This is used to invoke Patañjali during a Yoga Sūtras study. It helps to focus student’s minds and get in the ‘mode’ of studying yoga philosophy. The Yoga Sūtras are not Veda: they are a work from 200-400 CE that has come to be recognized as the core text of Yoga darśana. There are many other philosophy books, and hundreds of Upanishads, literally thousands of commentaries. But no text holds the same place as the sūtra-s. That isn’t a judgement, it’s a statement of the Yoga Sūtra-s utility and intention. No other text treats yoga practice and methodology in the same way, though they may be beautiful, personally meaningful, or offer flights of poetry. The Sūtras should be studied with a teacher who has previously studied the text with a qualified teacher: they are not something you can read in translation or independently. There is much hagiography around Patañjali as well; all things you glean from working in relationship with an accomplished teacher.
