Patanjali Yog by Rakesh Richard Tunis

Patanjali Yog, also known as the Patanjali Yog Sutras, is an ancient Indian text. It presents the practices related to reaching enlightenment as an accumulation of the knowledge of the ancient sages of India and does this in a precise fashion. It also describes the states and levels of consciousness belonging to a human being, as well as to yogis as they progress toward their final goal.

Rakesh (Richard Tunis), in his rendition, gives a word-for-word breakdown of each Sanskrit aphorism followed by the complete sentence translation. He then gives a lucid commentary on each aphorism using modern, easily-comprehensible language. What is most important to note is that every explanation he gives is based on his own experience, so his rendition of this famous work touches a deep chord in the readers, taking them on a journey of inner discovery.

Rakesh (Richard Tunis) met his guru when he was fifteen and spent much time in the presence of the enlightened master in India. He is the author of The Handbook of Meditation: Discovery of Internal Happiness and Uncovering Deeper levels of Awareness: Story of a Western Yogi. The latter is a fascinating memoir of Rakesh’s journey on the path of enlightenment as a child and a young man. The stories in it are captivating and thought-provoking.