ABSTRACT
Sadhanapada consisting of 55 sutras, deals with two distinctive and yet related aspects of the Yoga method. The first, called Kriya Yoga, is presented as a preliminary method for the initiate whose mind is distracted by various afflictions. The second method, which is called Ashtanga Yoga, consists of eight steps. The method of Kriya Yoga consists of self-discipline, self-study and self-surrender. Through self-discipline, the student of Yoga decides to take a careful note of the appetites and desires through which she clings to the world. In the earlier part, Patanjali uses the phrase 'mental fluctuations' to designate all disturbances in the ordinary mind that hinder the full expression of Purusha, and he sets forth the goal of Yoga as the stilling of these fluctuations. When the student of Yoga realizes that Patanjaii is Purusha and not Prakriti, this dawning of discriminative knowledge breaks the net of ignorance and the individual is emancipated.
