The tradition of teachers

Patanjala-yogasutra-bhashya-vivarana gives an account of a lineage of teachers of Yoga. The list is similar to the tradition of teachers of Sankhya accepted by modern scholars. Vyasa-bhashya quotes the origin of Yoga described by Pancasikhacarya. It is as follows- 'Having assumed 153

a created mind through compassion, the first knower, the worshipful one, the Supreme Sage, declared this doctrine to Asuri who desired to know it. 19 This portion in Vyasa-bhashya is explained furthermore in an appealing manner by Vivaranakara. 20 The purpose of God is to bestow grace (anugraha) upon living beings. God's grace is compared with a boat that carries one over the sea of samsara (the world of births and deaths). The living beings are portrayed as those who are sunk in the mud of ignorance (avidyapamka-nimagna). Due to mere compassion to uplift the living beings, God, assumed a mind created by mere intention, like one entering a house, for the sake of instructing others.21 God is described as rsi, the one who is known from the scriptures. The same rsi or Isvara is called as Kapila, Narayana, etc. who instructed Asuri. In Tattvavaisaradi of Vacaspati Misra, Kapila is 22 said as a preceptor of Yoga philosophy. But there is no such detailed explanation given in Yoga Vartika of Vijnanabhiksu Furthermore, none of these sub-commentaries had spoken much about Asuri.23