Style: Yoga Sutras (intellectual) / Bhagavad Gita (poetry)
The shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita, written in verse, reach directly to the soul. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to the mind.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali / Bhagavad Gita
When studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Yoga Philosophy, Raja Yoga) sometimes you can think that, in one way or another, you are studying an almost scientist document, not in vain in the language used we could define it as intellectual and formal.
The Shlokas of the Bhagavad Gita, written in verse, reach directly to the soul. For me, one of the most beautiful and transcendental verses of the Bhagavad Gita is 6-8 of Chapter 4 - The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action; The beauty of this Shloka cannot be expressed in words, which also contains one of the essences of the Bhagavad Gita: The Dharma.
Yoga Sutras (intellectual) Bhagavad Gita (poesía).
In the Yoga Sutras the word Pranidhama is used, which would mean: dedicate, consecrate, offer or surrender. In this way Ishvara Pranidhana, one of the elements of Ashtanga Yoga, would mean devotion to God or pure consciousness. But we must not forget that Patanjali was based on the Sankhya Philosophy, and that to a certain extent, it is an atheistic system, where there is no need for God. Therefore, when Patanjali refers to Pranidhana he does so surely appealing to our rational mind rather than our heart.
On the contrary, in the Bhagavad Gita the word Bhakti is fundamental, and also defines one of the main Paths of Yoga: Bhakti Yoga. Swami Vivekananda referred to this path as “heart to feel.” When we read the verses related to the Bhakti Marga, we will have the feeling that they appeal to our most emotional part. They are pure poetry.
Dhrashta (the Seer) in the Yoga Sutras / Atman (Jiva) in the Bhagavad Gita.
The concept of Seer is widely used in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, such as:
“Then the Seer establishes himself in his own essential and fundamental nature” (YS 1.4)
In the Bhagavad Gita Atman is used primarily, or sometimes Jiva (the Vital Essence, Purusha). Atman is ubiquitous throughout the Bhagavad Gita. Verse 22 of Chapter 2 – Samkhya Yoga, expresses it with the following beautiful words:
As we can see, they are two different, almost antagonistic styles. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali have a formal and intellectual style, and therefore are aimed at our most rational part: The mind. The Bhagavad Gita is pure poetry, but there are verses that are addressed to our soul, but there are also those that are directed to our intellect (Buddhi)
(c) Gita Institute
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