Bhagawad Gita: In Yoga we say that the next most influential text is the Bhagwad Gita. This Philosophical /Spiritual poem of 700 verses is found within the larger poem (the largest in history) called Mahabharata. The Bhagwad Gita is the pre-dominant book for Hindus today; and also is a veritable treasure trove of Yogic knowledge. In fact in the discourse given by Sri Krishna to Arjuna (on the battlefield of Kurukshetra – a strange place for a spiritual discourse!); for the first time we are introduced to various forms of Yoga such as Karma Yoga (the path of Action); Bhakti Yoga (the path of Devotion) and Jnana Yoga (the path of Knowledge) to compliment what Patanjali had spoken of as Raja Yoga (could be thought of as the path of Meditation).
As India evolved and went through a golden period under the Maurya and Gupta dynasty; Yogis everywhere in the mountains and forests were experimenting more with practical Physical and Mental techniques with the goal of liberation (Moksha in Buddhist terminology).
Medieval Times: By the 15th century; many yogis felt that while the ideals of Meditation as Buddha espoused were good; there was also a need for focussing on the preparatory practices – namely, working on the Physical body, on Breath and so Yoga as we know it saw a revival throughout India. “Hatha Yoga Pradipika” written by Swami Swatmarama became an influential text.
Also in medieval India, Bhakti Yoga was practiced fervently by such adepts as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and others.
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