Essential Yoga Books for Neophytes

The Synthesis of Yoga

In this book, Sri Aurobindo examines the traditional systems of yoga and provides an explanation of certain components of his own system of integral yoga. There is an Introduction, "The Conditions of the Synthesis", and four parts: "The Yoga of Divine Works", "The Yoga of Integral Knowledge", "The Yoga of Divine Love" and "The Yoga of Self-Perfection". The material was first published serially in the monthly review Arya between 1914 and 1921; the introduction and first two parts were later revised by Sri Aurobindo for publication.

Author: Sri Aurobindo
Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department
Release: 1999
Format: PDF
Pages: 938

The Life Divine

In this book, Sri Aurobindo presents a theory of spiritual evolution and suggests that the present crisis of humanity will lead to a spiritual transformation of the human being and the advent of a divine life upon earth. The material first appeared as a series of essays published in the monthly review Arya between 1914 and 1919. They were revised by Sri Aurobindo in 1939 and 1940 for publication as a book.

Author: Sri Aurobindo
Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department
Release: 2005
Format: PDF
Pages: 1133

The Bhagavad Gita (as translated by Sri Aurobindo)

Publisher's Note: The translation of the Gita presented here was compiled mainly from Sri Aurobindo’s “Essays on the Gita”. It first appeared in “The Message of the Gita”, edited by Anilbaran Roy, in 1938. Sri Aurobindo approved this book for publication; however, he made it clear in one of his letters that the translations in the Essays were “more explanatory than textually precise or cast in a literary style”. Many of them are paraphrases rather than strict translations.

Sri Aurobindo also wrote that he did not wish extracts from the Essays “to go out as my
translation of the Gita”. This should be borne in mind by the reader as he makes use of this
translation, which has been provided as a bridge between the Gita and Sri Aurobindo’s Essays.

Author: Sri Aurobindo, Publisher: N/A
Origin: intyoga.online.fr/the_gita.htm
Release: 2000, Conversion format: PDF, Pages: 64

Savitri - A Legend and a Symbol

Savitri: A Legend and a Symbol is an epic poem in blank verse by Sri Aurobindo, based upon the theology from the Mahabharata. Its central theme revolves around the transcendence of man as the consummation of terrestrial evolution, and the immergence of an immortal supramental gnostic race upon earth. Unfinished at Sri Aurobindo's death, Savitri approaches 24,000 lines. The Mother, who was Sri Aurobindo's spiritual collaborator said this of Savitri: "... everything is there: mysticism, occultism, philosophy, the history of evolution, the history of man, of the gods, of creation, of Nature. How the universe was created, why, for what purpose, what destiny - all is there. You can find all the answers to all your questions there. Everything is explained, even the future of man and of the evolution, all that nobody yet knows. He has described it all in beautiful and clear words so that spiritual adventurers who wish to solve the mysteries of the world may understand it more easily.".

Author: Sri Aurobindo
Publisher: Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department
Release: 1997
Format: PDF
Pages: 763