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THE SCIENCE OF YOGA

THE

YOGA-SUTRAS

OF PATANJALI IN SANSKRITWITH TRANSLITERATION IN ROMAN, TRANSLATIONAND COMMENTARY IN ENGLISH

I. K. TAIMNI

THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSEAdyar, Chennai, India • Wheaton, IL, USA

PREFACE

A large number of thougthful people, both in the East and the West, are genuinely in-terested in the subject of

Yoga

. This is natural because a man who has begun to ques-tion life and its deeper problems wants something more definite and vital for his spiri-tual needs than a mere promise of heavenly joys or ‘eternal life’ when he passes out of his brief and feverish life on this planet. Those who have lost faith in the ideals of or-thodox religions and yet feel that their life is not a meaningless and passing phenome-non of Nature naturaly turn to the philosophy of

Yoga

for the solution of problemsconnected with their ‘inner’ life.People who take up the study of

Yoga

with the object of finding a more satisfac-tory solution of these problems are likely to meet with one serious difficulty. Theymay find the philosophy interesting, even fascinating, but too much enveloped in mys-tery and rigmarole to be of much practical value in their life. For there is no subjectwhich is so much wrapped up in mystery and on which one can write whatever onelikes without any risk of being proved wrong. To a certain extent this atmosphere of mystery and obscurity which surrounds

Yoga

is due to the very nature of the subjectitself. The philosophy of

Yoga

deals with some of the greatest mysteries of life and theUniverse and so it must inevitably be associated with an atmosphere of profound mys-tery. But much of the obscurity of

Yogic

literature is due, not to the intrinsic profun-dity of the subject, but to the lack of correlation between its teachings and the factswith which an ordinary educated man is expected to be familiar. If the doctrines of

Yoga

are studied in the light of both ancient and modern thought it is much easier for the student to understand and appreciate them. The discoveries made in the field of Science are especially helpful in enabling the student to understand certain facts of

Yogic

life, for there is a certain analogous relationship between the laws of higher lifeand life as it exists on the physical plane, a relationship which is hinted at in the well-known Occult maxim ‘As above, so below’.Some teachers of

Yoga

have attempted to meet this difficulty by taking out of the philosophy and technique of

Yoga

those particular practices which are easy to un-derstand and practise, placing these before the general public as

Yogic

teachings. Manyof these practices like

Asana, Pranayama

etc. are of a purely physical nature and whendivorced from the higher and essential teachings of

Yoga

reduce their systems to a sci-

3ence of physical culture on a par with other systems of a similar nature. This over-simplification of the problem of

Yogic

life, though it has done some good and helpedsome people to live a saner and healthier physical life, has greatly vulgarized themovement for

Yogic

culture and produced a wrong impression, especially in the West,about the real purpose and technique of

Yoga

.What is needed, therefore, for the average student of

Yoga

is a clear, intelligible presentation of its philosophy and technique which gives a correct and balanced ideaof all its aspects in terms of modern thought. For, while it is true that many aspects of

Yogic

life are beyond the comprehension of those confined within the realms of theintellect, still, the general philosophy and the broader aspects of its technique can beunderstood by the serious student who is familiar with the main trends of philosophicaland religious thought and is prepared to bring to his study an open and eager mind. Hecan, at least, understand this philosophy sufficiently to be able to decide whether it isworth his while to undertake a deeper study of the subject and later, to enter the pathof

Yoga

as a

Sadhaka

. For, it is only when he enters the path of practical

Yoga

and be-gins to bring about fundamental changes in his nature that he can hope to gain real in-sight into the problems of

Yoga

and their solution.This book is meant to give to the serious student of

Yoga

a clear idea with re-gard to the fundamental teachings of

Yoga

in a language which he can understand. Itdoes not present

Yoga

from any particular angle or on the basis of any particular school of philosophy. Those who study the book will see for themselves that this Sci-ence of sciences is too comprehensive in its nature and too profound in its doctrines to be fitted into the framework of any particular philosophy, ancient or modern. It standsin its own right as a Science based upon the eternal laws of the higher life and does notrequire the support of any science or philosophical system to uphold its claims. Itstruths are based on the experiences and experiments of an unbroken line of mystics,occultists, saints and sages who have realized and borne witness to them throughoutthe ages. Although an attempt has been made to explain the teachings of

Yoga

on arational basis so that the student may be able to grasp them easily nothing is sought to be proved in the ordinary sense. The facts of higher Yoga can neither be proved nor demonstrated. Their appeal is to the intuition and not to the intellect.There is a vast literature dealing with all aspects and types of

Yoga

. But the be-ginner who attempts to dive into this chaotic mass is likely to feel repulsed by the con-fusion and exaggerated statements which he is likely to find everywhere. Round a