Comments on: Review: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Edwin Bryant

By: Holi – Festival Of Colours | Put Your Hands Up

Holi – Festival Of Colours | Put Your Hands Up — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:26:06 +0000

[...] Review: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Edwin Bryant [...]

By: swami bv tripurari

swami bv tripurari — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:48:10 +0000

Yes, that is correct. But despite his Saivaite tilak, etc. he seems to have taught his followers something about Vaikuntha in passing:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbsk/3580953733/in/set-72157619041435592/

By: Gaura-Vijaya dasa

Gaura-Vijaya dasa — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:32:08 +0000

Again modern day people impose advaita siddhanta on Yoga Sutras. At the same time, Sankara also recommends that Yoga(not as a philosophical school, but in a more generic sense) and Jnana have to go together to get success in spiritual life.

By: Gaura-Vijaya dasa

Gaura-Vijaya dasa — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:27:58 +0000

I think Maharaja meant his teacher Krsnamacharya, who clearly stated that his goal is Vaikuntha.

By: Yoga instructor

Yoga instructor — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:08:09 +0000

Regarding Pattabhi Jois, as far as I know his family lineage was that of Sankaracarya and his puja was to Siva. Publicly he always spoke according to advaita-interpretation. His prominent students are of the opinion, that he was an advaitin.

It would be interesting to hear where he has mentioned about Vaikuntha.

By: Worminstool

Worminstool — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:36:41 +0000

Well, that is certainly an astute observation.
The Bible is not about yoga.
It is about ancient Hebrew superstition.
Originally, however, there were ascetic limbs of the Hebrew cult that did practice asceticism, austerity and mysticism, but that was all lost in the Pauline sect where Christ did all the work and simple faith in Christ was the ticket to paradise.
Wouldn’t it be nice if actual salvation was that simple?

Yes, I confess, I do not buy into the official religion of the debauched Roman empire that the Caucasians of Europe adopted as their official system of salvation.

By: Gaura-Vijaya dasa

Gaura-Vijaya dasa — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:27:34 +0000

One more thing to consider is that whenever saints establish a new system of philosophy they do so by distinguishing their philosophy from existing philosophies. Sometimes they have to strongly criticize other systems of thoughts. But that is just a stage in the development of a system.
In the accomodating spirit of B.G where different systems of thoughts are addressed, GV should seek to interface with other traditions in an open-minded discussion spirit. Even Sukadeva Goswami is addressing a wide audience and to do so speaks about different systems of thought, while keeping bhakti in focus.

Comparing eight limbs of astanga yoga to nine processes of bhakti is not correct. Eight limbs correspond to progressive stages in yoga and nine limbs are separate ways of sadhana. Ramanuja in his Gita commentary has delineated how person practicing bhakti also passes through stages similar to eight-fold stages of astanga yoga. Swami Tripurari following the insights of previous acaryas drawn devotional conclusions from the verses of sixth chapter that corresponds to astanga yoga.
In today’s pluralistic world, I don’t think it is a good idea to project GV as an insular spiritual sect composed of self-righteous people.

By: swami bv tripurari

swami bv tripurari — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:15:32 +0000

I agree completely agree that Patanjali's Yoga-sutras are not about Guadiya Vaisnavism. However, it has become popular in the greater spiritual circle that Gaudiya Vaisnavas find themselves here in the West. Then again, the Yoga-sutras teach astanga yoga, and this same subject is taught in the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita. And it is also possible to explain astanga yoga as a path when mixed with bhakti that leads to santa rasa as opposed to Paramatma sayujya. Patabhi Jois, one of the most well known yoga instructors who based their teaching on the Yoga sutras, identified his sadhya as attaining Vaikuntha. It may also be helpful to read the "About Us" section in the menu of the Harmonist to better understand how this review fits into the Harmonist's editorial policy.

By: Kula-pavana

Kula-pavana — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:02:37 +0000

I think bhakti-yoga has a lot more in common with Patanjali’s yoga-sutras than with Bible.
If devotees want to expand their preaching into the yoga community they better be familiar with this very important text.

By: Worminstool

Worminstool — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:30:05 +0000

Sounds like a good book for anyone interested in Patanjali’s Raja-Yoga. The book however has never been included in the Gaudiya Vaishnava canon by any of the Goswamis or Acharyas of the tradition.
The Gaudiya Vaishnavas study Sankhya as it is explained by Kapila Muni in Srimad Bhagavatam, not in the school of Patanjali.

So, the relevance of the book to the theme of this web site is somewhat in question if we consider that this web site is meant for the express purpose of promoting exclusive Hari-bhakti.

In the line of pure devotion coming down from the Goswamis of Vrindavan, there is most certainly no plan or program for the study and practice of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga.
For the Gaudiya Vaishnava, the yoga system consists of the nine limbs of Hari Bhakti, not the eight limbs of Raja-Yoga.

As far as the global Gaudiya community is concerned, I don’t see how the book has any particular relevance.