The Scriptures of Yoga
From the Vedas and Upaniṣads to the Yoga Sūtras and the Haṭha manuals — the source texts (śāstra) through which the teachings of Yoga have been preserved and transmitted.
Each text carries its period, language and an honest verification status. Dates reflect scholarly consensus.
Autobiography of a Yogi
EnglishYogananda's memoir; primary modern source.
- Period:
- 1946
- Tradition:
- Kriyā Yoga
Bhagavad Gītā
Presents the synthesis of karma, bhakti, jñāna and dhyāna yoga.
- Period:
- c. 2nd c. BCE
Bhāgavata Purāṇa
Central devotional text of Kṛṣṇa-bhakti.
- Period:
- c. 9th–10th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Vaiṣṇava
Brahma Sūtras
Aphoristic basis of all Vedānta schools.
- Period:
- c. 200 BCE–200 CE
- Tradition:
- Vedānta
Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā
Encyclopaedic seven-limbed (saptāṅga) haṭha manual.
- Period:
- c. 17th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Haṭha Yoga
Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā
Seminal haṭha manual by Svātmārāma.
- Period:
- c. 15th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Haṭha Yoga
Lalitā Sahasranāma
Thousand names of the Goddess Lalitā.
- Period:
- c. medieval
- Tradition:
- Śrīvidyā
Light on Yoga
EnglishIyengar's foundational modern āsana manual.
- Period:
- 1966
- Tradition:
- Iyengar Yoga
Nārada Bhakti Sūtra
Aphorisms defining the path of devotion.
- Period:
- c. medieval
- Tradition:
- Bhakti
Principal Upaniṣads
Philosophical culmination of the Vedas; seedbed of yogic and Vedāntic thought.
- Period:
- c. 800–200 BCE
Sāṃkhya Kārikā
Classical exposition of Sāṃkhya metaphysics by Īśvarakṛṣṇa.
- Period:
- c. 4th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Sāṃkhya
Saundarya Laharī
Devotional-tantric hymn central to Śrīvidyā.
- Period:
- attrib. Śaṅkara
- Tradition:
- Śrīvidyā
Śiva Saṃhitā
Tantric haṭha text framed as Śiva's teaching.
- Period:
- c. 15th–17th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Haṭha / Tantra
Śiva Sūtras
Revealed aphorisms foundational to Trika Śaivism.
- Period:
- c. 9th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Kashmir Śaivism
Spanda Kārikā
Verses on the vibratory nature of consciousness.
- Period:
- c. 9th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Spanda
Tantrāloka
Abhinavagupta's magnum opus of tantric Śaivism.
- Period:
- c. 1000 CE
- Tradition:
- Trika
The Vedas
The foundational śruti corpus of the Vedic tradition.
- Period:
- c. 1500–500 BCE
Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra
112 dhāraṇās (meditation techniques).
- Period:
- c. 8th–9th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Trika / Kashmir Śaivism
Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali
Root text of classical (aṣṭāṅga) yoga.
- Period:
- c. 2nd–4th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Pātañjala Yoga
Yoga Upaniṣads
A group of later Upaniṣads devoted specifically to yoga.
- Period:
- c. 1st millennium CE
Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya
Haribhadra's comparative treatise on yoga.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Jain Yoga