Yogavarttika of Vijnanabhiksu (4 Vols.)

by T.S. Rukmani

This is the first time that an attempt to render the Yogavarttika into English has been made. Its syncretic nature and the difficulty of understanding it without the aid of the sutra and bhasya has always deserted the undertaking of this work for a study in such detail. The present work gains added importance due to the critical notes given under every varttika. The bringing together of all the three-the sutra, bhasya and varttika-will serve the scholar and layman alike and will fulfill the need long felt for such a work.

The first two volumes in this series dealing with the Samadhipada and the Sadhanapada have had a very good response and have been well received by scholars both in India and abroad. The Hindu dated 21st December 1982 while reviewing the book mentions Dr. T.S. Rukmani has achieved tremendous success in her endeavour and has also made the world of scholars deeply indebted to her for bringing out this immaculate edition and translation of the Yoga varttika pertaining to Samadhipada. The splitting of the Bhashya and the Varttika topicwise, provision of accurate and lucid English translation with copious explanations and footnotes and an erudite glossary of technical terms make this work extremely useful.

The author has promised that release of the remaining three padas of the Yogavarttika and it is hoped that they will be released fairly soon on the same model as the present meticulous edition. An English rendering of the Yogavarttika of Vijnanabhiksu in its entirely has never been attempted so far. This need has been fulfilled by the four-volume series on the Yogavarttika of which this is the fourth volume. The text of the Patanjala Yogasutra and the Vyasabhasya with a new translation are also included in all the four volumes. It is therefore a unique contribution to the world of philosophical literature. It affirms the continuity of religious and metaphysical thought in the unbroken Indian tradition down the ages.

A fresh look has also been given to the Sutra and the Bhasya and the translations are in the current idiom so that it is intelligible to the modern reader, both layman and scholar alike. Its syncretic nature and the difficulty of understanding it without the aid of the sutra and the bhasya has always deterred the undertaking of this work for a detailed study. The present work gains added importance due to the critical notes given under every varttika.

About the Author:

Dr. T.S. Rukmani is currently Professor and Chair in Hindu Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. Before joining the present assignment she had the distinction of being the first Chair in Hindu Studies and Indian Philosophy at the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa. She had a distinguished academic career at the University of Delhi, where her last assignment was Principal, Miranda House. She is the author of ten books which also includes the Yogavarttika of Vijnanabhiksu, translated into English, 4 vols. (New Delhi, 1981-89). She has innumerable papers to her credit and publishes regularly in academic journals both in India and abroad.