Sutras 23 through 26 of book two of the yoga sutras of patanjali. The sutras are built on a foundation of samkhya philosophy. The process of selfrealization is one of attention reversing the process of manifestation, of retracing consciousness back through the levels of manifestation to its source. There is no more straightforward, simple english way to say it. The purusha is not always going to remain with prakriti. A practical guide to the core of yoga is for everyone who is willing to contemplate and apply today the principles pantanjali provided so long ago. The yoga sutras of patanjali are often cited in modern yoga classes, but how much do you really know about the origin and purpose of this work of philosophy. The lower layer purusha makes us feel the upper layers experiences.
Yoga sutras of patanjali in english translation by omdevaji. Prakriti and purusha prakriti may be looked upon either as maya when considered as the upadhi of parabrahmam or as avidya when considered as the upadhi of jivatma 7th principle in man. Know that both nature prakriti and spirit purusha are beginningless. The yoga schools systematic studies to better oneself physically, mentally and spiritually has influenced all other schools of indian philosophy. Samkhya and the classical yoga of the yoga sutras are dualistic philosophies. Prakriti encompasses matter, the material world, feelings and emotions, anything that changes, diversity, and the little things, including money. Samkhya is a dualistic philosophy and postulates two eternal realities. Skip to content to honor the wellbeing and health of our community, live events will be suspended from march through april 30. This essay centers on the thought of patanjali second to third century ce, the great exponent of the authoritative classical yoga school darsana of hinduism and the reputed author of the yoga sutra. Patanjalis yoga sutras accept the samkhyas division of the world and phenomena into twentyfive tattvas or principles, of which one is purusha meaning self or consciousness, the others being prakriti primal nature, buddhi intellect or will, ahamkara ego, manas mind, five buddhindriyas sensory capabilities, five karmendriyas action. Samkhya pravachana sutra wikipedia republished wiki 2. The yoga sutras of patanjali second century ce discusses two concepts for explaining reality.
Both purusha and prakriti are eternal, absolute, and allpervading. Classical yoga holds that two totally distinct realities exist. It is a work of original research that will greatly interest scholars and captivate. However, fewer teachers know that patanjalis yoga sutra is based on samkhya, an indian philosophy that defines the language of yoga. Yoga sutras of patanjali in english translation by omdevaji summary of the yoga sutras of sage patanjali. Mar 14, 2017 purusha and prakriti yoga sutras of patanjali. The purpose of the coming together of the purusha and prakriti is the gaining by the purusha of the awareness of his true nature and the unfoldment of powers inherent in him and prakriti. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. We see this dualism in almost every sutra, where patanjali makes a sharp distinction between purusha self or spirit and prakriti nonself or matter. Study guide for patanjalis yoga sutras the yoga sutras of patanjali is the classic text of yoga theory and practice. Back of the book samkhya is one of the earliest schools of indian philosophy and most systems including yoga have been drawn from or influenced by it. Yoga philosophy is one of the six major orthodox schools of hinduism. Sri aurobindo discusses this if the purusha in us becomes aware of itself as the witness and stands back from nature, that is the first step to the. The moment knowledge comes, purusha will leave prakriti.
Yet an attentive reader might remember that the author of yoga sutras tends to give the definition of the new concepts in the lines that follow their. Patanjalis classical yoga dualist consciousness and matter are two distinct things, there is a god by becoming identified with purusha consciousness and disentangling oneself from the phenomenalmaterial world, or prakriti including the body and mind, one can come to know god. Experience is not possible unless there is consciousness, and consciousness is available only in the purusha. The yoga sutras were compiled prior to 400 ce by the sage patanjali in india who synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from much older traditions. The secret of the yoga sutra book club session 4 yoga international. For example he seems unable to grasp that the necessary distinction between purusha and prakriti can also be understood as their absolute unity. This valuable book provides a complete manual for the study and practice of raja yoga, the path of concentration and meditation. See more ideas about gods and goddesses, deities and shiva shakti. The thirteenth chapter concludes understanding purusha and prakriti. The contact of purusha with prakriti is the reason behind the experience of pleasure and pain. Prakriti and purusha may be said to be anadi, or beginningless, if we are to go according to the original doctrine of the bhagavadgita, which does not expect us to think of purusha and prakriti as two different things but as potencies, powers, or manners of working of god himselfishvara, purushottama. Though brief, the yoga sutras are an enormously influential work that is just as relevant for yoga.
During the study group meetings, we spent more than one session discussing this sutra. Yoga sutras of patanjali is a book of 1956 separate phrases that are designed to be easy to memorize. He is beyond all forms of verbal and symbolic description. Ancient, medieval and most modern literature often refers to the yoga school of hinduism simply as yoga. We also went through the list of virtues, qualities that characterise a spiritual. Prakriti, purusha and the gunas and their importance to liberation this is part two of an earlier excerpt from the bhagavad gita audio recordings compare to the later video recordings. Jaganath, integral yoga minister and raja yoga master teacher, has spent a lifetime delving into the deepest layers of meaning in patanjalis words within the yoga sutras. We should concentrate and absorb our self into the spirit purusha instead of misidentifying with our prakritic self. In his introduction to the path of the yoga sutras, he provides background information about patanjali, the yoga sutras, and yoga as a method of transforming the way we think, communicate and act, by directing our attention inward and cultivating contentment, clarity, and peace of mind. Integral yoga publications satchidananda ashramyogaville book one samadhi pada portion on contemplation. The contact between the two is a peculiar union which cannot be distinguished by the senses.
Commentary on the raja yoga sutras by sri swami satchidananda swami satchidananda. This is liberation, drashtuh svarupe avasthanam from i3. The division into the eight limbs sanskrit ashtanga of yoga is reminiscent of buddhas noble eightfold path. Purusha consciousness and prakriti unmanifestedmatter. What this sutra is saying is that these two strong elements have come together because of ignorance and once knowledge dawns, they are separate. Jan 27, 2016 sutras 23 through 26 of book two of the yoga sutras of patanjali. The classic sutras thoughtthreads, at least 4,000 years old, cover the yogic teachings on ethics, meditation, and. There are 2 or 3 sutras which are explaining the same thing. Purusha is the highest self, spirit, pure consciousness, the eternal witness of all phenomena. Purusha, prakriti, patanjalis yoga sutra and samkhya. Objects and the three gunas previous next main all impressions manifest from the three gunas. Study guide for patanjalis yoga sutras yoga life society. Yoga sutras archives original christianity and original yoga.
Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic being or self, consciousness, and universal principle. All of the subconscious mental impressions discussed in the last section are made of the same stuff. One of the first liberating experiences in yoga is to step back from the action of nature and adopt the standpoint of the witness consciousness. Normally we discuss only 5, so consider it your luckynerdy day to expand into 10 through the lens of both patanjali and yajnavalkya. Patanjali s classical yoga dualist consciousness and matter are two distinct things, there is a god by becoming identified with purusha consciousness and disentangling oneself from the phenomenalmaterial world, or prakriti including the body and mind, one can come to know god. Patanjali yoga sutra by hansaji jayadeva yogendra, prakriti and purusha are. Swamiji explains why this fourteen fold creation of prak. This new deluxe printing of these timeless teachings is a treasure to be read and referred to again and again by seekers treading the spiritual path. Its counterpart is prakriti, matter that is devoid of consciousness. This was one of many creation theories discussed in the vedas. We will dive in to the first of the 8 limbs the yamas, and look at 10 listed yamas.
The book is a set of aphorisms, which are short, terse phrases designed to be easy to memorize. Based on the comparison of the sanskrit style of text, scholars like dasgupta, liebich, garbe identify the author of ys to be the same patanjali, the grammarian, author of mahabhasya, a treatise on grammar. In early vedas, purusha was a cosmic being whose sacrifice by the gods created all life. The upper layer prakriti makes us experience the physical world. Apr 21, 2016 prakriti is everything that has changed, can change, and is subject to cause and effect. Samkhya darshan yogic perspective on theories of realism. Blog arthur kilmurray explorations in yoga, the re. The journey of the yoga sutras including the 8 limbs from ancient india to the yoga studios of today offers more than a few surprises. Jul 14, 2016 the yoga sutras of patanjali second century ce discusses two concepts for explaining reality. Interaction between object prakriti and the self purusha is necessary for experience and ultimately liberation.
In the first book of the yoga sutras patanjali talks about the process of separating our identity from our thoughts. This study guide can be used with any translation of the sutras that you prefer. From the samkhya school of hinduism, the yoga sutras adopt the reflective discernment adhyavasaya of prakrti and purusa dualism, its metaphysical rationalism, as well its three epistemic methods to gaining reliable knowledge. False confusion between the self and what is not the self is considered the fundamental ignorance that perpetuates bondage in this world. Introduction to the samkhya darshana universal theosophy. The yoga sutra of patanjali is based off of classical yoga, which is dualistic. Though brief, the yoga sutras are an enormously influential work. To honor the wellbeing and health of our community, live events will be suspended from march through april 30. The compiler of the yoga sutras, an important collection of aphorisms on yoga practice, who according to some historians was a notable person of samkhya, contemporaneous with ishvarakrishnas. The yoga sutras of patanjali are one of the six darshanas of hindu or vedic schools and, alongside the bhagavad gita and hatha yoga pradipika, are a milestone in the history of yoga. The restraint of the modifications of the mindstuff is yoga.
In the ancient hindu scriptures, we come across stories which illustrate this point, for example the story of valmiki, the highwayman. Primal prakriti which is a composite of sattva, rajas and tamas is also beyond time. Both the purusha and prakriti are completely distinct, yet, connected. Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic being or self, consciousness, and universal principle in early vedas, purusha was a cosmic being whose sacrifice by the gods created all life. One of the best known paths to the practice and state of yoga is the ashtanga yoga or 8 limbed path of yoga. This is the story of a wicked person as described in sutra 33 of book one of the yoga sutras of patanjali. In sankhya philosophy and in patanjalis yoga, purusha, consciousness, is one of two eternal realities, the other being prakriti matter. The ultimate nature of reality cannot be known through any amount of intellectual ratiocination, because this buddhi tattva, this intellectuality in us, is a transparent form of prakriti itself, so that whatever be the effort of it, it will know only what is within prakriti, and not beyond. Nicolai bachman nicolai bachman has been teaching sanskrit, chanting, yoga philosophy, and ayurveda since 1994. In the yoga sutras patanjali, he talks about separation purusha from prakriti. Yoga and samkhya purifying the elements of the human being. In yoga, purusha also references the true self the realization of which is a goal of yoga practice as defined in the yoga sutras of patanjali. The goal of this translation is to enhance personal understanding and appreciation of the yoga sutras while presenting an easily understandable explanation of each sutra.
Jun 16, 2011 patanjalis classical yoga dualist consciousness and matter are two distinct things, there is a god by becoming identified with purusha consciousness and disentangling oneself from the phenomenalmaterial world, or prakriti including the body and mind, one can come to know god. Understanding purusha and prakriti commentary on the. Isvara of yoga is purusha as reflected in prakriti. Our concentration and meditation should be like that. Samkhya pravachana sutra nl sinha, the samkhya philosophy, page iv a b c sc banerji 1989, a companion to sanskrit literature, motilal banarsidass, isbn 9788120800632, page 315 sarvepalli radhakrishnan and charles a. It is thus from prakriti and the activity of the gunas that are said to derive or evolute the entirety of manifested nature. Full text of yoga sutras of patanjali with the exposition. It is closely related to the samkhya school of hinduism. The yoga sutras of patanjali are a collection of 196 sanskrit sutras aphorisms on the theory. Salvation, which is the goal of both systems, is achieved when a person is freed from the cycle of death and rebirth by the realization that their spirit is pure. Patanjalis yoga sutras may be a synthesis of these three traditions. These sutras clearly tell us that samkhya and yoga are essentially dualistic philosophies where purusha and prakriti are projected as two independent entities. From prakriti evolve all the other elements except purusha. Ii 23 the coming together of purusha and prakriti is the means to understand the powers of purusha and prakriti.
Apr 09, 2015 the compiler of the yoga sutras, an important collection of aphorisms on yoga practice, who according to some historians was a notable person of samkhya, contemporaneous with ishvarakrishnas. The union between purusha and buddhi is beginningless and is thus beyond time. Yoga sutras purusha and prakriti sadhana pada sutras 17 19 by indra devi duration. Purusha encompasses spirit, the absolute, the eternal, that which does not. Jun 23, 2010 the yoga sutra of patanjali is based off of classical yoga, which is dualistic. Purusha is the unchanging and uncaused universal principle.
Purusha is uncreated, absolute, pure and passive witness to creation whereas prakriti is dynamic, creates, impure and which is. Moore 1967, a source book in indian philosophy, princeton university press, isbn 9780691019581, pages 426452. Jiva a living being is considered as a state in which puru. Sankhya explains the nature of existence by using two terms. This essay centers on the thought of patanjali second to third century ce, the great exponent of the authoritative classical yoga school darsana of. Most yoga teachers know of the great sage patanjali and of raja yoga, the eightlimbed system he developed and encoded in the yoga sutra.
In the thirteenth chapter of the bhagavadgita, we have covered the theme which touched upon the k. If purusha is there, prakriti can show its colours, otherwise there is nothing. Centering down is also the title of a book written by dona holleman in 1981. Patanjali, the author of the yoga sutras treatise is largely believe living around year 200 b. Rsr, buddhism now the best book available on the yoga sutra. In the philosophy of yoga, there considered two layers one above other for our essence of existence. May 25, 2014 tracing the remarkable trajectory of this enigmatic work, whites exhaustively researched book also demonstrates why the yoga of indias past bears little resemblance to the yoga practiced today. Published on nov 20, 2017 in this lonely guru podcast clip, wise studies author karen obrienkop, introduces the sanskrit terms purusha and prakriti, their origin in samkhya philosophy, and how. Samkhya and yoga are both dualistic systems that recognize a difference between spirit purusha and matter prakriti. Patanjali divided his yoga sutras into four chapters or books sanskrit pada, containing in all 196 aphorisms, divided as follows.
Full text of yoga sutras of patanjali with the exposition of vyasa. Discover how purusha pure awareness and prakriti primordial nature manifest the different layers of reality. It was pointed out in an earlier sutra that the subject of knowledge is a characteristic that is brought about by a mixture of consciousness and. Returning to selfrealization by swami jnaneshvara bharati.
The yoga sutras of patanjali translation by swami satchidananda. However, the earliest available text on this philosophy is the commentary by isvara krishna of the third century c. It is a manual for transcending all artificial notions of self and the universe we live in. This sutra and several of the subsequent sutras constitute the essence of the samkhya philosophy. Prakriti is everything that has changed, can change, and is subject to cause and effect. Imagine prakriti being a mirror and purusha trying to see his reflection in it. Ishvarapranidhana and purusha in my two previous posts i have without further ado explicated to the reader my understanding of the ishvarapranidhana category introduced by patanjali.