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The Four Yogas: A Guide to the Spiritual Paths of Action, Devotion, Meditation and Knowledge Hardcover – Download: Adobe Reader, February 1, 2006

by Swami Adiswarananda (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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Choose the Yoga path that best suits you, and you choose the way to know God.

The philosophy of Yoga tells us that the root cause of our sorrows and suffering is loss of contact with our true Self. Our recovery is only possible by reestablishing contact with our innermost Self, the Reality of all realities, and by recognizing that knowledge of Self is our salvation.

In this comprehensive guide, Swami Adiswarananda introduces the four spiritual paths of Yoga―Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Raja-Yoga and Jnana-Yoga―and what you can expect as an aspirant on each path. Covering the message and practice of each of the Yogas as well as philosophy and psychology, preparatory practices, common obstacles and ways to overcome them, this accessible book will prove invaluable to anyone wishing to follow a Yoga practice in order to realize the goal of Self-knowledge.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    SkyLight Paths
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.84 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1594731438
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1594731433
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In America, Yoga is primarily understood as a series of physical exercises. But in this book, Adiswarananda, a monk who follows the influential 19th-century guru Ramakrishna and teaches in New York City, unpacks with clarity the spiritual systems of Yoga. A Hindu philosophy, Yoga is intended to bring about union with God. The author examines the four types of Yoga referred to in the title, using the same organizing concepts (philosophy, psychology, practices, obstacles) so that differences and similarities among the paths can be clarified, even about such heady topics as "ultimate reality." Along the way, a good deal of the Hindu understanding of God and human nature is translated, literally and figuratively, into Western-friendly ideas and terms. ("Meditation is not relaxation, as is often thought nowadays.") Sanskrit terms are explained in a glossary. Characteristic of explanations of philosophy, the text, though clear, tends toward lecture-like dryness. This would make a good reference for students of Eastern spirituality.
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Review

The Four Yogas: A Guide To The Spiritual Paths Of Action, Devotion, Meditation And Knowledge by Swami Adiswarananda (Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York)is an extensive interpretive collection of the ideals and concepts underlying the spiritual philosophies of Yoga and the true callings of the acceptance of its pathway. Comprehensively exploring the theoretics and ideologies of progressive introspection, and through Yoga, the finding of one's inner-most self. The Four Yogas recognizes both the philosophical and the artistic approach to yoga and provides readers with a plethora of informative commentaries drawn from Karma Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Raja-Yoga and Jhanana-Yoga. The Four Yogas is very strongly recommended to all readers with an interest in the Hindu religion and wishing to explore a more Yoga-oriented aspect of their spiritual development and practice.

― The Midwest Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ SkyLight Paths; 1st edition (February 1, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1594731438
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1594731433
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.23 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.84 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

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Swami Adiswarananda

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
15 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

(Mr.) Rene Pineda
5.0 out of 5 stars A Supplementary Guide To The Bhagavad Gita
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
Each of these Yogas stand on their own as a 'Spiritual Path' for individual tendencies and character, and each 'Yoga' complements the others. These are a concise compilation which often quote the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. To quote Vivekananda's salutation to his guru Ramakrishna ( considered an Avatar / Divine Incarnation) ..."In thee all paths of all Yogas meet''. [This quote is from the works of Vivekananda and not from this book.]-RP
4 people found this helpful
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Precious
5.0 out of 5 stars In depth yet clear and concise
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2013
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I bought this book having read it through my local library. It relates yoga with respect to ordinary people seeking meaning and purpose to their lives. It goes into Yogic tradition and its philosophy. But the text is easy to follow and exhilarating. Would recommend to all those who have a quest towards higher purpose and goals, not offered at all by a material existence.
6 people found this helpful
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nita bernstein
5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful on our path. He writes simply, ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2015
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Very helpful on our path. He writes simply, understandably and truly defines how the 4 paths are different, similar and brings one into a greater understanding of the truth of yoga.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2015
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Yes.
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SRV Associations
5.0 out of 5 stars A guide to living an authentic spiritual life
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2014
“The Four Yogas” is a masterful presentation on how to live an authentic spiritual life. Both readable and appropriately technical, it will inspire beginning aspirants and those who have been traversing the spiritual path for a lifetime. As minister and spiritual leader of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, Swami Adiswarananda has clearly brought to bear all his experiences in guiding spiritual aspirants, coupled with his own inner realizations and study, in designing this book. He draws from classic resources such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, as well as from the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and the works of Swami Vivekananda who revitalized and re-envisioned these four yogas at the start of our contemporary spiritual era in the late 1800’s.

“The Four Yogas” is laid out extremely effectively by first relating the overall message and goal of each Yoga, and then examining its philosophical and psychological aspects, its practices, and also its relation to the other yogas. Further, and most beneficially, Swami Adiswarananda has included the obstacles that confront the practitioner, methods for overcoming them, and the signs of progress.

In the case of karma yoga, the first yoga presented, the discussion of obstacles and methods itself is worth the entire book. For no matter what our temperament may be — devotional, active, contemplative, or intellectual — or what religious tradition we practice, we all engage in action. If we desire to live consciously and efficiently in the spiritual sense, it behooves us to perform our actions from the standpoint of karma yoga. The list of obstacles and how they constantly mutate into other forms will undoubtedly answer and solve many of the issues aspirants encounter day to day.

Throughout “The Four Yogas”, the author carefully explains each yoga/path in its own terms, but it is only natural that the other yogas filter in as supports to the “primary” yoga under discussion. The final chapter of the book is entitled “Harmony of the Yogas,” and therein he gives a detailed explanation of how the Yogas, practiced together, save the sincere aspirant: “By the harmonious practice of all the four yogas, the seeker avoids the pitfalls and roadblocks on the path of yoga and attains the goal of the spiritual quest.”

Selected quotes from The Four Yogas:

On Karma Yoga with Meditation: “It is not true that activity brings weariness. Longing for the results of action and not action itself causes weariness. Such longing makes one anxious and, therefore, weak. An active life is the counterpart of the contemplative life. The two go hand in hand. Even the actions of a karma-yogi without contemplation lose their spiritual direction; contemplation without action lapses into laziness.”

On loyalty to the Chosen Ideal in Bhakti Yoga: “True harmony of religions is the harmony of realization and God-consciousness. It is not the harmony of paths. The goal is one but the paths are different. Unless seekers remain faithful and steadfast in their own path, they never experience the harmony of God-consciousness.”

On the difference between a controlled mind and a dull mind in meditation: “When persons without training and preparation try to make their minds vacant, they are likely to succeed only in covering themselves with tamas, the material of ignorance, which makes the mind dull and stupid and leads them to think they are making a vacuum of the mind. To be able to really do that is to manifest the greatest strength, the highest control.”

On Nonattachment: “To see only the diversities of the world is ignorance; to see only the unity of Pure Consciousness is a half-truth. To see the unity of Pure Consciousness in the diversities of the material world is perfect knowledge.”
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