Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Vyasa's Commentary in Sanskrit and a Translation with Annotations Including Many Suggestions for the Practice of Yoga [Paperback]

Swami Hariharananda Aranya (Author), P. N. Mukherji (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1984

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are universally acknowledged as the fundamental text on yoga and meditation in the Indian classical tradition. This English translation o 'Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali' is widely regarded as the most authoritative and authentic that has been available in recent times. It is a serious and clear presentation of Ptanjali's sutras and Vyasa's Bhasya, providing these basic texts both in the original Sanskrit and in readable and accurate English. These classical works are augmented by the commentary of Swami Hariharananda Aranya, a scholar and yogi of great repute, who, in his lifetime, was the foremost exponent in India of the Samkhya Yoga system of which the Yoga Aphorisms of Pantanjali are the principle work.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 514 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press; First Edition edition (June 30, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873957296
• ISBN-13: 978-0873957298
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism > Sanskrit

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most authentic commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, November 15, 1997

By 

"abuddingimage" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Vyasa's Commentary in Sanskrit and a Translation with Annotations Including Many Suggestions for the Practice of Yoga (Paperback)

Though not for beginners, this version of Patanjali's yoga sutras is the best for serious students of yoga. Hariharananda Aranya dedicated his life to the practical understanding of the Sutras. His commentary is based on his own direct experiences. This is not a scholarly work, based on others' opinions. Instead, it is an in depth study of the most profound work of yoga through personal effort. The study of this book will benefit anyone committed to understanding the subtlest states of the mind.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book on Yoga and Samkhya, February 5, 2003

By 

Reijo Elsner (Ikast, Denmark) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Vyasa's Commentary in Sanskrit and a Translation with Annotations Including Many Suggestions for the Practice of Yoga (Paperback)

For both theoretical and practical study of Yoga Sutras and Samkhya philosophy this is the book to buy, read and keep reading. I don't know of any book on Patanjali's Yoga and Samkhya that comes even near the quality of Hariharananda's book!
It has the original texts of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Vyasa's commentary in both Sanskrit and English and Swami Hariharananda's own Commentary translated into English from the original Bengali in which he wrote.
Although the introduction says that some of the esoteric exercises are not included in the English translation it does go deep into both practice and theory.
The book can be recommended to both beginners and other students alike as the translation of the Sutras to English is so clearly done that it makes some of the difficult text easier to understand.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Only Real One, July 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali: Containing His Yoga Aphorisms with Vyasa's Commentary in Sanskrit and a Translation with Annotations Including Many Suggestions for the Practice of Yoga (Paperback)

If you are really interested in Yoga-as a practitioner and not merely out of intellectual curiosity-this is one of the best books you will ever own. It is a thorough commentary on the Yoga Sutras from the viewpoint of a true Master practitioner, containing countless jewels of profound insight into Yoga practice. It gives hints, and even many outright disclosures, of the real techniques of Yoga. I have read a number of translations of the Yoga Sutras, and this is not merely the best, it is in my opinion the only real one.

If my house were on fire, and I had just a moment to grab a few things on my way out, this book would be one of them. Buy it and put it on the top shelf of your bookcase, where it belongs.