Mind Dope

Yoga undiscovered, yoga revealed.
A few words about „Yoga tradition of the Mysore palace” by Norman E. Sjoman

Patañjali has said that a word, once spoken, sets up a vibration that continues into infinity. He also says that one single word, correctly spoken, is sufficient to achieve enlightenment. The vibration that is the primal desire to speak, is the vibration that originated this universe. The realization of that primal vibration was a mystical experience. All this might point to the fact, among other things, that we ought to be careful what we say.¹ — Norman E. Sjoman

Recently I asked myself what a tradition is, in general sense and in yogic perspective. This came to my mind thanks to „Yoga tradition of the Mysore palace” written by Norman E. Sjoman. All over the world we meet so many traditions and each one of them is ardently defended by so many groups of people. In spite of this vast variety of living traditions, we probably do not think deeper about their true origin. The word „tradition” itself can be magical in some way for humans: it gives us an image of something old, wise, acknowledged by generations; something reliable and right. It brings certain safety to our uncertain existence, so we do not want to ask inquisitive questions: who did this or that for the first time? Why? When? What for? We do not think whether we are able to go back in time and watch the past events to find the answers. In this situation, how can we be sure that the precious tradition we are involved in is correctly understood and used today?

I asked myself another question too: how do we pass down traditions from generation to generation? The answer is quite easy: by word of mouth or in written sources. But if we base what we do on the oral tradition, how can we check if it has not became warped with time? Written texts seem to be more reliable in this context.

If we want to find the roots of modern yoga practice, it can be challenging to navigate through the classic Indian manuscripts, but without doubt we are able to name one of them, the most commonly known: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. However, in this source we cannot find descriptions of asanas, not even the basic ones. The only thing that Patanjali says is that the asana should be „stable and pleasant”.² In „Hathapradipika”³ we find descriptions of 15 asanas. Other classic texts do not mention more than over a dozen or several dozens of them. On the other hand, in „Light on Yoga” by B.K.S. Iyengar, published in 1960, the author presented more than 200 asanas with illustrations. How was that possible? Did anyone think about it? Did anyone try to explain this?

At this point dr Norman E. Sjoman enters the stage with the manuscript discovered in the library of the Maharaja of Mysore.

Does it sound like an adventure of a yogic Indiana Jones? Maybe a little!

Dr Norman Sjoman is a Canadian sanskritist who spent 25 years in India studying sanskrit, first in Pune and later in Mysore. He held a doctorate from the Centre of Advanced Studies in Sanskrit at Pune University and a pandit degree from the Mysore Maharaja’s Pathasala. In Pune he attended Iyengar’s yoga classes for about 5 years. When he moved to Mysore to continue his academic studies, he discovered a treatise titled „Sritattvanidihi” in the library of the Oriental Research Institute. „Sritattvanidihi” was written between 1811 and 1868, and it contains a yoga section with 122 illustrations and descriptions of asanas. The authorship of this text is assigned to Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraj Wodeyar (1794–1868), the greatest art patron who ruled Mysore. The illustrations are copied from „Hathapradipika”, but they are not finished: the colors and shades are missing. However, Sjoman’s publication is from a manuscript in the Mysore Palace photographed with the permission of the late Maharaja. There is no chance to find similar manuscripts in Mysore, because the palace archive burned. Sjoman writes: „This text provides a unique documentation of a diversity of asanas from an earlier date than the modern texts - approximately 150 years earlier. It is unique in its concentration on asanas. (…) This textual source and the historical material provide a vital link for the student of the history of yoga”.⁴

„Yoga tradition of the Mysore palace” was first published in 1996. The text on the jacket informs us about the purpose of the book: it aims to trace „(…) the developments in the yoga tradition that has led to the strongest yoga tradition practiced in the world today, from Krishnamacariar to Patthabi Jois’ Astanga yoga system and the Iyengar system. (…) The introduction traces the development farther back by looking into a history of asanas itself, garnering evidence from different periods in Indian history and relating this to the basic texts of yoga philosophy. (…) The introduction centres around a translation of the yoga section of the Sritattvanidihi, the oldest text available at present substantiating a developed asana practice.”

Currently Sjoman’s findings have been cited in the volume on Yoga of the Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophy, but at first his book caused a little storm in the yogic world. There were even some voices that the author wanted to gain money using names of well-known yoga masters. In the preface to the second edition, Norman Sjoman explains the purpose of his book with these words: „The criticism that the Indian schoolmen make of western thinkers is that they are unaware of their presuppositions. The presuppositions, which here are actually the reasons why people do yoga - why very different people in different times have done yoga, have been carefully exemplified in this book. (…) This is an attempt to understand an underlying motivation for following the teachings of yoga and thus, to understand why yoga has survived. This appears to have passed unnoticed by most readers. This is not surprising as there has not even been any attempt at understanding the implications of the fact that the book brings into question the particular narrative history of yoga as it is known and drawn on by trying to trace an outline of the important developments in the practice tradition. It would seem to be a serious problem if our history, which presumably forms the basis for our action, is shown to be largely fabrication.”⁵

But actually which part of „Yoga tradition of the Mysore palace” caused such a disgust in the yogis?

First of all, Mysore is a very important place in the history of yoga. The most important teachers and styles come from this city. Krishnamacharya, often called the father of modern yoga, guru of Iyengar and Jois, came to Mysore palace in 1926 to teach yoga to Maharaja Krishna Raj Wodeyar IV and members of his family. He found „Sritattvanidihi” in the palace library and a shala⁶ with ropes, dumbbells and other gym instruments used in Western gymnastics.

By analyzing available resources Sjoman came to a conclusion that in the first half of the XIX century there was already a modern yoga system created in the palace of Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraj Wodeyar to popularize the ancient teachings among his subjects. In 1890, „Vyayama Dipika” was published, a gymnastics exercise manual written for the prince Nalwadi Krishnaraj Wodeyar. The manual combined yoga, traditional Indian gymnastics, pull-up exercises and weightlifting.

The modern yoga focuses mainly on asanas, not on meditation or pranayama which were the most important part of the practice in the past. The asanas were practiced to keep the body healthy and strong enough to endure many hours of meditation. The yoga tradition developed under the patronage of the royal family from Mysore has changed or squeezed previous systems out. Sjoman concludes that modern yoga is the fusion of asanas from „Sritattvanidihi”, wrestling, calisthenics and military exercises. Today it influences the yoga practice all over the world, mostly because of the teachings of Iyengar and his students. Sjoman’s book questioned the theory that the yoga systems from Mysore are a direct continuation of the ancient traditions. We will not find any confirmation of this theory among written texts. The modern yoga, as a therapeutic system, was born by combining many different elements and events. The asanas from Iyengar’s book can be traced until the times of Krishnamacharya, not earlier. They had been developed as an answer for changing society, for new conditions and needs of that society. Who would like to sit today for many hours and meditate about infinity, like the ancient yogis did? In the end they were weirdos and outlaws, not celebrities.

As a consequence, a very particular system was built which combined different approaches. Sjoman writes, that „(…) yogic system of movement is not based primarily on muscular contraction. It is based on stretching. Furthermore, it centers on the spine and not on the limbs. Muscular contraction does play a part in it, but only an initial part. Yogic movement requires that the initial movement develops into stretching and culminates in balance and relaxation.”⁷ And: „This concept of stretching can be examined through Patañjali’s sūtram prayatnaśaithilyānantasamāpattibhyām: (asanas are accomplished) by relaxing or loosening the effort and by meditating on the endless. Effort or muscular contraction is required initially to acquire the position. This involves the conscious willing of the mind, the voluntary nervous system and then, in the accomplishment of that movement, the autonomic nervous system, the unconscious, takes over. Every movement requires conscious volition and the unconscious content which determines exactly how that movement is accomplished.”⁸

People are accustomed to a certain vision of reality and its components. This gives us some sort of mental comfort. We can assume, at least for one moment, that we know something and that we control something. Nobody likes to accept new facts if the old ones are deeply rooted in the mind. And yoga is such a delicate, particular subject. It is a permanent change, everyday transformation. You have to accept that what comes, does not stay forever in the same shape. Even the history or tradition. When I feel confused, I recall Norman Sjoman’s words: „ (…) it is the performance tradition which is the ‘survivor’ and not the textual tradition”.⁹ What evolves, is kept alive. What cannot change, is forgotten. The transformation is the essence of everything and Norman Sjoman’s courage in looking for the truth about yoga gives us the possibility to know at least one part of this process. He sees yoga as a spiritual art and the academic research as „an art of clear thinking rather than a career”.¹⁰ And: „The arts, being a manifestation of the human spirit and love, are one of the few things that remain with us in this world; one of the only things that have any value”.¹¹ These words make us think and feel that yoga is something more than a set of exercises. Yoga is an art passed from one body to another, from one head to another, from one practitioner to another, from ancient past to this day when I sit in front of my computer and write these words. This must be the truth: only love can stand such test of time.

¹ Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 8

² 2.46 Sthira Sukham Asanam

³ A classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma

⁴ Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 41

⁵ Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 5

⁶ gym; Indian gymnasiums were very popular in older cities of India. See: Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 44

^{7, 8} Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 44-45

⁹ Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 36

^{10, 11} Sjoman, N.E., The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, 2nd edition, abhinav publications, Delhi, 1999, p. 12