The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda

There are many spiritually elevated people durante the world, but not many levitating yogis: and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are meant puro elevate the spirit of every man, not onesto teach him how puro levitate. This is clearly the gospel of enlightened living, neither and escape from life nor per hallucinatory ‘light'. The attempt in this little book has been preciso expose that gospel, onesto avoid technicalities, and sicuro relate the whole yoga philosophy preciso the ordinary and simple daily life of everyone.

There are many excellent translations of the Sutras: this, however, is an interpretative translation

There are several scholarly and erudite commentaries, too: this is definitely not one of them. This book is not meant for the research scholar but for one who is sopra search of truth which shall free him from self-ignorance.

He is the author of the Srimad Bhagavatam or Book of God, The Bhagavad Giro or The Song of God, and the translation of Yoga Vasistha or the Supreme Yoga.

Swami Venkatesananda lived the spirit of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and the many series of talks he gave on this subject con Australia, South Africa, Germany, Canada, etc., have inspired many to take up the practice of Raja Yoga.

His New Interpretative Translation of the Yoga Sutras, ENLIGHTENED LIVING (published by the Children Yoga Privilegio of South Africa durante 1975) is regarded as verso springboard to the understanding of the Sutras. It has been incorporated con this present publication.

Swami Venkatesananda spoke equally to both men and women, and his use of the masculine pronouns ‘he' and ‘him' does not exclude the feminine. It is, con fact, shorthand for ‘human being'! He did not feel it necessary to distinguish between sofferenza and female, and the editor has continued the tradition con this publication.

Sopra this book, ‘yoga' has been recognized as per word con common usage, and as such has not been italicized.

Swami Venkatesananda, who has been working untiringly for decades puro spread the life-giving message of Yoga and Vedanta per East and West, has done verso great service preciso spiritual seekers far and wide

There are many spiritually elevated people per the world, but not many levitating yogis: and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Maharsi are meant puro elevate the spirit of every man, not sicuro teach him how esatto levitate. This is clearly the gospel of enlightened living, neither an escape from life nor per hallucinatory ‘light'. The attempt mediante this little book has been to expose that gospel, preciso avoid technicalities, and onesto relate the whole yoga philosophy puro the ordinary and simple daily life of everyone.

There are very many excellent translations of the Sutras: this, however, is an interpretative translation. There are several scholarly and erudite commentaries, too: this is definitely not one of them. This book is not meant for the research scholar but for one who is con search of truth which shall free him from self-ignorance.

The incisive language of the Sutras cannot be preserved in translation. An extraordinary feature of the Sutras is mylol the avoidance of direct commandments, dogmatic assertions and the use of affairee voice. Whereas every effort has been made esatto retain the structure of the text, con verso few cases (for example, in Sutra I. 49) slight changes have had preciso be made to sustain the easy flow of thought. (The words which represent the translation of the text are underlined.) Anyone who translates verso text which is in the Sanskrit language is confronted by two difficulties: (a) not all languages have concise words or phrases which accurately convey the exact sense mediante which the Sanskrit word is used con the text; and (b) the Sanskrit word is used mediante the text; and (b) the Sanskrit word itself has verso number of when the word is used per a structurally complete prose or verse, than when it occurs per the Sutras. From a cursory glance at the very many available translations of the Sutras it is easy puro see that each one has translated some Sutras differently, without being unfaithful sicuro the text.