Dattātreya’s Discourse on Yoga * James Mallinson jim@khecari.com June ǻǽ, ǻǹǺǼ (Ǻ) To him who has the form of Narsingh, whose self is consciousness, whose true form is bliss, and who is defined by the three words beginning with tat, homage (ǻ-Ǿ) After roaming the whole earth in the hope of learning yoga, that best of sages, Sā . mk . rti, reached the sacred Naimi . sa Forest, which was adorned with trees bearing various sweet-smelling flowers and delicious fine fruit, and pools of water. While wandering about there, that sage came across the great muni Dattātreya, sitting on a platform under a mango tree in a bound-lotus pose, his gaze fixed on the tip of his nose, resplendent with his cupped hands in his lap. (ǿ) en, after bowing to that rishi Dattātreya, Sā . mk . rti sat down with his pupils right there opposite him. (Ȁ) e sage [Dattātreya] immediately stopped his yoga and [seeing] Sā . mk . rti there in front of him, welcomed him warmly. (ȁ) “Sā . mk . rti, tell me why you have come here.” On being asked this Sā . mk . rti said that he had come there to learn yoga. Dattātreya said: (Ȃ) “Yoga has many forms, o brahmin. I shall explain all that to you: the Yoga of Mantras (mantrayoga), the Yoga of Dissolution (layayoga) and the Yoga of Force (ha . thayoga). (Ǻǹ) e fourth is the Royal Yoga (rājayoga); it is the best of yogas. [e stages] are said to be “beginning” (ārambha), “pot” (gha . ta) and “accumulation” (paricaya). (ǺǺ) And “completion” (ni . spatti) is deemed to be the fourth stage. I shall describe these to you in detail, if you want to learn about them. Ǻ [e Yoga of Mantras (mantrayoga)] (Ǻǻ) e wise man should recite a mantra after installing the alphabet in his limbs. at which can be mastered by all and sundry is called Mantra Yoga. (ǺǼ) Lowly is the yogin entitled to practise it. After practising for twelve years he usually attains gnosis, as well as the powers of becoming infinitesimally small and so forth. (Ǻǽ) e lowest aspirant, he of little wisdom, resorts to this yoga, for this Yoga of Mantras is said to be the lowest of yogas. * is translation is based on James Mallinson’s critical edition of the Dattātreyayogaśāstra which was read with Professor Alexis Sanderson, Dr Péter-Dániel Szántá, Jason Birch and Dr Andrea Acri at All Souls College, Oxford in ǻǹǺǻ. Many thanks to them for their valuable input. e edition will be published along with an introduction and annotated translation at a later date. Ǻ