The Yogasutras of Patanjali on Concentration of Mind

About the Book

The Yogasutra is one of the most important works of Indian culture. This is so partly on account of its intrinsic worth as a masterly analysis of trance and as an equally masterly description of the method by which it is reached. Its importance derives also from its being the foundational text of Yoga, the system which plays a basic role in the culture of India. Indeed a knowledge of this system is necessary to understand the highly varied expressions of Indian culture, including those which, like Buddhism, reject the orthodox Brahminical tradition.

The present book is an attempt of interpretation of the Yogasutras based on some special criteria adopted by the authors: (1) To use the traditional commentaries as auxiliaries, not as guides, with prudence and freedom, (2) To interpret those Sutras, in which Patanjali analyzes real phenomena, as what they actually are: descriptions of facts of experience. To such an end the authors have tried to have a clear idea of the phenomena to which Patanjali refers, and in this task they have found extremely useful the descriptions of their mystical experiences by Yogis of India and Christian mystics.

The book includes the Sanskrit text of the Sutras and an English translation by the authors.

About the Author

Fernando Tola and Carmen Dragonetti have been Professors in the National Universities of San Marcos (Lima, Peru) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). Now they are investigators of the National Council for Scientific Research (CONICET) of Argentina, in the area of Indian Philosophy, and in the Seminar of Indology (created by Tola) in the Center for Philosophical Research (CIF) of Buenos Aires.

Independently or in collaboration, they have published several books in Spanish on Indian Culture, specially on Indian Philosophy. In English they have published Nagarjuna's Refutation of Logic (Nyaya) Vaidalyprakarana and On Void ness along with the present work all published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited.

K.D. Prithipaul, the translator, is a Professor in Alberta University.

Contents:

Introduction

Synopsis of the Book on Samadhi or Concentration of Mind

The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali (I.1-51)

References

Index of Sanskrit Terms

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