The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali

Posted on 05 May 2018 by David Gordon White

Consisting of fewer than two hundred verses written in an obscure if not impenetrable language and style, Patanjali s Yoga Sutra is today extolled by the yoga establishment as a perennial classic and guide to yoga practice As David Gordon White demonstrates in this groundbreaking study, both of these assumptions are incorrect Virtually forgotten in India for hundreds of years and maligned when it was first discovered in the West, the Yoga Sutra has been elevated to its present iconic status and translated into than forty languages only in the course of the past forty years.White retraces the strange and circuitous journey of this confounding work from its ancient origins down through its heyday in the seventh through eleventh centuries, its gradual fall into obscurity, and its modern resurgence since the nineteenth century First introduced to the West by the British Orientalist Henry Thomas Colebrooke, the Yoga Sutra was revived largely in Europe and America, and predominantly in English White brings to life the improbable cast of characters whose interpretations and misappropriations of the Yoga Sutra led to its revered place in popular culture today Tracing the remarkable trajectory of this enigmatic work, White s exhaustively researched book also demonstrates why the yoga of India s past bears little resemblance to the yoga practiced today. Download The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali – kino-fada.fr Anyone familiar with David Gordon White s work will know what to expect from this history of the reception and interpretation of Patanjali s Yoga Sutra a fascinating, stimulating, engaging, and illuminating encounter with one of the seminal texts that informs the world s understanding of Hinduism and Indian religious history as a whole Readers looking for easy answers may come away disappointed, because al...This is one of thedifficult titles in Princeton s Lives of Great Religious Books series which I ve read, and the difficulty certainly stems from my own unfamiliarity with Hindu, Buddhist, and Indian religion in general I m not sure I d recommend this as an introductory text White decided to weave multiple chronologies together in a way that had me reeling a bit considering the unfamiliar names and concepts For beginners like me this book will require at least two readings.Still, White This is one of thedifficult titles in Princeton s Lives of Great Religious Books series which I ve read, and the difficulty certainly stems from my own unfamiliarity with Hindu, Buddhist, and Indian religion in general I m not sure I d recommend this as an introductory text White decided to weave multiple chronologies together in a way that had me reeling a bit considering the unfamiliar names and concepts For beginners like me this bo...I have no idea why so many other reviewers seem to perceive this work as a challenging read, since it seems rather straightforward and there is a reasonable explanation for any philosophical words used Overall, this is an excellent read that really calls into question the origins of modern Western yoga practice and philosophy and the men who uphold it The final chapter is a kicker, and I wishwas said, but the idea that Patanjali s Sutras is of Buddhist origin with the final chapter I have no idea why so many other reviewers seem to perceive this work as a challenging read, since it seems rather straightforward and there is a reasonable explanation for any philosophical words used Overall, this is a...A succinct biography of a puzzling and esoteric work that is enjoying a bizarre second life in the age of internet spirituality White tells the thousand year history of the Yoga Sutra s reception without obfuscation or condescension This volume is much better ed...David Gordon White does not like the modern Yoga love of the Sutras, and he s ready to tell you all about why Get ready for a lot of shade.First, I have to admit that history is not the easiest topic for me to read My interest in yoga is what ultimately pulled me towards tackling this book I anticipate that it will take me several readings in order to properly digest it all Still, even having said that, this book is not the easiest read I find much the same fault with this book as I did with Mark Singleton s book, Yoga Body When will writers of history learn that a picture is worth a thousand words There is not a single gra First, I have to admit that history is not the easiest topic for me to read My interest in yoga is what ultimately pulled me towards tackling this book I anticipate that it will take me several readings in order to properly digest it all Still, even having said that, this book is not the easiest read I find much the same fault with this book as I did with Mark Singleton s book, Yoga Body When will writers of history learn that a picture is worth a thousand words There is not a single graph or timeline in the entire book It would have been of enormous benefit to see a timeline of when certain individuals lived, overlaid what eras that particular versions of the text were currently in vogue The text is hard to follow because of the constant onslaught of so many unfamiliar new names and dates After several opening chapters, I still can t distinguish my Blavatsky from my Colebrooke Secondly, while there is an overall general progression through time with the tex...This is an academic book dealing with the history of Yoga Sutra and its significance both now and in the past It s an interesting read for someone interested in yoga and it s a great way to balance one s views on the subject For most readers it s not necessary to study this book, just browse it to get the general idea I think that the reasons why Yoga Sutra isimportant now then before is worth contemplating I also see a very obvious similarities to some of ideas presented in Corpus Her This is an academic book dealing with the history of Yoga Sutra and its significance both now and in the past It s an interesting read for someone interested in yoga and it s a great way to balance one s views on the subject For most readers it s not necessary to study this book, just browse it to get the general idea I think that the reasons why Yoga Sutra isimportant now then before is worth contemplating I also see a very obvious similarit...A lot of this was over my head, as it is a kind of philosophy I m not familiar with, with a history I don t know However, the outline of the story of the Yoga Sutra is fascinating in a shadowy way, and the methods historians use to deduce facts that are hidden are interesting to read about There are also centuries of colorful characters involved in the story of the Yoga Sutra, leading up to the luminaries of the 20th century, Krishnamacharya, B.K.S Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois The book is writt A lot of this was over my head, as it is a kind of philosophy I m not familiar with, with a history I don t know However, the outline of the story of the Yoga Sutra is fascinating in a shadowy way, and the methods historians use to deduce facts that are hidden are interesting to read about There are also centur...pretty much for the cognoscenti, but the cognoscenti is growing seems like i was a student of Gerald james Larson, so i get all this parampara and all all in all, i found white s explication limpid and at times intentionally funny i would highly recommend this book.A truly fascinating read that flows far better than most of White s other books The last chapter is amazing.

English
05 May 2018

David Gordon White