Patañjali, believed to have lived between the second and fifth century BCE, is recognized for his works on yoga, grammar, and medicine, with the Yoga Sūtras being his most notable contribution outlining the art and science of yoga meditation. The text consists of four chapters, detailing various practices that lead to self-realization and liberation, while promoting physical, mental, and spiritual disciplines. Despite his contributions, debates persist regarding his true identity and whether a single author produced all significant texts attributed to him.

1. Submitted by - Muskan Solanki
Research Scholar, Department of English
Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies,
Academic Campus, Barla, Raisen, MP
Submitted to - Dr. Naveen K. Mehta
Dean and I/C Head, Department of English
Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies,
Academic Campus, Barla, Raisen, MP

2.  Patañjali is often regarded as a great saint, who
lived most probably in the second – fifth century
BCE.
 He is the compiler of a great treatise on Yoga,
entitled Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras.
 He is also regarded as the author of a great
commentary on Pāṇini’s Aṣṭādhyāyī, known as
Mahābhāṣya, treatise on Sanskrit grammar and
linguistics.
 He is also credited as the author of a medical
text, a commentary on Charaka Samhita, known
as Carakavartikka.

3.  Little is known about his life thus, there are number of legends regarding his
parentage and life –
 It is believed that he was the son of Atri and Anasuya.
 Other legend states that he is the incarnation of Ādi S’esha or Serpent Anantha
(the endless one), who is another form of Ādi S’esha.
 He is the holy serpent on whom Maha Vishnu reclines in Yoga Nidra. He was
blessed by Vishnu and Shiva and took birth as human in order to bless human
race.
 Gonika, a virtuous yogic woman, was praying for a worthy son, with a handful
of water, when she saw a tiny serpent and soon it turned to a human form. This
serpent was Ādi S’esha, who had incarnated as Patañjali.
 He is said to have fallen (pat) from heaven into the open palms (anjali) of a
woman. It means the graceful one that falls from heaven.
 He is often called as Gonardiya or Gonikaputra.

4.  Patañjali is usually depicted as half human
and half serpent.
 His two hands are folded in the traditional
greeting of Namaste and the other two
hands hold a conch and a disc, crowned
with thousand headed cobras.
 He is regarded as noblest of the sages. He
gave yoga for serenity, grammar for purity
of speech and medicine for perfection of
health.
 Still there is an argument over his true
identity as many historians do not consider
him to be the same author of all the three
major works in Sanskrit language.

5.  Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras is a great treatise that outlines the art and science of
Yoga meditation for Self-Realization.
 It is mainly a compilation of a much older oral tradition.
 Patañjali divided his Yoga Sūtras into four pāda or chapters. It consists of
196 aphorisms or sutras.
 The Yoga Sūtras as a treatise on Yoga, built on the Samkhya School and
the scripture of Bhagavad Geeta.
 It is the science of uniting one’s consciousness and is also found in the
Puranas, Upanishads, and the Vedas.
 Patañjali reinterpreted, clarified, resolved contradictions, synthesized and
codified the lines of argument in his milestone work Yoga Sūtras, which is
the basis of Yoga-System.

6. • On Contemplation and Mediation
• It consists of 51 Sūtras.Samādhi pāda
• On Spiritual Discipline and Practice
• It consists of 55 Sūtras.Sadhana pāda
• On Divine Powers or ‘Siddhis’
• It consists of 56 Sūtras.Vibhuti pāda
• On Realization and Liberation
• It consists of 34 Sūtras.Kaivalya pāda

7.  Samādhi pāda – Samādhi refers to the state of direct and reliable
perception (pramāṇa). Samadhi is the main technique the yogic learns to
dive into the depths of the mind to achieve Kaivalya. It is about
enlightenment, focusing on concentration and meditation.
 Sadhana pāda – Sadhana is a Sanskrit word for ‘practice’ or ‘discipline.’ It
outlines two forms of Yoga- Kriyā yoga and Aṣṭāṅga yoga (Eightfold or
Eightlimbed yoga).
Kriyā Yoga in the Yoga Sūtras is the practice of three of
the Niyamas of Aṣṭāṅga Yoga: tapas, svādhyaya, and iśvara praṇidhana –
austerity, self-study, and devotion to god.
Aṣṭāṅga Yoga is the yoga of eight
limbs: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyahara, Dhāraṇa, Dhyāna,
and Samādhi.

8.  Vibhuti pāda - Vibhuti is the Sanskrit word for "power" or
"manifestation".) It is the practice of yoga to acquire 'Supra-normal powers'
(siddhi). It is a combined simultaneous practice
of Dhāraṇā, Dhyana and Samādhi referred to as Samyama, and is
considered a tool for achieving various perfections, or Siddhis. These
powers can become an obstacle to the yogi seeking liberation.
 Kaivalya pāda - Kaivalya literally means "isolation", but according to
the Sutras, it stands for emancipation or liberation (moksha).

9.  Yoga means "union" in Sanskrit, this union is said to occur between the
mind, body, soul and spirit.
 yoga as a discipline focuses on the body’s posture, breathing mechanisms,
and consciousness.
 Patañjali defined Yoga in his Yoga Sūtras as –
योगः चित्त – वृत्ती निरोधः
YogasCitta-Vritti-Nirodh (YS 1.2)
‘Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind’

10.  Patañjali listed five categories of ‘Vritti’s or modification. These are as follows
–
 PRAMANA – correct cognitive process (correct knowledge)
 VIPARYAYA – cognitive process of misconception (incorrect knowledge)
 VIKALPA – process of conceptualizing – abstraction (imagination)
 NIDRA – the state of sleep
 SMRTI – processes of memory reproduction of previous impression
MODIFICATIONS (Vritti) OF THE MIND

11.  ‘ABHYASA’: PRACTICE •consisting of austerity, discipline, knowledge
and faith •done with intense effort, without break, with devotion
 ‘VAIRAGYA’: DETACHMENT
 • losing desire for things seen and things unseen
 • through a process of discriminative clarity

12.  There are two sets of practices according to Patañjali -
 KRIYĀ YOGA consisting of
• TAPAS – Austerity, self –discipline, renunciation
• SVADHYAYA – study of scriptures, chanting of mantra
• ISVARA PRANIDHANA – complete surrender to God
 ASHTANGA YOGA consisting of the eight limbs
•YAMA, NIYAMA, ASANA, PRANAYAMA
• PRATYAHARA, DHARNA, DHYANA, SAMADHI

13.  THERE ARE TWO OUTCOMES OF KRIYA YOGA PRACTICE
 LEADS TO SAMADHI or absorption consisting of
SAMPRAJNATA SAMADHI– Absorption with cognition •
ASAMPRAJNATA SAMADHI – Absorption without cognition
 MINIMIZES THE ‘KLESA’s or afflictions consisting :
• AVIDYA – Ignorance of the Truth
• ASMITA – ‘I – ness’ or ‘sense of individuality’
• RAGA – Attraction towards things
• DVESA – Repulsion from things
• ABHINIVESA – Fear of annihilation

14. Aṣṭāṅga
yoga
Yama
Niyama
Āsana
Prānāyām
a
Pratyāhār
a
Dhāranā
Dhyān
a
Samādhi

15.  Samayama = dharana + dhyana + samadhi:
 With intense practice various ‘siddhi’s or powers develop in the practitioner.
• KAYAVYHAJNANAM: knowledge of the body
• STHAIRYAM: steadiness of body and calmness of mind
• SIDDHADARSANA: vision of the ‘siddha’s
• PRATIBHA : heightened perceptions and intuitions

16.  Yoga is the cessation of the modifications of the mind by
practice and detachment.
 Practice consists of kriya yoga and ashtanga yoga (eight limbs
yoga).
 This leads to the mind becoming like a clear jewel reflecting
the ‘purusa’ in its brilliance.
 This is when the seer ‘drstuh’ rests in its own nature without
any entanglement of ‘prakrti’ (materiality).