Yoga sutras of Patanjali with the The Jewel's Lustre

By J. H. Woods. Distributor: Lulu. $19.99. 188 pages. Paperback DG. 2016 (1915).

Among the numerous translations of the Aphorisms of Patanjali, what differentiates this work is the inclusion of the Jewel Lustre, Maniprabha, a commentary written by Ramananda-sarasvati in the 16th or early 17th century. The commentary reflects an evolution in the analysis of Patanjali’ Yoga Sutras placing the attention on the mental rather than moral, analytical rather than spiritual processes. As the name suggests, the thought reflects a clear lucidity of interpretation and deserves the attention of all students of Indian thought in general and yoga specifically.

The title of the book is an allusion to the passage in the Comment on Yoga-sūtra 1.36 Here the mind becomes stable in intent contemplation and unconcerned with its transitory and particular conditions. It is illumined by insight into its universal qualities. “It becomes like a ray of the sun or the moon or of a planet or a gem. Having attained to a feeling of its self, it becomes waveless like the Great Sea, calmed, endless, with a sense of nothing but itself.”

विशोका वा ज्योतिष्मती ॥३६॥

viśokā vā jyotiṣmatī ॥36॥

Contents

• [Introduction]
• Book First: Concentration.
• Book Second: Means of attainment.
• Book Third: Supernormal Powers.
• Book Fourth: Concentration.
• Annex
  • [Biography]
  • [Works cited]