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Peter Romaskiewicz

Thesis Title:  "Yoga and the Sutras of Patanjali:  A Comparative Study of the Yoga Sutra and its Exegesis."

Advisor: Edwin F. Bryant

 
During the previous year (2001-2002), I worked on my Religion Department Honors thesis entitled, "Yoga and the Sutras of Patanjali; A Comparative Study of the Yoga Sutra and its Exegesis."  For my project, Dr. Edwin Bryant, acting as my supervisor, offered his expertise and supplied me with both valued criticism and guidance.  For my thesis, I investigated the Yoga Sutra, an ancient Hindu scripture, written by the yogin mystic Patanjali in the second century CE.  The text contained his systematized teaching and insight into yogic liberation and enlightenment  Specifically, I addressed the modern exegetical literature concerning the Yoga Sutra and examined the analysis as posed by contemporary scholars.  All too often, traditional standards have benchmarked the modern renderings of Patanjali's work and I tried to extrapolate those interpretations and comparatively place them next to the body of the text.  This experience afforded me a look into the shear depth and complexity of the Yoga tradition and allowed me to become intimate with the research.  This project was, in the end, an immensely gratifying experience.