Glossary

patanjali

 

Patanjali

Renowned exponent of yoga, a sage of ancient times [2nd century BC or 5th century AD], whose Yoga Sutras outline the principles of the yogic path, dividing it into eight steps:

    1. Moral proscriptions (yama)
    2. Right observances (niyama)
    3. Meditation posture (asana)
    4. Life-force control (pranayama)
    5. Interiorization of the mind (pratyahara)
    6. Concentration (dharana)
    7. Meditation (dhyana)
    8. Union with God (samadhi)

om

His renowned Yoga Sutras presents, in a series of brief aphorisms, the condensed essence of the exceedingly vast and intricate science of God-union—setting forth the method of uniting the soul with the undifferentiated Spirit in such a beautiful, clear, and concise way that generations of scholars have acknowledged the Yoga Sutras as the foremost ancient work on yoga.

om

 

Sage Patanjali, India's greatest exponent of yoga, describes God the Creator as Ishvara, the Cosmic Lord or Ruler. "His symbol is Pranava (the Holy Word or Sound, Aum). By prayerful, repeated chanting of Aum and meditation on its meaning, obstacles disappear and the consciousness turns inward (away from external sensory identification)" (Yoga Sutras I:27-29) (SC p.25)

 

 

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