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Yoga · Darshana

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The classical definition of yoga as the stilling of the mind, and the eight limbs in which posture is just one.

A quick reference entry. For the full account, follow the guides below.

Appears in

  • What is Yoga? Yoga

    Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, "to yoke" or "to join," and it carries two meanings at once: union of the individual self with the absolute, and the…

  • Why action binds Treatise

    According to Patanjali's *Yoga Sutras*, action does not bind by itself. It binds because it is rooted in the *kleshas*, the five afflictions, the deepest of which…

  • The four movements Treatise

    A later Vedanta teaching tradition sorts the store of karma into portions. *Sanchita* is the whole accumulated total from past lives. *Prarabdha* is the portion…

  • The engine Treatise

    The tradition explains how a passing act becomes a lasting disposition through two linked ideas. A *samskara* is the subtle imprint every action leaves in the mind.…