Manuscript Number : GISRRJ236636

This paper offers a comparative study of the aṣṭāṅga yoga systems described in the Yoga Sūtras of Maharshi Patanjali and the Vimānārcana Kalpa of the Vaikhānasa Āgama as expounded by Maharshi Marīchi. While Patanjali’s path is introspective and centered on the cessation of mental fluctuations, the Vaikhānasa approach presents yoga as a theistic journey, culminating in loving service to the Supreme Being. The paper analyses individual limbs of yoga—particularly yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, and samādhi—highlighting both convergences and divergences. The Vaikhānasa emphasis on saguṇa dhyāna, inner visualization of the Lord’s blissful form, and the ultimate experience of jīvanmukti through devotional samādhi reveals a unique synthesis of yogic discipline and bhakti. Through this exploration, the paper illuminates how the Vaikhānasa tradition preserves a distinctive and sacred vision of yoga rooted in Vedic ritual, devotion, and divine realization.