Yoga-Meditations

Today whatever we practice as yoga exercises comes from decades old Yoga Sutra. It is the text written way back in Mauryan Period and compiles the system of yoga. These sutras compiled by Sage Patanjali, is an influential work, focusing on the philosophy of yoga. As the name says, the compiler Patanjali has put all his experience of yoga in this work and linked them in a similar way as a thread binds two objects.

Until today, the yoga lovers and all those who want to achieve peace of mind and a healthy body through yoga treats the work as one of the best yoga guides. Once you go through the work, you will find how beautifully the compiler has interconnected each sutra as thread connects two objects.
In fact, you can really feel the influence different thoughts including that of Upanishads, Buddhism, and even Jain and forms the basis of what we widely practice today, called Raja Yoga.

Various Sutras of Patanjali:

The work of great sage Patanjali has 196 sutras divided in to four distinct chapters. Each chapter is the combination of various sutras, depicting different yoga, their purpose, and state. Here are the following four chapters of Sutras:

1) Samadhi Pada is the first chapter and contains as many as 51 sutras. It represents the pleasurable state of the practioner also called Yogi. Here the sage describe about various yoga, their nature, and how using yoga, a practioner can attain Samadhi.
2) Sadhana Pada contains another set of 55 sutras, in which the Patanjali gives more importance to the hardships and action to get fruitful results. Mainly the sutras talk about Karma Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga.
3) Vibhuti Pada or the third sutra includes 56 sutras and says that although one can use yoga to gain ultimate power, but it is always better to avoid such temptations.
4) Ultimately showing the goal of yoga, Kaivalya Pada, the fourth sutra having set of 34 sutras, focuses on liberation.