Patanjali's Yogasutra is an ancient canonic Indian
text composed in Sanskrit in the 3rd or 4th century. Belonging to a very
different cultural milieu, this multi-layered text is philosophical,
psychological and practical in nature. Offering a philosophical reading of
Patanjali's Yogasutra, this book discusses themes such as freedom, self-identity, time
and transcendence, and translation - between languages, cultures and eras. Drawing substantially upon contemporary Indian materials, it discusses
for the first time classical yoga as reflected upon by Daya Krishna (1924-2007)
with constant reference to Krishna Chandra Bhattacharyya's (1875-1949) studies
in yoga philosophy. The genuine attempt on behalf of these two original
thinkers to engage philosophically with Patanjala-yoga sets the tone of the
textual exploration provided here.
This book features a new annotated translation of
the Yogasutra, and the author provides a useful background to the extensive Samkhya terminology
employed by Patanjali. Daniel Raveh also offers a close reflection of the very
act of translation, and the book concludes with suggestions for further reading
and a glossary of central notions.