There are many spiritually elevated people con the world, but not many levitating yogis: and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are meant pinalove sicuro elevate the spirit of every man, not sicuro teach him how esatto levitate. This is clearly the gospel of enlightened living, neither and escape from life nor verso hallucinatory ‘light’. The attempt sopra this little book has been preciso expose that gospel, preciso avoid technicalities, and puro relate the whole yoga philosophy to the ordinary and simple daily life of everyone.

There are many excellent translations of the Sutras: this, however, is an interpretative translation

There are several scholarly and erudite commentaries, too: this is definitely not one of them. This book is not meant for the research scholar but for one who is sopra search of truth which shall free him from self-ignorance.

He is the author of the Srimad Bhagavatam or Book of God, The Bhagavad Gita or The Song of God, and the translation of Yoga Vasistha or the Supreme Yoga.

Swami Venkatesananda lived the spirit of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and the many series of talks he gave on this subject per Australia, South Africa, Germany, Canada, etc., have inspired many esatto take up the practice of Raja Yoga.

His New Interpretative Translation of the Yoga Sutras, ENLIGHTENED LIVING (published by the Children Yoga Esclusiva of South Africa durante 1975) is regarded as a springboard puro the understanding of the Sutras. It has been incorporated durante this present publication.

Swami Venkatesananda spoke equally esatto both men and women, and his use of the masculine pronouns ‘he’ and ‘him’ does not exclude the feminine. It is, in fact, shorthand for ‘human being’! He did not feel it necessary puro distinguish between sofferenza and female, and the editor has continued the tradition per this publication.

Con this book, ‘yoga’ has been recognized as verso word per common usage, and as such has not been italicized.

Swami Venkatesananda, who has been working untiringly for decades onesto spread the life-giving message of Yoga and Vedanta in East and West, has done per great service puro spiritual seekers far and wide

There are many spiritually elevated people con the world, but not many levitating yogis: and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Maharsi are meant preciso elevate the spirit of every man, not sicuro teach him how onesto levitate. This is clearly the gospel of enlightened living, neither an escape from life nor per hallucinatory ‘light’. The attempt durante this little book has been puro expose that gospel, onesto avoid technicalities, and onesto relate the whole yoga philosophy sicuro the ordinary and simple daily life of everyone.

There are very many excellent translations of the Sutras: this, however, is an interpretative translation. There are several scholarly and erudite commentaries, too: this is definitely not one of them. This book is not meant for the research scholar but for one who is durante search of truth which shall free him from self-ignorance.

The incisive language of the Sutras cannot be preserved sopra translation. An extraordinary feature of the Sutras is the avoidance of direct commandments, dogmatic assertions and the use of vive voice. Whereas every effort has been made esatto retain the structure of the text, sopra per few cases (for example, con Sutra I. 49) slight changes have had to be made esatto sustain the easy flow of thought. (The words which represent the translation of the text are underlined.) Anyone who translates verso text which is con the Sanskrit language is confronted by two difficulties: (a) not all languages have concise words or phrases which accurately convey the exact sense durante which the Sanskrit word is used durante the text; and (b) the Sanskrit word is used mediante the text; and (b) the Sanskrit word itself has a number of when the word is used con verso structurally complete prose or verse, than when it occurs mediante the Sutras. From a cursory glance at the very many available translations of the Sutras it is easy esatto see that each one has translated some Sutras differently, without being unfaithful puro the text.