Yogachariya Jnandev Giri
The Yoga Sutras of Maharishi PatanjaliThe Yoga Sutras are important for all serious Yoga Aspirants tostudy, these sutras (verses) contain timeless wisdom that canhelp us to navigate our way through samsara (our experience ofthe world) and ultimately find some inner peace. I hope thesepages can encourage us to keep reflecting on the true meaningof our life and the many paths of yoga sadhana (disciplinedpractice) that Yogamaharishi Patanajli reveals to us as a way toMoksha (ultimate freedom).This work on Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali is my simplecontemplative translation in my own understanding. There aremany translations and commentaries on Yoga Sutras. Someof them are beautiful linguistic translations while others arescholarly work. The Yoga Sutras are considered to serve as the foundation ofall yogic techniques. Maharishi Patanjali, also widely knownas the father of Yoga, compiled 195 sutras, which serve as aframework for integrating Yoga into a daily routine and leadingan ethical life. The exact date of the compilation of the YogaSutras is not known. However, it is believed that they werewritten somewhere around 2000 BC. The core of Patanjali’steachings 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 themind; it’s different states of being, the impediments to spiritualgrowth, it’s afflictions and the methods of refining and stilling themind 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 themind and its consciousness, which is the only ultimate reality.The objective of this philosophy is to uproot misconceptionsabout the existence of external realities from the minds ofmen/women. It is believed that it is possible to reach this stageof self-realisation through regular practice of certain yogicmeditative processes, which culminate in complete withdrawaland detachment from all false sources of knowledge. Thisinculcates an inner sense of balanced calm and tranquility. 3
