యోగ శాస్త్రం
"యోగ శాస్త్రం గురించి మహర్షి పతంజలి ఈ మానవాళికి ఇచ్చిన మహాగ్రంథం. హిందు శాస్త్రాల్లో, సూత్రాల్లో List of sutras ఒక ఆణిముత్యం. క్షుణ్ణంగా యోగ శాస్త్రం గురించి వివరించే యత్నమే ఈ వ్యాస ముఖ్య ఉద్దేసంSutraఅయితే ఇందులో రాజ యోగం ముఖ్యంగా ప్రస్తావింప బదింది Yoga. ఇందుకు కారణం అన్ని యోగ సూత్రాలకు మూలcorpusమయిన సూత్రావళిSutra literature మౌర్యవంశస్తుల కాలంలో వ్రాయబడిందని ఒక అంచనా. Mauryan period."
ఆస్తిక వేదాంతంలో orthodox Hindu philosophy, ముక్తిని కోరే ముముక్షువులకు యోగమార్గం (రాజయోగం) అన్నది అనేక మార్గాల్లో ఒక పద్ధతి.
Patañjali fills each sutra with his experiential intelligence, stretching it like a thread ("sūtra"), and weaving it into a garland of pearls of wisdom to flavour and savour by those who love and live in yoga...
"The Yoga-sutras acknowledge the Personality of Godhead in an oblique way, but only as a helper whom the advancing yogi can utilize. Isvara-pranidhanad va: "Devotional meditation on God is yet another means of achieving concentration." (Yoga-sutra 1.23) In contrast, Badarayana Vedavyasa's philosophy of Vedanta emphasizes devotional service not only as the primary means to liberation but also as identical with liberation itself. A-prayanat tatrapi hi drstam: "Worship of the Lord continues up to the point of liberation, and indeed goes on in the liberated state also, as the Vedas reveal." (Vedanta-sutra 4.1.12)"
Radhakrishnan and Moore attribute the text to Patanjali, dating it as 2nd century BCE. Scholars such as S.N. Dasgupta, claim this is the same Patanjali who authored the Mahabhasya, a treatise on Sanskrit grammar.
Indologist Axel Michaels disagrees that the work was written by Patanjali, characterizing it instead as a collection of fragments and traditions of texts stemming from the second or third century. Gavin Flood cites a wider period of uncertainty for the composition, between 100 BCE and 500 CE.
The Sutras are built on a foundation of Samkhya philosophy and also exhibit the influence of Upanishadic, Buddhist and Jain thought. Karel Werner writes that "Patanjali's system is unthinkable without Buddhism. As far as its terminology goes there is much in the Yoga Sutras that reminds us of Buddhist formulations from the Pāli Canon and even more so from the Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma and from Sautrāntika." Robert Thurman writes that Patanjali was influenced by the success of the Buddhist monastic system to formulate his own matrix for the version of thought he considered orthodox. The five yamas or the constraints of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali bear an uncanny resemblance to the five major vows of Jainism, indicating influence of Jainism. This mutual influence between the Yoga philosophy and Jainism is admitted by the author Vivian Worthington who writes: "Yoga fully acknowledges its debt to Jainism, and Jainism reciprocates by making the practice of yoga part and parcel of life." Christopher Chappel also notes that three teachings closely associated with Jainism appear in Yoga: the doctrine of karma described as colourful in both traditions (see concept of lesya); the " telos" of isolation (kevala in Jainism and Kaivalyam in Yoga); and the practice of non-violence (ahimsa). He also notes that the entire list of five yamas (II:30) is identical with the ethical precepts (Mahavratas) taught by Mahavira who predated Patanjali by a few centuries.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali prescribes adherence to eight "limbs" or steps (the sum of which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga", the title of the second chapter) to quiet one's mind and achieve kaivalya. The Yoga Sutras form the theoretical and philosophical basis of Raja Yoga, and are considered to be the most organized and complete definition of that discipline. The division into the Eight Limbs (Sanskrit "Ashtanga") of Yoga is reminiscent of Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path; inclusion of Brahmaviharas (Yoga Sutra 1:33) also shows Buddhism's influence on parts of the Sutras.
The samadhi techniques are identical to the jhanas found in the Pali Canon. In Vyasa's commentary to the Yogasutras, (Yogabhashya) and Vacaspati Misra's subcommentary it is openly admitted that the samadhi techniques are directly borrowed from the Buddhists (Jhana) with just the inclusion of the mystical and divine interpretations of mental absorption.
The Sutras not only provide yoga with a thorough and consistent philosophical basis, they also clarify many important esoteric concepts which are common to all traditions of Indian thought, such as karma.
Although Patanjali's work does not cover the many types of Yogic practices that have become prevalent, its succinct form and availability caused it to be pressed into service by a variety of schools of Yogic thought.
The Sutras, with commentaries, have been published by a number of successful teachers of Yoga, as well as by academicians seeking to clarify issues of textual variation. There are also other versions from a variety of sources available on the Internet. The many versions display a wide variation, particularly in translation. The text has not been submitted in its entirety to any rigorous textual analysis, and the contextual meaning of many of the Sanskrit words and phrases remains a matter of some dispute.
Patanjali divided his Yoga Sutras into 4 chapters or books (Sanskrit "pada"), containing in all 196 aphorisms, divided as follows:The eight "limbs" or steps prescribed in the second "pada" of the Yoga Sutras are: "Yama", "Niyama", "Asana", "Pranayama", "Pratyahara", "Dharana", "Dhyana" and "Samadhi".
"Ashtanga yoga" consists of the following steps: 
The first five are called external aids to Yoga (bahiranga sadhana)
The last three levels are called internal aids to Yoga (antaranga sadhana)Combined simultaneous practice of Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna & Samādhi is referred to as Samyama and is considered a tool of achieving various perfections, or Siddhis.