November 2025 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami-- The Treasure Hunt
Srivatsa Ramaswami
November 2025 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami–The Treasure Hunt
By October 7, 2025 I completed teaching the 100 hr Teacher training Program in Vinyasakrama Yoga at Soulyoga in Salt Lake City Utah, USA. The program included all the 10 major asana vinyasa sequences, pranayama and the study of two texts Samkhya karika and yoga Sutra. Many thanks to Rachel Cieslewicz and Eric Martin.
Then in October I was in Miami, Florida teaching a 30 hr Vinyasakrama program hosted by Tim Feldmann and Kino MacGregor in their Miami Life Center. The program included several major breath oriented Vinyas sequences, Pranayam and study of Yoga Yagnyavalkya.
Between November 19th and 23rd, I am scheduled to teach a 30 hr Vinyasakrama yoga program hosted by my young old friend Ryan Leier at One yoga in Vancouver in Canada. The program includes learning several major breath oriented vinyasakrama sequences as I learnt from my guru Sri Krishnamacharya and also study of the first few chapters of the Bhagavat Gita verse by verse on Karma Yoga. It is available in person and online. Here is the link and please search for my program in the site to register
The Treasure Hunt
Billions of the people in the past lived in poverty. Billions at present experience a hand to mouth existence. Livelihood for billions in future is likely to be difficult with less jobs due the automation of both work and mind. A few however with their basic needs assured proceed to go after power, position and possession. Out of those who put their best efforts a very small percentage achieve success, But the ambitions do not stop. The ambitions only grow. The millionaire strives to become a billionaire and then a trillionaire. A few succeed and others by the end of their lives remain unfulfilled, disillusioned.
Some sit back and contemplate. The worldly or other worldly successes do not seem to give the expected fulfillment. Taking account of the billions of people struggling to make both ends meet and the lack of fulfillment of those who gain power, position and possessions the discerning (viveki) mind starts wondering if there is a way to find the treasure that would give permanent and irreversible fulfillment. Continuing the path of happiness from the outside universe is futile the viveki would conclude considering the position, power and possessions of even Indra is insecure and Devendra feels insecure of his position. So the Micaberian optimism of the future here and future janmas or births is misplaced for the Viveki
So the Vivekis turn inward to find the elusive treasure. The Hatahogi works towards reaching the safe haven of jagatprana or universal life force. She/He would first observe yama niyamas to restrict the engagement with the outside world for bare living a la a Spartan life. The Hatayogi would first correct the wayward movement of prana (prana prakopa). Because of the clogged nadis the prana or life force is unable to move freely (pranasanchara) through the nadis within the body.. The Hatayogi practices nadisodhana or cleansing of the nadis. Then with the nadis unclogged the yogi practices pranayama and gains control of the life force. Then she/he by kevala kumbhaka completely controls prana called pranasamyama. With the other tatvas like agni (fire) the yogi with hatayoga asana and mudras directs the prana towards Kundalini, then arouses kundalini. Then, the awakened kundalini traverses through the sushumna. The integrated prana moves through the sushumna and goes through all the chakras giving extra ordinary experiences. Finally the prana pierces through the brahma randhra and merges with the jagat prana or universal life force. With that there is no return to phenomenal existence. The Hatayogi avoids future birth and associated pain and sorrow. It is common belief that the prana leaving through the nine apertures in the body leads to different levels of future birth and the yogi would not want the prana to go out through any of the nine dvaras or apertures. The treasure of eternal fulfilment is experienced by the yogi as the prana leaves the body and merges with the universal or jagat prana or universal life force.
The Kundalini yogi considers Kundalini as Goddess, the universal mother who resides in the individual as sakthi or energy. The yogi reveres and loves mother kundalini and the approach would be to arouse the mother in one. Then one would gently, reverentially and lovingly lead Her through sushumna nadi and make Her unite with the universal Lord Shiva in the seventh sahasrara chakra. When this union or Yoga takes place between Sakti and Siva the abhyasi experiences infinite bliss in all his nadis as Sankara says in his Soundarya Lahari. The means adopted could be a combination of asana pranayama meditation and mantra japa done with great devotion. It is a well developed system. When the Kundalini yogabhyasi experiences this infinite bliss there is no desire for any transient pleasure the outside universe can offer. Thus fulfilled, the Kundalini yogi hits the jackpot .
Then the throughgoing Samkhya yogis explain the origin of the universe, its evolution and above all the immutable Self, the purusha, which should be called as I.The outside world is evolved out of the three gunas of mulaprakriti. The origin or mulaprakriti is made of three inherent gunas or characteristics which evolves into 23 evolutes, viz., the five gross elements (bhutas), the five sensations (tanmatras), five senses(jnana indriyas) the five instruments of action ( karmendriyas) the coordinator of the indriyas (manas), the ego (ahamkara) and the intellect (buddhi). The human being ( the body mind complex or the prakritic empirical individual ) possesses all the 24 prakritic tatvas including the essentials of mula prakriti in the form of the permeating three gunas. The samkhyas point out the the 24 tatva individual belongs to the objective prakriti but the subject is the consciousness that is immutable/unchanging and hence
the immortal Purusha. By the realization of this purusha as the real oneself and not the 24 tatva prakritic or empirical person is the goal of the samkhya yogis. What does the Samkhya yogi get from this realization? By comparison the Purusha is infinitely superior to the ever changing empirical body mind person that is predominantly unhappy, always in want, unfulfilled. In contrast the purusha is ever fulfilled unaffected by happenings in prakriti.
When the samkhya yogi realizes the real nature of oneself would develop a disassociation with the prakritic body . “I am not in the prakritic body, this body is not of the purusha, i am not this person” so experiencing the samkhya yogi’s mind stays with the real Self, the undiminishing fulfilling Treasure.
Buying fully the template afforded by Samkhya, the Rajayogis like the renowned Patanjali proceed to enunciate a system by which one can surely and steadily attain kaivalya where the yogis mind remainswith unparalleled satisfaction. The Rajayogi would say that the prakritic body can be used for more and more unending involvement with the outside world for more possession, power and position resulting in an unending cycle of death and birth which is inherently sorrowful and painful. This is what the multitude of human beings do. On the other hand one can make use of the body obtained by past karma to follow the path of Rajayoga and directly realize the real Self, the priceless treasure. Patanjali and Vysa assure that every human mind is capable of attaining the Treasure that lies within.
The Bhakti yogi on the other hand finding the universe affords only dukha, pray to the Lord the creator of the universe to let her/him, the jivatma, merge with the creator Lord or attain sayujya completely obliterating the individual identity of oneself. With that merger there is no rebirth, there is no sorrow, no pain. The Lord is the highest Treasure.
Samyoga yoga uchyate jivatma jivatma paramatmanoh.Yoga is the union of individua; Self with the Supreme Self.
While the Hathayogi, Rajyogi, Bhaktiyogi Kundalini Yogi are unanimous in their view that the outside universe has no depleting eternal treasure to offer but seek to find it within rather than without, the advaita vedantin while agreeing that the outside universe is inherently painful, also aver that the created universe is not substantive and is in fact only an illusion of just names and forms and–to repeat– no substance . So the treasure hunt in the outside universe is like chasing the will of the wisp and absolutely futile. The atman / brahman is the pure unvarying consciousness that the yogi is able to see within one’s own heart and is the greatest Treasur
The yogis hunt for the Treasure within themselves.