Speaker
Description
The Yogapañcāśikā might be one of the earliest attempts to integrate Haṭha and Rājayoga with Pātañjalayoga. The text is cited by name in a Sanskrit work called the Vivekamukura, which may have been composed in the late sixteenth century. Unlike other compilations on yoga from the early modern period, the Yogapañcāśikā is a short work of merely fifty verses that cites only the Pātañjalayogaśāstra. It teaches an aṣṭāṅgayoga: the first four auxiliaries are Haṭhayoga, and the second four, Rājayoga. It is a Śaiva work that aims at raising kuṇḍalinī, uniting Śakti with Śiva and attaining jīvanmukti followed by videhamukti when the yogi’s karma is completely extinguished.
This talk will attempt to answer the most obvious questions about the codex unicus that contains the Yogapañcāśikā. It will also provide a short overview of the contents of the work and some comments on their historical importance.
