Master Class on Introduction to Yogasūtras by Nrithya Jagannathan

INDICA & CENTRAL SANSKRIT UNIVERSITY

present

MASTER CLASS ON INTRODUCTION TO YOGASUTRAS

A three-day immersion into the teachings of the Yogasūtras

INDICA, in collaboration with Central Sanskrit University, announces a three day in person Master Class on Introduction to Yogasūtras with Nrithya Jagannathan.

This offering continues the academic collaboration between INDICA and Central Sanskrit University that has brought together a series of intensive Master Classes exploring different dimensions of Indian Knowledge Systems. Earlier programs in this series examined the Mahābhārata as a civilisational text with Prof Vishwa Adluri, introduced the classical methodology of śāstric reasoning through Tantrayukti with Prof M. Jayaraman, explored the Indian understanding of the mind through Bhāratīya Mānas Śāstra with Prof Mala Kapadia, and examined the Agamic foundations of temple institutions through Temple Management in the Āgamas with Dr Deepa Duraiswamy.

The present Master Class turns toward one of the most concentrated articulations of the science of the inner life that the Bhāratīya tradition has given us: the Yogasūtras of Maharṣi Patañjali.

Across four pādas and 195 sūtras, the Yogasūtras lays out, with extraordinary economy, a complete map of the human condition, the nature of the mind, and the path from saṁyoga and avidyā to kaivalya. It situates Yoga firmly within the darśanic landscape of Bhārata, drawing on the metaphysics of Sāṁkhya while charting its own distinctive path of disciplined practice and inner clarity.

In contemporary discourse, Yoga is often encountered through a narrow lens, reduced to posture or technique. Yet the Yogasūtras presents Yoga as an integral darśana: a structured vision of reality, a methodology of inquiry into the nature of consciousness, and a graded path of sādhana. The sūtra form itself, terse and densely packed, opens up only in the company of a teacher who has lived within the tradition and can guide the student through its commentarial layers.

This Master Class introduces participants to the Yogasūtras in its own terms: its darśanic context, its metaphysical foundations, the framing of duḥkha and its resolution, the disciplines of Kriyā Yoga and Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, the unfolding of samādhi in its sabīja and nirbīja states, and the realisation of viveka khyāti and Dharmamegha Samādhi.

Across three intensive days, participants will engage closely with selected sūtras under the guidance of a senior teacher in the Krishnamacharya tradition, moving from textual structure to contemplative integration. The program is intended for serious students of the tradition (practitioners, teachers, scholars, and seekers) who wish to engage with the text in its own terms, with the rigour of the sūtra format and the support of the commentarial tradition.

Suggested Readings

Two titles by the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram are recommended companions to this Master Class:

• The Heart of Yoga
• Pūrṇameva: A Return to Completeness

Both titles are available for order through publications@kym.org.

Gratitude-Based Participation

At INDICA, learning is anchored in gratitude, not transaction. This Master Class is offered in reverence to the knowledge we have inherited and to those who choose to engage with it sincerely. We follow a Gratitude Model of participation, which invites engagement rooted in intention, not obligation.

There is no fixed upfront fee for participation. Each program, however, involves significant intellectual, organisational, and financial commitment. The approximate cost per participant for this three-day Master Class is ₹3500.

At the conclusion of the Master Class, participants who feel enriched by the experience may choose to offer Guru Dakṣiṇā as an expression of gratitude for the learning received and in support of INDICA’s efforts to continue curating such initiatives in Indian Knowledge Systems. Details regarding the same will be shared with all participants after the Master Class.

Gratitude may also be expressed through action. Carrying forward what is received through writing, mentoring, dialogue, or other forms of service is equally valued.

Travel & Stay

Participants are requested to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements. INDICA does not provide or coordinate these. During the Master Class, tea will be served twice daily and lunch will be provided on all three days.

Certificate of Participation

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who complete the Master Class in its entirety. This includes attending all sessions across all three days in full and on time, and fulfilling all completion requirements of the program, including submission of feedback and any additional components such as a reflective essay or other assigned work, where applicable.

Schedule

DAY 01 | Context, Structure, Metaphysics

Session 1 | 10:00 to 11:00 Atha Yogānuśāsanam: Setting Context

• Yoga as a darśana in the Bhāratīya tradition
• Purpose of Yoga
• The sūtra format
• Maharṣi Patañjali, structure of the text, commentarial tradition

Tea Break | 11:00 to 11:15

Session 2 | 11:15 to 1:00 Metaphysical Foundations: Sāṁkhya through Yogasūtra (Yogasūtra: 2.18–2.23; 3.9–3.15; 4.12–4.24)

• Puruṣa and Prakṛti
• Triguṇa
• Jīva, Jagat, Īśvara

Lunch Break | 1:00 to 2:00

Session 3 | 2:00 to 3:00 Yogasūtra Catussūtrī: The Core Lens (Yogasūtra: 1.1–1.4)

• Saṅkalpa, Lakṣaṇā, Svarūpa, Sārūpya

Tea Break | 3:00 to 3:15

Session 4 | 3:15 to 5:00 Caturvyūha: Understanding Duḥkha and Its Resolution (Yogasūtra: 2.16, 2.17, 2.24–2.27)

• Nature and causes of duḥkha
• Saṁyoga and Avidyā
• Kaivalya as the goal
• Means to liberation

 

DAY 02 | Path and Practice

Session 5 | 10:00 to 11:00 The Path of Yoga (Yogasūtra: 2.1–2.2; 2.23–2.32; 2.28–3.6)

• Aśuddhi Kṣaya and Jñāna Dīpti
• Kriyā Yoga
• Aṣṭāṅga Yoga
• Īśvara Praṇidhāna

Tea Break | 11:00 to 11:15

Session 6 | 11:15 to 1:00 Abhyāsa, Vairāgya and Īśvara Praṇidhāna (Yogasūtra: 2.12–2.16; 2.20–2.22)

• Nature of the mind (Vyāsa’s lens)
• Discipline and dispassion

Lunch Break | 1:00 to 2:00

Session 7 | 2:00 to 3:00 Sādhana and Siddhi (Yogasūtra: 3.16–3.36; 3.37–3.51; 4.25–4.28)

• Siddhis as by-products
• Their scope and limitation
• Reiterative vairāgya

Tea Break | 3:00 to 3:15

Session 8 | 3:15 to 5:00 Samādhi: Sabīja States (Yogasūtra: 1.17–1.19; 1.40–1.51)

• Saṁprajñāta Samādhi
• Development of Viveka

 

DAY 03 | Realisation and Integration

Session 9 | 10:00 to 11:00 Samādhi: Nirbīja and Beyond (Yogasūtra: 3.7–3.8; 3.52–3.55; 4.29–4.33)

• Asaṁprajñāta Samādhi
• Vivekaja Jñāna
• Ṛtambharā Prajñā
• Dharmamegha Samādhi

Tea Break | 11:00 to 11:15

Session 10 | 11:15 to 1:00 From Avidyā to Viveka Khyāti

• Transformation of cognition
• The unfolding of clarity

Lunch Break | 1:00 to 2:00

Session 11 | 2:00 to 3:00 Toward Kaivalyam

• Integration across the four pādas
• Structural understanding of the text

Tea Break | 3:00 to 3:15

Session 12 | 3:15 to 5:00 Synthesis and Dialogue

• Drawing connections across the Yogasūtra
• Q&A and consolidation