Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

 

Īśvara As He Is: Devotional Theism in the Pātañjala Yogaśāstra Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/41687h77v
Abstract
  • Patañjali’s Yogasūtra forms the textual basis for what is commonly called “Classical Yoga Philosophy”. This seminal first millennia text repeatedly employs the Sanskrit word “īśvara” to refer to a presiding divinity, the nature of which has been contested for centuries. In contrast to the abundance of modern interpretations that depreciate the status of “God” in Classical Yoga, I argue that the īśvara of the Pātañjala Yogaśāstra (sūtras and bhāṣya) carries an eminence comparable to that of Lord Kṛṣṇa of the Bhagavad Gītā. In short, “God” means “Supreme God” for Patañjali, regardless of the philosophical complications that may result from the admission of a totalizing divinity. This argument is evidenced through a historical analysis of the word “īśvara”, a close reading of its role in the Pātañjala Yogaśāstra, and a juxtaposition with relevant verses from the Bhagavad Gītā.
Creator
Date Issued
  • 2015
Academic Affiliation
Advisor
Committee Member
Degree Grantor
Commencement Year
Subject
Last Modified
  • 2019-11-18
Resource Type
Rights Statement
Language

Relationships

Items