Page 248 - Adhiyoga Purana

Ishwarapranidhanasutrani: Path of Ishwarapranidhana
It began, as so many journeys do, with a single word. In the ancient Ishavasya Upanishad, the word Isha appeared—precursor to Ishwara—marking one of its earliest mentions in the sacred texts. To scholars of the Vedas, the Ishavasya Upanishad was not only an Upanishad but also a Samhita, a work whose significance was profound and enduring.
Generations later, the great sage Patanjali adopted the logic of the Sankhya Darshana in its entirety, yet he introduced something more: Ishwara, taken from the Vedanta tradition. This addition was bold, even visionary, but also problematic. In his work Patanjali Code, Dr. Neel Kulkarni had already shown how the small word “va”—meaning “or”—in Patanjali’s sutra “Ishwarapranidhanadva” (through devotion to Ishwara, or...) created logical dilemmas. If devotion to Ishwara was indeed the easier method, then why would even the most intense seekers choose any other path? Surely, the inclusion of Ishwara must mean something greater—that Ishwara was not simply another option, but the very heart of spiritual liberation.
Neel’s reflections, supported by his years of yogic practice and by the testimony of spiritually realized masters, led him to a powerful conclusion: Ishwarapranidhana—surrender to Ishwara—was not just a superior method, but the only true method of liberation. In his Ishwarapranidhana Sutras, he articulated this conviction clearly, inviting criticism, dialogue, and debate, but never retreating from the clarity of his insight.
This work was not born in isolation. Neel often acknowledged the guiding presence of his father’s blessings, which had placed him on the Yoga path since the age of five. He also carried deep gratitude for his Sanskrit teachers—Dr. G. U. Thite of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and the late Shri N. N. Bhide of Pune—whose erudition and mentorship allowed him to write directly in Sanskrit, a rare accomplishment in modern times. His first Sanskrit composition had been the Hathayogasutrani; the Ishwarapranidhana Sutras became his second.
In this journey, Neel felt particularly fortunate to receive a preface from Dr. Måns Broo, a respected professor of philosophy, Sanskrit scholar, and yoga practitioner at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. Dr. Broo recognized Neel’s work as both rare and necessary, praising him as “a pearl in the ocean of yoga teachers” for his dedication to Sanskrit culture and authentic traditions. He noted how Neel’s exploration of Ishwarapranidhana not only shed light on its role in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras but also showed its essential place in Hathayoga, Jnanayoga, Karmayoga, and even in the great religions of the world.
Dr. Broo’s foreword declared Neel’s sutras to be refreshingly clear and forceful, a bridge between scholarship and practice. He honored Neel as one who had offered Adhiyoga—the primordial Yoga—for the welfare (Shreyas) of humanity.
And so, on Ganesha Chaturthi, 2023, Neel completed this second Sanskrit composition, a work rooted not in mere intellectual exercise, but in devotion, discipline, and lifelong spiritual pursuit.
248