Perceptions of Truth, The Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patañjali: Deciphering the Sacred Code of the Siddha Sages

By Sri Sri Raj Agni Satyapravaha and Steven Schorr

Perceptions of Truth, The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, Deciphering the Sacred Code of the Siddha Sages, explores a new insight into an ancient teaching. That there is a sacred code hidden within the Yoga Sutras is a novel assertion in the study, translation and commentary on the Yoga Sutras. When the process of 'harmonic resonant alignment' is applied to the translation a very different and compelling message emerges. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali are one of the most important works in the study of Yoga and form the basis of much of what we understand about the precepts of the Yogic path. Sutra, which is usually translated in English as "an aphorism", literally means "a thread". The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali are like a rosary in which the beads are the divine truths. Some extraordinary writings contain veiled meaning and coded texts. Implicit within their words and symbols are expressed two or more meanings, one for the casual reader who may happen upon the work and another deeper meaning for those who can decipher the code and interpret the underlying significance. The process applied here looked at each word from the original Devanagri Sanskrit script, transliterated and then translated them into English, according to the perceived intention of the informing spirit, that of Maharishi Patañjali. Through the process of harmonic resonant alignment the meaning of the each word is selected and a higher knowledge combined with reason guides the process of interpretation. With this translation of the Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patañjali is presented a deciphering of the underlying meaning of the Sutras based on the perceived intention and meaning conveyed by Patañjali.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9780989299510

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Perceptions of Truth,

The Yoga Sutras of Maharíshi Patañjali

By Steven M. Schorr, Sri Sri Raj Agni Satyapravaha

© 2013 Steven M. Schorr All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including phtocopying or stored in a retrival system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission in writing from the author or publisher.

First published in May 2013 by

Agni Huna Publishing

P.O. Box 448

Puunene, Hi 96784

Email: [e-mail]

ISBN: 978-0-9892995-0-3

eISBN: 9780989299510

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013906865

Printed in the United States of America

Book design by Steven M Schorr

Cover photo and cover design by Steven M. Schorr

DEDICATION

TO SEVATI ROSE GABRIEI

WITH GRATITUDE, LOVE, AND AFFECTION

AND DEEP APPRECIATION FOR HER TIRELESS

ASSISTANCE IN THE EDITING OF THIS BOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Invocation

Preface

Introduction

Pada 1 Samadhi Pada: Chapter on Concentration of Mind, Sutras 1 to 51

da: Chapter on Means Sutras 1 to 55

da: Chapter on Development Sutras 1 to 56

da: Chapter on Identification with the Supreme Spirit Sutras 1 to 34

INVOCATION

Lead Us From the Unreal To the Real,

Lead Us From Darkness To Light,

Lead Us From Death To Immortality,

Let There Be Peace Peace Peace.

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.3.28.

PREFACE

Om Yogena cittasys padena vacam malam sarirasya ca

vaidyakena

Yo'pakarottam pravaram muninam pantanjalim

pranjaliranato'smi

To the noblest of Sages, Patañjali,

who gave Yoga for serenity of mind,

grammar for purity of speech,

and medicine for the health of the body,

I prostrate with folded hands.

To this white Patañjali, who has a human form,

holding conch, disc and sword

and having a thousand heads,

I bow.

Much has been written but little is known about the life of Maharishi Patañjali. Understood to be an acolyte of the Siddha tradition, the lineage of Patañjali can be traced back to the great devotees of the first Lord, the Adi Nath or Lord Shiva. Through Shiva's son Kartikeya (also known as Sanatkumara, Subramanyum, Lord Murugan and Skanda Kumara) the teachings of Lord Shiva were passed to the Maha Siddha Agastya and then down the Siddha lineage.

The Siddha tradition is a primary source lineage pervading spiritual development throughout India and from there into the west. The seminal book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda introduced the world to the Siddha lineage through his Guru, Sri Yukteswar, a devotee of Lahiri Mahasaya, who was a chela of Babaji Nagaraj, known to have taken initiation from the great Maha Siddha Saint Bhoganathar, who in turn received his initiation from the Maha Siddha Kalangi, who received initiation from Tirumular, author of the great epic poem the Tirumantiram. It was the Maha Siddha Kalangi who initiated Patañjali into the Siddha lineage.

Patañjali learned Yoga along with seven other disciples from the great Yogic Guru Nandhi Deva, as stated in Tirumular's Tirumantiram (Tantra 1).

Nandhi arulPetra Nadharai Naadinom

Nandhigal Nalvar Siva Yoga MaaMuni

Mandru thozhuda Patañjali Vyakramar

Endrivar Ennodu (Thirumoolar) Enmarumaame

We sought the feet of the Lord who graced Nandikesvara

The Four Nandhis,

Sivayoga Muni, Patañjali, Vyaghrapada and I

(Thirumoolar)

We were these eight.

The Siddha Bhoganathar also mentions Patañjali.

It was my Grandfather who said, Climb and see.

But it was Kalangi Nathar who gave me birth.

Patañjali, Viyagiramar and Sivayogi Muni all so rightly said, Look! This is the path! - Bhogar 7000

The ancient Kali Kautuvam describes how Patañjali and Vyagrapada gathered along with the gods in Thillai near Chidambaram to watch Shiva and Kali dance and perform the 108 mystic Karanas, which formed the foundation for the system of Natya Yoga. This Tamil tradition places his birthplace in South Kailash, possibly the modern day Thirumoorthy hills near Coimbatore. Some other traditions feel that his being born in Bharatavarsha, the part of the ancient world corresponding to South Asia, is beneath his godlike status, and that he must have been born in the Jambudvipa, the mythical center of the universe. Since Patañjali's basic biographical details are disputed it is useful to look at the energetic resonance of Patañjali's birth date. A broad designation of the time stream with context to his works suggests he lived sometime in antiquity before the Christian era. By insight and resonance, that date is somewhere around 720 BCE, although dates as early as 1240 BCE have also been published.

Patañjali appeared on earth to fulfill a self-appointed destiny. It is told that he could communicate fully from the moment he was born. Patañjali not only acutely and accurately analyzed and discussed things of the present, but revealed matters of both the ancient past and the immediate and distant futures with accuracy.

It is known that Patañjali was married. The legend of his betrothal tells an interesting story. One day he seems to have discovered an exquisite and enchantingly beautiful maiden named Lolupa, in the hollow of a tree on the north slope of Mount Sumeru at the top of the celestial mountain of enlightenment. He married her and thus joined himself to the fruits of his spiritual quest, and lived to a ripe old age. The life of Patañjali was filled with accomplishments. His first achievement was the recognition that he was a great classical dancer. Contemporary classical and traditional dancers in India invoke him with prayers and mantra dedicating their dances to him. Today, Patañjali is known as the patron saint of dance.

Patañjali also wrote an important treatise on Ayurvedic medicine. This treatise exposited the nature of disease, especially diagnosis of disease; the structure and function of the human body; techniques for fitness; the curative properties of herbal medicines and the techniques required to administer them. While the Yoga Sutras initially appear to be a dry and theoretical text they do explain human nature and psychology while also being a profoundly practical manual for spiritual advancement. By providing instruction in the achievement of inner tranquility and spiritual realization the Yoga Sutras are a coherent and self-sustaining whole that support the seeking aspirant on theoretical and practical levels. Patañjali provided a framework capable of supporting the vastly different modes of comprehension and understanding that one person goes through over a lifetime.

Sutra, which is usually translated in English as an aphorism, literally means a thread. Like a rosary or mala threads all the beads and prevents them from falling apart, in the same way the Yoga Sutras connect all the beautiful divine truths and concepts that are called Yoga and prevents them from falling apart. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali are like a rosary in which the beads are the divine truths.

In the Indian tradition, Patañjali is said to be swayambhu or consciously incarnated. He was a highly evolved soul who incarnated of his own will in a human form to help humanity. He is also considered an incarnation of Ananta, the source of all wisdom (Jnana) and of Shesha, the thousand-headed ruler of the serpent race, thought to guard the hidden treasures of the earth. Ananta is depicted as a couch on which the God Vishnu reclines. He is the Lord of serpents and his many heads symbolize Infinity or Omnipresence. Many yogis bow to Ananta before they begin their daily yogic practice.

Legend describes Lord Vishnu seated on Adishesha, watching the enchanting dance of Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu was so totally absorbed in the dance of Lord Shiva that His body began to vibrate to its rhythm. This vibration made Him heavier and heavier, causing Adishesha to feel so uncomfortable that he was gasping for breath to the point of collapse. The moment the dance came to an end, Lord Vishnu's body became lite again. Adishesha was amazed and asked his master the cause of these stupendous changes. The Lord explained that the grace, beauty, majesty and grandeur of Lord Shiva's dance had created corresponding vibrations in His own body, making it heavy. Marveling at this, Adishesha professed a desire to learn dance, so as to exalt his Lord. Vishnu then became thoughtful, and predicted that soon Lord Shiva would grace Adishesha to write a commentary on grammar, and that he would also be able to devote himself to perfection in the art of dance. Adishesha was overjoyed by these words and looked forward to the descent of Lord Shiva's grace. Adishesha then began to meditate to ascertain who his mother would be on earth. In meditation, he had a vision of a yogini by the name of Gonika who was praying for a worthy son to whom she could impart her knowledge and wisdom. He at once realized that she would be a worthy mother for him and so he waited for an auspicious moment to become her son.

Gonika, thinking that her earthly life was approaching its end and that her desire of finding a worthy son would remain unfulfilled, looked to the Sun God Surya, the living witness of God on earth and prayed to Him to fulfill her desire. She took a handful of water as a final oblation to Him, closed her eyes and meditated on the Sun. As she was about to offer the water, she opened her eyes and looked at her palms. To her surprise, she saw a tiny snake moving in her palms, which soon took on a human form. This tiny male human being prostrated to Gonika and asked her to accept him as her son. This she did and named him Patañjali because her hands had been in the prayerful gesture -anjali and he had fallen -pat, from heaven.

INTRODUCTION

The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali are one of the most important works in the study of Yoga and form the basis of much of what we understand about the precepts of the Yogic path.

Language is a complex phenomenon in the development of human consciousness, without which society and culture could not exist. The subtleties and meanings of words reflect the people and civilizations in which they were developed. In the ancient Sanskrit language, the roots of words are revealed as having resonant significance to the energies that they were describing. The earliest Sanskrit writing describes root words called bija sounds, which were essentially 'thought forms' representing divinities or cosmic powers. These words exert their influence by means of sound vibrations. The bija sounds, literally meaning seed, were used to express the origin or cause of the underlying vibration of the words that the Vedic sages sought to communicate.

Over time through a wide application of these root words and their subsequent compounding, a complex language developed. By exploring the implications and subtleties of language and meaning etymology studies the history of words, their origins and how their forms and meanings have changed over time. Uncovering the meanings and origins of words in languages with long written histories such as Sanskrit, one can utilize their ancient texts to gather knowledge about how these words were used during their development.

A Sacred Code

That there is a sacred code hidden within the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is a novel assertion in the study, translation and commentary of the Yoga Sutras. When the process of 'harmonic resonant alignment' is applied to translation a very different and compelling message emerges. The process applied here looked at each word from the original Devanagri Sanskrit script, transliterated and then translated them into English, according to the perceived intention of the informing spirit, that of Maharishi Patañjali. Then, the words were properly sequenced and interpreted.

A Diversity of Translations

Currently, there are a number of translations and commentary based on Patañjali's Yoga Sutras. They cover a wide range of interpretations and include translations such as those of Swami Vivekananda in a book called Raja Yoga; that of an author known as Maha Sadha Ishwara (MSI), called Enlightenment; a Theosophical-based translation called The Yoga Aphorisms of Patañjali by the William Q Judge; an Edgar Cayce based translation called Edgar Cayce and the Yoga Sutras: Uniting Body, Mind and Spirit by Istavan Fazekas; a Hatha Yoga version by Swami Satchidananda; another Theosophy Trust translation by Raghavan Iyer; a Buddhist vipassana version in the tradition of Krishnamacharya by Chip Hartranft; an early western translation by Charles Johnston called The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali: The Book of the Spiritual Man; The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali Om Edition by Robert Odom; Yoga Sutras for the 21st Century by Thomas Emmerson; a modern street lingo version called Yoga Sutras in Lingo by Tai Sheridan; The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali - With Great Respect and Love by Mukunda Stiles; The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali -A New Translation and Commentary by George Feuerstein; The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali - Illuminations Through Image, Commentary and Design by Gary Kissah; Light on The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali by B.K.S Iyengar; The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali (Sacred Teachings) by Alistart Shearer; How to Know God by Swami Prabavananda and Christopher Isherwood; The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali by James Naughton Woods and a Kriya Yoga version called Kriya Yoga Sutras of Patañjali and the Siddhas" by Marshall Govindan.

These are but a few of the many translations available. Many have been published but some are unknown and lost in the mists of time, authored by various Hindu pundits and their western counterparts over the last two to three thousand years.

Why are there so many translations and commentaries for one book? We may conclude that the importance of this treatise is unparalleled in the understanding of Yoga. The antiquity of the treatise has provided ample time for all interested to study and comment on it. It is also clear that many schools of Yoga have referenced Patañjali's Yoga Sutras to provide a basis of validity to claims that their school's techniques are appropriate and in-line with

Reviews for Perceptions of Truth, The Yoga Sutras of Maharishi Patañjali

[Steven M Schorr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fresh approach to understanding the deeper meaning of the Yoga Sutras. Thoughtfully presented with profound insight and revelation.