Today this modern world reads, thinks and does all kind of yogic kriya’s and recognizes the importance of yoga in our daily life. However very few know who he was and what was his lineage. Some regard that he was born 150 years before Christ and some regard him that he lived 1500 years before that but they all agree that he was greatest exponent and compiler of yoga aphorism.
It is said that he was son of Rishi Angira and his mother name was Gonika. Gonika was very well versed with yoga principles and wanted worthy son who was capable of accepting her knowledge of yoga. One day when Gonika was bathing and offering water to Sun, being incarnation of adishesha; he appeared in handful of water held by her. She was surprised when this snake transformed into a man with folded hands. He pleaded her to accept him as his son.
Nothing can be verified about all these tales of Patanjali's birth and his likely domicile hence it symbolizes likeliness of his coming from a totally different sphere to give knowledge of yoga to the people of this earth. Some say he was born in India previously known as jambudwipa but for some his abode was not earth but ethereal and celestial abode. The most believed story is he was incarnation of adishesha. who had seven hoods. There is no doubt that with spirituality and transcendence of highest order, he had power to assume human form and turn again into spirit after giving his knowledge to the people.
His childhood was also extraordinary as he could communicate with people the moment he was born. The intensity of his mind was such that not only he could see pass, present and future but argued any topics of conversation with vigor among contemporary sagas, rishis and intellectual of his time with fluency revealing accurately the things of the ancient past and immediate future.
His contribution was not restricted to yoga aphorisms but was also master and great scholar of Sanskrit language. He refined this language and laid down rules of Sanskrit grammar which gave power to this language becoming more accurate, delicate, effective and creative. He married with a maiden called lolupa, whom he found in a hollow of a tree on mountain called Sumeru considered as the celestial mountain of enlightenment and lived to ripe old age. Beyond this nothing is known about him and whatever that is known, it is mired in myth
Given that he lived in the age of Vedas, he identified all the knowledge and compiled into sutras or threads presented in the form of aphorisms called Yoga Sutras widely recognized throughout ages. It is the finest example of presentation of sutras in aphorism style. There are total four chapters and 195 phrases easy to understand and memorize. There are fifty one sutras in Sadhana Pada, Fifty five in Vibhuti Pada, Thirty four in Kaivalya Pada and the balance in Samadhi Pada. Each chapter gives details about how one can master his feelings and thoughts particularly Sadhana Pada is important from practice point of view. In this chapter Patanjali stress eight limbs of yoga which an individual can practice to get higher level of awareness. This practice translates into mental power which is written in Vibhuti Pada. Kaivalya Pada is again about liberation one can achieve through yoga and lastly Samadhi Pada is the description of psychological state attained through enlightenment process.
There is uncertainty about which chapter he wrote himself as there is difference between the languages in these chapters also some may doubt about authenticity of these aphorism itself. But many people affirm the unity and the coherency in all the chapters taken together. Hence it is difficult to resolve this authenticity debate. What ever that is written every body agrees that all these chapters have great degree of homogeneity and consistency at all levels. Also what was previously an obscure and long drawn out abstract knowledge, Patanjali summarized it in an easy and practical way validating this knowledge through lives and experiences of practitioners making it an extremely practical manual for spiritual development and advancement. It is framework capable of gaining inner tranquility and attaining spiritual realization.
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