The Synthesis of Yoga is Sri Aurobindo’s systematic presentation of integral yoga, first published serially in the Arya between August 1914 and January 1921. The work was left incomplete when the Arya was discontinued, and Sri Aurobindo never attempted to complete it, though he revised several portions. It presents a synthesis of the three traditional yogas — works, knowledge, and devotion — along with a fourth path of self-perfection, unified by the vision of the Divine as the object and means of all spiritual seeking.

Structure

The work is organised into four parts:

Part I: The Yoga of Divine Works (Karmayoga) — Self-consecration, surrender of works, the sacrifice, the ascent of sacrifice, standards of conduct and spiritual freedom, the supreme will, equality and annihilation of ego, the three modes of nature, the master of the work, the divine work, and the supermind and the yoga of works.

Part II: The Yoga of Integral Knowledge (Jnanayoga) — The object and status of knowledge, the purified understanding, concentration, the means of knowledge, the states of being, the powers of the being, the nature of the supermind, the knowledge of the self, the knowledge of Brahman, discrimination and detachment, renunciation, and the release from the ego.

Part III: The Yoga of Divine Love (Bhaktiyoga) — The Lord of the being, the cult of the Lord, the divine personality, the dualities of love and devotion, and the heights of bhakti.

Part IV: The Yoga of Self-Perfection — The perfection of the being, the purification of the instruments, the opening of the centres (chakras), the inner senses and their use, the action of the will, the transformation of the mind, life and body.

Key Concepts

  • Purna Yoga (Integral Yoga): The complete union with the Divine through the integration of all faculties of the being
  • The Four Aids: Scripture (shastra), energetic practice (utsaha), teacher (guru), and time (kala)
  • Self-Consecration: Offering all works to the Divine without attachment to results
  • The Psychic Being: The soul in the evolutionary journey that turns the being towards the Divine
  • The Ascent of the Sacrifice: Progressive offering of knowledge, love, and works

Source Summary

CWSA Volumes 23-24 contain the complete text of The Synthesis of Yoga. Volume 23 covers the Introduction, Part I (The Yoga of Divine Works), and Part II (The Yoga of Integral Knowledge). Volume 24 covers Part III (The Yoga of Divine Love) and Part IV (The Yoga of Self-Perfection), along with an incomplete continuation on “The Supramental Time Consciousness”. The text was checked against all manuscripts and printed sources, including Sri Aurobindo’s later revisions to the Introduction and Chapters XV-XVII of Part II.

See Also