Swami Satchidananda does an excellent job translating the sutras into easy to understand language using real life examples that are easy for anyone to relate to.

This is the greatest book I have ever seen. Please don not miss this book. Full and knowledge and wisdom.

This is a great translation. It is good for reading one or two sutras with translation/comments daily. Spiritually very nourishing. I highly recommend it.

I am not a Sanskrit scholar and I don't read Sanskrit but was interested in learning about the philosophy behind yoga. I got this book and have been happy with it.

Each sutra (aphorism) is written in Sanskrit. Then it is transliterated (phonetically spelled out) into an English so one can get an idea of how it sounds. Next individual words are translated. Then the whole phrase is translated into English so one can know what it means. Below that are a few paragraphs explaining the sutra or giving additional thoughts and insights.

I found this useful for many reasons:

I think the Sanskrit writing is beautiful, so I like seeing it.
The phonetics help me know how to pronounce and follow along when more learned people are chanting or talking about the sutra using the Sanskrit words (as my yoga teacher often does).
The individual word translations give me an idea of what Patanjali had in mind, and the full English gives me an idea of how we might think of it today. (If you speak more than one language you know how things don't always translate directly word for word).

I found the commentaries very insightful and thought provoking.

This book is a great starting point in getting to know the yoga sutras, but also has a lot of substance for those already familiar with them. Even if you never read Sanskrit, with this book you can get an idea of what the sutras are saying and learn the lessons they are trying to teach. the commentaries are insightful and interesting. Highly recommended.

I am a Sanskritist and Vedic scholar. I have seen a number of translations of this classic but this is BY FAR my favorite. This book serves as a stand-alone guide for meditation and yoga.

This book is a wonderful introduction to the yoga sutras. Other interpretations on the sutras should be compared to this in my opinion.

The collection of concise yoga sutras, put together by Patanjali are an important read for any yoga practitioner--teacher or enthusiast. Swami Satchidananda has translated the ancient text into meaningful and practical explanations which really apply to modern living. This is not just a one time read, but rather a wonderful guide to reflect upon often. The text is organized into four books geared to inspire and teach a yogic way of life. Yoga is not a religion of any sorts but rather an eight limbed path leading us from suffering to freedom. The details of how we develop this peace are all included in the book. I highly recommend this book in particular because of its clear and thoughtful translations.

I love this book! Easy to read, simple explanations from Sri Swami Satchidananda, allows you to dive deeply on the true meaning of each Sutra. Truly a book commented by an enlightened soul.

I enjoy reading this book! The author quite obviously knows what he is talking about. He gives wonderful explanations and provides insights to the Yoga Sutras. I am learning a great deal from his commentaries on Pantanjali's humanity-benefiting work.
Thank you, Swami Satchinananda!

I ejoy reading this book! The author quite obviously knows what he is talking about. He gives wonderful explanations and provides insights to the Yoga Sutras. I am learning a great deal from his commentaries on Pantanjali's humanity-benefiting work.
Thank you, Swami Satchinananda!

I have two other versions/interpretations of the yoga sutras. I was actually quit surpised by sutra 2 of this book. He refers to the "chitta vritti" as "mind stuff." Mind stuff? Please. How about a real explanation. Definately written for an American audience whom he regards as very simple. I read a couple more sutras but really couldn't take it as it was just ridiculous.

If you are the type of person who would be happy being told that there is "mind stuff" taking place inside your brain and it is far too complicated for you to understand then by all means buy this book. Otherwise, try the Four Chapters of Freedom. It offers much more thorough explainations and it treats its audience with respect.

How to choose a useful commentary on the Sutras? A rule of thumb is to examine the author's take on the first five sutras. These are the ones in which Patanjali defines what Yoga is and in a nutshell points to what the enlightened state is. Authors who have no idea either don't get this, or are not able to explicate it well. Satchidananda is one of the happy few who are able. An illustrative comment is on P7, in reference to Sutra 3: "You are that true Seer. You are not the body or the mind." The thing that makes the Satchidananda commentary reliable is that he never loses sight of that intrinsic point of the first, definitional sutras. Beyond a certain cultural context, Satchidananda does not abandon "no-body and no-mind" for a moralistic exhortation. He keeps clear sight of the concept-free nature of universal reality.

This version is not as good as the out-of-print The Authentic Yoga Sutras of P Y Deshpande, nor does it have the clarity of Osho's limited commentary - but it is miles ahead of commentaries of some of the more famous names in contemporary Yoga.

Jani Baker
Principal, Australian College of Classical Yoga.

I have been studying the Vedic scriptures since 1996. And, I must say, out of all the different translations; the bhagavad-gita, the rig-veda and etc....this one by Sri Swami Satchianda is the best!
His hands-on understanding of Vedically grounded Yoga/meditation, qouting the Vedic scriptures and truely knowing intuitively and intellecually Vedic principles is astonishing and inspiring.
The one thing I really like about this translation, is that Swami Satchitanda does not taint the translation with a particular Cult slant, like the hare krishna's bhagavad-gita...which is fill with their particular cult flavor and mistranslation of sanskrit words and phrases.
He also adds wonderful and helpful techniques and tips that have really helped me in my meditational practices.
Since first studying this particular translation, I have grown tremendously from this Vedic scripture and this translation.
It was always interesting, lively to study,and always compelled me to want to study more...a far cry from studying the ISKON/hare krishna translation of the bhagavad-gita, which took me three months to read,which was dry, boring, mistranslation of the sanskrit word and phrases abounded, bashing of other groups and philosophies filled every page and a hard core push for their spin on the vedic literature.
With this translation of the Yoga Sutra....You will not find any of this!....it was such a pleasure to study it and it was soooo rewarding in reading it. It made me feel very good and uplifted to study this book.
I wish that this Swami would have translated more of the Vedic scriptures.
Please take a look at this translation..you will love. I have grown alot from it.

This is an excellent book. It gives the Sanskrit for each of the 200 sutras, then the English translation, followed by a comment by Swami Satchidananda. These comments are essential for helping make some of sutras more understandable. I would highly recommend this book.

This is one of several translations that I have read. I enjoyed it. His explanation is to the point and easy to understand. Some of the examples he gave I thought were long and (even for me) circuitous.

For every sutra he has the Sanskrit translation and then the English to Sanskrit. I liked these because they made the translation stand on it's own. For many of them a commentary wasn't even necessary. The index in the back to find sutras dealing with specific mental conditions, states of consciousness or emotions was very helpful.

I liked the commentaries on book three. So much mischief - for all intentions right now. Causing so many misunderstandings and misery. I wonder if even a fraction of what people are trying to accomplish is being accomplished. St. Teresa de Avila wrote a book called the "Interior Castle", in it she devoted a chapter to the powers. She emphasized the same point - that they were an ego trap. I would wonder, though if the children, adults and zealots of all ages that are having so much fun with them are concerned in the slightest about that aspect. Somehow I doubt it.

A good book I would recommend it for anyone. The cross referencing is very helpful and easy to navigate for people who have little knowledge of Sanskrit.

I gained much from this book. A great book for those who are gaining an interest in yoga as a whole. The author is a monk who has devoted his life to God and it shows through in his writing. Each sutra is written in Sanskrit, then proper pronunciation, then translated in English and then given commentary by Satchidananda. Sometimes he seems to go on tangents and forgets about the Sutra at hand, yet even in those tangents, much is learned. This book will take beginners to the next level of discipline and practice; an extremely useful reference for experienced practitoners. I highly recommend this book.

Swami Satchidananda's book on the Sutras is one of the best for digging into the background and foundations of the Sutras, and his commentary, unlike Iyengar's and most other eastern commentaries, is clear, simple and easy to understand. Yet I finished the book still feeling that I did not fully grasp it. Swami Satchidananda is clearly in touch with the truth that he is illuminating with this book, and it's also clear from the powerful tone of authority with which he writes that he has reached the state of awaking which is the end purpose of the Sutras, but it seems too immersed in the history and culture of Hinduism to be fully appreciated and grasped by a westerm mind conditioned by concepts, ideas and images that are vastly different from the eastern traditions. So the book does not have a deep and profound illuminating impact as has McAfee's book on the sutras - "Beyond the Siddhis". But it is rich in historical information and its tone is true to the purpose of the Sutras. I would recommend it for for all aspiring yogis.

This is *the* book to refer to get a proper understanding of the philosophy of Yoga.

I have gone through other books ( B. K. S. Iyengar , Georg Feuerstein , Swami Prabhavananda ) and some audio cassetes on the Yoga Sutras.
This is by far the best book on the subject. The sutras are beautifully explained in layman terms with ample annotations. The sutras in samadhi pada and sadhana pada are covered extensively.

Whenever there was a discrepency in the translation among different authors (such as sutras 18,19,33 of sadhana pada, which have been interpreted very differently) I found the translation and explanation in this book to be most logical, intuitive and complete.