translates it along with another book called _Sanka_
(Sa@mkhya) ascribed to Kapila. This book was written in the
form of dialogue between master and pupil, and it is certain that
this book was not the present _Yoga sutra_ of Patanjali, though it
had the same aim as the latter, namely the search for liberation
and for the union of the soul with the object of its meditation.
The book was called by Alberuni _Kitab Patanjal_, which is to
be translated as the book of Patanjala, because in another place,
speaking of its author, he puts in a Persian phrase which when
translated stands as "the author of the book of Patanjal." It
had also an elaborate commentary from which Alberuni quotes
many extracts, though he does not tell us the author's name. It
treats of God, soul, bondage, karma, salvation, etc., as we find in
the _Yoga sutra_, but the manner in which these are described (so

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[Footnote 1: It is important to notice that the most important Buddhist
reference _naraika-cittatantram vastu tadaprama@nakam tada kim syat_
(IV. 16) was probably a line of the Vyasabha@sya, as Bhoja, who had
consulted many commentaries as he says in the preface, does not count
it as sutra.]

234

far as can be judged from the copious extracts supplied by
Alberuni) shows that these ideas had undergone some change
from what we find in the _Yoga sutra_. Following the idea of God
in Alberuni we find that he retains his character as a timeless
emancipated being, but he speaks, hands over the Vedas and
shows the way to Yoga and inspires men in such a way that they
could obtain by cogitation what he bestowed on them. The name
of God proves his existence, for there cannot exist anything of
which the name existed, but not the thing. The soul perceives
him and thought comprehends his qualities. Meditation is identical
with worshipping him exclusively, and by practising it
uninterruptedly the individual comes into supreme absorption
with him and beatitude is obtained [Footnote ref 1].

The idea of soul is the same as we find in the _Yoga sutra._
The idea of metempsychosis is also the same. He speaks of the
eight siddhis (miraculous powers) at the first stage of meditation
on the unity of God. Then follow the other four stages of meditation
corresponding to the four stages we have as in the _Yoga
sutra._ He gives four kinds of ways for the achievement of salvation,
of which the first