The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali | Prof. Edwin Bryant

In commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Abhedananda, Prof. Edwin Bryant speaks on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. His book on this topic is available at: a.co/d/eJM56Cd
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Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.
ABOUT US
Vedanta Society of New York is affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India. In fact, this is the Order's first Center started by Swami Vivekananda, in 1894. It was a historic event, for the seed of the world-wide Ramakrishna Movement was sown here in New York over a century ago. Swami Sarvapriyananda is the present Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.

[@softiceable]

Legends have it that he is still adjusting that mic.

[@asaprocky538]

This made me lol hard before the video even loaded.. eagerly waiting in amusement

[@avvprasad1]

@@asaprocky538 You see the mic and miss the message.

[@daivashakti]

😄😄

[@crewcalledself2835]

Hahahaha 😂😂😂

[@sullenbode283]

🤣🤣

[@ZeusMcKraken]

This is deadass one of the most intelligent people I have ever listened to.

[@redcenterau]

Are you a practitioner of yoga?

[@ZeusMcKraken]

​@@redcenterau I am. My yoga mat happens to be right next to me. lol! Are you a practitioner of yoga yourself?

[@redcenterau]

@@ZeusMcKraken That's great to know, mate. I am very keen on learning Yoga. Is a teacher a necessity? Is it OK to learn from books and videos? 🙏🕉

[@praveenrai6965]

Brilliant, Professor Bryant! I was impressed when he told Swami ji not to look for "correlates" in Western categories for ontological/epistemic categories the Eastern wisdom has articulated. That is something I look for in Indian debaters who engage with Western-trained minds. Why should there be any inferiority complex on the part of Indian traditional scholars who study Dharmic knowledge systems, to find correlates in the Western knowledge systems (WKS) or modern science. Remember, Dharmic civilization developed and systematized incredibly diverse spiritual traditions and the WKS & the modern science are infants from that perspective. In fact, if science is indeed free of dogma and seeking truths with open mind, esp, in this highly complex field of consciousness studies, then scientists & experts in NS need a little humility and look for correlates in Dharmic systems & adhyatmic traditions/wisdom.

[@hatepirate6467]

Exactly

[@Tuberclosyz]

Btw..if it's of any interest..the swami ji in the q&a is swami Sarvapriyanand. I have found his videos on Advaita Vedant equally informative.

[@praveenrai6965]

@@Tuberclosyz I am a huge fan of swami ji. I have listened to his expositions on Vedanta for few years now. So, it is not a criticism. I am a total non-entity to criticize a sannyasi like him. I am only stressing the point Prof. Bryant made about sticking with the frameworks & categories within our Dharmik TKS without having to resort to finding correlates in a Western systems of knowledge. Many of our traditional scholars do that to seek some "legitimacy." I have seen it so many times and Rajiv Malhotra ji also has addressed this. Our scholars need to be confident of the antiquity of our wisdom traditions and how they have disseminated knowledge & truth over several millennia. It is not a criticism of Western systems either. Thanks for your comment, though.

[@_VISION.]

There's definitely parallels like Pyrrhonism (Skepticism) and Madhyamaka Buddhism. I really do think Yoga is the practical piece to experience what we talk about in Western Philosophy. I think what Indian scholars have to do is find out where Western Philosophers got their ideas. You'll see a lot of them got their ideas from esoteric origins. I really do think Alchemy improved the way Newton did science. I don't think the Indian Scholars should be doing it to gain legitimacy. They should do it to relate to the western thinker and show them that they are speaking of the same things with different language games. Even though I am a skeptic as far as knowledge and reality I am still a pragmatist. There are many practical benefits to embracing eastern thought because it will help us understand ourselves better imo. But I think what needs to happen for western thinkers to change their ways is for something drastic to happen at the hands of science, technology, and industrialization. Similar to the fall of the church.

[@tingiboloe7380]

brilliant my ass

[@MariaAsadova]

What a great mind - Professor Bryant! So much knowledge and experience on the subject. Thanks for sharing this talk!

[@mejohn101]

Yeah but have you heard Gwyneth Paltrow's talks on yoga?

[@evabalko7885]

I am glad you too :) this guy needs therapy.

[@eriknorberg6154]

For me this was the most interesting talk about religion so far. I am not an expert in any way about sanskrit and all the terms that so many people know and are aware of, but I was able to follow the discussion between the audience and the professor, who I felt was totally free of something that you might call an academic proudness... I found him very humble and a extraordinary sympathetic person. I feel very happy about that this video turned up in my computer! When I listened to the video I associated to a video I saw several years ago about a discussion between some Nobel laureates (most of them) and also some who were scientists within fields of modern science, which for long have not seemed to be accepted as science by most scientists. One of those persons was Rupert Sheldrake, which I think argued for things which probably could be established science according to Indian old scriptures. The Nobel laureates were very condescending against Rupert Sheldrake's theories on telepathic 'phenomenon' and so on, and at that moment I felt so frustrated due to the lack or willingness to even consider that there might be a possibility for things which can't be proved in the strict academic way, and which I think is very arrogant. Thank you very much for this video! ❤🙏

[@sdbaral7721]

Fine lecture with meticulous understanding of Patanjali's yoga sutra. I fully appreciated his critical stance against usual overzealous translation of the Indian concepts into some acceptable Western ideas that originally have no container frames...thanks.

[@bradleyclough3156]

Edwin! Always so knowledgeable, clear, brilliant-not to mention funny! Thank you for this great session 🙏!

[@rakeshasrani4037]

Brilliant talk by Prof. Thank you Vedanta NY Centre

[@synchromystique]

Amazing talk i'm reallyy happy to know about his book and commentary on yoga sutras! gratitude and blessings! OM

[@urmillamaharaj4206]

Mind blowing indeed. Thank you professor ji for that in-depth explanation of Yoga sutras

[@ajoychou2]

Profound and lucidly explained. Thank you Edwin and thanks Vedanta NY.

[@arunkumarchikkop]

One of the most brilliant explanation of the Yoga Sutras ever !! Asatoma jotir gamaya.. (may this lead me from darkness to light)

[@kennethshaw6811]

This is wonderful! Thank you!

[@codewalters]

Loved this talk . I was always curious of the context of Patanjali Sutras. Thanks for sharing.

[@teclote]

Wow, wonderful presentation, thank you.

[@venk7526]

Amazing explanation, thank you professor Edwin Bryant.

[@cyprescrow]

What a profound fine lecture, and such clear answers to the questions after. Amazing what quantity and quality of knowledge Prof. Bryant holds.

[@umamoon5585]

thank you so much for having proffesor Bryant

[@mukulgoswami1749]

Well done Professor. Pranam. Lets spread the knowledge to whole world. Everyone try to impart the knowledge to others and bring them up...

[@sisimontez]

Brilliant! A serious topic shared with sense of humor. Thank you so much Professor.

[@AxViki]

Deep gratitude for gurus of past, present and future.

[@lowercasehill5351]

i'm currently taking his 8 week course, through Embodied Philosophy. Much can be found (& downloaded for free) on his website. I've studied with him in person over the years. I agree with Joe Bowman (below comment) One of the most intelligent people i've ever listened to. Prof. Bryant brings passion, joy and the light of understanding to complex history and yoga philosophy. A brilliant communicator, with great devotion to the tradition and the teachers who've gone before (& after).

[@FiguraMolenMedia]

His talk is full of insights. 🙏🙏🙏

[@geetgovind1423]

Today sb introduce me to Edwin... He is a blessed soul a rishi in American body

[@aanandamyogashala9970]

Thank you prof. Bryant and NY team 🙏

[@nikm7859]

1:01:00..Believe me diet is & plays huge role in mind control, & following ashtang yog Saatvik diet=more controlled calm mind ^ vice versa

[@Bisoncalf2]

Thank you so much. That was very refreshing to begin the day with...

[@victoriahangula382]

This presentation is very educational about the origin of yoga sutras and the influences it has on the human beings internally as well as externally .Our generation is fortunate to have teachers that are pointing out our true nature that faided away along evolution. Keep up the good work of awakening the soul.Thank you.

[@BaldevSChauhan]

Excellent Talk. In the academic world nobody knows the Yoga Sutras better than Prof Edwin F Bryant. Happy to know that he is also a sadhaka and a bhakta.

[@sridevi4998]

Baldev Chauhan v Qatar

[@heisenberg470]

Yes he is very good as professor, I agree, but as a bhakta which is his lineage? Who is his guru? I am not criticizing, just questioning.

[@BaldevSChauhan]

@@heisenberg470 Swami ji introduced him as sadhaka and bhakta.

[@heisenberg470]

@@BaldevSChauhan Who is Swami ji? Could you give me the complete name? Thank you

[@heisenberg470]

@@BaldevSChauhan Swami ji could be referred to Swami Mahamandaleshwar Maheshwarananda, to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, to Mahant Swami Maharaj..

[@panchanadamathmaraman3894]

Blessed to hear such lectures. So rich in content and extremely good Q&A.

[@trollarasan]

"scandals that have brought disrepute to the transplantation of yoga and other Indic spiritual systems to the West” in the Hinduphobic paragraph quoted above is also problematic. The “…teaching of Yoga and other Indic spiritual systems…” would have both sufficed as well as have been a straightforward description of facts/reality. So, the word “transplantation” is not just an accidental choice by Bryant to replace “teaching” or “training”. So, let us think of the possible intentions behind such a usage. Everyone is aware that the process of transplantation involves uprooting a plant from one place and planting it elsewhere. It also means to “remove from one place or context and settle or introduce elsewhere” and to “relocate”. Does Bryant believe that the transplantation of yoga is done because the future of yoga lies only in the West and not in its place of origin? Is this not a blatant and overt case of disconnecting yoga from its root and an attempt at appropriating yoga?

[@ToobMee]

Prof Bryant talk was very inspiring and informative. I would definitely get his book to understand more on Patanjali's Yoga sutras'

[@paulmattingly3856]

Oh my golly. I'm an older layperson and found this talk to be so informative and exciting. Thank you!!

[@evabalko7885]

You had a year to realize how stupid this guy! :)

[@Dasha0369]

Beautiful mind....now tap the ❤️....within.... A timeless bliss...completion of silence.....devotion....compassion

[@athulasamarasekera661]

Swami Sarvapiyananda in this ordiance ! I identified his voice!🙏 Hats of to this presentation ! Supra,Supra,indeed!✌️👑

[@solmma]

So greatful for this video!

[@hemantamaity3777]

This is the profound expression of the uniqueness of yoga from an academician. I loved your talk.

[@dontforgetyoga]

Great illumination of the Yoga Sutras and their context in Hinduism and western yoga. I have been a fan of his commentary on the Sutras for a long time, such a great exploration for yoga teachers. I found this lecture as I am creating a podcast episode around the historical context of the Yoga Sutras, and having recently learned about their fall into obscurity before the British colonialism and subsequent translation of the text into English. Some good insight into that here. I had some citta vrttis arise with his constant fidgeting with the microphone and the sounds that it created, so I hope he will see this video and be more conscious of that in the future! Otherwise, I am happy to see he is as brilliant in lecture as his writing. Thanks Mr. Bryant!

[@SB-iz8sz]

Thank you for your explanation 🙏

[@rednosereddotenjoyempower3577]

Thank you for analyzing and giving a clear information 🤓💯👌🙏 🎊👋👍💯 Hari Om

[@fionatudor-tompkins6526]

Thankyou just found this lecture it’s really helped my understanding

[@tonmoyacharjee2491]

Profound explanation, thank you

[@milsonyxrosequartz7194]

Lunde RYT-200 Appreciated this lecture/talk parad professionally with my confusion on the basic names of the Tibetan Prayer Objects, Not the Buddha but Tananka, Maitrera, and Ganesha these statues liberate the conscious mind from previous formatting to experience new ways of thinking and living. Thank you and I also Had interest in Natal Charts and still try to study those.

[@Yogasagar195]

Impressive! great clarity of thoughts

[@benyaminblatt8616]

Extraordinarily brilliant, and erudite.

[@brittanyfox5831]

Profound. So glad I found this.

[@jeremymolt148]

I love this guy !!!

[@AlvarM]

Very useful breakdown of his commentary work. The questions at the end were also very interesting. What I find even more surprising about consciousness is the more we study it in relation to neurons the less we can explain about it, in a way some authors even acknowledge that there might be more to consciousness that the sum of all the physical parts and their interactions

[@thewitchskitchen]

Wow, that was great, also the Q and As, brilliant, thanks

[@beingfrank40]

Love Professor Bryant!

[@thecenterofinter-religious4220]

Thank you for a learned lecture well reflecting the lively facets of an actual practitioner

[@stevenjfrisch]

It's obvious that Prof. Bryant is a practitioner since his understanding and explanations are so clear and well organised! Only a practitioner would be able to do this since they would have some experience and also the deep interest and passion to really learn - as opposed to someone that was merely a scholar.

[@rebeldreamer01]

It would be great if he’s a practitioner, but it doesn’t matter if he is not He is giving a gift to the world by studying and discussing it without biases. I was brought up Hindu and grew tired of the blind emotional Bhakti and religious rituals, a few of which are sexist as the exclude women, required as I wanted to understand it historically as well as philosophically. I have read a lot of Sivananada and his predecessor’s works, and the philosophical context is profound. But it is really nice to hear an unbiased, academic explanation on the tradition and philosophy of yoga. I am grateful that there are academics studying Hinduism, Vedanta and Yoga. Dr. Bryant talk was immensely helpful.

[@stevenjfrisch]

@@rebeldreamer01 I dont think much of rituals, but I think it is funny to remember that at first I thought Bhakti was simply idiotic. Years latter, while being in meditation retreats, I was shocked to discover how effective Bhakti was if done with an extreme imagination, passionately, and with focus. Once an extreme state of Bhakti is opened, it can then change into other interesting, uplifting states. One place I remember reading about this was in Tibetan Buddhism, where it said that the practice was intended to open an "extreme one-pointedness of mind". This is then used in conjunction with other meditations and practices to achive even higher states.

[@karthickrajendran7282]

Thank you professor

[@tamizharasanbe]

Professor Bryant’s Book is helping me decode Patanjalis sutras with a fresh gestalt and surely is helping me to a be practicing yogi 🙏🏽

[@trollarasan]

"scandals that have brought disrepute to the transplantation of yoga and other Indic spiritual systems to the West” in the Hinduphobic paragraph quoted above is also problematic. The “…teaching of Yoga and other Indic spiritual systems…” would have both sufficed as well as have been a straightforward description of facts/reality. So, the word “transplantation” is not just an accidental choice by Bryant to replace “teaching” or “training”. So, let us think of the possible intentions behind such a usage. Everyone is aware that the process of transplantation involves uprooting a plant from one place and planting it elsewhere. It also means to “remove from one place or context and settle or introduce elsewhere” and to “relocate”. Does Bryant believe that the transplantation of yoga is done because the future of yoga lies only in the West and not in its place of origin? Is this not a blatant and overt case of disconnecting yoga from its root and an attempt at appropriating yoga?

[@neelanair5002]

As Tagore the great said,' Take the best of from the East and the west! West.Unfottunately in the east( India) much was taken for granted and neglected.Iam glad the most ancient culture is popular in the west as it now influences our citizens and they are beginning to appreciate it,and beginning to awake to the values . Best of East and West and assimilating the values is enriching to ones life. Namaste and thank you.

[@Ramachandra-fd7mv]

Lovely analysys and Comprehensive.and a nice enlightening end too. Jai Sri RamaKrishna. Jai Sri Sharada Ma. Jai Sri Swami Vivekananda ji Jai Sri Swami Patanjali. Jai Sri Swami Sarvapriyananda ji. Jai Sri Professor Edwin Ji. Jai Jai Jai.

[@SadanandaUTube]

Swamiji's moral are the last thought in my mind before I drift off to sleep and the first thought when I wake up each morning

[@success6244]

Nice lecture by Professor Bryant.

[@sarasvatishaktiscripts3998]

🍃राधे कृष्णा🌸 🌼भक्ति🍃 🍃thank you🍃

[@joeyodonnell123]

lovely outro by swami ji

[@awakeningtohigherconciousn8336]

Thanks for the explanation. Thanks for sharing. 😌

[@pkgty]

thanks for the knowledge 🙏

[@srinivasraju5788]

Thanks to everyone 🙏

[@sagarsaga00]

That's just àmazing

[@SewingDee]

Thank you - from a seeker.

[@prashantpandey1517]

Hinduism is the science of life...❤️❤️

[@toohdvaetihom7088]

There's no such thing as Hinduism

[@njohnwagner]

Hinduism refers to a people and not a religion. The word "Hinduism" was formed from the original word "sindhu", which refers to the Indus river. Hinduism, if nothing more than a compilation of the Vedas and the Upanishads. Hinduism is actually an insult to the original texts.

[@gat3010]

Good start to my path to siddhi powers. I need support from other dimensions.

[@krishnapartha]

Good sir. Please keep speaking. Hare Krishna. 🙏🏾

[@simibignall5688]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@amiraarora5002]

Koti koti Pranam 🙏

[@charliekelly8438]

hes very knowledgeable, great to listen to. the subtitles are really bad.

[@parveenmalik2947]

Just wanted to read Hinduism 🕉 and ancient India in details. What a great culture they have

[@morantNO1]

That what does happen, if you don't burn spiritual people as witches and heretics.

[@arun.kahaduwaarachchi]

Amazing lecture!

[@pantherenebuleuse]

Again what an amazing and Q&A

[@briechilli4496]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@MrMarktrumble]

Thank you

[@YourSacredPath]

Excellent talk..

[@peterchase5198]

Writing is a prop for a weak mind. This is a fascinating thought. Many so called lesser cultures did not develop writing as their culture was passed on orally.

[@rishabhmaniktala]

Beautiful :-)

[@urmila16]

Brilliant.

[@kabrakabra]

That was an interesting talk by Edwin Bryant. Thank you! I would request you to invite Prof Ian Whicher , author of the book 'Integrity of the yoga darsana'. He has a very insightful understanding of the sutras, very different from the usual way of interpreting the classical text of Patanjali.

[@ryanarmasu4162]

Almost 20 years ago I attended a lecture on Yoga at UCLA and Ian Whicher was one of presenters. I found him to be a brilliant thinker and one of the finer minds I met!

[@neelanair5002]

Thanks. More so for mentioning that in India,or the east,hardly anyone reads the Sutras,infact Sanskrit as some dead brains say that it is a dead language.Its pathetic to think so,unfortunately the anglicized education system neglected or ignored it for whatever reason,was the most pathetic part of our education system. I am grateful yo the west for appreciating it,as it seems it helps and influences the Minds, who travel or migrate there and thenafter the circle again the value.Thanks for being direct and giving thought provoking talk. Hope it reaches many,to awake them from slumber.

[@yungsookevinhong7943]

As the path we find ourself in yoga, how honest we follow through as our yoga at these difference level of practice we will be what we are in being ( of yoga )

[@charumohan]

Brilliance and modesty all the same.

[@KrishnaRamanujan]

Maharshi Patanjali ji👍🏻

[@sudersanvarma3133]

Thsk you sir

[@zotharr]

Thank you :)

[@diegonayalazo]

Thanks

[@sensualfrog1925]

I was about to type "no body who has 'Mystic Powers' would truly be happy that they had those powers", but then the Prof. started talking about most yogi's being malevolent beings in that tale... I dare say i really definitely vibe with the yogi char, or archetype, just lazier, but wish i wasn't pulled down so. Lowest chakra always open. remember that! Protect your spines people!

[@NivrittiYoga]

Thank you for wonderful talk. One thing he rightfully pointed out the hypocrisy of meat eating spiritual people and from their reactions it seems they are not very happy about it.

[@isishathor1238]

Idealism should be linked to universal mind that is composed of all individual minds, not human thinking mind or sentience.

[@cpadman5800]

Brilliant lecture on Patanjali's yoga sutra. I liked the Q &A. There was a question on vegetarianism. Prof.Bryant explained the importance of vegetarianism in yoga practice, compassion, and the necessity of satvic foods. etc A questioner asked about 'consciousness". Prof Bryant explained what you mean by "Pure Consciousness". There is no object involved in Pure Consciousness". When Western neuroscientists talk about consciousness they do not mean "Pure consciousness," their studies of consciousness always involve an object. Pure consciousness cannot be studied by neuroscientific methods. pet scan of the brain is not going to help. Pure consciousness is a purely subjective experience, and cannot be studied by any neuroscientific tools. ists

[@balrajbalraj7547]

Patanjali has been mentioned in Thirumoolar's Thirumandiram Tamil book.

[@stevenjfrisch]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@shwetaarya3622]

One of the rare even where a west born shows more Indian blood than an India born!!!

[@shanewilliammartins]

And now, the chance to actually go sit and do yoga begins. :)

[@Frank97006]

Sutra 1. We can only gain understanding of yoga when we are present = now yoga is being explained to us. Life teaches us nothing when we are not present because we are not experiencing anything (when we are asleep, or dead-like). Just memorizing the sutras does not give us understanding. Only paying attention/being devoted to what's happening now, in the world around us and in our mind.

[@callyouone]

Very interesting lecture. As he refer to Chitta-vritti-nirodha as the basis of yoga, I wonder if Chitta-vritti-nirodha is mentioned in other texts than Panajali Yoga Sutras or maybe more the same teaching but in other words?

[@michaeledgarhorsky1139]

❤️ 108 ❤️

[@franksmith1287]

I thought I was the only person with a large Ganesh tattooed on my back. :0

[@ck9411]

Pranams💛🙏🧘‍♀️🕉🔱🔱💩🌺

[@gnikb2000]

when mouna viradham( the process of practising silence) is suggested as a parigaram(revitalisation methodology) for vakku sani (a stage in 7.5 years of saturn as per vedic astrology)- in patanjali yoga sutras - vibuti padam sutram 4 - states that trayam ekatra samyamah - which also suggests silence to perceive knowledge. Then if this mouna viradham is leading to a state of samyama for 2.5 years - then he will reap yogic benefits out of it. Hence I feel that yoga sutras are very much interconnected with astrology - please provide your views on the same