Essay name: Yoga-sutra with Bhashya Vivarana (study)
Author:
Susmi Sabu
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Department of Sanskrit
This essay studies the enduring and relevance of Yoga in India, highlighting its evolution from a comprehensive philosophy to primarily a physical practice. It further underscores the importance of studying Yoga texts to understand its historical trajectory. Special attention is given to the Patanjala Yogasutra Bhashya Vivarana, a significant work attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.
Chapter 6 - Conclusion
3 (of 17)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Modern historians of Indian Philosophy like S.N. Dasgupta find out the relationship between Ṛgvedic meaning of the word yoga i.e. yoking, and the later meaning- the control of senses. According to him, the word yoga was actually derived from the root yujiryoge, which has the meaning yoking and was later used in the sense of the yoking of the senses. And it was PÄṇini who developed a new imaginary root due to the technical meaning attributed to the word yoga at his time. Present study examined the above argument and found it as unjustifiable, since the term yoga had its meaning samÄdhi even in the Upanisadic literature. The ancient texts allocate an extensive meaning to sÄnkhya and yoga. There, the term yoga conveys the meaning of a practical system to attain the truth. SÄnkhya is the knowledge pertaining to the Supreme. Various definitions given to the terms ‘sÄṃkhya' and ‘yoga' are examined in this study. While examining examining the doctrines of Indian philosophies, one can trace clear similarities between SÄnkhya and Yoga. The philosophy of SÄnkhya is totally focused on the theoretical aspect, and the philosophy of Yoga gives importance to the practical aspect. Therefore, one is forced to say that, at first, both these philosophies were comprised as one and the same 317
