Tradition of Yoga and its literature

For dissemination of any kind of knowledge there are two major effective mediums generally used.  One is a living teacher and the other is literature. These two often compliment and supplement each other.  It is also observed that in some special cases only a living master can impart or transfer the teachings. It also may be noted that there are always limitations with both of these mediums.

When it comes to knowledge of Yoga, both of these mediums become equally significant. There are certain practical aspects of Yoga which can only be learnt in presence of a living instructor.  Such aspects may not be grasped and applied just by consulting relevant literature alone. It also may be taken into consideration that all finer philosophical discussions of Yoga may not be easily passed on by a living teacher to an eager student. A student will do well referring to texts as well and this is the reason why ‘Svadhya’ is recommended.

However, transmission of the highest spiritual wisdom or enlightenment can only be done by a living Master to a qualified student. Since such a Master is not easily accessible to all the interested seekers, authoritative literature created by such Masters can be taken help of to keep the inner fire burning.  A genuine student of Yoga can study the books on Yoga authored by the enlightened Masters.  This makes a difference indeed.  

There are a large number of ancient texts on Yoga available to the humanity at present times.  Most of these are in Sanskrit language.  In present times due to advent of superior technology and fast transference of information, such knowledge can comfortably be translated into other languages and people can take advantage of this facility to broaden their horizon of knowledge.  This makes propagation of Yoga relatively smooth and fast.

There are many traditions of Yoga. But broadly there are two: Yoga of Patanjali and Yoga of Hatha. These are well-known.  Yoga Sutra has many commentaries (about 22) and prominent ones are available in modern languages. Same goes for texts on Hatha Yoga brought out by the Natha Yogis. Hatha Pradipika, Hatha Ratnavali, Gheranda Samhita, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, Shiva Samhita etc. are available in printed form.  There are yet a good number of Hatha Yoga texts which are still in manuscript form and these are deposited in many oriental libraries.  Efforts are being made to bring this invaluable treasure of Yoga to the light for preservation as well as for circulation.

Inner quest for knowledge and thirst for enlightenment are fundamental to human life.

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