya means knowledge and it is the theory. On the other hand, Yoga means spiritual action and it is the practice.
When we speak of Yoga the first thing in mind is the posture, the breaths, the exercise. Yoga is commonly associated with flexibility and its complex postures. It is also associated with breathing excercises and meditation. But this is not always the case. There is more to Yoga than just the exercise. For those who studied Indian Philosophy, Hinduism or Indian culture and history, Yoga is not just all those things; it is something more. So what is Yoga to begin with? The word yoga literally means ‘union’. Union in the sense of spiritual union of the individual soul with the Universal Soul. Yoga is “a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation.”To put it simply, Yoga is a school of thought in Indian Philosophy; one of the Orthodox Systems. The said founder of the Yoga system is Patanjali. Although there had been other Yoga sutras written from an ancient pre-existing oral yoga tradition which were composed of practical advice and theoretical context, Patanjali’s Yoga sutra has been the most accepted form. For Patanjali, “Yoga does not mean union but spiritual effort to attain perfection through the control of the body, senses and mind.” The aim of Yoga is to achieve a transcendent state and spiritual discipline. Yoga can also be traced back in the Bhagavadgita. In this most popular and sacred book, Bhagavadgita, Yoga means the synthesis of action, devotion and knowledge. The Bhagavadgita defines Yoga as “that state than which there is nothing higher or worth realizing and firmly rooted in which a person is never shaken even by the greatest pain; that state free from all pain and misery is Yoga.” In the Bhagavadgita, Yoga is considered as one with Sankhya. On one hand, Sankhya means knowledge and it is the theory. On the other hand, Yoga means spiritual action and it is the practice.
References: Sharma, Dr. Chandradhar. Indian Philosophy: A Critical Survey. Great Britain: Rider & Company, 1962. [ 4 ]. Dr. Chandradhar Sharma, Indian Philosophy: A Critical Survey (Great Britain: Rider & Company, 1962), p. 157.