Digital Object Identifier
K. Ramakrishna Rao’s Patañjali’s Yogasūtra: A Psychological Study offers a scholarly exploration of Patañjali’s Yogasūtra from a psychological perspective. It talks about the eight aṣṭāṅgas set forth by Patañjali, aphorisms, various padas and their impacts on the human mind. Blending classical Indian thought with modern psychology, Rao examines the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral dimensions of yoga, highlighting its relevance to contemporary mental health and self-regulation. There is a main focus on yoga psychology, its effect on an individual’s psyche, role of self or personality with Indian context. This paper evaluates the book’s key arguments, methodology, and contributions to both psychology and Indic philosophy along with the discussion of universality of Indian psychology, it’s historical background, various theories, showing the dynamic nature of Indian psychology, psychological aspects of various indigenous texts and the difference in approach of Indian and Western psychologists. It also discusses the book’s implications for modern psychological practices, particularly in mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and well-being.
Vanshika Dobriyal, and Dr. Laxmi Rawat Chauhan. “K. Ramakrishna Rao’s Patañjali’s Yogasūtra A Psychological Study.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 30–56. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.3.
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