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Vedânta philosophy; lectures by the Swami Vivekananda : With Patanjali's Aphorisms, Commentaries and a Glossary of Terms
All the orthodox systems of India philosophy have one goal in view, the liberation of the soul through perfection. The method is by Yoga. The word Yoga covers an immense ground, but both the Sankhya and the Vedanta Schools point to Yoga in some form or other. The subject of the present book is that form of Yoga known as Raja-Yoga. The aphorisms of Patanjali are the highest authority on Raja-Yoga.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1893
322 people are currently reading
508 people want to read
About the author
Vivekananda
1,667 books1,586 followers"Arise Awake and Stop not til the goal is reached"
Vivekananda left a body of philosophical works (see Vivekananda's complete works). His books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga) are very influential and still seen as fundamental texts for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great literary and spiritual value. He was also considered a very good singer and a poet.By the time of his death, He had composed many songs including his favorite Kali the Mother. He used humor for his teachings and was also an excellent cook. His language is very free flowing. His own Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact that he believed that words - spoken or written - should be for making things easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.
Swami Vivekananda [ স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ ] (1863 – 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion.
Born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Vivekananda left a body of philosophical works (see Vivekananda's complete works). His books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga) are very influential and still seen as fundamental texts for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great literary and spiritual value. He was also considered a very good singer and a poet.By the time of his death, He had composed many songs including his favorite Kali the Mother. He used humor for his teachings and was also an excellent cook. His language is very free flowing. His own Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact that he believed that words - spoken or written - should be for making things easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.
Swami Vivekananda [ স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ ] (1863 – 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion.
Born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
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January 12, 2026
I lost Caesar Bose, a very close friend of mine, to cancer in the year 2017. He was three years my senior and one of the ace scholars I have had the privilege of knowing. We had started a project in 2009, wherein we sought to make a judiciously curated list of the toughest, most intellectually demanding, dense, or conceptually challenging books ever written — across philosophy, literature, science, mathematics, theology, psychoanalysis, linguistics, and critical theory. In this list would be books known for difficulty of language, abstraction, structure, or depth. We grouped them by category so the list was useful and not random. These books find a place in my ‘Toughest Read Shelf’. It is my obeisance to Caesar.
Today, January 12 marks the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and is observed across India as National Youth Day. The day commemorates his enduring legacy, celebrates his ideals, and inspires young people to take an active role in nation-building, recognizing him as a seminal spiritual leader and philosopher who carried Vedanta and Yoga to the West.
What is this book all about?
Swami Vivekananda’s Rāja-Yoga, paired with his exposition of Patañjali’s Yoga-Sūtras, is not merely a commentary—it is a translation across civilizations. It takes one of the most austere, compressed, psychologically severe texts ever written and re-presents it to a modern, global audience without diluting its seriousness.
Where Patañjali whispers, Vivekananda declares.
At its core, the book is about mastery of the mind—not in the sense of control for power, but control for freedom. Vivekananda reads Patañjali through the lens of Vedantic universalism, scientific rationality, and modern individualism.
Yoga, for him, is not an ethnic inheritance or sectarian discipline; it is a universal science of consciousness.
Rāja-Yoga, as Vivekananda frames it, is the royal path—the direct route inward. It does not rely on ritual, dogma, priesthood, or blind belief. It demands verification. Experience. Experiment.
In this, Vivekananda aligns yoga with science, insisting that spiritual truth must be repeatable, testable, and experiential.
The structure of the book mirrors this ambition. Vivekananda introduces yoga not as mysticism but as psychology avant la lettre. He explains the nature of the mind, its tendencies (vṛttis), its powers of concentration, and its capacity for self-transcendence. Patañjali’s famous definition—yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ—becomes, in Vivekananda’s hands, a manifesto: freedom lies not in rearranging the world but in stilling the mind that reacts to it.
Vivekananda walks the reader through the eight limbs of yoga, but he reframes them with unmistakable modern urgency:
1) Ethics (yama and niyama) become foundations of psychological clarity
2) Āsana becomes stability, not gymnastics
3) Prāṇāyāma becomes energy regulation
4) Pratyāhāra becomes sensory sovereignty
5) Dhāraṇā, dhyāna, samādhi become stages of cognitive refinement
Where classical commentaries are cautious, Vivekananda is bold. He speaks openly of latent powers, of concentration as the key to genius, morality, religion, and science alike. For him, the yogi, the scientist, and the artist differ only in object of concentration, not in method.
This is where the book becomes uniquely modern.
Vivekananda insists that yoga is not escapism. It is not world-denial. It is world-mastery through self-mastery. The liberated individual does not withdraw into caves; they act with clarity, compassion, and fearlessness. Yoga produces strength, not softness.
Shakespeare’s “This above all: to thine own self be true” finds here a radical interpretation: truth to the self requires knowing what the self is not. Vivekananda repeatedly echoes Vedantic insight—you are not the body, not the mind, not the ego. Yoga is the method of realising this truth, not merely believing it.
Crucially, Vivekananda refuses sectarianism. God, in his presentation, is not a jealous authority but a highest possibility of consciousness. Even devotion (Īśvara-praṇidhāna) becomes concentration with love, not submission with fear.
The result is a book that does something extraordinary: it makes an ancient, almost forbidding text speak the language of freedom, confidence, and modern agency—without trivializing its discipline.
Why, then, does the book feel overwhelming—even intimidating?
1) The first source of intimidation is Vivekananda’s absolute seriousness. Despite his charismatic tone, he never pretends that yoga is easy. On the contrary, he repeatedly warns that the mind is wild, habits are deep, and progress is slow. Anyone expecting instant peace is quietly dismissed.
2) Second, the synthesis itself can overwhelm. Vivekananda draws simultaneously from Patañjali, Advaita Vedānta, Western science, psychology, and ethics. For readers unfamiliar with either tradition, the conceptual density can feel like intellectual whiplash.
3) Third, the book is intimidating because Vivekananda democratises responsibility. There is no priest to blame, no ritual to outsource effort to. If liberation does not occur, the fault lies in insufficient discipline, not divine withholding. That level of accountability is unsettling.
4) Fourth, Vivekananda does not soften Patañjali’s psychological demands. Control of thought. Restraint of desire. Ethical consistency. Persistent concentration. These are not lifestyle tips; they are existential requirements. Modern readers accustomed to therapeutic gentleness often recoil.
5) Fifth, the discussion of psychic powers (siddhis) creates discomfort. Vivekananda treats them seriously but cautiously—acknowledging their existence while warning against obsession. For sceptical readers, this feels unscientific; for spiritual readers, frustratingly restrained. He satisfies neither camp completely.
6) Sixth, the book intimidates because it undermines identity narratives. If you are not your thoughts, emotions, achievements, traumas, or roles—what are you? Vivekananda answers confidently: infinite consciousness. But reaching that answer experientially requires dismantling everything familiar.
7) Finally, the tone itself—confident, commanding, unapologetically strong—can feel overwhelming. Vivekananda does not plead; he calls. He assumes the reader is capable of greatness, and that assumption itself can feel heavy.
And now we arrive at the unavoidable reckoning. Why is it tough?
And even if it is, what makes this text worth reading time and again?
It is tough because it insists that freedom is a discipline, not a gift.
Vivekananda’s Rāja-Yoga strips spirituality of comfort illusions. It replaces dependence with effort, belief with practice, and hope with method. The book does not soothe anxiety; it challenges it at the root.
The toughness lies in its clarity: the mind must be trained, again and again, patiently, relentlessly. There is no dramatic conversion. No permanent emotional high. Just gradual mastery.
And yet—this is precisely why the book remains endlessly worth returning to.
Each rereading meets a different reader. In youth, it feels empowering. In middle life, confronting. Later, quietly affirming. The text grows with the reader because it is not bound to circumstance; it addresses the structure of consciousness itself.
In an age of distraction, Vivekananda’s insistence on concentration feels prophetic. In a culture obsessed with identity, his teaching on disidentification feels liberating. In a world seeking external validation, his emphasis on inner sovereignty feels revolutionary.
Milton wrote, “He who reigns within himself, and rules passions, desires, and fears, is more than a king.” Vivekananda practically builds his entire vision of Rāja-Yoga on that line—except he replaces poetic admiration with practical instruction.
The book is also worth rereading because it bridges worlds. It allows Patañjali to speak to the modern mind without distortion. It shows how ancient discipline can coexist with scientific rationality. It rescues yoga from ritualism on one side and dilution on the other.
Yes, it is demanding.
Yes, it asks more than comfort-based spirituality ever will.
But it offers something rare: dignity. The dignity of believing that the human mind can be trained, refined, and liberated through its own effort.
That belief does not age.
So the book remains—firm, confident, unsentimental—waiting for readers who are ready to stop seeking consolation and start seeking clarity.
Not once.
But again and again.
Most recommended.
Today, January 12 marks the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and is observed across India as National Youth Day. The day commemorates his enduring legacy, celebrates his ideals, and inspires young people to take an active role in nation-building, recognizing him as a seminal spiritual leader and philosopher who carried Vedanta and Yoga to the West.
What is this book all about?
Swami Vivekananda’s Rāja-Yoga, paired with his exposition of Patañjali’s Yoga-Sūtras, is not merely a commentary—it is a translation across civilizations. It takes one of the most austere, compressed, psychologically severe texts ever written and re-presents it to a modern, global audience without diluting its seriousness.
Where Patañjali whispers, Vivekananda declares.
At its core, the book is about mastery of the mind—not in the sense of control for power, but control for freedom. Vivekananda reads Patañjali through the lens of Vedantic universalism, scientific rationality, and modern individualism.
Yoga, for him, is not an ethnic inheritance or sectarian discipline; it is a universal science of consciousness.
Rāja-Yoga, as Vivekananda frames it, is the royal path—the direct route inward. It does not rely on ritual, dogma, priesthood, or blind belief. It demands verification. Experience. Experiment.
In this, Vivekananda aligns yoga with science, insisting that spiritual truth must be repeatable, testable, and experiential.
The structure of the book mirrors this ambition. Vivekananda introduces yoga not as mysticism but as psychology avant la lettre. He explains the nature of the mind, its tendencies (vṛttis), its powers of concentration, and its capacity for self-transcendence. Patañjali’s famous definition—yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ—becomes, in Vivekananda’s hands, a manifesto: freedom lies not in rearranging the world but in stilling the mind that reacts to it.
Vivekananda walks the reader through the eight limbs of yoga, but he reframes them with unmistakable modern urgency:
1) Ethics (yama and niyama) become foundations of psychological clarity
2) Āsana becomes stability, not gymnastics
3) Prāṇāyāma becomes energy regulation
4) Pratyāhāra becomes sensory sovereignty
5) Dhāraṇā, dhyāna, samādhi become stages of cognitive refinement
Where classical commentaries are cautious, Vivekananda is bold. He speaks openly of latent powers, of concentration as the key to genius, morality, religion, and science alike. For him, the yogi, the scientist, and the artist differ only in object of concentration, not in method.
This is where the book becomes uniquely modern.
Vivekananda insists that yoga is not escapism. It is not world-denial. It is world-mastery through self-mastery. The liberated individual does not withdraw into caves; they act with clarity, compassion, and fearlessness. Yoga produces strength, not softness.
Shakespeare’s “This above all: to thine own self be true” finds here a radical interpretation: truth to the self requires knowing what the self is not. Vivekananda repeatedly echoes Vedantic insight—you are not the body, not the mind, not the ego. Yoga is the method of realising this truth, not merely believing it.
Crucially, Vivekananda refuses sectarianism. God, in his presentation, is not a jealous authority but a highest possibility of consciousness. Even devotion (Īśvara-praṇidhāna) becomes concentration with love, not submission with fear.
The result is a book that does something extraordinary: it makes an ancient, almost forbidding text speak the language of freedom, confidence, and modern agency—without trivializing its discipline.
Why, then, does the book feel overwhelming—even intimidating?
1) The first source of intimidation is Vivekananda’s absolute seriousness. Despite his charismatic tone, he never pretends that yoga is easy. On the contrary, he repeatedly warns that the mind is wild, habits are deep, and progress is slow. Anyone expecting instant peace is quietly dismissed.
2) Second, the synthesis itself can overwhelm. Vivekananda draws simultaneously from Patañjali, Advaita Vedānta, Western science, psychology, and ethics. For readers unfamiliar with either tradition, the conceptual density can feel like intellectual whiplash.
3) Third, the book is intimidating because Vivekananda democratises responsibility. There is no priest to blame, no ritual to outsource effort to. If liberation does not occur, the fault lies in insufficient discipline, not divine withholding. That level of accountability is unsettling.
4) Fourth, Vivekananda does not soften Patañjali’s psychological demands. Control of thought. Restraint of desire. Ethical consistency. Persistent concentration. These are not lifestyle tips; they are existential requirements. Modern readers accustomed to therapeutic gentleness often recoil.
5) Fifth, the discussion of psychic powers (siddhis) creates discomfort. Vivekananda treats them seriously but cautiously—acknowledging their existence while warning against obsession. For sceptical readers, this feels unscientific; for spiritual readers, frustratingly restrained. He satisfies neither camp completely.
6) Sixth, the book intimidates because it undermines identity narratives. If you are not your thoughts, emotions, achievements, traumas, or roles—what are you? Vivekananda answers confidently: infinite consciousness. But reaching that answer experientially requires dismantling everything familiar.
7) Finally, the tone itself—confident, commanding, unapologetically strong—can feel overwhelming. Vivekananda does not plead; he calls. He assumes the reader is capable of greatness, and that assumption itself can feel heavy.
And now we arrive at the unavoidable reckoning. Why is it tough?
And even if it is, what makes this text worth reading time and again?
It is tough because it insists that freedom is a discipline, not a gift.
Vivekananda’s Rāja-Yoga strips spirituality of comfort illusions. It replaces dependence with effort, belief with practice, and hope with method. The book does not soothe anxiety; it challenges it at the root.
The toughness lies in its clarity: the mind must be trained, again and again, patiently, relentlessly. There is no dramatic conversion. No permanent emotional high. Just gradual mastery.
And yet—this is precisely why the book remains endlessly worth returning to.
Each rereading meets a different reader. In youth, it feels empowering. In middle life, confronting. Later, quietly affirming. The text grows with the reader because it is not bound to circumstance; it addresses the structure of consciousness itself.
In an age of distraction, Vivekananda’s insistence on concentration feels prophetic. In a culture obsessed with identity, his teaching on disidentification feels liberating. In a world seeking external validation, his emphasis on inner sovereignty feels revolutionary.
Milton wrote, “He who reigns within himself, and rules passions, desires, and fears, is more than a king.” Vivekananda practically builds his entire vision of Rāja-Yoga on that line—except he replaces poetic admiration with practical instruction.
The book is also worth rereading because it bridges worlds. It allows Patañjali to speak to the modern mind without distortion. It shows how ancient discipline can coexist with scientific rationality. It rescues yoga from ritualism on one side and dilution on the other.
Yes, it is demanding.
Yes, it asks more than comfort-based spirituality ever will.
But it offers something rare: dignity. The dignity of believing that the human mind can be trained, refined, and liberated through its own effort.
That belief does not age.
So the book remains—firm, confident, unsentimental—waiting for readers who are ready to stop seeking consolation and start seeking clarity.
Not once.
But again and again.
Most recommended.
October 12, 2020
What always surprises me about Swami Vivekananda is the way he explains the possibility of communicating and sending energy without cables. He died on 1902, and his scientific explanations were ahead of his time. He was acquainted with tesla, and it's interesting to note that tesla used sanskrit terms when describing matter and energy.
I'm not sure how true are the stories of Vivekananda predicting that he would leave his body at his 30's. But I am sure he was a wise man that was way ahead of his time.
His commentary on the Yoga Sutras is logical, concise and clear. However, some of his vocabulary can be outdated and I have read better translations of the sutras. Nevertheless, his commentary is one of the best, and it is a quick read that someone interested in Raja yoga should go through.
I'm not sure how true are the stories of Vivekananda predicting that he would leave his body at his 30's. But I am sure he was a wise man that was way ahead of his time.
His commentary on the Yoga Sutras is logical, concise and clear. However, some of his vocabulary can be outdated and I have read better translations of the sutras. Nevertheless, his commentary is one of the best, and it is a quick read that someone interested in Raja yoga should go through.
January 3, 2022
It was an interesting read to understand to original historic and philosophic perspective on yoga. I guess this text is a must for anyone who practices yoga to understand a little more about what is going on a higher plane than strictly the physical one. I will read it again focusing only on the 195 Patanjali aphorisms and not so much on the comments because clearly Mr Vivekananda has his own religious beliefs and that is all very well but I don't share them at all. I have a hard time with reincarnation, incredible powers and gods stuff. I want to be fit, energized, and healthy and discover from my own personal practice all that is to be discovered without being told where this is going to lead me.
April 6, 2021
Great words from Swami Vivekananda
Being a Yoga Teacher I already knew Patanjali Yoga Sutras but the way Swami Vivekananda had put it, makes it so interesting to learn it from his perspective. Must read for every aspiring yogi.
Being a Yoga Teacher I already knew Patanjali Yoga Sutras but the way Swami Vivekananda had put it, makes it so interesting to learn it from his perspective. Must read for every aspiring yogi.
January 10, 2020
Brilliant book.
Won't be an easy read if you do not have any background in Yogic or Sankhya philosophy.
Worth reading for countless little nuggets of wisdom spread throughout the book.
Won't be an easy read if you do not have any background in Yogic or Sankhya philosophy.
Worth reading for countless little nuggets of wisdom spread throughout the book.
Read
August 10, 2022I've found reading yogic books helps me be calmer in the present moment. This is mentioned somewhat in the pages as something that comes along as you have knowledge of experiences because you then know the future/ what will or should happen.
I enjoyed learning about new terms for awareness. Like our chittas being stillness, and our vrittis being the waves of thoughts that can interrupt it.
some quotes I got from my copy since that's all I had to say:
"The flow of this continuous control of the mind becomes
steady when practices day after day and the mind obtains the
faculty of constant concentration."
"Ignorance is taking that which is non-eternal, impure,
painful, and non-Self, for the eternal, pure, happy,
Atman (Self). "
I enjoyed learning about new terms for awareness. Like our chittas being stillness, and our vrittis being the waves of thoughts that can interrupt it.
some quotes I got from my copy since that's all I had to say:
"The flow of this continuous control of the mind becomes
steady when practices day after day and the mind obtains the
faculty of constant concentration."
"Ignorance is taking that which is non-eternal, impure,
painful, and non-Self, for the eternal, pure, happy,
Atman (Self). "
Read
August 14, 2020I read it slowly, along with lectures by Swami Pitambarananda of Ramkrishna Order.
His sessions are recorded and posted here -
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
But I find the it bit difficult to understand.
There are lot of references to Upanishada and Gita, I haven't read either of them.
Also I don't have any background of Sanskrit, that makes it difficult.
So probably I will read it again with sutra-by-sutra, with meaning, and commentary by couple of other scholars and Sadhak.
His sessions are recorded and posted here -
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
But I find the it bit difficult to understand.
There are lot of references to Upanishada and Gita, I haven't read either of them.
Also I don't have any background of Sanskrit, that makes it difficult.
So probably I will read it again with sutra-by-sutra, with meaning, and commentary by couple of other scholars and Sadhak.
July 7, 2019
Liberation can be achieved by adopting the principles of Spiritual Science.
Patanjali Yogasutras are hereby commented and explained in a lucid and scientific manner by a Self Realised Master, the legendary Swamy Vivekananda. The commentary reaches and appeals to a rational mind with out a dichotomy. This book is like a guide and reference to any serious student of Spiritual Science as I believe.I
Patanjali Yogasutras are hereby commented and explained in a lucid and scientific manner by a Self Realised Master, the legendary Swamy Vivekananda. The commentary reaches and appeals to a rational mind with out a dichotomy. This book is like a guide and reference to any serious student of Spiritual Science as I believe.I
September 4, 2023
directly translated proverbs and distinguished commentary written for contemplation less than casual reading/comprehension
Practical breath work and some asana instructions at their different places, but mostly spiritually conscious material
-“all the various ideas that tell us we need something external to make us happy are distractions from pure joy”
Practical breath work and some asana instructions at their different places, but mostly spiritually conscious material
-“all the various ideas that tell us we need something external to make us happy are distractions from pure joy”
Read
February 17, 2020Appeal to the logical minded
The first half of the book appeals to folks who have their mind wired to follow logic, it is well written. The latter part of the book was a bit challenging to follow. A great start up book to pursue the Sankhya way.
The first half of the book appeals to folks who have their mind wired to follow logic, it is well written. The latter part of the book was a bit challenging to follow. A great start up book to pursue the Sankhya way.
January 9, 2021
Great book for the sincere aspirant!
The book is based on a series of talks by the enlightened Master Swami Vivekanda. The clarity of his vision is evident and relevant in 2021, over a hundred years from his leaving this world. A must read for a sincere aspiring yogi
The book is based on a series of talks by the enlightened Master Swami Vivekanda. The clarity of his vision is evident and relevant in 2021, over a hundred years from his leaving this world. A must read for a sincere aspiring yogi
February 25, 2022
Incredible conversational summary of the Yoga Sutra. OFcourse one has to refer to some other sites, podcasts, introspection and guidance to really delve in, but the book in itself serves well to share the perpectives Vivekananda placed. Excellent read.
September 27, 2020
very intelligent book... but a dry read, gets a bit monotonous after a point
August 22, 2018
I started this book post reading The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Commentary on the Raja Yoga Sutras by Sri Swami Satchidananda. The book covers the various aphorisms of Patanjali in detaill. Some passages in the book sounded like esoteric philosophical commentaries. My amateurish understanding of Raja Yoga expanded & I understood I need to go so much beyond merely the practice of Hatha Yoga.
December 1, 2023
"Raja-Yoga & Patanjali Yoga-Sutra" by Swami Vivekananda serves as a profound exploration into the ancient wisdom of Raja-Yoga, with a focus on the timeless aphorisms of Patanjali. The book delves into the orthodox systems of Indian philosophy, all of which converge on a singular goal – the liberation of the soul through perfection, and the chosen method for this transcendence is Yoga!
The term "Yoga" is expansive, encompassing various paths, but both the Sankhya and Vedanta Schools emphasize some form of Yoga as the means to attain spiritual perfection. Swami Vivekananda directs his attention to the specific form known as Raja-Yoga, making this book a comprehensive guide to the royal path of spiritual discipline and self-realization.
At the heart of this exploration are the profound aphorisms of Patanjali, considered the highest authority on Raja-Yoga. Swami Vivekananda draws upon these timeless insights to provide readers with a deep understanding of the philosophy, practices, and principles that constitute Raja-Yoga. The author's adept interpretation and elucidation of Patanjali's Yoga-Sutras offer a gateway for readers to access the profound wisdom embedded in this ancient text.
One of the book's strengths lies in its ability to make the complex and esoteric teachings of Raja-Yoga accessible to a wide audience. Swami Vivekananda's clear and concise explanations, coupled with his insightful commentary, demystify the philosophical foundations and practical applications of Raja-Yoga. This approach ensures that readers, regardless of their familiarity with Indian philosophy, can grasp the profound concepts and incorporate them into their spiritual journeys.
The book not only serves as an intellectual guide but also as a practical manual for those aspiring to tread the path of Raja-Yoga. Swami Vivekananda provides insights into the various stages of yogic practice, including concentration, meditation, and Samadhi. Practical instructions, coupled with the underlying philosophy, make this book a valuable resource for individuals seeking a holistic approach to spiritual growth and self-discovery.
In addition to its practical guidance, "Raja-Yoga & Patanjali Yoga-Sutra" reflects Swami Vivekananda's mastery in bridging the ancient wisdom of Yoga with the challenges and aspirations of the modern world. The author seamlessly connects the principles of Raja-Yoga to the contemporary context, making it relevant and applicable to the lives of readers in diverse cultural and societal settings.
The book's significance extends beyond its immediate readership, serving as a beacon for those interested in delving into the profound teachings of Raja-Yoga. Swami Vivekananda's work contributes to the preservation and dissemination of this ancient knowledge, ensuring that the transformative power of Raja-Yoga continues to inspire and guide seekers on their spiritual journeys.
In conclusion, "Raja-Yoga & Patanjali Yoga-Sutra" stands as a luminous testament to Swami Vivekananda's ability to elucidate complex philosophical concepts with clarity and relevance. This book is not merely a scholarly exploration; it is a practical guide and an invitation to embark on a transformative journey towards self-realization through the ancient path of Raja-Yoga!
The term "Yoga" is expansive, encompassing various paths, but both the Sankhya and Vedanta Schools emphasize some form of Yoga as the means to attain spiritual perfection. Swami Vivekananda directs his attention to the specific form known as Raja-Yoga, making this book a comprehensive guide to the royal path of spiritual discipline and self-realization.
At the heart of this exploration are the profound aphorisms of Patanjali, considered the highest authority on Raja-Yoga. Swami Vivekananda draws upon these timeless insights to provide readers with a deep understanding of the philosophy, practices, and principles that constitute Raja-Yoga. The author's adept interpretation and elucidation of Patanjali's Yoga-Sutras offer a gateway for readers to access the profound wisdom embedded in this ancient text.
One of the book's strengths lies in its ability to make the complex and esoteric teachings of Raja-Yoga accessible to a wide audience. Swami Vivekananda's clear and concise explanations, coupled with his insightful commentary, demystify the philosophical foundations and practical applications of Raja-Yoga. This approach ensures that readers, regardless of their familiarity with Indian philosophy, can grasp the profound concepts and incorporate them into their spiritual journeys.
The book not only serves as an intellectual guide but also as a practical manual for those aspiring to tread the path of Raja-Yoga. Swami Vivekananda provides insights into the various stages of yogic practice, including concentration, meditation, and Samadhi. Practical instructions, coupled with the underlying philosophy, make this book a valuable resource for individuals seeking a holistic approach to spiritual growth and self-discovery.
In addition to its practical guidance, "Raja-Yoga & Patanjali Yoga-Sutra" reflects Swami Vivekananda's mastery in bridging the ancient wisdom of Yoga with the challenges and aspirations of the modern world. The author seamlessly connects the principles of Raja-Yoga to the contemporary context, making it relevant and applicable to the lives of readers in diverse cultural and societal settings.
The book's significance extends beyond its immediate readership, serving as a beacon for those interested in delving into the profound teachings of Raja-Yoga. Swami Vivekananda's work contributes to the preservation and dissemination of this ancient knowledge, ensuring that the transformative power of Raja-Yoga continues to inspire and guide seekers on their spiritual journeys.
In conclusion, "Raja-Yoga & Patanjali Yoga-Sutra" stands as a luminous testament to Swami Vivekananda's ability to elucidate complex philosophical concepts with clarity and relevance. This book is not merely a scholarly exploration; it is a practical guide and an invitation to embark on a transformative journey towards self-realization through the ancient path of Raja-Yoga!
June 21, 2016
I picked up this book while backpacking in Rishikesh. Being the spiritual capital of the world, it was an immensely rich experience to read this book. But but but, this book came across as something which took me a while to start understanding. I guess I need to read this book atleast 5 more time to understand metaphysics. To sum up, I would say, "Beyond Intellect"
October 12, 2016
Awesome book
Very good book. We can understand all the basics of raja yoga I this book. More over we can understand how our mind operates day by day. Must read for all who want to control their minds.
Very good book. We can understand all the basics of raja yoga I this book. More over we can understand how our mind operates day by day. Must read for all who want to control their minds.
December 9, 2021
I do not consider my this very incarnation, worthy of commenting or reviewing the even a single letter written by sage of his caliber.
Its one of the best and straight translations ive ever seen of PYS.
Its one of the best and straight translations ive ever seen of PYS.
March 17, 2016
Great
An opening for true knowledge. Didn't expect such difficult subjects to be described in such a coherent manner. It will help get to the root!
An opening for true knowledge. Didn't expect such difficult subjects to be described in such a coherent manner. It will help get to the root!
August 1, 2016
Wonderful. Helps you to understand a lot of foundation works needed for yoga
November 22, 2019
Swami Vivekananda offers useful insights into the purpose and approach of practising Pranayama, Meditation and Yoga.
September 9, 2019
Nice book good concepts.
Nice book with good concept. There is one problem the Sanskrit letters are not printed. This means most of the book real portion, rerms dont appear.
Nice book with good concept. There is one problem the Sanskrit letters are not printed. This means most of the book real portion, rerms dont appear.
November 11, 2015
A must read book for every indvidual
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews