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The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: A New Edition, Translation, and Commentary
A landmark new translation and edition
Written almost two millennia ago, Patañjali's work focuses on how to attain the direct experience and realization of the the innermost individual self, or soul. As the classical treatise on the Hindu understanding of mind and consciousness and on the technique of meditation, it has exerted immense influence over the religious practices of Hinduism in India and, more recently, in the West.
Edwin F. Bryant's translation is clear, direct, and exact. Each sutra is presented as Sanskrit text, transliteration, and precise English translation, and is followed by Bryant's authoritative commentary, which is grounded in the classical understanding of yoga and conveys the meaning and depth of the sutras in a user-friendly manner for Western listeners without compromising scholarly rigor or traditional authenticity. In addition, Bryant presents insights drawn from the primary traditional commentaries on the sutras written over the last millennium and a half.
Written almost two millennia ago, Patañjali's work focuses on how to attain the direct experience and realization of the the innermost individual self, or soul. As the classical treatise on the Hindu understanding of mind and consciousness and on the technique of meditation, it has exerted immense influence over the religious practices of Hinduism in India and, more recently, in the West.
Edwin F. Bryant's translation is clear, direct, and exact. Each sutra is presented as Sanskrit text, transliteration, and precise English translation, and is followed by Bryant's authoritative commentary, which is grounded in the classical understanding of yoga and conveys the meaning and depth of the sutras in a user-friendly manner for Western listeners without compromising scholarly rigor or traditional authenticity. In addition, Bryant presents insights drawn from the primary traditional commentaries on the sutras written over the last millennium and a half.
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Published April 18, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 21, 2011
It was hard to label this book as "read", as I will be reading from this for many many years. The text itself provides insight and advice for anyone, on any kind of journey. The translation is clear, and Bryant's commentary is thorough and thoughtful. This text is best explored with a teacher, guru, or at least a small group of people.
January 16, 2016
From Christ to Buddha to Rumi to Mohammed, mystics through the entire history of human life have had stunningly similar experiences of the ultimate reality, the One who cannot be expressed. Patanjali, the mystic-intellectual from 2nd century BC, has a true gift for expressing this ultimate reality. He collated the entire body of ancient Eastern yoga in a taut, highly readable summary. In my view, this is the only book you need to dive into the heart of Eastern spirituality. For me, this is the most definitive thesis ever written on what it means to be a human. Without ambiguity, it lays out man’s true purpose and gives us a step-by-step guide to achieve that.
It was one of the only books I carried on my year long sabbatical to learn yoga and meditation and write The Yoga of Max's Discontent. It took me a year of almost everyday reading to even begin to understand it. I will continue to read it through the years.
See more at: http://www.karanbajaj.com/writing-cre...
It was one of the only books I carried on my year long sabbatical to learn yoga and meditation and write The Yoga of Max's Discontent. It took me a year of almost everyday reading to even begin to understand it. I will continue to read it through the years.
See more at: http://www.karanbajaj.com/writing-cre...
January 19, 2015
If there would be only one single book that I could recommend to aspiring Yoginis and Yogis, it would be this peerless translation of and commentary on the classic text on Yoga!
This is simply the most comprehensive and readable translation and concordance of 15 centuries of commentaries on the Yoga Sûtra by Patanjali. It is an exceptionally well researched work, full of insight and interesting references. I find it particularly valuable in providing the historical context of interpretations and commentators over the centuries. While very much a scientific monograph of 500+ pages on the 197 aphorisms, I find it impossible to put down because it's so well written and thought provoking.
This is simply the most comprehensive and readable translation and concordance of 15 centuries of commentaries on the Yoga Sûtra by Patanjali. It is an exceptionally well researched work, full of insight and interesting references. I find it particularly valuable in providing the historical context of interpretations and commentators over the centuries. While very much a scientific monograph of 500+ pages on the 197 aphorisms, I find it impossible to put down because it's so well written and thought provoking.
August 13, 2019
I will try to expand this review later when I have more time, but for the moment I need to be brief, so I will start by saying I can comfortably call Edwin Bryant's version the least-helpful translation and commentary I've read (out of about 30 at this point). The reasons for this require and deserve more time, especially as the work itself represents a vast degree of effort on the author's behalf, but for now there are four primary points I will make: 1. First and foremost, Bryant's style and discursive voice are almost mind-bogglingly inconsistent -- one minute heaping up highly-padded academic abstractions, the next jarring the reader with an all-too-worldly analogy. This is by no means a cardinal sin, but I think it's fair to suggest that, the more abstract and demanding we know our content to be, the more important it is to maintain a consistent style. By jumping without warning or cause from one to the other, with many moments in between, I think Bryant's approach is likely to be profoundly off-putting to novice & expert alike. 2. The lack of clear structure or methodology behind Bryant's encyclopedic and non-linear incorporation of the (many) various commentaries on each sutra is also, in my opinion, a double failure, as it makes both the commentaries themselves as well as the original sutras they are designed to explicate far harder to follow than any or all of them are when approached independently. In simple terms, while I greatly respect the scope of what he is trying to do, by apparently failing to have a clear and consistent framework for integrating exegesis, I think he makes both original and commentary far more prolix than they are or need to be. 3. Perhaps closer to the heart of the matter (although arguably a vary small portion of the actual text), Bryant's translation of individual sutras is also, in my opinion, both philosophically and linguistically uneven -- one minute capturing the meaning reasonably well, the next choosing specific terms that, I believe, stylistically or ideologically clash with one another, or carry very direct implications in English that, in my view, are absent in the Sanskrit. Even if you were to skip the commentary, the text alone would be one of the less-helpful and, in my opinion, less philosophically-coherent versions out there, which is a bit of a statement given the range of translations available. 4. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, in my opinion the work as a whole does not seem to lead the reader toward a grounded & clear understanding of either the Sutras themselves or the core principles of Yoga, essentially taking a challenging but profound work and making it far more obscure than it needs to be. If this were simply a work of scholarship, that would be perfectly valid, but I don't believe the work is offered in that form, and even if it were, I think it would need much greater consistency & philosophical uniformity to be able to assert that the loss of the former is made up for by the latter. All this said, please know that none of the above is meant to disparage in the least Bryant's **clearly** extensive scholarship & **unquestionably** Herculean efforts, but the end results are, in my opinion, one of the least-helpful renditions available, either for novice or scholar....
December 30, 2017
A dense book I frequently pick up and put down as I "chew on" each precept. Loving it so far...
March 17, 2020
I am a life long student of Yoga. I am reading this book currently. I will read a short bit each day. It’s a Practice... just like my life... as I intertwine the ancient yogic teachings of Patanjali into my daily Life.... I feel more balanced. The book is a must for anyone wanting to bring more Calmness to their own life. I am connecting more to my soul each time I open the book.
April 20, 2017
The author has carefully reviewed the primary sources of yoga, including the major historical commentaries, in a painstaking attempt to provide a thorough intellectual background and analysis of Patanjali’s often-abstruse yoga sutras. He has done a remarkable job, but one that has fundamental shortcomings.
A commendable point is the author’s own philosophical outlook, surfacing throughout the book in snippets of criticism of the consumerist conception of yoga in the West—which is indeed an utter distortion and travesty. But a book of academic significance must be held against higher standards of scholarship, and the author’s acknowledgment that it mostly targets the general reader is irrelevant when the flaws can be misleading and lead to an essential misinterpretation of the subject matter.
One of the issues that plague this book is the author’s almost uncritical assessment of yoga as a theistic philosophy. Bryant acknowledges unequivocally that the avowed cornerstone of Patanjali’s yoga, the samkhya philosophy of Kapila, is non-theistic, if not outright atheistic. He fails to provide, however, an explanation as to how an atheistic interpretation of nature vis a vis samkhya has radically shifted into a theistic one vis a vis yoga, a philosophy that has organic links with samkhya, to the degree of often being considered as its offspring.
The author indirectly and unconvincingly attributes this radical shift from “atheism” to “theism” to Patanjali’s eclecticism. But such an interpretation may well stem, at least partly, from his own superficial knowledge of Indian history. Another reason, minor yet crucial, is the misinterpretation of the term “isvara,” which occurs in the yoga sutras as “God” or rather a “personal God”—a rampant interpretation that precedes Bryant, if that can be an excuse.
The author also defends the integrity of the Yoga sutras as they have reached us, discounting the work of highly reputable specialists in the last century who have questioned the integrity not only of the Yoga sutras, but the Samkhya-Karika, the Bhagavad Gita, and all major texts of Indian antiquity. While he does not delve into his reasons for rejecting them—if we assume he is thoroughly familiar with them—his own position is tenuous at best. That some of these disputed sections complement the core of Patanjali’s sutras (the second half of chapter 2, and chapter 3 only of a four-chapter book) is only as good a reason as stating that the interpolated first chapter of John, at a later date, which equates a historical person with God, beautifully complements the evangelist’s gospel, and the last 12 verses of Mark, also later interpolated by devious clerics to create the fictitious account of the Ascension, beautifully complements what precedes it. Such a posteriori apologetics have lived their age in Christianity, despite the fact that many ideologically motivated theologians still uphold the integrity of the Gospels, but apparently it is far from exhausting itself in Indology, whose original texts of reference are equally, if not even more, corrupted and interpolated than the Christian scriptures.
Had the author been more familiar with Indian history, he would have been appalled by the degree of revision, corruption, and interpolation that has swiped all ancient Indian texts throughout the ages at the hands of the Brahmins, the agents of power, who have done so to institute their own ideology and theology, and would have had an altogether opposite starting point as to where the burden of proof should lie. This may entail rewriting the entire book—a work that may take a full lifetime—if, that is, Bryant, a promising scholar despite his shortcomings, proves capable of getting out of the hole he has dug for himself and does not yield to a whirlwind of self-justifications in defense of a heavily invested tower in the clouds.
The foreword, by Iyengar, is worthless as it serves merely commercial purposes for this expensive paperback. The endorsement by Larson is disappointing, even if he qualifies the book as being geared for “the thoughtful but non-specialist general reader,” and seems to be but lip service to support a colleague in the field. To the best of my recollection (from over two decades ago), Larson is acutely aware of the interpolations which occur in the major ancient Indian texts, and has widely quoted or referenced Garbe, the German scholar and a pioneer in the field of Indian textual criticism.
A commendable point is the author’s own philosophical outlook, surfacing throughout the book in snippets of criticism of the consumerist conception of yoga in the West—which is indeed an utter distortion and travesty. But a book of academic significance must be held against higher standards of scholarship, and the author’s acknowledgment that it mostly targets the general reader is irrelevant when the flaws can be misleading and lead to an essential misinterpretation of the subject matter.
One of the issues that plague this book is the author’s almost uncritical assessment of yoga as a theistic philosophy. Bryant acknowledges unequivocally that the avowed cornerstone of Patanjali’s yoga, the samkhya philosophy of Kapila, is non-theistic, if not outright atheistic. He fails to provide, however, an explanation as to how an atheistic interpretation of nature vis a vis samkhya has radically shifted into a theistic one vis a vis yoga, a philosophy that has organic links with samkhya, to the degree of often being considered as its offspring.
The author indirectly and unconvincingly attributes this radical shift from “atheism” to “theism” to Patanjali’s eclecticism. But such an interpretation may well stem, at least partly, from his own superficial knowledge of Indian history. Another reason, minor yet crucial, is the misinterpretation of the term “isvara,” which occurs in the yoga sutras as “God” or rather a “personal God”—a rampant interpretation that precedes Bryant, if that can be an excuse.
The author also defends the integrity of the Yoga sutras as they have reached us, discounting the work of highly reputable specialists in the last century who have questioned the integrity not only of the Yoga sutras, but the Samkhya-Karika, the Bhagavad Gita, and all major texts of Indian antiquity. While he does not delve into his reasons for rejecting them—if we assume he is thoroughly familiar with them—his own position is tenuous at best. That some of these disputed sections complement the core of Patanjali’s sutras (the second half of chapter 2, and chapter 3 only of a four-chapter book) is only as good a reason as stating that the interpolated first chapter of John, at a later date, which equates a historical person with God, beautifully complements the evangelist’s gospel, and the last 12 verses of Mark, also later interpolated by devious clerics to create the fictitious account of the Ascension, beautifully complements what precedes it. Such a posteriori apologetics have lived their age in Christianity, despite the fact that many ideologically motivated theologians still uphold the integrity of the Gospels, but apparently it is far from exhausting itself in Indology, whose original texts of reference are equally, if not even more, corrupted and interpolated than the Christian scriptures.
Had the author been more familiar with Indian history, he would have been appalled by the degree of revision, corruption, and interpolation that has swiped all ancient Indian texts throughout the ages at the hands of the Brahmins, the agents of power, who have done so to institute their own ideology and theology, and would have had an altogether opposite starting point as to where the burden of proof should lie. This may entail rewriting the entire book—a work that may take a full lifetime—if, that is, Bryant, a promising scholar despite his shortcomings, proves capable of getting out of the hole he has dug for himself and does not yield to a whirlwind of self-justifications in defense of a heavily invested tower in the clouds.
The foreword, by Iyengar, is worthless as it serves merely commercial purposes for this expensive paperback. The endorsement by Larson is disappointing, even if he qualifies the book as being geared for “the thoughtful but non-specialist general reader,” and seems to be but lip service to support a colleague in the field. To the best of my recollection (from over two decades ago), Larson is acutely aware of the interpolations which occur in the major ancient Indian texts, and has widely quoted or referenced Garbe, the German scholar and a pioneer in the field of Indian textual criticism.
January 25, 2021
Edwin F. Bryant’s translation of and extensive commentary on Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras” is highly recommended for any Yoga practitioner or Eastern Thought enthusiast.
Reading this complex book is a Commitment.
This book helped me navigate the more esoteric realms of Yoga and Eastern Thought as well as changed me in the process.
Reading this complex book is a Commitment.
This book helped me navigate the more esoteric realms of Yoga and Eastern Thought as well as changed me in the process.
April 9, 2023
A must read for those who practice yoga!! Like it says on the back cover, this book is meant for scholars and practitioners. Bryant’s style of writing that makes it accessible for both groups of people allows for an even deeper understanding of the text and of yoga, no matter who you are and where you are on the path!!
Although it appears dense and quite long, this book was really accessible and easy to read. Bryant did a great job of interweaving the insight of different yogic scholars and gurus, so that their commentary added new dimensions to the text as well as ensuring we don’t remove the text too far from its origins.
The thorough commentary allowed me to understand the sutras as they were intended, instead of from my 21st century western perspective (love the inclusion of phenomenology). To understand this commentary I really recommend one to have at least a basic understanding of Samkhyan philosophy and the duality of purusa/prakrti and how the goal of yoga at this period was to realign one’s identification with purusa.
I much preferred this translation to that of Swami Satchidananda. If you read Satchidananda’s and felt confused or even opposition to his translation of the sutras, READ BRYANT’s because everything will make so much more sense. At least it did for me.
It also answered so many questions I had and gave me a lot of ease in my own practice and how i engage with others.
Although it appears dense and quite long, this book was really accessible and easy to read. Bryant did a great job of interweaving the insight of different yogic scholars and gurus, so that their commentary added new dimensions to the text as well as ensuring we don’t remove the text too far from its origins.
The thorough commentary allowed me to understand the sutras as they were intended, instead of from my 21st century western perspective (love the inclusion of phenomenology). To understand this commentary I really recommend one to have at least a basic understanding of Samkhyan philosophy and the duality of purusa/prakrti and how the goal of yoga at this period was to realign one’s identification with purusa.
I much preferred this translation to that of Swami Satchidananda. If you read Satchidananda’s and felt confused or even opposition to his translation of the sutras, READ BRYANT’s because everything will make so much more sense. At least it did for me.
It also answered so many questions I had and gave me a lot of ease in my own practice and how i engage with others.
February 20, 2022
Bryant has done a great service to Yoga culture all around the world by bringing the classical Sanskrit commentators in the mainstream discourse on Yoga. Since Vivekananda published his Rajayoga in 1895, it had become a norm in the Yoga culture to completely ignore the classical commentators of Yoga Sutra. Some new western "scholars" even had the gall to claim that Yoga Sutra is a buddhist text. Bryant's work shows with ample evidence how false that claim is by showing that Patanjali actively tries to refute the Buddhist theories of Self.
I particularly liked Bryant's focus on Sutra 1.23 which is about Ishvara. Too many western authors have tried to minimize the role of Ishvara in Yoga philosophy. Bryant shows that Patanjali was definitely a theist and most likely a Vaishnava.
I particularly liked Bryant's focus on Sutra 1.23 which is about Ishvara. Too many western authors have tried to minimize the role of Ishvara in Yoga philosophy. Bryant shows that Patanjali was definitely a theist and most likely a Vaishnava.
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May 20, 2025I chanted these sutras during yoga teacher training and had a teacher explain each one. Then I reread the book on my own. Would have been tough to read this without a teacher and background in yoga philosophy.
July 4, 2016
This book is nothing short of a miracle.
If I may be allowed to beat an old, worn cliche to death a little more: the one book (if I could only bring one) that I'd bring to that fabled desert island: Yes, this one.
Bryant is a brilliant scholar and an amazing communicator. When it comes to relaying intricate and sometimes conflicting views about esoteric angles of abstruse subjects, care (above all else) is called for, and Bryant cares, cares very deeply to get the point across as clearly and as vividly as possible; and he succeeds in this nearly impossible task.
Yoga, of course, is so much more than stretching and sitting exercises to limber us up (as we in the west normally view the subject). Posture takes up less than one percent of Patanjali's Sutras, the rest is devoted to meditation and spiritual liberation.
The East Indians have been at this for a long time, and there is a lot to learn and know about this subject. Patanjali, around 400 CE, sat down to summarize what he knew at that point (recalling all teachings from the Upanishads forward) about walking this path, and he did an amazing, if concise, job of it. Following Patanjali, several commentators did their best to clarify and illustrate Patanjali's often cryptic statement.
Bryant uses not only Patanjali's Sutras, but also avails himself of the major commentators' clarifications as well, and so reconciles this stream of knowledge into a coherent whole that really, yes, really makes sense and is proving very helpful to me as a meditator, even though I'm mostly of the Theravada persuasion.
I urge whoever will read this book to read it slowly and carefully. It all makes perfect sense, but does take some careful digesting. I actually read my Kindle version while I used the glossary in my paper version to keep reminding me of the various Sanskrit words used. It was worth the effort.
As I said, this book is a miracle, nothing short of that, and I could not recommend it more.
Ulf Wolf
If I may be allowed to beat an old, worn cliche to death a little more: the one book (if I could only bring one) that I'd bring to that fabled desert island: Yes, this one.
Bryant is a brilliant scholar and an amazing communicator. When it comes to relaying intricate and sometimes conflicting views about esoteric angles of abstruse subjects, care (above all else) is called for, and Bryant cares, cares very deeply to get the point across as clearly and as vividly as possible; and he succeeds in this nearly impossible task.
Yoga, of course, is so much more than stretching and sitting exercises to limber us up (as we in the west normally view the subject). Posture takes up less than one percent of Patanjali's Sutras, the rest is devoted to meditation and spiritual liberation.
The East Indians have been at this for a long time, and there is a lot to learn and know about this subject. Patanjali, around 400 CE, sat down to summarize what he knew at that point (recalling all teachings from the Upanishads forward) about walking this path, and he did an amazing, if concise, job of it. Following Patanjali, several commentators did their best to clarify and illustrate Patanjali's often cryptic statement.
Bryant uses not only Patanjali's Sutras, but also avails himself of the major commentators' clarifications as well, and so reconciles this stream of knowledge into a coherent whole that really, yes, really makes sense and is proving very helpful to me as a meditator, even though I'm mostly of the Theravada persuasion.
I urge whoever will read this book to read it slowly and carefully. It all makes perfect sense, but does take some careful digesting. I actually read my Kindle version while I used the glossary in my paper version to keep reminding me of the various Sanskrit words used. It was worth the effort.
As I said, this book is a miracle, nothing short of that, and I could not recommend it more.
Ulf Wolf
February 6, 2018
I have been a practicing Buddhist for last 3 years and have had subtle appreciations and understanding of meditation and the benefits.
Having now read "Yoga sutras of patanjali" recently I am so grateful that such a book not only existed but has made it so easy for a western reader to understand and decipher the meanings of the subject matter.
I believe in years to come I will look back and again be ever so grateful to the author for being able to get me started on this beautiful journey.
December 24, 2012
Arguably the most articulate English translation available. This translation is indispensable to any serious English speaking practitioner of Yoga. One does not simply 'read' The Yoga Sutras, they are to be studied. This translation provides the Sanskrit text alongside the English and is complete with a pronunciation guide and glossary. If I could only have 5 books, this is one of them.
July 13, 2015
Rewards many rereadings....
December 14, 2024
An academic but still somewhat accessible edition of the Yoga Sutras for the patient student of yoga who has also taken other studies of the Yoga Sutras.
When you look at it, there are repetitious points made by the author a fair number of times, and I appreciated the emphasis. Particularly in where Hindu and Buddhist thought differed. I absolutely loved the historical context, weaving in major commentators’ perspectives, as well as with interesting topics (What god did Patanjali believe in?).
I think a lot of us in the west, those raised without religion, although grown up with cultural awareness of the Judeo-Christian tradition, can struggle with the reality of Ishvara. We try to soften it by calling it the universe.
Lots that have stayed with me, lots that flew over my head. Spent a lot of my time on the intro and the first two padas.
When you look at it, there are repetitious points made by the author a fair number of times, and I appreciated the emphasis. Particularly in where Hindu and Buddhist thought differed. I absolutely loved the historical context, weaving in major commentators’ perspectives, as well as with interesting topics (What god did Patanjali believe in?).
I think a lot of us in the west, those raised without religion, although grown up with cultural awareness of the Judeo-Christian tradition, can struggle with the reality of Ishvara. We try to soften it by calling it the universe.
Lots that have stayed with me, lots that flew over my head. Spent a lot of my time on the intro and the first two padas.
July 8, 2025
This book was my introduction to Indian philosophy, read in a religious studies university course that was dedicated to studying it. The scholarship in this book is remarkable. Edwin F. Bryant synthesizes the ancient commentaries into his own engaging and extensive commentary on the work. It is scholarly in nature, not devotional, but I think it could help practitioners as well as scholars. Sanskrit terms are explained in detail and used in ways that repeatedly help reinforce their meaning, so that they are memorized with ease as one makes their way through the book. The translations of the sutras themselves are much better and more memorable than other translations I have seen. I am delighted to have this book on my shelf, and I think anyone with any interest in Indian philosophy, Indian religion, or yoga practice could benefit from reading this.
December 31, 2025
The Yoga Sutras are difficult to understand, and many of the commentaries are also complex.
Studying the sutras works best when done slowly and in stages. First, you read them lightly to get a general understanding. Then you return to them again, going a little deeper each time and focusing on different ideas.
There are many English commentaries, and they often explain the sutras in different ways. Comparing them can be helpful because each one offers new perspectives and insights.
For beginners, it’s best to start with a short and easy-to-read commentary to get an overview. From there, you can follow your curiosity and explore further.
Some parts of the sutras are very mystical, which can be confusing for some readers. Most of the core philosophy is found in the first two chapters. I need to do a second reading to provide a more in-depth review.
Studying the sutras works best when done slowly and in stages. First, you read them lightly to get a general understanding. Then you return to them again, going a little deeper each time and focusing on different ideas.
There are many English commentaries, and they often explain the sutras in different ways. Comparing them can be helpful because each one offers new perspectives and insights.
For beginners, it’s best to start with a short and easy-to-read commentary to get an overview. From there, you can follow your curiosity and explore further.
Some parts of the sutras are very mystical, which can be confusing for some readers. Most of the core philosophy is found in the first two chapters. I need to do a second reading to provide a more in-depth review.
June 18, 2023
By far, the best translation and summary of commentaries of Patanjali work that I have ever read. By comparing and contrasting the canonical commentaries, Bryant paints a comprehensive picture of the meaning of each sutra, also clearly indicating what remains in the domain of interpretation, and what is definite in a "take it or leave it" (but please dont twist it to your own needs) kind of way. Being very restrained in voicing own opinions, Bryant nevertheless does not shy away from commenting on the current state of yoga and its relation to the traditional Patanjalic views. A must-read for everyone who believes that the Sutras should be honoured not by worshipping or chanting them, but by reading and trying to understand them.
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April 2, 2024I can't bring myself to rate a 2000 year old sacred text and its commentary on a 5 star scale, but there is a reason that people still turn to this spiritual guide millennia after it was written. There are some sutras that immediately spoke to me and some that will take awhile to digest and some that I will leave behind. The commentary was extremely helpful in interpreting what Patanjali meant and provided deeper context to the history and culture in India at the time it was composed. Luckily my yoga teacher also holds meetings to discuss the sutras to help unpack them further. There is so much here!!! I'm sure I'll be thinking of these in the future again and again, and would say this is required reading for anyone who is interested in or curious about yoga beyond just the poses.
December 5, 2024
A tedious, overwritten work where Bryant gives himself more credit than the original author of these core teachings of yogic philosophy. A compilation of commentaries from the past two hundred years parsed and constructed with the effect of showing off Bryant’s self professed ability to bring erudite sources to the masses. Nothing new from the thousands of commentaries already available and nothing nearly as powerful as the direct experience of Patanjali’s original. Maybe I expected better both from editor (I can’t label Bryant an author) and publisher. His presumptive crediting of Patanjali as a contributor rather than the original author is disappointing. Leave this one on the shelf to collect the dust of disuse. Go do your practice instead.
February 6, 2021
This was a fantastic book. I learned so much. I even took a plunge and took an 8 week webinar series with the Author. His huge breadth of knowledge not only of the Sutras themselves, but the philosophical, metaphysical contexts and debates of the times they were written in is awe-inspiring. I think a couple of other commentors mentioned it as well but having read it once, this is one that you will go back to over and over as a reference.
If you really want a great in-depth dive into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali you cannot go wrong with this book
If you really want a great in-depth dive into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali you cannot go wrong with this book
February 21, 2022
Bryant's work is basically a compilation of older, classical Sanskrit commentaries on the Sutras, which is nice because most authors on Yoga in last 100 years have completely ignored the classical commentaries and tried to force their own agendas into the Sutras. Bryant has persistently made it clear that you cannot take the Sutras out their context to insert your modern ideologies into it. There has been a trend in western Yoga scholarship to deny the importance of theistic elements in the Sutras, and Bryant has done a great job refuting it.
August 21, 2025
Bryant had a hard task at hand. Merging the various traditional commentaries to make a new commentary while making it accessible to both laypeople while also making it academically rigorous. While he does do a good job of making it more academically inclined, I think he struggled a bit with making it easier to understand for laypeople. While I think this should be a secondary reading of the Yoga Sutras I do think there are other renditions and commentaries that are a bit more usefulness for the practitioner.
October 1, 2020
I struggled with lots of aspects of this book, though in a good way, on the whole. I'm a non-dualist and Patanjali, from Bryant's perspective, is firmly dualistic. Since I teach yoga philosophy, I wanted to make sure I was up to date. I think I need to re read and re read this to get the full weight of the commentary, and I'm slightly concerned at a lack of humility that I think comes across, but as a non-dualist, I then have to ask, whose?
May 24, 2024
This book is such a treasure trove of wisdom that one reading isn't enough. Commendable job by the author to collect all the well-known commentaries on the sutras at once place and present such an advanced psycho-analysis of human mind-body in a very coherent and enticing way. Interestingly, Patanjali talks about asanas in only a couple of sutras from a total of 195. Easily one of the most important books I've read.
May 25, 2017
Wonderful resource. Foreword and Introduction, chapter summaries and notes offer valuable insights to anyone interested in this text. Discussion of each aphorism (or sūtra) in light of the most influential available commentary (by Vyāsa) adds tremendous value.
For students of the Sanskrit language, this book offers more--Sanskrit text along with the English translation and a word index.
For students of the Sanskrit language, this book offers more--Sanskrit text along with the English translation and a word index.
October 16, 2022
Great translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, especially for someone reading them for the first time. Provides a solid background on Samkhya metaphysics with which to go to more difficult translations. Bryant also collates information from all the major translations so overall very good if you plan on only ever reading one translation.
April 8, 2025
This is a useful translation on Patanjali’s yoga sutra where the author synthesizes the commentaries by various masters including Shankara, Vyasa and others to provide clarity on this esoteric text. The explanations are clearly laid out and will serve as a useful guide to yoga aspirants and those seeking to gain a deeper understanding on the subject.
November 17, 2017
If you want a deeper exploration of yoga and it's fundamental teachings, this text is wonderful. It's written by an academic, and the language is difficult. But I appreciate the practice so much more after sloughing through this the last six months.
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