How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Pantanjali
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The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali is a major work on the practice of yoga and meditation. Through these ancient aphorisms you will learn how to control your mind and achieve inner peace and freedom. Although these methods were taught over 2,000 years ago, they are as alive and effective today as they have ever been. The 2007 edition has been reset and now has an extensive index for reference…. More >>
How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Pantanjali
Tagged with: Aphorisms • know • Pantanjali • Yoga
Although this book is a study of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, it will appeal to devotees of any religion–Hindu, Christian, or Buddhism–or to anyone interested in living a spiritual life. It is not so much a “how-to” guide in knowing God–for “there are innumerable approaches to him” (p. 66), as an examination of knowing one’s real Self.
Patanjali’s Sutras are dated sometime between the fourth century B.C. and the fourth century A.D. (p. 7), and they offer methods for gaining insights through our own experience into “the Godhead, the Reality which underlies this apparent, ephemeral universe” (p. 15). He observes that in order to know God, one must first cease identifying himself with the mind (p. 213). Our liberation, he tells us, is “retarded” by our past karmas, our fears and desires, our lack of energy (p. 52), our egotism, ignorance, and blind clinging (p. 55), and by such obstacles as sickness, mental laziness, sloth, doubts and despair (p. 64). However, the good news is that no effort to know God, however small, is wasted (p. 52), for God draws us to himself (p. 54). With a little exploration, it is possible to know God everywhere, “both within and without, instantly present and infinitely elsewhere, the dweller in the atom and the abode of all things” (p. 33).
Although I am not qualified to comment on their translation of Patanjali, Christopher Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda’s Vendantist commentary offers worthwhile insights into Patanjali’s Sutras.
G. Merritt
Swami Prabhavananda has done an excellent job of translating the sutras into understandable sentences – something that surpasses 90% of all other translators, and for this reason alone the book should be in everyone’s library. The commentary however reaches neither the depth of of Satchidananda’s “Sutras” nor the the burning insights of McAfee’s “Beyond the Siddhis”. It is obscure and sometimes confusing. All in all, however, an excellent book to add to the true seeker’s bag of tricks.
over 1500 years ago the great indian sage, Patanjali, compiled these yoga aphorisms as a help and guide to his fellow humans. in the cosmic scheme of things 1500 years is the blink of an eye, and so it is these wise sayings remain fresh and workable for the modern lover of spiritual wisdom. the aphorisms stand on their own as originally given to the world. succint, vital, the feel of eternal truth is in them. to read and meditate on these sayings is to go another step closer to your own realization that indeed, it is only ignorance which stops us from seeing the reality of the Atman as One with eternal Brahman, the “satchitananda” or existance, conciousness, bliss, the eternal ground of all that is or ever could be. this beautiful classic is further enhanced by the translation and commentaries of the dynamic duo, swami prabhavananda and christopher isherwood. modern ideas about god and truth come and go, this book has stood the test of time and remains ever new because it’s true. i highly recommend this little book to anyone interested in the light that comes when Truth is seen.
The Yoga Sutras (thread of aphorisms) of Patanjali are one of the six darshanas of the Hindu or Vedic schools. “How to Know God” is a beautiful translation of those. The book is relatively short (pocket sized with just over 200 pages) and very readable. It offers one of the clearest explanations of the practice of yoga and meditation that I have read. It is surprisingly practical. I value it almost as much as I do “The Art and Science of Raja Yoga: Fourteen Steps to Higher Awareness: Based on the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda” and Osho’s “The Book of Secrets: 112 Keys to the Mystery Within” as a practical guide to specific meditation techniques. For those who have a Christian background, the book references familiar Christian concepts, making the book all the more readable for the typical Westerner. While one can read the entire book in one sitting (and maybe this is a useful strategy for its first reading), I prefer to digest it slowly, contemplating and savoring each aphorism. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to enter into a deeper level of spiritual consciousness.
I never had much interest in Hinduism until I read this book. After, I was fascinated.
I can even go as far as to say that this book changed me. I’ve always been interested in philosophy and the more philosophic religions like Buddhism, but I’ve never been keen on religion. After this book, I had a new appreciation for religion, including things I’d previous not liked about Christianity. By stepping outside of western thought and language, I could better understand western religion. The book also draws a lot of parallels between the New Testament and Vedantic thought, directly aiding that understanding.
Isherwood and his companions were the “first wave” Eastern enthusiasts in America, active on the west coast in the forties. The depth of understanding and nuance in the Vendanta was lost somewhat in the new age pop-spirituality of the sixties and the resulting noise in the zeitgeist from that era still makes it hard to find good coverage of that topic. This is book provides great coverage, free from populist noise.
After reading this book, I felt like a committed yogi for a week or so. It is an absolute favorite of mine, joining The Diamond Sutra, The Dhammapada and the Tao Teh Ching. I would love a Shambala pocket edition- I have a “little” library of about 10 of those tiny books now (mostly Shambala).
It’s enlightening to read these and then taking a shot at Wittgenstein and other philosophers of language. Then the history of Western philosophy feels like a slow deconstruction of bad ideas that finally leaves you with Vedic truths conceived over 3000 years ago.