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Shyam Ranganathan
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PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRA (Penguin Classics) Kindle Edition

by Shyam Ranganathan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 57 ratings
A contemporary interpretation of the foundational text for the practice of yoga.

Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra (second century CE) is the basic text of one of the nine canonical schools of Indian philosophy. In it the legendary author lays down the blueprint for success in yoga; now practised the world over. Patañjali draws upon many ideas of his time; and the result is a unique work of Indian moral philosophy that has been the foundational text for the practice of yoga since.

The Yoga Sutra sets out a sophisticated theory of moral psychology and perhaps the oldest theory of psychoanalysis. For Patañjali; present mental maladies are a function of subconscious tendencies formed in reaction to past experiences. He argues that people are not powerless against such forces and that they can radically alter their lives through yoga—a process of moral transformation and perfection; which brings the body and mind of a person in line with their true nature.

Accompanying this illuminating translation is an extended introduction that explains the challenges of accurately translating Indian philosophical texts; locates the historical antecedents of Patañjali’s text and situates Patanjali’s philosophy within the history of scholastic Indian philosophy.
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  1. Print length
    330 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    May 30, 2008
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XXS796T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics (May 30, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 30, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 57 ratings

About the author

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Shyam Ranganathan

Shyam Ranganathan

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Shyam Ranganathan, MA (Philosophy), MA (South Asian Studies), PhD (Philosophy), is a researcher, scholar, author, translator and teacher of philosophy. He specializes in ethics/moral philosophy, philosophy of language and philosophy of thought, and South Asian philosophy. He is a member of the Department of Philosophy, and York Center for Asian Research, York University, Toronto

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4.3 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Jenifer C
    5.0 out of 5 stars Solid translation for those who want a clear understanding of yoga philosophy
    Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2024
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    This is a great translation that is not overwhelmed by an overly mystical or technical approach to the sutras. I often feel one of two things when I read other translations - either it is so academic that I don’t see how the guidance of the sutras helps me at all OR it is so imbued with the extremes of forest-dwellers that I also cannot find a connection to my own struggles.

    The decision to interpret the sutras as psychological guidance and as a philosophic text helps the author both open them up to the modern reader and stay disciplined about their interpretation. For example, it feels much more productive for most modern readers to go ahead and delve into the psychology behind the notion of samskaras than to treat samskaras as a quasi-mystical experience. People can make more progress on their yogic path if they can relate these concepts to the normal struggles of everyday living, and this translation provides a way to do that. None of the sutras are surprising then, and they become then a very relevant path where the student can understand what progress looks and feels like.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Sarah
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Translation
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2021
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    I cannot say enough how much this translation (as opposed to interpretation where the author inserts their experience into the meaning of the original text) makes the 196 Sutra and yoga philosophy click into understanding more than any other yoga book I have read.

    If you’re lucky enough to be starting out in your yoga education save yourself a lot of money and time and read this first. Otherwise buy it to clarify which tradition you are actually studying as opposed to a westernized amalgam of teachings that misrepresent and appropriate ancient philosophies for western commercialized gain.

    This is ancient Indian yoga moral philosophy translated by an expert in South Asian studies and philosophy.

    Look no further and buy - I have the kindle and hard copy - need I say more?

    Thank you Dr Ranganathan!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Mandi King
    5.0 out of 5 stars A life changing translation.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2021
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    I have read several interpretations of the Yoga Sutra previous to happening upon Dr. Ranganathan and his translation. This is by far the most beneficial translation of them all.

    Other attempts at understanding the Yoga Sutra tend to confuse Yoga’s philosophy with that of Buddhism, Jainism and Sankhya, they mystify the sutras where no understanding can be gained, or they bypass reality altogether. Dr. Ranganathan’s translation offers a grounded understanding that is rooted in the discipline of philosophy. It is a work that supports how one functions personally and socially. Most importantly, Dr. Ranganathan’s translation decolonizes the Yoga Sutra. Both his translation and his classes have been a life changer. Check him out at yogaphilosophy.com.
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  • Jesse
    4.0 out of 5 stars The author does a good job of addressing the asana cult
    Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2013
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    As I mention in the title of this review, the author addresses a key aspect of modern yoga, in which so called "asana" has become the main practice. Phrases like "on the mat" have come to typify this popularized view of yoga. In this book our beloved asana are relegated, rightly so, to the status of "tapas" or austerities. Asana is therefore only a referent to the third limb, a seated meditation posture, which is only supposed to be stable and comfortable.

    The downside of this book is that it is clear that the author is getting his views on Buddhism from other scholars, who are looking for thesis ideas, rather than reading the Pali source texts themselves. At one point he contrasts buddhism with yoga in terms of effort, saying that meditation in Buddhism is effortless, whereas in Patanjali's yoga it is taken as a matter of actively controlling your mental tendencies. He both downplays and misrepresents the influence that Buddhism had on Patanjali's yoga: the 8 fold exegesis, the incorporation of liberation as distinct from samadhi that results from Vipassana-like meditation, the descriptions of the various meditative states, the psychological orientation of the system, etc.

    Buddhism predates yoga and the success of the non-self and anti-deism of Buddhism undoubtedly put Vedic adherents into crisis. Hence the socio-political imperative to create a Shramanic program for liberation that could fit comfortably into a Vedic context. Basically, add God and a soul and you have Patanjali's system. If you can't beat them, join them. Even 4 of the 5 yamas are the same as the 5 precepts in Buddhism. The last one, non-acquisition, is also a key component of Buddhism. The Buddha was also added as a Hindu avatar of Vishnu at a later date. The entire region was inculcated with Buddhist values by the king Ashoka about 200BC. To downplay a Buddhist influence on the Indian subcontinent is ridiculous. And to downplay Buddhist influence on Patanjali would be equally so considering that when Patanjali wrote, around 150BC, the entire region was in the aftermath of Ashoka, whose reign covered Patanjali's native land of Varanasi.

    The writer mentions Mahayana Buddhism a lot and never explains that this particular branch of Buddhism was only in its nascent form in India during the time in which Patanjali composed his sutras. Mahayana monks were ordained with and even lived in the same monasteries as non-Mahayana monks. Even the reflection on Isvara as an expedient means of eliminating doubt and other impediments are oddly similar in function to the reflection on the excellence of the Buddha, one of ten recollections to be carried out in difficult times by Buddhist monks. The idea of mahamegha samadhi, if it is a part if Buddhism, is a very small part and not even remotely part of early Buddhism as it is laid out in the sutras or even the Vissudhimagga of Buddhagosa, a systematization that was compiled more than a thousand years after the Buddha. For the author to attribute this to the Buddhist influence is really out there. I'd have to see some wicked evidence to be persuaded.

    The real differences between yoga and buddhism are that Buddhism describes dharana in terms of two mental factors: directed thought and sustained thought. The Buddha describes consciousness and volition in terms of mental factors: one of 4 types of arisen phenomena that bear the standard marks of existence that all non-nirvana phenomena bear: impermanence, causing suffering and non-selfness (uncontrollability). Patanjali's Yoga, by contrast, views these mental factors as being parts of an eternal and abiding self. The Buddha says this self is nowhere to be found and realizing this is part of removing the egotism that even Patanjali implicates in his sutras as binding us to the cycle of pain and thwarted satisfaction.

    I give this book 4 stars because aside from the above grievances, the author really does get it right and gives us a way to understand what Patanjali was actually saying, morally. I feel confident that anyone who reads and understands what the author is saying will be able to see and practice yoga in a whole new light, liberated from the superficial, consumeristic, even hedonistic image that's been imposed upon it by the modern market.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Bodhisan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and logical interpretation.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2013
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    Of course, you first need to want to be a yogi - which is not simply doing a workout. You need to want to be a good person who wants to find your true self and become detached from the tangibles of life. Patanjali has the philosophy, and this interpretation backs all thoughts up with logical reasoning throughout. I'm so glad my Ashtanga teacher recommended it. Be prepared to challenge everything you've been taught prior to knowing what is within the yoga sutras.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Pierogie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019
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    Good book
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good yoga book
    Reviewed in Canada on February 23, 2019
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    Good version
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful and informed transaltion of the Yoga Sutra
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 23, 2016
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    A serious approach to a fair translation of the Sutra, emphasising that morality in behaviour is also part of the School of Yoga journey (as distinguished from yoga exercises) and countering the non-dualist approach to reality. It leaves me with food for thought as to how to reconcile these philosophies as the previous book I had read was Tantra Illuminated: The Philosophy, History, and Practice of a Timeless Tradition, by Christopher D Wallis, which takes a non-dualist approach, which leads to morality through awareness of us as the divine reality, being everything and good, rather than an acknowledgement of the need for moral behaviour. Both probably agree on the principle of non-harming and I think the true yoga journey, like many religions, involves non-attachment to the things of this world in order to become aware of a more significant reality. The author had his PhD on the topic of translating philosophical texts across languages, and the book's word for word analysis of the Sanskrit original, followed by an interpretative translation, then explanatory comments, make it clear the difficulty of doing this and vulnerability of the text to mis-interpretation based on the baggage the translator beings with them, an approach which this author seeks to avoid, his own being based on his studies. To give an example, go to Book II para 29, the eight limbs that support the goal of yoga are:1. moral conduct, 2. observances,. 3. posture,. 4.control of breath, 5. withdrawal of the senses from their objects, 6. fixed concentration, 7. abstract spiritual meditation, and 8. trance states of absolute absorption. The rules of moral conduct are abstaining from harm, truthfulness, abstinence from theft, sexual restraint and unacquisitiveness. However, one is advised not to make a fetish of following these rules in order to feel morally superior to others, which would make no sense in the philosophy, as everyone's true nature is perfect. To do so would be to confuse the individual with their circumstances. Basically, if you want to go beyond yoga exercises, you may well benefit from reading this book.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book.
    Reviewed in India on December 9, 2021
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    It is exhaustive and the explanation is very detailed.
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  • Jaspreet singh sandhu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Useful
    Reviewed in India on September 5, 2020
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    Good
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  • ali
    1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of money
    Reviewed in Canada on July 9, 2019
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    Just a waste of money
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