Chant at the beginning of classes in honor of Sage Patañjali, composer of the Yoga Sutras about (2500 years ago), a treatise on Ayurveda, and Sanskrit grammar.
yogena cittasya padena vacam
Yoga for consciousness, grammar for speech
malam sarirasya ca vaidyakena
medicine for the ills of the body;
yopa karottam pravaram muninam
he gave us these things the sage
patañjalim pranjalir anato’smi
Patañjali to whom I pay my respects.
abahu purusakaram
His upper body (arms) of human form,
sankha chakrasi dharinam
holding conch and disc,
sahasra sirasam svetam
thousand headed cobra (over his head)
pranamami patañjalim
I pay my respects to Patañjali
Listen to Yogācārya Sri B.K.S. Iyengar chanting the above.