[Advaita-l] Yoga - aparOkshAnubhUti - Vedanta Sara

[bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com]

It depends on what one means by Patanjala yoga.  As we have discussed on
the list in the terms past "samkhya" and "yoga"  have not been used
consistently but have gone through three broad phases of development.

1. pre-systematic: samkhya and yoga merely mean "theory" and "practice"
   basic notions such as guna, prakriti etc. are developed.  This is the
   type in Gita, Mokshadharma etc.  Some variants are dualistic, some
   theistic and some monistic.

2. classical: samkhya and yoga are full-fledged systematic darshanas.
   samkhya is atheistic while yoga adds ishvara as the 26th tattva.  Both
   are dualistic.  This is the type in Yogasutras, Samkhyakarikas etc.

3. Vedantic: largely due I think to Shankaracharyas efforts, samkhya and
   yoga are absorbed into Advaita Vedanta and their texts and terminology
   are reinterpreted in an Advaitic way.  This is the type in
   aparokshanubhuti, vedantasara etc.

sAshtAnga praNAms Sri Jaldhar Vyas prabhuji
Hare Krishna

Thanks a lot for your kind clarification on different phases of sAnkhya &
   yOga...Kindly clarify whether (2) above has any influence in (3) or
   shankara while taking sAnkhya & yOga into consideration has he given
   entirely new dimension to the orthodox / classical yOga sUtra
   terminologies??  Since as you said above (2) is still a dualistic school
   shankara would have not endorsed the views of these schools from his
   non-dualistic perspective.

I request your permission to post your above observation to Advaitin list.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar