Dattātreyayogaśāstra 9–11: Mantra, Laya, Haṭha, and Rāja Yoga with Four Stages

Dattātreya distinguishes four forms of yoga and announces Inception, Union, Accumulation, and Perfection as stages of the path he will teach.

Dr. Ronald Steiner

Nils Jacob Liersch 21.07.2019

Dattātreyayogaśāstra 9

श्रीदत्तात्रेय उवाच |

śrī-dattātreya uvāca | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

śrī karmadhāraya-compound	śrī adjective	venerable, glorious
dattātreyaḥ nominative singular	dattātreya substantive masculine	Dattātreya
uvāca 3rd person singular aktive perfekte	vac verbal root	spoke

योगो हि बहुधा ब्रह्मन्तत्सर्वं कथयामि ते |

yogo hi bahudhā brahman; tat sarvaṃ kathayāmi te | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

yogaḥ nominative singular	yoga substantive masculine	yoga
hi	hi particle	indeed
bahudhā	bahudhā adverb	in many forms
brahman vokative singular	brahman substantive masculine	O Brahmin
tat accusative singular neuter	tad pronoun dem	that
sarvam accusative singular neuter	sarva adjective	all
kathayāmi 1st person singular aktive present	kath verbal root	I shall explain
te dative singular	yuṣmad pronoun pers 2p	to you

मन्त्रयोगो लयश्चैव हठयोगस्तृतीयकः ||9||

mantra-yogo layaś caiva; haṭha-yogas tṛtīyakaḥ ||9|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

mantra tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	mantra substantive masculine	mantra; sacred formula
yogaḥ nominative singular	yoga substantive masculine	yoga
layaḥ nominative singular	laya substantive masculine	dissolution
ca	ca particle	and
eva	eva particle	indeed
haṭha tatpuruṣa-compound genitive	haṭha substantive masculine	Haṭha
yogaḥ nominative singular	yoga substantive masculine	yoga
tṛtīyakaḥ nominative singular masculine	tṛtīyaka adjective	the third

Metre: Anuṣṭubh; speaker and title lines: prose

The venerable Dattātreya spoke (śrīdattātreya uvāca): Yoga (yogaḥ | nom sg) truly has many forms (bahudhā), O Brahmin (brahman | voc sg). I shall tell you (kathayāmi te) all of this (tat sarvam | acc sg): Mantrayoga (mantra-yogaḥ | nom sg), Laya (layaḥ | nom sg), and Haṭhayoga as the third (haṭha-yogas tṛtīyakaḥ | nom sg).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Dattātreya said: “Yoga takes many forms. I shall tell you about Mantrayoga, Layayoga, and, third, Haṭhayoga.”

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

śrīdattātreya JM2024 ] dattātreya DYŚ

tṛtīyakaḥ JM2024 ] tathaiva ca DYŚ

Critical Apparatus

Dattātreyayogaśāstra 10

राजयोगश्चतुर्थः स्याद्योगानामुत्तमः स्मृतः |

rāja-yogaś caturthaḥ syād; yogānām uttamaḥ smṛtaḥ | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

rāja karmadhāraya-compound	rājan substantive masculine	royal
yogaḥ nominative singular	yoga substantive masculine	yoga
caturthaḥ nominative singular masculine	caturtha adjective	the fourth
syāt 3rd person singular aktive optative	as verbal root	would be
yogānām genitive plural	yoga substantive masculine	among the yogas
uttamaḥ nominative singular masculine	uttama adjective	the highest
smṛtaḥ nominative singular masculine past participle passive	smṛ verbal root	is held to be

आरम्भश्च घटश्चैव तथा परिचयः स्मृतः ||10||

ārambhaś ca ghaṭaś caiva; tathā paricayaḥ smṛtaḥ ||10|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

ārambhaḥ nominative singular	ārambha substantive masculine	commencement
ca	ca particle	and
ghaṭaḥ nominative singular	ghaṭa substantive masculine	union; the Ghaṭa stage
ca	ca particle	and
eva	eva particle	indeed
tathā	tathā adverb	likewise
paricayaḥ nominative singular	paricaya substantive masculine	accumulation; the Paricaya stage
smṛtaḥ nominative singular masculine past participle passive	smṛ verbal root	is held to be

Metre: Anuṣṭubh

Rājayoga (rāja-yogaḥ | nom sg) is to be the fourth [yoga] (caturthaḥ syāt) and is held to be the highest of the yogas (yogānām uttamaḥ smṛtaḥ). Commencement (ārambhaḥ | nom sg), Union (ghaṭaḥ | nom sg), and Accumulation (paricayaḥ | nom sg) are held to be [its stages].

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Rājayoga is regarded as the fourth and highest yoga. Its first three stages are Commencement, Union, and Accumulation.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

uttamaḥ smṛtaḥ JM2024 ] uttamas tu saḥ DYŚ

Critical Apparatus

Dattātreyayogaśāstra 11

निष्पत्तिश्चेत्यवस्थाश्च चतस्रः परिकीर्तिताः |

niṣpattiś cety avasthāś ca; catasraḥ parikīrtitāḥ | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

niṣpattiḥ nominative singular	niṣpatti substantive feminine	completion
ca	ca particle	and
iti	iti particle	thus
avasthāḥ nominative plural	avasthā substantive feminine	stages
ca	ca particle	and
catasraḥ nominative plural feminine	catur numeral	four
parikīrtitāḥ nominative plural feminine past participle passive	pari previx kīrt verbal root	are proclaimed

एतेषां विस्तरं वक्ष्ये यदि त्वं श्रोतुमिच्छसि ||11||

eteṣāṃ vistaraṃ vakṣye; yadi tvaṃ śrotum icchasi ||11|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

eteṣām genitive plural masculine	etad pronoun	of these
vistaram accusative singular	vistara substantive masculine	the details
vakṣye 1st person singular aktive future	vac verbal root	I shall explain
yadi	yadi particle	if
tvam nominative singular	yuṣmad pronoun pers 2p	you
śrotum infinitive	śru verbal root	to hear
icchasi 2nd person singular aktive present	iṣ verbal root	wish

Metre: Anuṣṭubh

Completion (niṣpattiḥ | nom sg): thus the four stages are proclaimed (avasthāś ca catasraḥ parikīrtitāḥ | nom pl). I shall explain (vakṣye | 1p sg fut) their details (eteṣāṃ vistaram | acc sg), if you wish to hear them (yadi tvaṃ śrotum icchasi).

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

The fourth stage is Perfection. If you wish, I shall explain all four in detail.”

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

avasthāś ca catasraḥ parikīrtitāḥ JM2024 ] avasthā ca caturthā parikalpitā DYŚ

Critical Apparatus

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Editor

Dr. Ronald Steiner

From Ulm

The "Yoga Doc" - Dr. Ronald Steiner is the founder of the AYI method. This method links traditional Ashtanga Yoga with innovative Yogatherapy and living Philosophy. This forms a practice that is personal for each and... more ›

Nils Jacob Liersch

Meine Begeisterung für Yoga, indische Philosophie und Sanskrit führte mich zum Studium der Indologie und Religionswissenschaft an der Universität Heidelberg. Seit 2004 befinde ich mich auf meinem persönlichen Yogaweg... more ›

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18.09.2021

Danke für diese wunderbare Dattareya-Yogastunde. Habe eine tiefe Freude empfunden. Es tut gut, sich mehr mit dem Text zu befassen. Danke für den Hinweis, ihn Schritt für Schritt auswendig zu lernen

16.09.2021

"Gekommen, um den Yoga zu lernen." Zu Beginn des Weges kann man nicht einmal erahnen, was das eigentlich bedeutet.

16.09.2021

Ich finde diesen Abschnitt so wunderschön. Der Weg in die vielfältige Natur...

Dattātreyayogaśāstra 9–11: Mantra, Laya, Haṭha, and Rāja Yoga with Four Stages

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