The Haṭhapradīpikā: insights into Svātmārāma's methods and purpose made possible by the new edition

The new critical edition of the Haṭhapradīpikā by the Light on Haṭha team has allowed for the identification of a text much closer to that composed by Svātmārāma in the early 15th century than all previous editions. In this paper I shall analyse what this recension tells us about Svātmārāma's methods and purpose in composing the text. In sum, he used both textual and ethnographic sources to give an account of all the physical yoga techniques that were current at his time, and he made the case for their being essential for success in yoga.