Yoga-sutras

work by Patanjali

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July 15, 2026

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The Yoga-sutras is a foundational text in Hindu philosophy, attributed to Patanjali and dating to around the 2nd century BCE or 5th century CE. It is the earliest surviving textbook on Yoga.123

The Yoga-sutras are closely aligned with the Samkhya philosophy, with Yoga adding the concept of a supreme lord, Ishvara. The text outlines a path to spiritual liberation (moksha) by freeing the spirit (purusha) from material bondage. This is achieved through an eight-limbed path (ashtanga-yoga) that includes ethical restraints, disciplines, physical postures (asana), breath control (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and a state of profound contemplation (samadhi). The ultimate aim is to still the mind's fluctuations, allowing the self to rest in its pure essence.324

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Indian philosophy
Relation to Samkhya
The Yoga-sutras of Patanjali (2nd century bce) are the earliest extant textbook on Yoga. Scholars now generally agree that the author of the Yoga-sutras is not the grammarian Patanjali. In any case, the Yoga-sutras stand in close relation to the Samkhya system, so much so that…
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The Yoga-sutras of Patanjali (2nd century bce) are the earliest extant textbook on Yoga. Scholars now generally agree that the author of the Yoga-sutras is not the grammarian Patanjali. In any case, the Yoga-sutras stand in close relation to the Samkhya system, so much so that…
Read More

Patanjali
…great Hindu classics: the first, Yoga-sutras, a categorization of Yogic thought arranged in four volumes with the titles “Psychic Power,” “Practice of Yoga,” “Samadhi” (state of profound contemplation of the Absolute), and “Kaivalya” (separateness); and the second, the Mahabhashya (“Great Commentary”), which is both a defense of the grammarian Panini…
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…great Hindu classics: the first, Yoga-sutras, a categorization of Yogic thought arranged in four volumes with the titles “Psychic Power,” “Practice of Yoga,” “Samadhi” (state of profound contemplation of the Absolute), and “Kaivalya” (separateness); and the second, the Mahabhashya (“Great Commentary”), which is both a defense of the grammarian Panini…
Read More