Yoga Sutras of Patañjali
A landmark new translation and edition
Written almost two millennia ago, Patañjali's work focuses on how to attain the direct experience and realization of the purusa: the innermost individual self, or soul. As the classical treatise on the Hindu understanding of mind and consciousness and on the technique of meditation, it has exerted immense influence over the religious practices of Hinduism in India and, more recently, in the West.
Edwin F. Bryant's translation is clear, direct, and exact. Each sutra is presented as Sanskrit text, transliteration, and precise English translation, and is followed by Bryant's authoritative commentary, which is grounded in the classical understanding of yoga and conveys the meaning and depth of the sutras in a user-friendly manner for a Western readership without compromising scholarly rigor or traditional authenticity. In addition, Bryant presents insights drawn from the primary traditional commentaries on the sutras written over the last millennium and a half.
Reviews (194)
A Miracle of a Book
This book is nothing short of a miracle. If I may be allowed to beat an old, worn cliche to death a little more: the one book (if I could only bring one) that I'd bring to that fabled desert island: Yes, this one. Bryant is a brilliant scholar and an amazing communicator. When it comes to relaying intricate and sometimes conflicting views about esoteric angles of abstruse subjects, care (above all else) is called for, and Bryant cares, cares very deeply to get the point across as clearly and as vividly as possible; and he succeeds in this nearly impossible task. Yoga, of course, is so much more than stretching and sitting exercises to limber us up (as we in the west normally view the subject). Posture takes up less than one percent of Patanjali's Sutras, the rest is devoted to meditation and spiritual liberation. The East Indians have been at this for a long time, and there is a lot to learn and know about this subject. Patanjali, around 400 CE, sat down to summarize what he knew at that point (recalling all teachings from the Upanishads forward) about walking this path, and he did an amazing, if concise, job of it. Following Patanjali, several commentators did their best to clarify and illustrate Patanjali's often cryptic statement. Bryant uses not only Patanjali's Sutras, but also avails himself of the major commentators' clarifications as well, and so reconciles this stream of knowledge into a coherent whole that really, yes, really makes sense and is proving very helpful to me as a meditator, even though I'm mostly of the Theravada persuasion. I urge whoever will read this book to read it slowly and carefully. It all makes perfect sense, but does take some careful digesting. I actually read my Kindle version while I used the glossary in my paper version to keep reminding me of the various Sanskrit words used. It was worth the effort. As I said, this book is a miracle, nothing short of that, and I could not recommend it more. Ulf Wolf
Great, a few drawbacks
Totally impressive! It's not easy to bridge the gap between academics and the general public, and this is a great attempt. I guess I have a couple of questions after reading the intro and some of rest. 1. I didn't really understand Bryant's statement that Patanjali's God, Ishvara, is probably Brahman, the monist God of the Upanishads. Scholars have pointed out a distinction between Patanjali's, or at least Sankhya’s, dualist system, and the monist view of Brahman. So this is a little perplexing. 2. Bryant makes the wonderful and I think accurate point that in the Samkhya/Yoga system it is Prakrti, not Purusa, that needs to be "enlightened", but sometimes the terminology gets confusing. For instance he later writes something like "consciousness can't see itself clearly when Prakrti is disturbed" It seems like he's talking about Purusa when he uses the word "consciousness," but it doesn't follow that Puruṣa will ever have a misperception. So, it would help to clarify this—idk, maybe I just need to look in the glossary, or read more carefully, but I wish the terminology was clearer. Bryant's assessment of Vedic culture is also a bit..well, unjustified. I mean, I just don't see how people singing songs praising water, the dawn, the earth, sky, and heavens, and so forth, can be called "consumerists" or "over-consumerists." They are basically asking for rain, children, long lives, and a good future life. There's nothing blameworthy in this. And the book misrepresents what some Upanisads actually say about the Vedic ritual. It's perhaps interesting to consider the social circumstances in which the Sutras and Samkhya developed, but a more likely source of dissatisfaction is to be found in the epics, especially the Mahabharata, which Bryant also discusses quite a bit. There, it's the battlefield that leads the heroes to seek out yoga. That aside, it is so great to see this book! I'm impressed with it and so glad he published it!
Not dry or academic, just thorough.
I am thoroughly enjoying this translation. I am currently also reading the classic Thibaut translation is the Vedanta Sutras with commentary by Shankara and I can say that without a doubt, this reads much easier. For those who found this commentary dry or impenetrable, I wonder if they read the great introduction that explains the Yoga sutras in context of the philosophical systems of ancient India or in other words, the greater historical culture of the Yoga sutras. There are also convenient chapter summaries that are collected at the end of the book that you can read to get into the mindset for reading a chapter. I particularly like how Bryant commits to the repeated uses of the Sanskrit terms and doesn’t depend on English words that fail to catch the subtle differences of meaning between the two languages. This encourages the reader to leave at the door their presuppositions and prejudices that they carry unknowingly being dependent on English. Another great thing is that Bryant explains not only the standard Vyasa commentary, but also connects it to many other commentators including the previously mentioned Shankara, who was a Vedantin and not a Yogin. Bryant will even connect the Sutras in similarity and contrast to Buddhism. Giving context to the different commentaries is essential because in the classic commentaries themselves there are a lot more esoteric and foreign references to scripture, mythology, and other thinkers that aren’t as explicitly explained. I think this book is most valuable for those who might not have been aware of the philosophical depth of the culture of Yoga. Bryant is oftentimes critical of the mass commercial culture that has appropriated Yoga and I think his translation and commentary is perfect for those who want to take the time and explore the ideas unique to Western thought and develop a deeper understanding of what goes into any action, practice, or lifestyle. For those who just want a feel good shallow explication of Yoga that satisfies the minimal threshold of what it is to be “cultural”, then reading any set of Sutras and their commentary is going to disappointing anyway. And for all their complaints about it being too academic, I think that based on a certain prejudice of what “academic” is to them. Because this does not read at all like a philological text or western philosophical treatise.
Have a notebook handy
This is advanced! This translation uses lots of sanskrit terms throughout the book so make sure you're paying attention when they introduce a new one. I find it easiest to read with a notepad next to me so I can reference common words that they use. Nonetheless, it all started with Patanjali, so it's worth muscling through it. If you're ready to learn more about yoga and what's behind those classes you take at the gym every week, this will be eye opening. You might be surprised to learn that the physical poses (asanas) in yoga are only 1 of 8 (eight!) parts of practicing yoga. Expand your own practice and acquire some interesting factoids to share with your yogi friends.
An exhaustive work of research but still highly readable for those inclined
I have read and studied several translations and commentaries of the Yoga Sutras over the last eighteen years and Doctor Bryant’s book is far and away the most thorough and scholarly. The book is extremely well researched and draws on many traditional translations of this work and associated philosophical material. In Bryant’s own words, at location 1098 on kindle (there is no page numbering on kindle for this book): “For this commentary, I read Vyasas commentary in the Sanskrit and used this as the springboard for my own commentary. For the other later commentaries…I availed myself of various English translations in determining which material to extract for this commentary, for which I then consulted the original Sanskrit.” For some of the sutras, Bryant’s commentaries extend for dozens of swipes of the screen. I am using this text as my primary teaching tool for an informal class I am giving on the Yoga Sutras at a local bookstore. This is not easy reading, but if you want to go deeply into the subject and have questions answered that you did not even realize that you had, then this is the book for you.
It is a very dense book and I don't believe it is the best one for beginners
I am new to the Yoga Sutras and I almost got another version before I chose this one. It is a very dense book and I don't believe it is the best one for beginners. It is very academic in its treatment of the Sutras. There is a lot of original words that are used to explain concepts and you have to hunt down their meanings to comprehend what is being said. While I am sure this is a great book for a more advanced practitioner, for a beginner I would get a more easier to read treatment. I am going to have to order the original one I had looked at as I think it is better understood.
The most accurate commentary on Patanjalis Yoga sutra you can find in the last thousand years.
I had the pleasure of meeting the author and he lives by all the principles he speaks of in the book. This life practice has allowed Dr. B to write the best modern commentary that exists, and this is what Swami sarvapriyanada said. Trust me it’s the most legit ashtanga and rajya yoga book. It’s not easy but it’s all you need. It’s the one book that rules them all. All your answers are in here but the literature is not easy, requires a good amount of background knowledge or active research while reading. However all good books should do that.
Brilliant, scholarly, spiritual and lucid
Edwin Bryant is brilliant! Encyclopedic but not pedantic. I have read books on Indian philological texts by many Indian authors. But I have not come across such heady concoction of scholarship, spirituality, lucidity and structure. The idea of giving the chapter wise summaries and only the sutras and translations at the end, is very reader friendly.
Most in-depth and practical translation I've read
I've read several translations of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, including Satchidananda's, but this version is the most complete, in-depth and applicable by far. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop, and, more importantly, my meditation practice experience has deepened to levels I had never reached in the 20 or so years that I have been meditating. I ordered the Kindle version, which is perfectly fine, but I'm referring to the text so frequently that I'm ordering a physical copy. Thanks Bryant!
A Revalation
Bryant's commentary of the Yoga Sutras Edwin Bryant's translation and commentary of the Yoga Sutras certainly the best I have encountered and possibly the best available. Any curious reader would just read the other reviews to receive a good idea of the merits of Bryant's work. It is simply brilliant. The most beneficial aspect of his commentary is that he demystifies the sutras to where they are intelligible to the modern reader. No prior philosophical or religious knowledge or special preparation is necessary; a reader having no experience with the YS will receive as much from the work as one who has read a shelf-full of commentaries trying to make sense of the sutras. And he does de-mystify the sutras. The commentary contains a clear exposition on the Samkhya philosophy and how it relates to the sutras. He explains that the sutras are intimately linked with Samkhya such that the purpose of the eight limbs of yoga is to achieve the final dissolution of mind (microcosm), after the evolution of the manifest world when purusa makes contact with prakrti (microcosm). Other commentators cannot see the forest for the trees, and are too much concerned with the minutia to mention this important aspect of the YS. This is a godsend. The translation is excellent and the commentary is illuminating. It is highly recommended.
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