Patanjali yoga sutras or aphorisms is the first systematic method on yoga which according to him who admits frankly

that he merely edited and integrated the doctrinal and technical traditions of yoga and that he brought his idea from samkhya and interpreted them theistically and organised it as a system of philosophy. This consists of 195 sutras divided into four chapters. The first chapter Samadhi Pada deals with the nature and aim of samadhi Patanjali defines yoga as yogaschitta-vrittinorodhah that is the hindering of the modifications of the thinking principle. Mind is constantly producing flow of thoughts and to stop this chain of thoughts by a conscious effort is yoga. Then he details the different types of modifications the mind undergoes and various means of hindering these modifications to attain steadiness of mind. When these modifications are stopped through meditation the mind becomes identical with the soul. He further explains about the obstacles in the way of yoga and the means to fight them. Then he explains about

different stages of meditation - the highest stage leading to pragya to realise the self. The second part of the yoga sutra is Sadhana Pada i.e. the practical aspect of yoga. He explains about afflictions caused by ignorance or avidya and the means to get rid of them. Further he describes the eight limbs of yoga i.e. the Ashtanga Yoga as a means to getting rid of these afflictions. Forbearance, self discipline, asanas, pranayama, restraint, attention, contemplation and

enlightenment. The third chapter Vibhuti Pada gives a description of the supernatural powers or the mahasiddhis that can be achieved through the yoga practices of attention

contemplation and meditation. All these together develop special psychic power called siddhis like change forms as you wish, clairvoyance, ability to heal. All these are used to conquer the senses and not to exhibit. In the fourth chapter Kaivalya Pada, Patanjali describes the nature of salvation that these siddhis help in

controlling senses. When all the affliction of the mind is erased and one has achieved Viveka one is able to destroy the impressions of the mind and the karmic efforts. After having done this one achieves Kaivalya or the isolation of the soul from the cosmic substance and thus one achieves the union of the Atma with paramatma. This is the brief description of classical yoga, which is known as Raja yoga or Rajadhiraja yoga. The three principle forms of yoga described in the Bhagavad Gita are - Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jyana Yoga, i.e. Yoga of action, Yoga of devotion and Yoga of knowledge; one dealing with the path of self-sacrifice, one with self-surrender and one with self-analysis while Raja yoga deals with self-control. The emphasis of yoga sutra is more on personal effort than on devotion. The central subject is the individual himself along with his intellect, mind and body. Patanjali yoga sutras categorically describe the various stages of mental concentration and many ways to achieve the goal.

It is neither based on religion or on God but based on the principle of universal soul. A profound devotion towards Ishvara i.e. Purusha, untouched by affliction, actions and their fruits and the consequent desires produced by these in Him does the germ of omniscience become infinite. He is the Guru of creations as he is beyond time and space his appellation is pranava - OM. So it is very clear that Maharishi Patanjali in the yoga sutras emphasises on the purusha or the universal soul and he sees it in Y.S.-1-23-27. The purpose of the yogic practices is to destroy the impurities of the mind and to gain discriminative

knowledge, which leads to the recognition of true self, the soul or the part of purusha within us. In fact there are other doctrines and religions in India, which also follow the same goal are Buddhism and Jainism. The body is like a chariot, soul the owner, Intelligence -Driver, MindSenses -Horses, WorldArena Reins,

Liberation is possible only through efforts. The body is pure. It can free the soul from the bondage of samsara with the effort of both mind and buddhi. Yoga is a method of strict discipline. It imposes restrictions on diet, sleep, company, behaviour, speech and thoughts. It is a methodical effort to control the mind and attain perfection. Yoga is not something which one does in the sense of doing. It is a way of life. Secondly the Hindu mind is so deeply entrenched in tradition that yoga is an integral part of ours. Karma, Samsara, Sanskara, Atma, Paramatma, Maya are common in use in daily life. Mantra is a very important part of daily life. Yogic cleansing of the body is also practiced. Self-healing through concentration is another part of our life. In fact yoga is a part of our lives. euhf.kka lR;fofPNn~uk;] fo/kh;r~ lRlq o`fRr lnSoA vczk{k.kk% lfUr rqpsu oS|k% loksZRlax lk/kq eU;sr rH;%AA

As regard men desiring to bring their minds under control, which they endeavour to acquire knowledge of self, the practices that are ordained for the part i.e. the Brahmanas are equally ordained for them. As regards those however that are not Brahmanas and that do not endeavour to acquire knowledge of self, those practices should be followed by them that are ordained for their respective orders in seasons of distress or otherwise. - Mahabharata -18-6 Udyogaparva The word yoga is mentioned in Vedas hundreds of times, but it is more in Upanishad. However the Vedic sages were considering yoga as a constant factor both Karma and Jnana. YOGASHTAN GASAMYTAHA here yoga is considered as having eight folds. This definition is almost the same as given by Patanjali. There are some special Upanishads devoted for sanyasa dharma. In these Upanishads there is direct mention of these eight fold yogas. But out of this eight more stress is laid on Dhyana which is defined by Patanjali as TATRAPRATYAYKATHANATHA DHYANAM constant flow of

mental waves on an object recommended by shastra is called dhyanam. This is the core of yoga, which is the most important aspect to follow the Vedic path. The essence of Indian culture is appreciation of the uniqueness of the individual and the belief that each individual has a spark of divinity in him, which in turn commands respect. The sages saw the most secret truths of life for themselves due to their super sensuous perceptions through concentration and also they wanted to remove the ignorance from the minds of people to lead them to freedom. They gave rational explanations about their experiences and made yoga science and reachable. To start with this knowledge was available only to a selected few in the Ashrams, caves etc. following the Guru Shishya Parampara later on yoga spread among the common man and today it is popular all over the world. The younger, the old, the extremely aged, even the sick and the infirm obtain perfection in yoga by constant practice. Success in yoga is not got only by theoretical

study, talking about it or reading the sacred tests, constant practice alone is the secret of its success. (Hatha Yoga Pradeepika Through constant practice of yoga, one can over come all difficulties and eradicate all weaknesses. Pain can be transmuted into bliss, sorrow into joy, failure into success and sickness into perfect health. Determination patience, persistence lead us to our goal. (Bhagavad Gita) To be aware wholly and integrally of one self and all the truth of ones being is the necessary condition of true possession of existence. The self-awareness is what is meant by spiritual knowledge. All other knowledge is consciousness oblivious of itself and striving to return to its own awareness of itself and its contents; it is self ignorance labouring to transform itself back into self knowledge. (Sri Aurobindo)

All the experiences of yoga confirm the fact that the mind and the body are the vehicles used to reach the state of super consciousness, which is beyond mental, thought a state of self-realisation. It is that extra ordinary exemplary, uniquely Indian technique helping man to develop a deep awareness of himself - of every vibration and pulsation with in - at the body, mind, buddhi levels, by virtue of which he can master the forces both internal and external. When we look at the history of yoga it is very clear that yoga is beyond all age and we have the knowledge spread through the Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Manusmriti, Gita, Purana, Charak Sanhita, RamaCharita Manas and above all the father of scientific yoga is credited to the great Maharishi Patanjali. Sage Patanjali was the one to present the ancient tradition of yoga in a very systematic way. His mother - Gonika was a pious lady. She prayed to Sun God to grant her a glorious son. So Sun God, pleased with

her prayer, told Shesha Naga to be born as Gonikas son. So Shesha became a tiny snake and dropped in her palms while she was praying and the Nag changed into a beautiful boy. She was very happy and named the child Pata-Anjali. Pata means falling, Anjali is palms folded in prayer. Patanjali grew up to be an extra ordinary man renowned to his learning and wisdom. He has written three brilliant works 1. One on Sanskrit Grammar. 2. Ancient India Medicine Ayurveda. 3. Yoga sutras of Patanjali - the third book is the authority on yoga. Thus the birth of yoga and the history of yoga is a very wonderful, pious event in the history of India too.