Core Works of Dr. Kulkarni

I found your book to be a guide, a manual, and a textbook for yoga students – it covers all aspects of human life.. Your book on Adhiyoga giving a scientifically designed Authentic Yoga System is remarkable. It is your original work, which makes the work more worth and praise worthy.

Adhiyoga is not a book but the Amrita-Kalasha (pot with elixir of immortality) that never gets empty. It is a treasure (of knowledge), the wealth in which does not exhaust even when drawn by millions. Each reading reveals new finding. The skill needed to make life happy is found in Adhiyoga.

Neel Kulkarni has prepared a Samidha (a sacrificial substance) of Eighteen Chapters containing a few hundred Sutras. All his Sutras are in English. Therefore, they shall be studied and taught all over the globe, I have not even a hint of doubt about this. The efforts made by Yoga scholar Neel Kulkarni for this invaluable writing are amazing. It will take at least 15 days for a serious Yoga student to get an overview of this book. The meaning that emerges from reading and reciting the Sutras gives immense peace of mind and joy.

Adhiyoga is innovative and authoritative in the field of Yoga, for a new comer as well as for a dedicated practitioner to achieve health, happiness & spirituality; I congratulate the author for his unique achievement and contribution. Adhiyoga will no doubt attract scores of enthusiasts who are keen to make Yoga part of their daily life.

As a Yoga practitioner, a Yoga teacher and a specialist physiotherapist I have found ‘Adhiyoga’, written by Neel Kulkarni, to be an invaluable tool for the development my own spiritual and health well being and for my ability to then be able to help others. Adhiyoga is one of the few books that I find myself reading from again and again. It has and will always continue to be an inspiration for my personal and professional development and will always be a source of information that I can recommend to anyone with whole hearted assurance of its rigour, validity, reliability and precision. 

Neel’s “Authentic Yoga System” aims to facilitate the achievement of any goals we may have – be they psychological or physical, spiritual or material. Positive and non-judgmental, the book encourages the student to engage in further study and effort in order to achieve his/her own outcome.

This is where Neel truly shines as a teacher.  He has a gift of unwrapping the teachings in a clear and precise manner, relating it back to the bigger picture, and then making it relevant and palatable for the modern day yogi. Thank you Neel!

This book really helps with self-discovery. It is a journey to observe each part of yourself, your body, mind, spirit, and a step to realise what you are doing, and were you want to move forwards. Thank you Neel!

Neel has aligned the older system of yoga with modern day life. He guides the student in setting goals for a yoga practice that meets the needs of the individual. When the student’s practice is in line with their goals, there is more consistency of practice and more contentment in life.

Karusha Harichand

Yoga Teacher, Zambia

The book is written in such a way that it is self-explanatory, but having done the course with the book as study material is a complete package. Every topic covered in the book is essential knowledge for all beings not only those interested in yoga. I pray that more and more individuals find the means to study Adhiyoga with Neel Kulkarni.

Isaura Maglio, Senior Yoga Teacher, Italy

Its content is valid and perfect at all times. It is a book in which to take refuge whenever you need to re-center yourself, be guided and not lose sight of your purpose.

*Recommended for yoga practitioners, teachers, and seekers of Truth.

Philosophy Writer, Retired IAS Officer

Now this book will prove to be rationally presented Patanjali Sutras. Many experts have done such work on Bhagvadgita and other treatises. But nobody had ventured for the re-examination of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Neel Kulkarni has done that job in an excellent manner.

Most study courses of Patanjali’s Yoga Darshan only walk you through the first two chapters. I believe this is due to a lack of understanding of Sanskrit and how it fits into the greater Indian philosophical tradition.  Neel is both a scholar and a practitioner with a thorough understanding of both the Sanskrit language and Indian philosophy. 

I am now continuing my studies with Neel via the Samkhya Karika. I am excited to see what’s to come!

Wes Linch

Livia Cordosco, Registered Yoga Teacher, Italy

Considerations about Patanjali Yoga Sutras and Patanjali Code.

In modern times, a lot of people talk about yoga, and almost everyone seems to have some idea of what it is and what it means. Apparently, it appears merely as a physical practice. Lots of asanas (poses) are taught to students in classes and courses around the world. Everyone is looking for physical health and fitness from this practice; perhaps some mental advice is also given, so you might hear teachers saying things like, “focus on this, focus on that, try to feel like this, try not to feel like that, etc.,” but everything is always related strictly to the body.

Like all physical exercises, this asana practice is surely useful in providing beneficial effects to practitioners, but even those effects are limited to the body. It seems that yoga has become a product of the fitness industry or is considered merely a therapy for bodily problems. Yoga now requires mats, blocks, blankets, and props, and it is performed as a deep stretch, an intense strength practice, or even acrobatic and contortion training.

However, we should understand that nowadays, real yoga knowledge is completely misunderstood or not known at all by both teachers and students. This statement is true in the vast majority of cases.

I will tell you directly how to gain authentic knowledge about yoga.

There is a text considered the most authentic in yoga: I am talking about the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a text written about 2,000 years ago. This text does not show any asanas at all; no breathing exercises are included; there is not even a mention of stress relief or any of that crap. It explains a practice that relates only to the mind—regardless of daily life, society, the body, health, fitness, or anything belonging to the material world—in order to begin a practice called meditation.

This meditation practice occurs only when the mind is not involved in any other activity, such as body exercising, dieting, playing, eating, or anything else, except the activity of focusing on one object to reach states called samadhi and kaivalya (final liberation). It speaks about mental practices only, in order to make the mind known to the practitioner, reach the real Self, and dissipate the ignorance that affects the mind of every human being.

But the mind is very difficult to train, and so is following the method provided by Patanjali. Just to start, one has to perform certain practices (mainly mental ones) that are almost impossible for most of us. Only a saint or a very high-level practitioner could succeed.

Therefore, meditation itself—as described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras—is a practice that can be started only if specific conditions are met; and you also realize that merely creating or obtaining those conditions is a difficult task. Remarkably, among all the practices and advice given by Patanjali, no physical asana at all is mentioned, except for the one where the body can completely relax, becoming steady and comfortable for a highly prolonged period. Such a pose can only be a sitting position; it does not even matter if you are sitting on a chair or doing a full lotus pose; the importance lies in the practitioner's ability to sit steadily and comfortably for a long time.

There are many false translations and interpretations of this text. Some are intentionally wrong—fantasizing and messing things up just to captivate an audience of misinformed believers—while others are incorrect because the fundamental knowledge required to understand Patanjali’s sutras is missing.

However, that text is not easy to understand for several reasons.

First, it is written in the Sanskrit language, so you may need prior study to be able to translate it correctly.

Second, it is a philosophical text that draws heavily from the major philosophical systems of that time, such as Samkhya or Vedanta.

Therefore, you also need to understand this background to truly comprehend the terminology and, consequently, the sutras' statements.

Moreover, the sutra form consists of brief sentences packed with meaning, so you must consider that every single word requires profound analysis.

Also, one has to understand the logic (the system) used by Patanjali in ordering those sutras.

We definitely have the chance to study from the source of this information (in fact, the original Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are available!). However, this means we would have to go to a Sanskrit professor at the very least, and have them translate every word, every sutra, and every chapter before we can try to understand it and make it accessible.

Yet, even if you do all of the above, the Patanjali Yoga Sutras still remain difficult to fully

comprehend. You must consider other factors, such as the age of the text, the mentality of that period, and the ultimate aim of the scripture.

You should also consider that Patanjali’s statements are sometimes contradictory or redundant. In fact, what Patanjali did was simply compile all previous yoga knowledge and philosophy into one text, trying to give it a logical framework and a precise method. But this attempt is not 100% perfect. Indeed, sometimes he misses very important concepts; sometimes he repeats certain statements unnecessarily; sometimes he goes further into explanations only to return to a previous point or stage later on; sometimes he does not explain at all what needs to be done at a certain point; and sometimes he uses different terms to describe the exact same thing. Ultimately, his system is incomplete; he does not tell us what happens to a purusha after the stage of liberation (kaivalya),

leaving doubts and questions in the reader's mind. 

It took a lot of prior study of yoga philosophy for me to finally go through Patanjali’s sutras.

Without a firm knowledge of Samkhya philosophy, in particular, it is almost impossible to

accomplish such a task. Those sutras are certainly not easy to understand, but at least we are still able to directly access the primary source and check whether what we have learned or heard from other books and people is correct or not.

If you do not know any Sanskrit professor to help you with the translation, or if you are looking for a profound and accurate analysis, the good news is that there is now an easier way to access that authentic knowledge. That way is through a book called Patanjali Code. The author is Dr. Neel Kulkarni, a famous and acknowledged Brahmin and yoga teacher, who was led to authentic yoga and Sanskrit studies from his early childhood. Patanjali Code is, in fact, written in sutra form—first in Sanskrit, and then in English. Each sutra is also followed by an explanation.

Thanks to the systemic approach applied in this text, Dr. Neel Kulkarni received the Dr.

Radhakrishnan Award for Educational Excellence in India. Furthermore, the Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan institution of Mysuru conferred upon him the honorary title of 'Nava Sutra Yogacharya', symbolically recognizing him as a second formulator and codifier of the Yoga Sutras for the modern era.

This book is not a simple translation or clarification, but a true 'systematic update' of the original Patanjali Yoga Sutras (PYS). Only a full, deep comprehension of Patanjali and yoga philosophy could lead to such a work.

Here are the key aspects that characterize it:

• Greater clarity: Filling textual gaps, adding elements considered missing, and modifying

incomplete passages of Patanjali's original work to make it accessible to a contemporary audience.Every modification is clearly stated and can be compared to its original form.

• Scientific approach: Integrating traditional yoga science with modern scientific knowledge, treating the ancient aphorisms with a more linear and sequential logic, and filtering out redundant or unhelpful information found in some of Patanjali's original sutras (all these elements are collected in one of the final chapters of Patanjali Code).

• Reorganization: Structuring the sutras in a more schematic way (the author expanded the work into a complex structure organized into 18 chapters) to encourage in-depth study. Studying and comprehending PYS is made possible and much easier by the logic followed in the Patanjali Code system. It also eliminates the possibility of misunderstanding the concepts and terminology found in the PYS, because everything is scientifically explained and cited from authentic philosophical sources. 

Furthermore, due to the extreme difficulty of following Patanjali’s practice—especially in modern society—Patanjali Code gives us another option. This method centers on Ishwarapranidhana. While this concept is present in the original PYS, it belongs to the second limb of Ashtanga Yoga, called Niyama. In Patanjali's original view, Ishwarapranidhana is a religious concept, meaning complete devotion and faith in God. In Patanjali Code, however, there is a revolution of this concept. First, it is granted a dedicated chapter (Chapter 11); second, it is described as an alternative practice to Ashtanga Yoga; third, it is detached from any specific religion to become a universal

practice.

This innovation transforms an ancient theological and devotional concept into a cutting-edge psychological and scientific tool to manage expectations, reduce performance anxiety, and connect to a universal consciousness through focused action. Ishwarapranidhana is not seen as a passive attitude of religious submission, but as a focused and active intent toward universality. It means performing every action by giving the utmost of one's human capabilities, and combining this highly determined commitment with the psychological ability to 'let go' of the outcomes, beautifully

integrating action with modern psychology.