Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

Posted by Cora Wen Monday, November 9, 2009

I love the Yoga Sutras and have over 20 different translations of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.


This could be a forum to share discussions, translations, links, online resources and other commentary on the teachings

Please join in and add you thoughts....

Bend, Breathe, Bloom

Book 1 Verse 1

Atha yoga anushasanam
Now the practice of yoga begins.

*********************
This is the first of the Yoga Sutras.
It points out that everything following (the sutras) will define and explain the practice of yoga; it is the definition of yoga. It also suggests that to have the highest success with a path towards Self Realization, one has to be ready.

Listen to the Sanskrit:
http://www.swamij.com/Sounds/atha.mp3


3 comments

  1. Anonymous Says:
  2. awesome youtube clips. i have erich's freeform dvd. that was my first introduction to you, cora. love your clip about being perfectly imperfect.

    andy keene

     
  3. Love your new blog, and love the title, "yogi imperfect"!--Sally

     
  4. Anonymous Says:
  5. I've only recently looked at Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and I too have tried to approach it by using several different translations to try to get a handle on it. I am amazed at their depth. But I have been wondering how much of that 'depth' was there in the original Sanskrit, and how much is due to the translation -- for example, modern psychological understanding must surely have influenced the translators, hasn't it?

    However it gets translated, though, you rapidly come to the understanding that Patanjali had a very disciplined, well-ordered mind. These are succinct aphorisms that build up definitions as they go, laying out details of mind and methods of unraveling it all.

    My understanding is that Patanjali was a scholar. Do you know if these aphorisms point to a still older source in the Vedas?

     

Post a Comment

NetworkedBlog Followers