The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary
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- Author：Edwin F. Bryant
- ISBN：0865477361
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Summary
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 su-tras 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。
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 su-tras 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
Mohit
，
Bryant's work is basically a compilation of older， classical Sanskrit commentaries on the Sutras， which is nice because most authors on Yoga in last 100 years have completely ignored the classical commentaries and tried to force their own agendas into the Sutras。 Bryant has persistently made it clear that you cannot take the Sutras out their context to insert your modern ideologies into it。 There has been a trend in western Yoga scholarship to deny the importance of theistic elements in the Sutr Bryant's work is basically a compilation of older， classical Sanskrit commentaries on the Sutras， which is nice because most authors on Yoga in last 100 years have completely ignored the classical commentaries and tried to force their own agendas into the Sutras。 Bryant has persistently made it clear that you cannot take the Sutras out their context to insert your modern ideologies into it。 There has been a trend in western Yoga scholarship to deny the importance of theistic elements in the Sutras， and Bryant has done a great job refuting it。 。。。more
Avdhoot
，
Bryant has done a great service to Yoga culture all around the world by bringing the classical Sanskrit commentators in the mainstream discourse on Yoga。 Since Vivekananda published his Rajayoga in 1895， it had become a norm in the Yoga culture to completely ignore the classical commentators of Yoga Sutra。 Some new western "scholars" even had the gall to claim that Yoga Sutra is a buddhist text。 Bryant's work shows with ample evidence how false that claim is by showing that Patanjali actively tr Bryant has done a great service to Yoga culture all around the world by bringing the classical Sanskrit commentators in the mainstream discourse on Yoga。 Since Vivekananda published his Rajayoga in 1895， it had become a norm in the Yoga culture to completely ignore the classical commentators of Yoga Sutra。 Some new western "scholars" even had the gall to claim that Yoga Sutra is a buddhist text。 Bryant's work shows with ample evidence how false that claim is by showing that Patanjali actively tries to refute the Buddhist theories of Self。 I particularly liked Bryant's focus on Sutra 1。23 which is about Ishvara。 Too many western authors have tried to minimize the role of Ishvara in Yoga philosophy。 Bryant shows that Patanjali was definitely a theist and most likely a Vaishnava。 。。。more
Raveen Kulenthran
，
I enjoy books that don't dictate but methodologically invite me to ponder its subject matter。 This book does just that。 It allowed me to truly grasp the dualistic nature of Yoga philosophy as per Patanjali while equipping me with the means to contemplate other views of reality。 I enjoy books that don't dictate but methodologically invite me to ponder its subject matter。 This book does just that。 It allowed me to truly grasp the dualistic nature of Yoga philosophy as per Patanjali while equipping me with the means to contemplate other views of reality。 。。。more
Augustine Banerjee
，
Just outstanding。。instead of wasting time on reviews by others just buy and read it， rather study this book and try your best to put them into practice。。 After all the real taste of pudding is in eating right。。
Neal Javia
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Edwin Bryant is the man！ All his books are great。 This is probably the best and the most detailed translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras。Unlike many professors and researchers， Bryant is a practitioner of the tradition as well。 This is evident from the passion that we can see in all his work。 Edwin Bryant is the man！ All his books are great。 This is probably the best and the most detailed translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras。Unlike many professors and researchers， Bryant is a practitioner of the tradition as well。 This is evident from the passion that we can see in all his work。 。。。more
Kevan Dale
，
Exceptional look at the Yoga Sutras， loved it。
Liesl
，
Every line in this book was crafted so carefully that they have multiple levels of meaning， while using the least amount of unnecessary words。 It's going to take a few readings to grasp some of the deeper meanings。 Every line in this book was crafted so carefully that they have multiple levels of meaning， while using the least amount of unnecessary words。 It's going to take a few readings to grasp some of the deeper meanings。 。。。more
Harry Palacio
，
This scripture is a translation of a classic yogic text， where Edwin Bryant （to our great pleasure） includes a wide and vast array of commentary of ancient and some modern （still relatively ancient to us） The pleasure of this book may be reading the in depth commentary and what I found most appealing was the chapter on Siddhis （which is elusively absent in Swami Sachinanada's translation） we find in this chapter the different siddhis on each individual Yama and niyama which I won't get into or r This scripture is a translation of a classic yogic text， where Edwin Bryant （to our great pleasure） includes a wide and vast array of commentary of ancient and some modern （still relatively ancient to us） The pleasure of this book may be reading the in depth commentary and what I found most appealing was the chapter on Siddhis （which is elusively absent in Swami Sachinanada's translation） we find in this chapter the different siddhis on each individual Yama and niyama which I won't get into or ruin but its quite a page turner as there are also an extensive list of these siddhis for the astanga （8 limbs） all in all exceptional book worth the 2-4 month read unless you're a speed reader！ 。。。more
Dawn
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This is a fairly academic look at Patanjali's work， comparing several different commentaries。 I found it to be approachable and easy to understand as compared to other translations/commentaries。 This is a fairly academic look at Patanjali's work， comparing several different commentaries。 I found it to be approachable and easy to understand as compared to other translations/commentaries。 。。。more
Robert Hawkins
，
This was a fantastic book。 I learned so much。 I even took a plunge and took an 8 week webinar series with the Author。 His huge breadth of knowledge not only of the Sutras themselves， but the philosophical， metaphysical contexts and debates of the times they were written in is awe-inspiring。 I think a couple of other commentors mentioned it as well but having read it once， this is one that you will go back to over and over as a reference。If you really want a great in-depth dive into the Yoga Sutr This was a fantastic book。 I learned so much。 I even took a plunge and took an 8 week webinar series with the Author。 His huge breadth of knowledge not only of the Sutras themselves， but the philosophical， metaphysical contexts and debates of the times they were written in is awe-inspiring。 I think a couple of other commentors mentioned it as well but having read it once， this is one that you will go back to over and over as a reference。If you really want a great in-depth dive into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali you cannot go wrong with this book 。。。more
Larry
，
Edwin F。 Bryant’s translation of and extensive commentary on Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras” is highly recommended for any Yoga practitioner or Eastern Thought enthusiast。Reading this complex book is a Commitment。This book helped me navigate the more esoteric realms of Yoga and Eastern Thought as well as changed me in the process。
Lucy Weir
，
I struggled with lots of aspects of this book， though in a good way， on the whole。 I'm a non-dualist and Patanjali， from Bryant's perspective， is firmly dualistic。 Since I teach yoga philosophy， I wanted to make sure I was up to date。 I think I need to re read and re read this to get the full weight of the commentary， and I'm slightly concerned at a lack of humility that I think comes across， but as a non-dualist， I then have to ask， whose？ I struggled with lots of aspects of this book， though in a good way， on the whole。 I'm a non-dualist and Patanjali， from Bryant's perspective， is firmly dualistic。 Since I teach yoga philosophy， I wanted to make sure I was up to date。 I think I need to re read and re read this to get the full weight of the commentary， and I'm slightly concerned at a lack of humility that I think comes across， but as a non-dualist， I then have to ask， whose？ 。。。more
judith carlisle
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Working on this one again and again。 Authoritative， insightful， and challenging！
Melanie
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Bryant's commentary is fascinating， clear and unparalleled in depth of analysis and accessibility。 I would highly recommend this commentary for those who are new to the Sutras， as despite the length of the book， it is much more accessible and comprehensible than other commentaries。 It took me a significant length of time to methodically work through！ But it was absolutely worth it for the understanding it gave。 Bryant's commentary is fascinating， clear and unparalleled in depth of analysis and accessibility。 I would highly recommend this commentary for those who are new to the Sutras， as despite the length of the book， it is much more accessible and comprehensible than other commentaries。 It took me a significant length of time to methodically work through！ But it was absolutely worth it for the understanding it gave。 。。。more
Alexandra
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A detailed and approachable commentary and suitable for first time sutra readers。
Alicia Valentyn
，
I am a life long student of Yoga。 I am reading this book currently。 I will read a short bit each day。 It’s a Practice。。。 just like my life。。。 as I intertwine the ancient yogic teachings of Patanjali into my daily Life。。。。 I feel more balanced。 The book is a must for anyone wanting to bring more Calmness to their own life。 I am connecting more to my soul each time I open the book。
Donna Bialozor
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My absolute favorite translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali。 Quite academic， but I could not put it down once I started reading。
Ankur Mangla
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https://www。quora。com/What-do-you-thi。。。 https://www。quora。com/What-do-you-thi。。。 。。。more
Aaron
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The sutras are brilliant。 As a westerner and skeptic， I appreciated the scholarly commentary。
JoAnne
，
It took me 7 months to get through Edwin Bryant's mammoth translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras。 Mind you， it is completely possible to plow through the epic text in less time than that， but I approached it slowly and deliberately - underlining， re-reading， and cluttering it's pages with my own comments in the margins and on post-it notes。 This version of the sutras is not for the faint of heart， as it is truly a text book。 For those looking for philosophical inspiration that you can rel It took me 7 months to get through Edwin Bryant's mammoth translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras。 Mind you， it is completely possible to plow through the epic text in less time than that， but I approached it slowly and deliberately - underlining， re-reading， and cluttering it's pages with my own comments in the margins and on post-it notes。 This version of the sutras is not for the faint of heart， as it is truly a text book。 For those looking for philosophical inspiration that you can relate to your daily practice， this might not be the version for you。 Bryant is an academic in every sense of the word and as such， he really enjoys the sound of his own voice （or the look of his own words on paper）。 The text is dense and sometimes repetitive and Bryant freely utilizes Sanskrit terms and references to other Vedic texts such as the Samkyha Karika， the Upanishads， Bhagavad Gita， etc。。 If you are not familiar with Indian philosophy you might find this a bit daunting。 I definitely would not recommend this for those reading the sutras for the first time and would advise those readers to start with a more direct， readable version such as Swami Vivekenanda's timeless Raja Yoga or Swami Satchidananda's super engaging， lively and often humorous commentary。 In addition to his own interpretation， Bryant weaves in the insights of commentaries on Vyasa's bhasya by several others who have interpreted the sutras through the ages。 It's a lot of information to digest and that is why I approached it so slowly。Having said all that， I learned an incredible amount from delving into this colossal tome！ Bryant knows his stuff and did a great job at unpacking the sutras in detail and expounding on each one。 Reading this book was an epic task， but one I'm glad I undertook。 。。。more
Heather
，
I've read a few other commentaries of the sutras now， and I'm glad that I did。 When I first approached this text it felt inaccessible， but upon returning to it after reading some of the other commentaries， I appreciate its depth and am more equipped to engage with the material。 The front matter is outstanding and is tremendously helpful in tracking the origins of yoga。 Primarily drawing on the traditional commentators， this text also honors the original intent of Pantanjali。 I've read a few other commentaries of the sutras now， and I'm glad that I did。 When I first approached this text it felt inaccessible， but upon returning to it after reading some of the other commentaries， I appreciate its depth and am more equipped to engage with the material。 The front matter is outstanding and is tremendously helpful in tracking the origins of yoga。 Primarily drawing on the traditional commentators， this text also honors the original intent of Pantanjali。 。。。more
Manish
，
I have been a practicing Buddhist for last 3 years and have had subtle appreciations and understanding of meditation and the benefits。Having now read "Yoga sutras of patanjali" recently I am so grateful that such a book not only existed but has made it so easy for a western reader to understand and decipher the meanings of the subject matter。 I believe in years to come I will look back and again be ever so grateful to the author for being able to get me started on this beautiful journey。 I have been a practicing Buddhist for last 3 years and have had subtle appreciations and understanding of meditation and the benefits。Having now read "Yoga sutras of patanjali" recently I am so grateful that such a book not only existed but has made it so easy for a western reader to understand and decipher the meanings of the subject matter。 I believe in years to come I will look back and again be ever so grateful to the author for being able to get me started on this beautiful journey。 。。。more
Duncan Reed
，
Amazing :-） Best read with 2 bookmarks - 1 for the main text， and 1 for the notes to the text in the back of the book。 Of particular note is just how well the similarities and differences between Yogic and Buddhist ideas are examined and explained。
Christine Mckenna
，
Wonderful resource。 Foreword and Introduction， chapter summaries and notes offer valuable insights to anyone interested in this text。 Discussion of each aphorism （or sūtra） in light of the most influential available commentary （by Vyāsa） adds tremendous value。For students of the Sanskrit language， this book offers more--Sanskrit text along with the English translation and a word index。
Crystal
，
If you want a deeper exploration of yoga and it's fundamental teachings， this text is wonderful。 It's written by an academic， and the language is difficult。 But I appreciate the practice so much more after sloughing through this the last six months。 If you want a deeper exploration of yoga and it's fundamental teachings， this text is wonderful。 It's written by an academic， and the language is difficult。 But I appreciate the practice so much more after sloughing through this the last six months。 。。。more
Malissa Larson
，
An amazing academic translation of the yoga sutras。 This book will always be in my library。
Michael Lloyd-Billington
，
I will try to expand this review later when I have more time， but for the moment I need to be brief， so I will start by saying I can comfortably call Edwin Bryant's version the least-helpful translation and commentary I've read （out of about 30 at this point）。 The reasons for this require and deserve more time， especially as the work itself represents a vast degree of effort on the author's behalf， but for now there are four primary points I will make: 1。 First and foremost， Bryant's style and d I will try to expand this review later when I have more time， but for the moment I need to be brief， so I will start by saying I can comfortably call Edwin Bryant's version the least-helpful translation and commentary I've read （out of about 30 at this point）。 The reasons for this require and deserve more time， especially as the work itself represents a vast degree of effort on the author's behalf， but for now there are four primary points I will make: 1。 First and foremost， Bryant's style and discursive voice are almost mind-bogglingly inconsistent -- one minute heaping up highly-padded academic abstractions， the next jarring the reader with an all-too-worldly analogy。 This is by no means a cardinal sin， but I think it's fair to suggest that， the more abstract and demanding we know our content to be， the more important it is to maintain a consistent style。 By jumping without warning or cause from one to the other， with many moments in between， I think Bryant's approach is likely to be profoundly off-putting to novice & expert alike。 2。 The lack of clear structure or methodology behind Bryant's encyclopedic and non-linear incorporation of the （many） various commentaries on each sutra is also， in my opinion， a double failure， as it makes both the commentaries themselves as well as the original sutras they are designed to explicate far harder to follow than any or all of them are when approached independently。 In simple terms， while I greatly respect the scope of what he is trying to do， by apparently failing to have a clear and consistent framework for integrating exegesis， I think he makes both original and commentary far more prolix than they are or need to be。 3。 Perhaps closer to the heart of the matter （although arguably a vary small portion of the actual text）， Bryant's translation of individual sutras is also， in my opinion， both philosophically and linguistically uneven -- one minute capturing the meaning reasonably well， the next choosing specific terms that， I believe， stylistically or ideologically clash with one another， or carry very direct implications in English that， in my view， are absent in the Sanskrit。 Even if you were to skip the commentary， the text alone would be one of the less-helpful and， in my opinion， less philosophically-coherent versions out there， which is a bit of a statement given the range of translations available。 4。 Finally， and perhaps most importantly， in my opinion the work as a whole does not seem to lead the reader toward a grounded & clear understanding of either the Sutras themselves or the core principles of Yoga， essentially taking a challenging but profound work and making it far more obscure than it needs to be。 If this were simply a work of scholarship， that would be perfectly valid， but I don't believe the work is offered in that form， and even if it were， I think it would need much greater consistency & philosophical uniformity to be able to assert that the loss of the former is made up for by the latter。 All this said， please know that none of the above is meant to disparage in the least Bryant's **clearly** extensive scholarship & **unquestionably** Herculean efforts， but the end results are， in my opinion， one of the least-helpful renditions available， either for novice or scholar。。。。 。。。more
Ulf Wolf
，
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 vi 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 。。。more
Steephen K
，
this book very useful to read for our mind。
John Hawkins
，