Hey everyone,
I am looking to get me an English version of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras but have a difficult time deciding which one to go for as there are so many translations out there.
So: which one would you recommend?
Editions that include commentaries and explanations are more than welcome.
Thank you’s in advance!
I’ve become a huge fan of the Edwin Bryant book. It has a lot of good notes on historical commentary and goes in depth into a lot of good information.
If this is going to be your first visit to Yoga Sutra, please read one by Chip Hartranft (Shambhala Publications). He has simplified but not compromised the essence. He also does not overwhelm the reader with too many details or scholarly escapades. For a good start, read his “Afterword” first.
Suryadaya, Suhas,
Thank you for your suggestions! I think a simpler version might be the right one for me at this point.
It won’t be my first if you count the weird internet versions that are floating around, such as one from the Theosophical Society… Ahem.
But as for reading with focus, yes.
There are about 10 free translations online. Just do a search for it.
The versions I have and would recommend are: Inside the Yoga Sutras, by Reverand Jaganath Carrera and Light on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S Iyengar
[QUOTE=Surya Deva;57286]There are about 10 free translations online. Just do a search for it.
The versions I have and would recommend are: Inside the Yoga Sutras, by Reverand Jaganath Carrera and Light on Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S Iyengar[/QUOTE]
Surya,
Yes I know… But I don’t need or want to spend more time in front of the computer than I already do.
Plus, my decision is probably also based somewhat on old and not necessarily correct ideas of the “value” of books vs the “value” of internet. Adding to this: I need no more physical objects to clutter up my home; there are printers; asking strangers for advice on random forums is obviously ok 
i may recommend ‘the yoga sutra of patanjali’ by Edwin F Bryant
he has based his work on commentators like Vyasa, vacaspati misra,
sankra and bhojaraja besides vijnanabhiksu.
This is a wonderful site on yoga sutra and other teachings by Swami Krishnananda. It is good to go slow to study, contemplate, refer, apply, observe, question etc. and allow mind to absorb what it is capable of at this moment. Please do not be overwhelmed by teachings beyond comprehension, we can always go back when ready. Enjoy!
I will post the links in next massage as forum rule said first to complete 15 postings.
[QUOTE=Nila;57164]Hey everyone,
I am looking to get me an English version of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras but have a difficult time deciding which one to go for as there are so many translations out there.
So: which one would you recommend?
Editions that include commentaries and explanations are more than welcome.
Thank you’s in advance![/QUOTE]
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm
http://www.arlingtoncenter.org/Sanskrit-English.pdf
Namaste Nila,
We have had some great recommendations and discussions on various authors and books of the Sutras of Patanjali here on the forum. Here are two posts where I shared the ones that I use the most from my own library; you may also benefit from some of the same versions that I study and enjoy. And here is a link to see what other have shared too. Enjoy your search!
[QUOTE=Nichole;5923][I]1.[I] Mukunda Stiles. [/I]Yoga Sutras of Patanjali–With Great Respect and Love.[/I] York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 2002. This is a poetic rendering of the Patanjali’s Sutras with practice guidelines. This is my favorite version.
Swami Satchidananda, [I]The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.[/I] Buckingham, VA: Integral Yoga Publications. 2004
Iyengar, B.K.S., [I]Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.[/I] New Delhi, India: Harper Collins Publications India. 1993
Nischala Joy Devi. [I]The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras. [/I]Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (March 20, 2007. A commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that emanates from an An intuitive, feminine heart centered approach. This is one that haven’t read yet, though I have studied with Nischala and she is a wise and lovely teacher.
Each author has their own unique translation and interpretation of Patanjali’s Sutras. If you are able to, get more than one copy so that you can get a larger interpretation and have another text to reference for clarity. I have found the combination of Mukunda Stiles and Swami Satchidananda is best for me.
Namaste[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Nichole;17435]I wanted to add to this list of Patanjali’s Sutras since I have added these 2 to my quiver since I last posted in this thread:[U] How to Know God, The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali[/U] by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood and [U]Psychology of Mystical Awakening, A New World Translation of Patanjali’s Sutras [/U]by Swami Savitripriya. The other members of my Sutra study group don’t care for Isherwood as much as I do; their common complaint is that he is a bit dogmatic in his commentary and brings notes of Christianity into his translation. This may also be why I [I]do[/I] care for his voice, as my parents are devout Christians, and so it is familiar to me, that and he lived many years in Germany, another cultural connect to my family.
The other author, Swami Savitripriya, is a Western-born, monastic nun. She writes in her own introduction to her book above:I have done my best to translate enough of the underlying, implied meaning of each of the Sutras in a way that would be easily understood, and meaningful to Westerners and other English speaking people. I decide to assume that most people who would be reading these Sutras would not have any knowledge of Sanskrit, and little, if any, knowledge of philosophical or cosmological tradition. Since I am quite certain that this is the case, since even such widely used terms as “meditation,” “enlightenment,” "gunas, “non-attachment,” and many other terms are usually grossly misunderstood, I have written the implied meaning of the word in the context of Sutra…The meanings needed to be understood well enough for people to apply them to daily life, and understand precisely why they should, or should not, do what was being suggested. This resulted in my oten times using several words, a sentence, or even log paragraphs to define a [Sanskrit] word, especially the first time a word appeared.
I never did purchase Nischala Devi’s book, as my friend said it fell quite short in the 4th chapter, The Kaivalaya Pada.
And the authors who speak to me most in recent months: Stiles, Isherwood, Iyengar and Swami Savitripriya.[/QUOTE]
Your own,
Nichole
Thank you all for your replies and links!
I guess I will start with any one of these - which one I have yet to decide though I’m leaning towards mr Hartranft’s online edition - and then add others.
antaraayaah: yes, slow and thourough is better than too much too fast. 
Try “Four chapters on freedom”. Is a commentary written by Swami Satyananda, the founder of the Bihar School of Yoga and disciple of Sivananda.
Another amazing book is Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda.
I also like the lectures given by Swami Rama from the Himalayas that you can find for free in YouTube. Just search for Yoga Sutras in YouTube and you’ll find it right away.
Good luck
[QUOTE=Marco Sadhaka;57650]
I also like the lectures given by Swami Rama from the Himalayas that you can find for free in YouTube. Just search for Yoga Sutras in YouTube and you’ll find it right away.
Good luck :-)[/QUOTE]
Marco,
Thank you for your suggestion. Will take a look at those videos.
I really like one by Mukuda Stiles , the small yellow book I got from amazon. It has very decent English translation and original in Sanskrit on the back. Very good an useful
You do have to start somewhere, but to get a better understanding you need to look at a few different versions to see how they differ in their interpretation. I think it’s valuable to have a transliteration of the original Sanskrit, along with a word for word translation.
[QUOTE=Asuri;57937]You do have to start somewhere, but to get a better understanding you need to look at a few different versions to see how they differ in their interpretation. I think it’s valuable to have a transliteration of the original Sanskrit, along with a word for word translation.[/QUOTE]
Asuri,
That’s the plan!
However, I wanted to make my way through one at a time, at least in the beginning or until I feel I can add to it. I know how translations can vary greatly even if the intent is to stay “true” to the original… The version I decided to start with has transliteration, word for word translation and a glossary. Enough to keep a non-Sanskrit reader busy for a while…
Have you considered finding a teacher? I did self-study and study groups. But none came close to the word for word study of Ch’s 1&2 that we did as part of teacher training.
Chase Bossart teaches around the country. He does sutra weekends at the yoga Shala in Portland. And programs at HYF and CIIS in San Francisco.
http://www.chasebossart.com/Chase_Bossarts_Yoga_Events/Upcoming_Events.html
Word by word of Ch 1&2 is also part of the HYF teacher training program.
http://www.healingyoga.org/training.html
Best wishes.
Vic
[QUOTE=victw;57960]Have you considered finding a teacher? I did self-study and study groups. But none came close to the word for word study of Ch’s 1&2 that we did as part of teacher training.
Chase Bossart teaches around the country. He does sutra weekends at the yoga Shala in Portland. And programs at HYF and CIIS in San Francisco.
http://www.chasebossart.com/Chase_Bossarts_Yoga_Events/Upcoming_Events.html
Word by word of Ch 1&2 is also part of the HYF teacher training program.
http://www.healingyoga.org/training.html
Best wishes.
Vic[/QUOTE]
Vic,
Yes I have. My work schedule is a bit crazy, so I’m not taking regular classes with a teacher at the moment.
I appreciate your advice, but I live in Sweden so those events are not quite suitable for me
Nila,
Sorry for the US centric reference.
The parent organization is KHYF
When things settle down you can find worldwide events at
http://khyf.net/khyf/eventlist.aspx
There are several European teachers trained in the Krishnamacharya/Deskichar lineage.
http://khyf.net/khyf/findateacher.aspx
Do you read french?
If so you might look for Reflections on the [I]Yoga Sutras[/I] of Patanjali by [I]Bernard Bouanchaud [/I]I have the English version but the original is in French.
Best wishes.
Vic