Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Authorship

Traditional: Patañjali (compiler, traditional)

Scholarly note: Sāṅkhya metaphysics + practical aṣṭāṅga disciplines.

Why it was written

Restrain mental fluctuations (citta-vṛtti-nirodha) through ethics, posture, breath, and samādhi.

Structure & length

Extent · Four pādas, 195 sūtras

Samādhi, Sādhana, Vibhūti, Kaivalya pādas.

Key themes

• aṣṭāṅga
• īśvarapraṇidhāna
• samādhi

Key passages

• Yogasūtra 1.2

  योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः

  Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.

Related texts

• Sankhya Karika
• Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• Shvetashvatara Upanishad

Sources

• Yoga-sutra (Britannica)
• Yoga Sutras (Wikipedia)