Yoga: Science of the Absolute: A Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

by Abbot George Burke (Swami Nirmalananda Giri)

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the most authoritative text on Yoga as a practice. It is also known as the Yoga Darshana because it is the fundamental text of Yoga as a philosophy (though practice is discussed), one of the six orthodox systems (darshanas) of Sanatana Dharma, the Eternal Religion. There is no need to have “faith” in these texts, for their statements can be verified by any reader, as has been done over thousands of years by countless yogis in India. A virtual army of self-realized men and women have proved their veracity and accuracy. Many of them are living right now as witnesses to the truth of Sanatana Dharma, which is based on the principle that all sentient beings are destined to attain liberation–union with divinity–since they are eternal parts of the Supreme Spirit, the Purushottama. In " Science of the Absolute", Abbot George Burke draws on the age-long tradition regarding this essential text, including the commentaries of Vyasa and Shankara, the most highly regarded writers on Indian philosophy and practice, as well as I. K. Taimni and other authoritative commentators, and adds his own ideas based on half a century of study and practice.Serious students of yoga will find this an essential addition to their spiritual studies.

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 19, 2019

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book I have read by Abbot George Burke, the first two being 'Soham Yoga' and 'The Upanishads' for awakening, and its the second commentary of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali I've read. It was written in a very simple and direct way, as were the other two Burke books, but I did find this one a little harder to read because he relied a lot more on Sanskrit terms (although he did a pretty food job of defining them). There is some pretty deep philosophy involved as well, and I did find myself on occasion reading the words but not absorbing much, probably because I'm just not spiritually or intellectually evolved enough to understand certain things, but that's ok. I also found that some passages of the book that explained the same thing that he had written about in the previous books I read by him were word for word from what he had written elsewhere. There's nothing inherently wrong with that where it is his own work, but it just took it a little beyond familiarity and felt like I was reading something I just read over again. I guess God just wants me to get the information again. Regardless, if you're into Yoga philosophy and want a decent interpretation of the Patanjali scripture, then you won't go wrong with this, just be prepared for a lot of Sanskrit terminology.