December 2020 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Story Time

[Srivatsa Ramaswami]

December 2020 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Story Time

During November 2020, I taught an online 15 hour program. It was organized and hosted by Ekashri Schools of Yoga, was spread over six days and was well attended. The text we went through was "Nathamuni's Yoga Rahasya" written by my guru Sri T Krishnamacharya. Sri Krishnamacharya wrote a few books and a few articles. His Yoga Makaranda written in Kannada I guess in early 1930s or so detailed several asanas especially seated postures with vinyasas. There were a few difficult by then unknown postures. It was translated into Tamil and then a few years back in English by Lakshmi Ranganathan a long time and an early student of Sri Desikachar. Sri TK had also written another book Yogasanangalu in Kannada. But Yoga Rahasya which was written in Sanskrit is a very comprehensive work explaining asanas therapy, pranayama and mudras and above all the importance of Bhakti yoga. I may say that this book more truly represents the source of Sri Krishnamacharya's Yoga

In December I am scheduled to teach two 20 hour on line programs. The first, starting on Dec 3, 2020 will be hosted by Loyola Marymount University. The subject will be "The five koshas--The complete Taittiriya upanishad". Many yogis are familiar with the pancha kosa vidya the approach to understand the Atman/Brahman the theme of the upanishads. All the three chapters of this major upanishad will be covered.

Secondly will be a 20 hour program on Karma Yoga as enunciated by Lord Krishna to Arjuna contained in the first six chapters of the 18 chapter Bhagavat Gita. It is being organized by Ananta Yoga from, Ireland. It starts soon after the Upanishad program Here is the link for the Karma Yoga program

https://www.anantayogastudio.com/workshops/karma-yoga-of-the-bhagavad-gita-an-online-programme-with-srivatsa-ramaswami-14th-22nd-december-2020

 

Story time

 I read a Sanskrit story for children. I liked it, so thought I may share it with you

A young student liked Vedas but did not like the many hours of adhayayana and study required of veda students. He thought that by Tapas if he could find a way to completely understand the Vedas--all of them--without actually studying like chanting and siksha, it will be a great boon to humanity. There are so many like him who want to know and chant the Vedas but hate the rigour of study for long hours, taking a good part of early life. He sat down and started his tapas or penance.

Lord Indra knew that this young man was going on the wrong path and wanted to put him on the right track. He took the form of an old man and appeared before our friend who had just started the tapas on the bank of a river. Indra appeared before him and deliberately took a handful of sand/dirt and was about to throw into the river. The tapasvin who was watching this, asked the old man the reason for throwing a handful of dirt into the river. Then Indra asked our friend who was looking for a quick fix as to why he was doing penance. Our friend really got excited and said he was on a mission to find a sure method of getting the vedas by heart and also understand the import of them all without the rigorous study for years, He said millions would be helped by his effort and would be useful for future generations as well. Pleased with his own oration the young fellow asked the old man about his mission. The old man replied that he was trying to fill the river with a single handful of sand so that he could reclaim a vast amount of land, own it and become very prosperous. But then, said our friend, it is impossible to do it with just a handful of sand. The old man smiled and said that it was the same way what the young man was trying to do of finding a sure one method to master the Vedas without studying. The young man realized the futility of his well-intentioned but impossible mission. He thanked the old man and decided to go through the mill and acquire knowledge in the hard but right way. Then Indra revealed his true identity and blessed the young fellow. He worked hard and became a great Vedavit. 

Once upon a time long long ago I was young. One evening I was reading a book preparing for the following day's annual examination. An older cousin asked me to join his team just outside my house for a game of cricket. I said I had to prepare for the examination. He suggested that I should come out and play and, in the night, I should keep the book under the pillow and sleep and the next morning everything in the book will be in my head. I hesitated but he said that was what he would do all the time before examinations-- a lie of course which I did not suspect, me being gullible. I did exactly what he said that night and in the next day's test I did poorly . I realized that the only way to get knowledge is to study, there is no other way.