fact introduces endless possibilities of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of some
of the Sutras. In treatises of a purely philosophical or religious nature such a misun-
derstanding would perhaps not matter so much, but in one of a highly technical and
practical nature like the Yoga-Sutras it can lead to great complications and even to
dangers of a serious nature.
Luckily for the earnest student, Yoga has always been a living Science in the
East and it has had an unbroken succession of living experts who continually verify by
their own experiments and experiences the basic truths of this Science. This has helped
not only to keep the traditions of Yogic culture alive and pure but to maintain the
meanings of the technical words used in this Science in a fairly exact and clearly de-
fined form. It is only when a Science is divorced completely from its practical applica-
tion that it tends to lose itself in a morass of words which have lost their meaning and
relation with the actual facts.
While the method of presenting a subject in the form of Sutras is eminently
suited for the practical and advanced student it can hardly be denied that it does not
quite fit in with our modern conditions. In the olden days those who studied these Su-
tras had easy access to the teachers of the Science who elaborated the knowledge em-
bodied in a condensed form, filled up the gaps and gave practical guidance. And these
students had leisure in which to think, meditate and dig out the meanings for them-
selves. The modern student who is interested merely in the theoretical study of the
Yogic philosophy and is not practising it under an expert teacher has none of these fa-
cilities and needs an elaborate and clear exposition for an adequate understanding of
the subject. He needs a commentary which not only aims at explaining the obvious
meaning but also the hidden significance of the words and phrases used in terms of the
concepts with which he is familiar and can easily understand. He wants his food not in
‘tabloid’ form but in bulk, and if possible, in a palatable form.
(the essential technique of) yoga (of) mind (of) modifications
inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint.- Yoga is the inhibition of the modifications of the mind.