4 padas · 196 sutras · Yoga darshana
पातञ्जल योगसूत्र
Patanjali Yoga Sutras
Composed around the 2nd century BCE, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are the foundational text of the Yoga darshana — one of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy. In just 196 terse sutras across 4 padas (chapters), Patanjali lays out the entire science of stilling the mind, culminating in kaivalya — the absolute liberation of consciousness.
The eight limbs (Aṣṭāṅga Yoga)
Sutra 2.29 lists the complete path:
1. Yama
Ethical restraints
2. Niyama
Personal observances
3. Āsana
Steady posture
4. Prāṇāyāma
Breath control
5. Pratyāhāra
Sense withdrawal
6. Dhāraṇā
Concentration
7. Dhyāna
Meditation
8. Samādhi
Absorption
The 4 Padas
समाधि पाद
Samadhi Pada — On Contemplation
Samādhi Pāda
What yoga is and what its highest state (samadhi) looks like
साधन पाद
Sadhana Pada — On Practice
Sādhana Pāda
The practical eight-limbed (ashtanga) path for beginners
विभूति पाद
Vibhuti Pada — On Powers
Vibhūti Pāda
The inner three limbs and the siddhis (supernatural powers) they unfold
कैवल्य पाद
Kaivalya Pada — On Liberation
Kaivalya Pāda
The final liberation — kaivalya, the absolute aloneness of the seer