From the Publisher

This Yoga sataka was said to be Vararuchi. There may be many Vararuchi. One is familiarly known, as one of Navaratnas in the court of Vikramaditya. Another work Astakarmasthanam is also of Vararuchi. There are many mss, by name Yoga sataka viz. Vidagdha Vaidya, Sripandita, Amruta prabhava, Pumachandra. Yogasataka vyakhya by Samanthabhadra etc. A commentary in Sanskrit by Purnasena is also available.

Oriental Research Institute of Mysore published Yoga sataka of Panditaraya in 1985 under the editorship of Vaidya Sri C. Somayaji, DSAC, HPA and Sri H. Shankaraganapathi Phatak, M.A.. with the Sanskrit commentary of Purnasena. This was edited from seven mss. available to them. In introduction, it was said that the authorship is dificult to decide among Sripanditaraya, Sripandita, Nagarjuna and Vararuchi. Hence, the period of the author also is difficult to decide. It was also said that this book available in Sinhala and studied in Sri Lanka. It is noteworthy that two sanskrti commentaries are available and is translated into Sinhala.

The present translation is based on a Telugu translation of Vaidya Akondi Suryanarayana murti of Tatipati, in the East Godavari District of Andhara Pradesh published in 1951. The translator mentioned that that he took the assistance of a translation (probably in Hindi) of Pandita Jvala Prasad Misra. There are few mistakes in the Telugu translations also. They have been attended to the extent possible. I cold not obtain the translation of Pandita Jvala Prasad Misra.

The publication of ORI/Mysore has 247 slokas/Yogas/ subjects. This is felt that contradicts the very title Yoga Sataka. It is the practice that in every Sataka, one hundred or one hundred and sixteen stanzas are given. Where as in the above publication, there are 217. The reasons for increase in the number of stanzas can be attributed to -
1. This being a popular work, several Vaidyas would have added/ corrected the original stanzas based on their experience.

2. As the name implies, this work should have, only the Yogas and not dignosis part. But Mysore publication has it.

Hence, I consider the Mysore publication, though having more number of stanzas, is an altered text. I consider the one published by Vaidya Akondi Suryanarayana Murty having 105 stanzas as the original text and hence takenup for translation.

There are many gramatical mistakes and also in Telugu translation. Subtitles of the recipes were not given for all in Telugu translation but given in Myore publication.

Probably the Editor of Mysore publication has divided the recipes according to the diseases. This is not there in the Telugu translation.

The work is filled with the tried recipes only. Hence, would have been very popular in those days and spread to Sri Lanka and has two Sanskrit commentaries. The author Vararuchi has stressed on Ama both at the beginning and the end of the work. As is being accepted tht Ama is the reason for many ailments, the author has given preference to it. This book of one hundred recipes include, Powders, Confections, Oils, Ointments, Pills, Rasayanas, Decoctions, errihine oils, Collyriums, etc. Mineral drugs were very sparingly used. They being Copper pyrates, Bhasma of Iron, Anjana, Realgar, Red ochre & Sindura.