Many people today thinks that Patanjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras, as the father or founder of the greater system of Yoga. While Patanjali’s work is very important and worthy of profound examination, a study of the ancient literature on Yoga will reveals that the Yoga tradition is much older. In great ancient text in the Mahabharata, Sri Krishna states:
“सांख्यÖय वक्ता किपलः परमिषर्ः स उ¸यते I
िहरÁयगभō योगÖय वे°ा नाÆयः परातनःु II ६०
अपाÆतरतमाIJवॆ वेदाचायःर् स उ¸यते I
प्राचीनगभर्तमिषृ ंप्रवदÆतीह केचन II ६१”
Kapila the teacher of Samkhya, is said to be the supreme Rishi. Hiranyagarbha is the original knower of yoga. There is no one else more ancient. Repeatedly, in the in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna states that-
“इमंिववÖवतेयोगंप्रोक्तवानहमÓययम I
िववÖवान्मनवेप्राह मनिरàवाकव ु ेऽĄवीत II
एवंपरÌपराप्राĮिममंराजषर्यो िवदः
स कालनेेह महता योगोनĶः परÆतप II २
स एवायंमया तऽद्ये योगः प्रॊक्तः परातनः
भक्तोऽिस मेसखा चिते रहÖयंĻतदे °मम ु II
He taught the original Yoga to Visvasvan, another name of the Sun God, again suggested by Hiranyagarbha. Vivasvan was said to have taught this Yoga to Manu, the original man or first king, making it into the prime Yoga path for all humanity. however, Krishna gains prominence over Hiranyagarbha as the original teacher of Yoga.
Another yogic text like the Brihadyogi Yajnavalkya smriti XII.5. Similarly explains Hiranyagarbha as the original teacher of yoga, as the Samkhya system. So Samkhya’s great commentator Vijnana Bhikshu in his ‘Yogavartika’commentary on the first sutra of the ‘Yoga Sutras’. It also explains Hiranyagarbha as the adiguru quoting the yogi Yajnavalkya.
Rishi Vashishtha, one of the most prominent Vedic sage-seers, is said to be the main disciple of Hiranyagarbha.
Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras is only referred to as a compiler, not as an inventor of the Yoga teachings. He himself states,
“Thus is the teaching of Yoga” (Yoga Sutras I.1).
This is quite unlike Krishna, the avatar of Yoga, who states,
“I taught the original Yoga to Vivasvan” (Bhagavad Gita IV.1).
Besides, Several Upanisads like Katha, Kena, Svetasvatara,are said to be Yoga-Shastras. These Yoga Upanisads also do not emphasize Patanjali and they are not mentioned in Patanjal’s any quotation. The Puranas, which are large encyclopedic works of traditional knowledge goes back to medieval and ancient periods, contain many sections on Yoga but do not give importance to Patanjali. When such texts teach Yoga, they often do so with quotes from the older Vedas, as the Svetasvatara Upanishad.
This means that the PatanjaliYoga Darsana is a later subset of the earlier Vedic, upanishadic and puranic Yoga Darsana.
So it is not a new teaching.The topics mentioned in the Yoga Sutras from yamas and niyamas to dhyana and samadhi are already taught extensively in the older literature. In the Mahabharata(Shanti Parva 316.7),the sage Yajnavalkya speaks of an “eightfold yoga taught in the Vedas.”
“बेदषेुचाĶगिणन ु ंयोगमाहुमर्नीिषणः I
सàममĶग ू ुणं प्रहुनॆतरंनपस°म ृ II ७
िद्वगणुंयोगकृÂयंतुयोगानांप्राहुŁ°मम् I
सगुणंिनगर्णुंचवॆ यथाशाľिनदशर्नम II् ८
धारणा चवॆ मनसः प्राणायामIJ पािथर्व I
प्राणायामो िह सगुणो िनगर्णुंधारणंमनः II ९
यत्रŀÔयेत म¼चÆव ु ॆप्राणाÆमॆिथलस°म I
वातािधक्यंभवÂयेव तÖमािद्ध न समाचरेत II