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 4 - Textual Examination of the Text
8 (of 124)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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a created mind through compassion, the first knower, the worshipful one, the Supreme Sage, declared this doctrine to Āsuri who desired to know it. 19 This portion in VBh. is explained
furthermore in an appealing manner by Vivaraṇakāra.
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 (avidyāpaṃka-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 rṣi, the one who is
known from the scriptures. The same ṛsi or Isvara is called as
Kapila, Nārāyaṇa, etc. who instructed Asuri. In T.V., Kapila is
22 said as a preceptor of Yoga philosophy. But there is no such
detailed explanation given in Y.V. Furthermore, none of these
sub-commentaries had spoken much about Asuri.23
The theory of basic principles
In Yoga philosophy, the theoretical aspect is almost
same as that of Sankhya system. The main peculiarity of Yoga is
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