Theos-Talk Archives (December 1998 Message tt00026)

Alan wrote:
>>>
BTW, I never received an answer to my question regarding Alice A.Bailey's
translation/version of the Yoga Sutras Of Patanjail. My version seems to
differ from your quotes (from another email). Is the A.Bailey version o.k.
to read, or should I buy a different one? and which one?
<<<

Please allow me to add in a word here:

This is the case with all versions of Patanjali. I know of no identical
versions of the Sutras. If that would be the case, then the mind would
not be working freely.  But the main idea should be the same.

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as presented by Charles Johnston is the
presentation that I value the most. That is because I read that book for
a year and learned it by heart. That was forty years ago.
Now, when I look over the text, I find minor errors in the presentation.
But that is because of the brevity of the text.

Another but different presentation is the book: The Science of Yoga by I.K.
Taimni.  That book is 446 pages, but the book by C. Johnston is 127 pages.
You will see that Sutra no 1 - I. in the presentation by C. Johnston is mainly
presented in Sutra no. 27. - I. by I.K. Taimni.  And that C. Johnston writes
about that subject in half a page, but I.K. Taimni in five pages.

The book by A. Bailey, that you refer to, also presents the Sutras in a
different way. The Sutras in the book by A. B. are among the best in
presentation, that I have seen. But the interpretation is not among the best.

To study Patanjali one needs to learn the Sutras by heart.
That way, one can keep the mind at work by inner pondering. That is how it
was done in the old times. And also by reflecting on a Sutra before sleep,
and keeping nothing else in mind but the Sutra. And waking up with the Sutra
in mind, and nothing else but the fruit of the higher minds work over the
night. From the Sutras, we can learn to learn at nights while asleep.
That is a good method.


Sveinn Freyr