Essay name: Yoga-sutra with Bhashya Vivarana (study)
Author:
Susmi Sabu
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Department of Sanskrit
This essay studies the enduring and relevance of Yoga in India, highlighting its evolution from a comprehensive philosophy to primarily a physical practice. It further underscores the importance of studying Yoga texts to understand its historical trajectory. Special attention is given to the Patanjala Yogasutra Bhashya Vivarana, a significant work attributed to Adi Shankaracharya.
Chapter 3 - The Authorship Problem of Patanjala-yogasutra-bhashya-vivarana
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External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Śaṃkarācārya and Yoga The three commentaries ascribed to Sankara are related to Yoga viz., Rājayoga-bhāṣya on Mandala- brāhmaṇopaniṣad, Vijṛmbhita-yoga-sūtra-bhāṣya, and PYSBV.2 29 30 Another work is Yogatārāvali, which has already attributed to
Govindapāda by Citsukha or more usually to Śaṅkara himself.³
Among these works, PYSBV acquired the attention of scholars
since it published in 1952.31
Is Śankarācārya the author of PYSBV?
The main evidence for the authorship of
Śankarācārya is the colophons at the end of each pāda, which
clearly show that Sankara, the disciple of Govinda bhagavatpāda
is the author of PYSBV. Anyhow, this is identically the same as
those found in the acknowledged works of Śaṃkarācārya. Another
point is the use of the word vivaraṇa to denote the commentary or
sub-commentary. The same word can be seen in the famous
commentaries of Śaṃkarācārya viz., commentary on Chandogya,
Bhagavadgita, etc.
32 Among the famous 'Keralite Sankaras,' the great
advaitin Śaṃkarācārya is the prominent. As stated in the colophon
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