As many of you are aware, we have a study group wherein we have been discussing the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. We started the group in 2008 and have been meeting twice a month, on the second and fourth Saturdays at 1-3 PM EST.
I am please to let you know that after over 13 years of Svadhyaya, we “completed” our study of the yoga sutras on Nov 13, 2021. Reflecting through all the discussions that we’ve had, we recall that while going through the sutras we not only understood many of the underlying concepts presented in the sutras but also generated many more questions in our minds. What that means is that even though we have completed the formal study as a group, we need to continue our own personal study so we can develop a deeper understanding of the main message of the sutras. Some of you may recall that in Vedanta there is mention of the three pillars of progress in our spiritual journey – “Shravana” (listening and reading), “manana” – analysis, contemplation and clearing the doubts at an intellectual level, and “nididhyasanam” – deep meditation. Onwards we go!
Starting with the next session of the study group on Nov 27, we embark on the study of the text “Samkhya Karika” by Ishwara Krishna. Many of the concepts discussed by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras are known to have, as their basis, some of the basic tenets of another philosophical system called Samkhya.
Samkhya is regarded as the most ancient of the Indian Schools of thought. Some scholars believe that it even pre-dates the Vedas. Even though Kapila is considered to be the original founder of Samkhya and the author of “Samkhya Sutra”, many believe that the version of his text available today may not be authentic or original. Currently, the text that is widely studied as the original text on Samkhya is “Samkhya Karika” by Ishwara Krishna. That is why we have chosen this text for study in this study group.
In order to get the most out of our study, I am suggesting the following approach:
- Some time ago, I wrote a short article on the basic concepts of Samkhya. I suggest we begin our study by reading that article to get a broad overview.
- Next, I suggest we read Chapter 3, “An interpretation of the meaning of classical Samkhya” in James Larson’s book “Classical Samkhya”. This chapter contains a nice overview of the Samkhya system of philosophy. We may not understand everything but will get a good exposure to the basic Samkhya concepts which may help us when we read the commentaries on Samkhya Karika.
- As for the texts to study, I recommend reading the two commentaries that are most commonly mentioned by most authors – one by Gaudapada (translation by Manikar) and the other by Vachaspati Mishra (translation by Virupakshananda). As we go on, if we find other commentaries to be of help, we’ll include them into our study.
Please contact me if you would like to be a part of this study group. I’d be happy to add you to the whatsapp group where we exchange messages related to the activities of the group.
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