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raja-yoga  Term Image (rāja-yoga) Script Image
(Language:  Sanskrit)
Alternate Spellings:
Short Description: The principal system of yoga as taught by Patañjali consisting of eight steps.
Long Description: The principal system of yoga as taught by Patañjali, consisting of eight steps: (1) yama (self-control, by the practice of ahiṃsā [non-injury], satya [truth], asteya [non-stealing], brahmacarya [celibacy], and aparigraha [non-acceptance of gifts]); (2) niyama (restraint, by the practice of ṣauca [cleanliness], saṃtoṣa [contentment], tapas [austerity], svādhyāya [self-study of the scriptures], and īśvara-praṇidhāna [devotion and surrender to the personal God]); (3) āsana (bodily postures); (4) prāṇāyāma (breath control); (5) pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses); (6) dhāraṇā (concentration of the mind); (7) dhyāna (meditation); and (8) samādhi (non-dual consciousness of Brahman); equivalent to aṣṭāṅga-yoga.
Example(s):
Source(s): Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge, Cream of Liberation Translated by Swami Sri Ramanananda Saraswathi
Notes & References:
Script Image
Related Terms: ashtanga-yoga
Provided By: Dictionary of Spiritual Terms