Patanjali
Maharishi Patanjali
c. 2nd century BCE • Indian
Compiler of the Yoga Sutras — the foundational text of classical yoga. In 196 terse aphorisms he mapped the structure of the mind, the eight limbs of practice, and the path to samadhi. His work has shaped two millennia of yogic practice.
Key Works
- Yoga Sutras (trans. Vivekananda 1896)
- Yoga Sutras (trans. Woods 1914)
115
quotes in library
Quotes by Patanjali
115 quotes“It exists for the experience and the liberation of the seer.”
purposeYoga Sutras 2.19
“The seer is pure consciousness, witnessing the modifications of the mind.”
witnessYoga Sutras 2.20
“The cause of the union of seer and seen is ignorance.”
ignoranceYoga Sutras 2.24
“Without ignorance, there is no such union — that is the freedom of the seer.”
freedomYoga Sutras 2.25
“The means of attaining freedom is unbroken discriminative knowledge.”
discriminationYoga Sutras 2.26
“By the practice of the limbs of yoga, impurities are destroyed and the light of knowledge shines forth.”
yogaYoga Sutras 2.28
“Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi — these are the eight limbs.”
eight-limbsYoga Sutras 2.29
“These, unconditioned by class, place, time, or circumstance, are the great vow.”
ethicsYoga Sutras 2.31
“Cleanliness, contentment, austerity, self-study, surrender to the divine — these are the niyamas.”
ethicsYoga Sutras 2.32
“When troubled by negative thoughts, cultivate their opposites.”
disciplineYoga Sutras 2.33
“Negative thoughts cause endless harm and misery — therefore cultivate the opposite.”
disciplineYoga Sutras 2.34
“In the presence of one established in non-violence, all hostilities cease.”
non-violenceYoga Sutras 2.35
“In one established in truth, action and result are aligned.”
truthYoga Sutras 2.36
“In one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes near.”
non-stealingYoga Sutras 2.37
“In one established in continence, vigor is gained.”
continenceYoga Sutras 2.38
“In one established in non-greed, the knowledge of past and future lives arises.”
non-greedYoga Sutras 2.39
“From cleanliness comes a disinclination toward one's own body and the cessation of contact with others.”
cleanlinessYoga Sutras 2.40
“From mental cleanliness comes purity of mind, joyfulness, one-pointedness, mastery of the senses, and fitness for self-realization.”
purityYoga Sutras 2.41
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.”
consciousnessYoga Sutras
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