Yoga Sutra

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The Yogasutra ( Sanskrit : योगसूत्र Yogasutra . N "Yoga Guide") is a central source text of Yoga . It was written by Patañjali . Yoga is one of the six Indian orthodox philosophies ( Shaddarshana ).

Literally translated, Sutra means "thread". The Yoga Sutra is, so to speak, a guide for Yoga which, unlike the Bhagavadgita, has no framework and was not sung.

The yoga sutra consists of 195 Sanskrit verses in four chapters, in which the essence of the yoga path is bundled in a highly concentrated form. It is one of the oldest traditions in the yoga tradition.

Contents of the sutras

General

The verses are kept very brief, so that there is a lot of room for interpretation, which is clearly expressed in the many commentaries and translations.

In the Yoga Sutra, the author summarizes the knowledge of Raja Yoga , closely following the system of Samkhya , but also adopting ideas from different traditions. Patañjali is therefore not considered to be the founder of yoga, but certainly the first to systematically summarize yoga as a whole in a text.

The eight limbs of yoga

In the Yoga Sutra yoga is presented as an eight- limb path, which is why this form is also called Ashtanga Yoga "eight- limb yoga" ( aṣta "" eight "; aṅga " limb ").

  • Yama (morals, ethics): Ahimsa "non-violence"; Satya "truthfulness"; Asteya “not stealing”; Brahmacarya "chastity"; Aparigraha "not grasping" (curbing desire).
  • Niyama (self-discipline): Sauca "purity"; Santosha "Contentment"; Tapas "heat, exertion, discipline"; Svadhyaya "self-study" (self-exploration, study of the scriptures); Ishvarapranidhana "devotion to the Lord".
  • Asana (yoga postures, physical discipline)
  • Pranayama (control of breath)
  • Pratyahara (withdrawal and control of the senses)
  • Dharana (concentration)
  • Dhyana ( meditation )
  • Samadhi (immersion, all-unity, realization of the higher self)

All eight limbs of yoga form a unit. Sometimes they are interpreted as stages in a development, but actually they refer to different aspects of the spiritual discipline, so that they are not to be practiced one after the other, but rather represent a holistic path of practice in which the different disciplines work together. The ultimate goal of the yoga path is called samadhi , the complete calm of the mind.

Chapter structure of the sutras

I. Samadhi

In the second verse, Patañjali gives the definition or the goal of yoga:

„योग: चित्त-वृत्ति निरोध - yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ - yoga is that inner state in which the mental and spiritual processes come to rest. "

- Patañjali Yoga Sutra, I.2, in the translation by Bettina Bäumer

This is followed by a description of the human mind (citta) with methods of calming it down through meditation and concentration . The naming of the nine obstacles (antaraya), such as illness or laziness, is followed by a description of the various types of samadhi .

II: Sadhana

In the second chapter the causes of suffering ( klesha ) are named and their mode of action is described. Then comes the teaching of the first five steps of the eightfold yoga path, namely Yama , Niyama , Asana , Pranayama and Pratyahara , with the help of which the causes of suffering can be addressed.

III. Vibhuti

Here the other three limbs of eightfold yoga are treated: Dharana , Dhyana and Samadhi . In addition, the acquisition of various supernatural abilities ( siddhi ) through concentration is described in detail.

IV. Kaivalya

The last chapter is less structured and partly deals with topics that have already been dealt with, but finally also the liberation of the self through yoga.

Comments

The Yoga Sutra has been commented on and translated again and again over the centuries. The first comment comes from Vyasa , who worked in the 5th century AD. This comment was again commented on in an extensive work by Shankara (788-820), one of the greatest Indian philosophers. Other important commentaries include Tattvavaisharadi by Vachaspati Mishra (9th / 10th century), Rajamartanda by King Bhoja (around 1040) and Yogavarttika by Vijnanabhikshu (16th century). (second half of the 16th century)

No fewer than fifteen different commentaries on the Yoga Sutra had been written by the 18th century. This number continues to increase to this day.

Translations

The yoga sutra was translated into Arabic by the Muslim polymath al-Biruni , the Kitab Batanjali , around the year 1000 . A first English translation, which only included the 1st chapter, appeared in India in 1852. Complete English translations only appeared a few decades later by the Theosophical Society (Tukaram Tatya, 1885, and MN Dvivedi, 1890).

Otherwise, the Yoga Sutra was ignored outside of India until modern times. However, with the rise of interest in yoga in Europe and North America, the yoga sutra has been translated into Western languages ​​many times. There are now several translations in German, some of which differ greatly from one another. The corresponding comments also differ widely depending on the author's opinion.

In 1989, Sigmund Feuerabendt translated the original texts of the Yoga Sutra directly into German using comparative linguistics. In contrast to most other translations, this is an original language translation.

See also

literature

Web links

  • Yogasutra Sanskrit (Transliteration) / German
  • Yogasutra Sanskrit (Devanagari and IAST -Transliteration) / German
  • Yogasutra Sanskrit / English (PDF, 438 kB)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Yoga Sûtras of Patañjali, accessed on November 28, 2009
  2. ↑ JR Ballentyne, The Aphorisms of the Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with illustrative extracts from the Commentary by Bhoja Raja . Allahabad: Presbyterian Mission Press, 1852.
  3. ↑ Swami Vivekananda (2019), p. 7