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IV. The Yoga
The Yoga system is founded by the sage Patañjali and therefore it also goes by the name of Pātañjala philosophy. It is o
a sequel to Kapila's Sāmkhya system as the former Patañjali, founder of the Yoga
is closely allied to the latter. Patañjali has clearly system.
admitted the existence of a personal God and hence
his system is sometimes called Seśvara Sārkhya as distinguished from Nirīśvara Sāṁkhya of Kapila. This Patañjali is the same as the author of the Mahābhāsya on Pāṇini's grammar as both the Mahābhāsya and the Yogasūtra admit the theory of 'sphota' but some are not inclined to accept this view. They say that they are two different men.
The Yogasūtra of Patañjali is the main text-book on this system. Vyāsa has written a Bhāsya on it. Opinions differ as to the identity
of this Vyāsa with that of the Mahābhārata and the The Yoga Literature.
Brahmasutra. Vijñanabhiksu has written a com
ment, the Yogavārttika on Vyāsa's Bhāsya and Vācaspati Misra has written another called Tattvavaisāradi on the same. Vijñānabhiksu's Yogasāra, Bhoja's Vytti on the Sutra and another later Vrtti called the Maniprabhā are also standard works on this system.
The Yoga system accepts the Metaphysics and the Epistemology of the Sāmkhya with the latter's twenty-five principles. But it adds
a twenty-sixth, Isvara (God). The main object of The Yoga doctrines of
this system is to teach the practice of Yoga which Patañjali.
is the means of final release through 'vivekajñāna',
the essential condition of liberation according to the Sāmkhya. Ji teaches that 'yoga' is 'cittavṛttinirodha', or in other words, the cessation of all mental functions. The mental functions have five stages. The first is called 'ksipta' in which the mind is dissipated. The second is called 'mūdha' in which the mind is stupefied
as in sleep. The third is called 'viksipta' in which Five levels or the mind is relatively pacified. In any of these stages of the
three conditions 'yoga' is not possible. The fourth mental functions (cittabhūmi). stage is called 'ekāgra' and the fifth is called 'nirud
dha.' 'Yoga' is possible in these two conditions. In the 'ekāgra' the mind is concentrated on some object of meditation. In the ‘niruddha,' the mind ceases even to meditate or contemplate. Samprajñāta' and 'asamprajñāta' are the two kinds of yoga or samādhi, In 'samprajñāta, yoga is in the form of perfect concentration of the
as in
| SR No. | 020279 |
| Book Title | Descriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts Asiatic Society Vol 11 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Hariprasad Shastri, Narendrachandra Vedanttirtha, Chintaharan Chakravarti |
| Publisher | Asiatic Society |
| Publication Year | 1957 |
| Total Pages | 1052 |
| Language | English, Sanskrit |
| Classification | Catalogue |
| File Size | 21 MB |