The Holy Science

1920 Original Edition

Editions
As one reads in the foreword of the 1920 Edition,
Sri Yukteswar published the chapters of The
Holy Science first in various segments in his
Sadhusambad journal. This is how the journals
looked like:
Later, in 1920, they were privately printed as a
book (the one published here) by Atul Chandra
Chowdhary, who is mentioned in Autobiography
of a Yogi as one of Masters [Sri Yukteswars]
chelas in Calcutta. He was the Secretary of Sri Yukteswars
organization Sadhusabha. The book was called Kaivalya
Darsanam, translated as Exposition of Final Truth.
Still later, in 1949, The Holy Science was printed by SRF,
slightly edited (Bengali terms were now presented in Sanskrit,
for example kal became kala etc.; grammar was corrected; the
introduction was modified). Yogananda wrote a foreword for
that edition, in which he mentions that Sri Yukteswar expounds
the Sankhya philosophy along with quotes from Revelation.
(Sankhya is one of the six darshanas, Vedic philosophies). It is
interesting that Yogananda focuses on these two, as Sri
Yukteswar discusses not only Indias Sankhya (as we will see),
nor only Revelation from the Bible: there are numerous quotes
from the New Testament, words of Jesus. It might be, however,
that Sankhya and Revelation are the most striking features in the
book.

For the 1962 edition the Sanskrit sutras were translated into
English, an obvious necessity for Western readers.
This is how the 1974 Edition looked like:

A Thought About the Yugas

Often the Sri Yukteswars Yuga system is placed at the center of
discussion where The Holy Science is concerned. In fact
however, this topic is only a part of his introduction. His Yuga
explanations are fascinating and revolutionary, but the real
essence and challenge of his book remains the science of GodOneness, and the parallel teachings in Eastern and Western
scriptures.
The Sanskrit Sutras
A question sometimes asked is: are the Sanskrit Sutras in The
Holy Science direct quotes from ancient scriptures, or were they
composed by Sri Yukteswar?
In Autobiography of a Yogi Sri Yukteswar explains his intention
concerning the book: Quoting the words of the blessed Lord
Jesus, I showed that his teachings were in essence one with the
revelations of the Vedas. In other words, he states that his
Sutras are from the Vedas (including all other Indian scriptures
which are offspring of the Vedas).
On the other hand Swami Satyananda writes in his book Swami

Sri Yuktesvar Giri Maharaj- A Biography: He began to create

Sanskrit Sutras based on the unifying conclusions of eastern
philosophy and sadhana, and alongside these Sutras, he wrote
down the.
Probably, then, Sri Yukteswar composed these Sutras, which
represented essential thoughts from the sacred Indian Scriptures.
SRF explains in a Note to the Seventh Edition, 1972: of all
the Sanskrit Sutras set down by Swami Sri Yukteswar.. , of
each Sutra (precept summarizing Vedic teaching).
J.C. Bhattacharya who published a biography on Sri Yukteswar
states similarly: The conclusions of the Hindu Scriptures he
embodied in Sanskrit Sutras (dictums) composed by himself.
Union of Six Indian Philosophies (darshanas)
The very first words of Swami Sri Yukteswar, written in
Sanskrit, state a fascinating fact: his book The Holy Science
expounds the six darshanas: the six Vedic philosophies
(Sankhya, Yoga, Vendanta, Nyaya, Mimansa, Vaisesika). These
first Sanskrit words were translated into English in 1962, but
insufficiently (maybe because the six darshanas would have
been too much to digest for readers at that time, when yoga was
still very new in the West). Readers may look up that
Introduction in modern versions of The Holy Science, which
begins with the words:
[This Kaivalya Darsanam, (exposition of Final Truth) has been
written by Priya Nath Swami.
An important part is missing in that English translation. Swami
Satyananda in his book, Swami Sri Yuktesvar Giri Maharaj- A
Biography offers that same Sanskrit text in a transliterated
version, followed by the complete English translation:

In the 194 year of the Dvapara Yuga, in the Prayag, in order to

analyze the teaching of the six systems of philosophy, having
obtained the permission of the Lord Parama-Guru, Priyanatha
Swami of the family of Karar, son of Kadambini and
Kshetranath, presents this Darsha-Kaivalya for the well-fare of
the world.
Indeed in The Holy Science one finds typical elements of the six
philosophies (darshana). Three of them, Sankhhya, Yoga,
Vedanta, are listed below. Professional scholars and pundits may
complete this insufficient list. Sri Yukteswar in his The Holy
Science unites these schools of thought, which are usually
considered rivals, teaching contrasting and opposing
philosophies. Here are at least three of the six darshanas
(Sankhya, Yoga, Vedanta), and how Sri Yukteswar imbedded
them in The Holy Science:
Sankhya
The first chapter in The Holy Science is almost pure Shankhya.
Sri Yukteswar describes the cosmos in Shankhya terms,
explaining its 24 basic principles of creation (Sutra I;12). They
are:
- AUM (in Shankya called Moola Prakriti)
- Mahat (Sri Yukteswar in Sutra I,6 writes that Mahat is the
same as chitta); in Shankhya mahat brings forth buddhi. Mahat
or chitta contains not only buddhi, but also manas and
ahankara.
- Manas (sensory mind; manas and buddhi polarize chitta:
buddhi pulling it to God, manas outward)
- Ahankara (ego; as said, it too comes out of chitta)
- 5 Jnanendriyas (sense organs of perception: smell, taste,
sight, touch, hearing)
5 Karmendrias (organs of action: excretion,
generation/procreation, motion, manual skill, speech)

- 5 Tanmatras (usually called subtle elements, which Sri

Yukteswar describes as objects of the senses of smell, taste,
sight, touch, sound)
- 5 Mahabhutas (5 elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether)
Sankhya is usually understood to be a atheistic philosophy,
which Sri Yukteswar corrects in his exposition. His first
three Sutras explain that everything is and comes from God
(Parambrahma). In fact, in the Autobiography of a Yogi he
says: Because of one Sankhya aphorism, Iswar-ashidha,
A Lord of Creation cannot be deduced or God is not
proved, many scholars call the whole philosophy atheistical.
The verse is not nihilistic, Sri Yukteswar explained. It
merely signifies that to the unenlightened man, dependent on
his senses for all final judgments, proof of God must remain
unknown and therefore non-existent. True Sankhya
followers, with unshakable insight born of meditation,
understand that the Lord is both existent and knowable.
Yoga (the Yoga Sutras)
Sri Yukteswar in The Holy Science uses famous terms of
Patanjalis Yoga Sutras, offering his exposition of yama, niyama
(III;9-11), asana, pranayama, pratyahara (III,12-18). He uses
Patanjalis term Samyama (III;19-22), which is dharana,
dhyana, samadhi combined. Along with it he refers to smriti
(divine memory), a typical concept used by Patanjali.
The important and revolutionary concept in The Holy Science is
that chitta is explained as heart, (I;6) a teaching which later
Yogananda taught as well. Usually when talking about
Patanjalis famous definition yogas chitta vritti nirodha, chitta
is explained variously as memory, consciousness,
subconsciousness, mind-stuff, thought, mind. Yogananda,
following Sri Yukteswar, taught chitta to be feeling or
primordial feeling.

In truth, if one studies it carefully, everything in The Holy

Science revolves around the Heart (chitta). Sri Yukteswar
concludes his book therefore: It has been clearly demonstrated
in the foregoing pages that God is Love, not only as the
noblest sentiment of a poet, but as an aphorism of eternal truth.
The oldest extant commentary of the Yoga Sutras is Yoga
Bhasya, by Vyasa. In it (III,45) are described the Ashta-siddhi,
the eight powers which Sri Yukteswar also describes in The
Holy Science (Sutra IV;11).
Sri Yukteswar also includes the teaching from the same
Scripture Yoga Bhasya (III,26), that the universe is structured in
14 spheres or worlds: the seven lokas (usually called upper
worlds) and the seven patalas (lower worlds). Sri Yukteswar
explains (I,13) that the patalas are not as commonly understood
worlds under the earth (netherworlds), but the chakras. In
them reside the scriptural sapta-rishis, the seven rishis, who are
usually taught to be in patriarchs of the world.

Vedanta
All Upanishads are Vendanta. The ancient Taittiriya Upanishad
(II,7) explains the 5 Koshas (Pancha Kosha), a concept which
Sri Yukteswar picks up in his The Holy Science (I,14).
Sri Yukteswar also discusses the three bodies (causal, astral,
material), a Vedanta teaching.
The very first three Sutras of The Holy Science are pure
Vedanta: how Parambrahma (God) is everything, causes
everything; later (I,15,16) Sri Yukteswar explains that the
created world is maya, illusion, unreal; and that the mystical

way back to the realization of Brahman as the only Reality is

through AUM: all this is pure Vedanta.
The very last Sutra in The Holy Science is vedantic too:
Beholding the self in the Supreme Self, man gains eternal
freedom. This could be a direct sentence by Adi
Shankaracharya, one of the foremost expounders of Vedanta
(Advaita Vedanta). Shankaracharya wrote: Brahman is the only
truth, the spatio-temporal world is an illusion, and there is
ultimately no difference between Brahman and individual self.
CONCLUSION
We might conclude that Sri Yukteswar was a great believer in
harmony, in union. He tried, at Mahavatar Babajis behest, to
reconcile the six darshanas amongst themselves and with the
Biblical teachings. He was also a yogi who believed in the
harmonious union between science and religion: a teaching
which Yogananda later expanded on. May this harmony and
unity spread everywhere on our planet, as Dwapara Yuga
manifests itself ever more purely.