The matter contained in this book with the title, “PATH TO BLESSEDNESS” is a simple exposition of the inner Science of Self-realisation through the path of self-subdual, mind-control, concentration and meditation. It is all about the now well-known Yoga-Aphorisms of the great sage and teacher of India known as Maharshi PATANJALI who taught about five thousand years ago and left for humanity the quintessence of the Yoga-Science in his short, terse and meaning-filled Sutras or brief aphorisms. The Sutras being so very concise and pithy, their full meaning is not easily understood at first reading. They have to be explained. The great sage Maharshi Veda-Vyasa, the author of the eighteen classical Puranas, did this for us by writing his Commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga-Aphorisms. Much later on, a very learned disciple and seeker Vachaspaty Mishra wrote a more elaborate Gloss explaining the full meaning of sage Vyasa’s commentary. The present lessons in this book are based upon the teachings given in the above-mentioned Yoga-Texts.
The Yoga Sutra is the living source wisdom of the yoga tradition, and is as relevant today as it was 2,200 years ago when it was codified by the sage Patanjali. Using this ancient yogic text as a guide, we can unlock the hidden power of yoga, and experience the promise of yoga in our lives. By applying its living wisdom in our practice, we can achieve the purpose of life: lasting fulfillment and ultimate freedom.The Secret of the Yoga Sutra is the first practitioner-oriented commentary of The Yoga Sutra which is fully grounded in a living tradition. It shares the essence of Pandit Tigunait's rigorous scholarly understanding of the Yoga Sutra, through the filter of experiential knowledge gained through decades of advanced yogic practices, and enriched by the gift of living wisdom he received from the masters of the Himalayan Tradition
The book's five comprehensive appendices encourage students to study Sanskrit methodically in the context of yoga practice and philosophy. One of the appendices is a primer on Sankhya philosophy, which answers questions such as:
Who are we?
Where do we come from?
What is the purpose of life?
What is the cause of suffering?
Where do we go when we die?
This ancient treatise on self-control - sometimes called "Yoga" - is useful only to students with a thorough grounding in the Theosophical philosophy, for such knowledge on the part of the reader is assumed throughout. To this rendition of the Aphorisms of Patanjali, Mr. Judge has added brief explanatory paragraphs following many of the verses.
In just 196 short aphorisms, this classic work of Indian philosophy spells out succinctly how the mind works, and how it is possible to use the mind to attain liberation. Compiled in the second or third century CE, the Yoga-Sutra is a road map of human consciousness—and a particularly helpful guide to the mind states one encounters in meditation, yoga, and other spiritual practices. It expresses the truths of the human condition with great eloquence: how we know what we know, why we suffer, and how we can discover the way out of suffering. Chip Hartranft's fresh translation and extensive, lucid commentary bring the text beautifully to life. He also provides useful auxiliary materials, including an afterword on the legacy of the Yoga-Sutra and its relevance for us today.
The Indian system of philosophy is the store-house which has supplied spiritual food, through the ages, to all the nations of the world. Other teachings, whatever they be, are but the sauces and the spices, useful so long as this philosophy supplies the spiritual inspiration.Yogasutra of Patanjali is divided into four chapters. It comprises aphorisms on the system of yoga. The aphorisms relate to the subject of Spiritual Absorption (Samadhi), Means of Practice (Sadhana), Accomplishments (Vibhuti) and Emancipation (Kaivalya). To expound further: Ch. I explains the grades of Spiritual Action for the restraint of the exhibitive operations of the mind. Until that is done no yogic achievement is possible. Ch. II deals with the process of Material Action which can attenuate the gross impurities that have entered into the mind. Ch. III pertains to the Dissolutionary Change of the worldly life by means of Samyama. Ch. IV explains the working of threefold action— the present action, the stored-up action and the regulated fruitive action. It teaches how the individual soul, released from the bond of actions, realizes the Reality of the Supreme Being wherein the individual souls merge into Brahman as rivers do into the ocean. The entire system of Yoga, in all its categories, is nowhere better treated than in this book.
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