Yoga and the Hindu Tradition

By Jean Varenne

Book Overview

A popular and critical success when it first appeared in France, Yoga and the Hindu Tradition has freed Yoga from the common misconceptions of the recent Yoga vogue. Jean Varenne, the distinguished French Orientalist, presents the theory of classical Yoga, in all its richness, as a method--a concrete way to reach the Absolute through spiritual exercises--which makes possible the transition from existence to essence.

This excellent translation, including line drawings and charts, a glossary of technical terms, and a complete translation of the Yoga Darshana Upanishad, begins with a brief description of the metaphysical and religious history on which Yoga is based. Varenne discusses the theoretical conception of Yoga as the search for liberating knowledge, concluding with a brief indication of the physical practices and extra Yogic themes such as Kundalini and Tantrism. It is the author's hope that "those who read this book] will come to realize that it is in fact dishonest to reduce Yoga to some sort of physical training, or to just an occult doctrine; it is a 'world view' a Weltanschauung that comprehends reality in its totality."

"The straightforward, well-organized presentation makes the book itself a microcosm of what Varenne singles out as a dominant feature of classical Hindu thought--a bringing of the complex and multitudinous into a unity."--Judith Guttman, Yoga Journal

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226851168
• ISBN13: 9780226851167
• Release Date: August 1977
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Read this for a critical view of yoga

Varenne's "Yoga and the Hindu Tradition" will appeal to you if, like me, you tire of the two dominant Western approaches to yoga: Uncritical, banal spiritualism and rah-rah therapeutic yoga -- yoga as a school of physical fitness. Varenne's book will NOT TEACH YOGA, rather it TEACHES ABOUT YOGA.It's a fascinating review and clearly presented, if a bit academic. The reader learns how yoga relates to Hindu society and religious belief, and how yoga's teachings are essentially theological in nature. Putting yoga in a social context will give it character and deepen one's appreciation for this practice. It will, however, be a bit disturbing for some Americans, and will threaten some of their deeply-held new age assumptions.If you're serious about yoga, read this, then read the Bhagvad-gita.