Sāṁkhyakārikā & The Yoga Sūtras

This 8-part course will undertake a comparative study of these two canonical texts of Yoga: the Sāṁkhyakārikā & the Yoga Sūtras. In the earlier tradition, Yoga is in fact an expression of Sāṁkhya rather than a distinct school, the former focusing more on meditational practice and the latter on metaphysics. Using the Kārikās as our primary text, along with its principle commentary by Gauḍapāda, we will consider where the two texts overlap, and where the Kārikās engage material not touched upon in the Yoga Sūtras. We will read all of the Kārikās, and cast comparative glances at the sections of the Sūtras that express the same concepts albeit sometimes in different terminologies. Module 1: Reasons for Seeking Liberation In this section, we engage the essential motive for undertaking the spiritual quest in the respective traditions of Yoga and Sāṁkhya, namely suffering. The causes of suffering according to these two traditions will be examined, and the solution considered – liberatio