Samadhi Pada Sutra 1
We have restarted the sutra discussions on moondays from 6:30-7:30am at YiY. We thought it would be nice to keep notes of the discussions so that those who can’t participate physically may still participate or even have an option to find out more about a particular sutra. We are going to try the format of having each sutra be a sub-category of the sutra discussion so that we can add comments per sutra vs. per discussion. The intention is that in the future if someone wanted to find out about a particular sutra, they could just go to that sutra or we can add comments on a particular sutra at any time. Hope this format works for all.
Samadhi Pada, Sutra 1:
atha yoganushasanum: (now, at this moment, begins the instruction of yoga following a past tradition)
Atha: (meaning now)
yoga: (of yoga)
anu: within or following a tradition (passed on from previous teachers)
shasanum: instruction, discipline, teaching
Discussion here was what yoga means and there was some discussion on the various schools of thoughts – the dualistic one (where there are two seperate realities (nature – prakrti and consciousness – purusha) and then non-dualistic one (where there is one underlying reality and yoga is the merging or uniting with this reality.)
thank you for doing this, dipita! what a service!
I think what is really cool about this sutra is the “atha”. NOW is the time to begin the practice of yoga. It isn’t about wishing I did it years ago or pushing it off until later. This moment in time when I pick up the sutras and begin studying is the right time, the perfect moment to follow the tradition.