The Vedāntic Refutation of Yoga
Keywords:
Vedānta, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, Patañjali, Yoga critique, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Jīva Gosvāmin, Govinda Bhāṣya, kaivalya, bhakti-yoga, philosophical refutationAbstract
The article "The Vedāntic Refutation of Yoga" by David Buchta (Dvija Mani Dāsa) examines how Vedānta, particularly in its Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava formulation, critiques and subordinates classical Yoga philosophies—especially the dualistic Sāṃkhya-Yoga system of Patañjali. Buchta draws extensively on texts like Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s Govinda Bhāṣya and Jīva Gosvāmin’s Sarva-samvādinī to demonstrate how Vaiṣṇava theologians affirm the value of yoga sādhana (discipline), yet reject its metaphysical dualism and ultimate goal of kaivalya (isolation). Through close reading and comparative analysis, the article argues that while devotional Vedānta absorbs certain yogic tools—such as āsana, prāṇāyāma, and meditative concentration—it reframes them within a bhakti-centered paradigm where liberation is conceived as loving union with Kṛṣṇa, not ontological detachment.
