The celebrated founder of the Yoga system, Patanjali was one of the earliest and greatest of Indian philosophers and mystics. He recorded or systematized an ancient stream of knowledge. His Yoga sutra text is perhaps as old as the beginning of the Christian era. He believed in seeking truth not by moral precepts but by the means of meditation and contemplation that purify the soul. After the Upanishad and the Bhagwad Gita, his commentary is the most important text for any reader seeking to explore Indian thought. This translation is of value to all students of Sanskrit philosophy and to those who are it is indispensable.