Skip to content
Language : English
Menu

VI

शास्त्रśāstra · teaching, scripture

The sacred texts of yoga

Updated October 17, 2026 · sources checked October 17, 2026

Two pages of a Sanskrit manuscript of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras in Devanagari script
Photo: Patanjali (original author), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

In short

Four texts shape the yoga practised today: the Upanishads for the philosophy behind it, the Bhagavad Gita for action and devotion, Patañjali's Yoga Sutras for the mind, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika for the body and breath. Most practitioners should start with the Yoga Sutras: 195 short aphorisms in four chapters.

Every quotation on Yogide gives its reference (Yoga Sutra 1.2, Bhagavad Gita 2.47, Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1.34), the Sanskrit, a transliteration you can pronounce, and our own translation. When we point to an older English translation, it is a public-domain edition, named.

Two pages of a Sanskrit manuscript of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras in Devanagari script
Photo: Patanjali (original author), Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

The main texts at a glance

TextApproximate dateWhat you find thereRead first if…
Upanishadsthe oldest from the first millennium BCE; Kaṭha, the first to define yoga, between the 5th and 1st centuries BCE (contested)The self (ātman) and the absolute (brahman), Om, the first definitions of yogayou want the philosophy at the root
Bhagavad Gitalikely 2nd-1st century BCE, within the MahābhārataYoga of action, of knowledge and of devotion, taught on a battlefieldyou live an active life and want a spiritual compass
Yoga Sutrasabout 325-425 CE with its commentary (Maas); others date the sutras earlierYoga as a discipline of the mind, the eight limbsyou practise and want to know what yoga is
Hatha Yoga Pradipika15th century, by SvātmārāmaPostures, breath control, seals, the awakening of kuṇḍalinīyour practice is mainly āsana and prāṇāyāma
Gheranda Samhitalikely late 17th centuryA seven-limbed hatha yoga: cleansing, 32 postures, seals, breathyou want a hatha manual with a clear progression

Dates are those defended by scholars, often with wide margins. Tradition gives most of these texts a much older origin; we say which is which.

Where to start, by profile

  • You practise postures and want the roots: the Yoga Sutras, one sutra a day, beginning with sutra 1.2. Then the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, to see where your postures come from.
  • You are drawn to devotion, chanting, service: the Bhagavad Gita, then the Upanishads.
  • You are training to teach: the Yoga Sutras and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika side by side: the first for the why, the second for the techniques you will teach.
  • You simply want to understand who wrote the text everyone quotes: start with who was Patañjali.

A text read once is information; a text recited and returned to is svādhyāya, the study that the Yoga Sutras count among the observances.

In this chapter

योगसूत्रThe Yoga Sutras of Patañjaliyoga-sūtra · the threads of yogaThe four books, the sutras everyone quotes, the oldest commentary, and how to read the text without getting lost.भगवद्गीताThe Bhagavad Gita, the song of the Lordbhagavad-gītā · the song of the LordThe 700 verses in context, the eighteen chapters in one table, and the six verses every yogi should know in Sanskrit.उपनिषद्The Upanishads, the roots of yoga philosophyupaniṣad · sitting near, secret teachingThe principal Upanishads one by one, what each gave to yoga, the verses to know in Sanskrit, and the three to read first.वेदThe Vedas and the roots of yogaveda · knowledgeThe four Vedas and their four layers, the verses yogis meet every day, and an honest look at the claim that yoga comes from the Vedas.योगसूत्रThe Yoga Sutras in PDF, free and legalyoga-sūtraThe Sanskrit text and the old English translations you can download legally, what each is worth, and what our commented edition adds.पतञ्जलिWho was Patañjali?patañjaliThe author of the Yoga Sutras between history and tradition: dating, the three Patañjalis, the serpent Ananta, with the sources.भगवद्गीताThe Bhagavad Gita in PDF, free and legalbhagavad-gītāThe Sanskrit text and the old translations you can download legally, what each is worth, and what our edition for yogis adds.

Questions people ask

What is yoga philosophy?

The understanding of mind, self and freedom that underlies the practice. Its classical statement is Patañjali's Yoga Sutras, close to the Sāṃkhya school: pure awareness (puruṣa) is distinct from nature (prakṛti), which includes the mind, and yoga is the stilling of the mind so that awareness rests in itself.

Which yoga text should I read first?

For most practitioners, the Yoga Sutras: short, structured, and the source of the eight limbs. If you are drawn to devotion or to action in daily life, start with the Bhagavad Gita; if your practice is mainly postures and breath, with the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

Can I read these texts for free?

Yes. The Sanskrit texts are on GRETIL (University of Göttingen), and older English translations in the public domain are on Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive. Our pages give the links for each text.

Sources

  1. Patañjali, Yogasūtra, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 17, 2026
  2. Philipp A. Maas, A Concise Historiography of Classical Yoga Philosophy (2013, pre-print on Zenodo): date of the Yoga Sutras with commentary, about 325-425 CE checked October 17, 2026
  3. Bhagavad Gita, Wikipedia (part of the Mahābhārata, likely composed in the second or first century BCE) checked October 17, 2026
  4. Katha Upanishad, Wikipedia (dating contested, generally placed between the 5th and 1st centuries BCE) checked October 17, 2026
  5. Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Wikipedia (fifteenth-century manual by Svātmārāma) checked October 17, 2026
  6. Gheranda Samhita, Wikipedia (likely late seventeenth century) checked October 17, 2026
  7. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Charles Johnston (1912), Project Gutenberg checked October 17, 2026
  8. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, translated by Pancham Sinh (Allahabad, Panini Office, 1914), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026