A brilliant cross-cultural Arabic interpretation of a key text of yoga philosophy The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the foundational text of yoga philosophy to this day and is still used by millions of yoga practitioners and students worldwide. Written in a question-and-answer format, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali deals with the theory and practice of yoga and the psychological question of the liberation of the soul from attachments. This book is a new edition and translation into English of the Arabic translation and commentary on this text by the brilliant eleventh-century polymath al-Biruni. Given the many historical variants of the Yoga Sutras, his Kitab Batanjali is important for yoga studies as the earliest translation of the Sanskrit text. It is also of unique value as an Arabic text within Islamic studies, given the intellectual and philosophical challenges that faced the medieval Muslim reader when presented with the intricacy of composition, interpretation, and allusion that permeates this translation. A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

Al Biruni, one of the greatest Arab scholars, was born on September 4, 973, in what is now Uzbekistan. He showed talent at an early age and by his early 20's had written several acclaimed papers. Political unrest in his 20's and 30's found him at one point at Gurgan, on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Peace found him in Ghaznah, which is today in Afghanistan. From 1017 to 1030 he travelled extensively in India, becoming fluent in Sanskrit. From this he wrote his monumental survey, India, of the history, customs and beliefs of the subcontinent. His other books include The Chronology of Ancient Nations, the Masudic Cannon, Book of Instructions, and more than 100 others, some of which are lost. He died on December 13, 1048, aged 75. He is buried in Ghaznah. The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology was written for Lady Rayhanah, to whom it is dedicated. R. Ramsay Wright, the translator, said it could be regarded as a primer of 11th century science. Among its highlights are a comprehensive list of more than 150 Lots, various forms of aspects and planetary relationships, planetary positions relative to the sun, an excellent text on rulerships as well as comprehensive notes on weather and meteorological phenomena. This book was unknown to medieval European astrologers. This edition, comprising the astrological part of the original (sections 347-530) has been taken from Wright's pioneering 1934 translation, itself taken from Persian and Arabic sources. For this edition, text and tables have been reset, and a new index added.

This is a new release of the original 1934 edition.

This is a new release of the original 1934 edition.

1934. Al-Biruni was an astrologer and a scholar. Living in the Middle East, he was able to interact with both Hindus and Arabs. Translated into English, this book is one of the rare, pre-Rennaissance texts that's been available to 20th Century astrologers. It's also a classic work of Arabic astrology, written by a true master.

1934. Al-Biruni was an astrologer and a scholar. Living in the Middle East, he was able to interact with both Hindus and Arabs. Translated into English, this book is one of the rare, pre-Rennaissance texts that's been available to 20th Century astrologers. It's also a classic work of Arabic astrology, written by a true master.

1934. Al-Biruni was an astrologer and a scholar. Living in the Middle East, he was able to interact with both Hindus and Arabs. Translated into English, this book is one of the rare, pre-Rennaissance texts that's been available to 20th Century astrologers. It's also a classic work of Arabic astrology, written by a true master.