The Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: A New Translation with Commentary

This is a concise reading of the yoga sutras that offers practitioners of all levels information, insight, and inspiration. Many thanks to Mukunda for his efforts.

This is an enlightening translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This book is easy to read and contemplate on. The English word choices are thoughtful and consistent. Mr. Shearer also writes a wonderful introduction to the translated text. I once attended a philosophy lecture on Yoga by a college professor who claimed mastery of Tantric Yoga and the Sanskrit language. During lecture, he commented that the Sutras of Patanjali were difficult and "certainly not bed time reading material." I couldn't have disagreed more with the Professor knowing that Mr. Shearer's translation is easy to read, assimilate, and makes wonderful reading anytime night or day, as I have done many, many times. I recommend this translation to my Yoga students and I also give it as gifts. Enjoy!

If you are really interested in Yoga-as a practitioner and not merely out of intellectual curiosity-this is one of the best books you will ever own. It is a thorough commentary on the Yoga Sutras from the viewpoint of a true Master practitioner, containing countless jewels of profound insight into Yoga practice. It gives hints, and even many outright disclosures, of the real techniques of Yoga. I have read a number of translations of the Yoga Sutras, and this is not merely the best, it is in my opinion the only real one. If my house were on fire, and I had just a moment to grab a few things on my way out, this book would be one of them. Buy it and put it on the top shelf of your bookcase, where it belongs.

What is different and nice about this book is that there is no commentary after every sutra. What little there is, is in the intro and appendices. The sutras are translated in easy to read English translation. There are some sanskrit words retained but overall the read is quick and easy. When you read the sutras freely, without having to skip over the commentaries effectively stopping the flow, you get a sense of the whole. Commentaries can be good too. This is an excellent 2nd book to have around along with one with commentary.

Having read the works of Georg Feuerstein and Swami Satchidananda, this is my third foray into the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and I would have to rate this as the best of the lot. This is not to denegrate the fine works of Feuerstein and Satchidananda; I simply prefer the work by Swami Hariharananda and I highly recommend it. For someone new to the subject, Hariharananda is quite informative, with lots of background information.