Patanjali's Yoga Philosophy

This text on Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali is based on his Yoga Sutras. In the Yoga Sutras Patanjali brought together various principles and practices of Yoga prevalent at his time into a coherent system. The sutras are short forms with a few essential words each. The sutras, therefore, need extensive explanations in order to understand their implications. This text presents the teachings of Patanjali in some logical order in three Sections. In the first section, a brief Introduction to Yoga and its kinds, and the Yoga Tradition in India are presented. The Yoga Tradition covers the origin of Yoga, Yoga in the Vedas, Yoga in the Upanishads, Yoga in Epics, Yoga in Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali's contribution to Yoga, Yoga in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Puranas, Dharma Sastras, Agamas, Tirumantiram and Samhitas. Next, an Overview of Indian Philosophy, and the Samkhya Philosophy and Patanjali's Yoga Philosophy are briefly presented. The second section is devoted for the discussion of Patanjali's Yoga Psychology. It comprises an analysis of the mind, mental modifications of the mind and their control, three Gunas, Prakrti, Purusha, God, afflictions: Causes and Remedy, and the Doctrine of Karma. In the third section, Patanjali's Yoga system is explained. First, the preparatory practice of Kriya Yoga is outlined. Then an overview of the Raja Yoga is presented. After discussing the obstacles to Yoga, each of the eight limbs of Yoga is explained. Finally the Doctrine of Liberation is presented.