August 2024 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami—Bharata (भरत)
Srivatsa Ramaswami
August 2024 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami—Bharata (भरत)
In July nothing important to report. I turned 85
Bharata (भरत)
It is common knowledge that Sri Krishnamacharya was a consummate Hatayogi. Those aesthetic breathtaking breath oriented vinyasas logically crafted around scores of highly beneficial asanas in its art form of vinyasa krama asana practice are well known. He employed the complete range of the Hatayoga tool and did not stop with just asana practice. His teachings of practicing Pranayama along with the judicious use of the bandhas and mudras for the health
and the benefit of the internal organs are a unique contribution to Hatayoga. He showed that Hatayoga is a comprehensive health practice leading one to meditate and achieve the goal of Raja yoga.
He was not just an excellent hatayoga teacher. He was a great vedic scholar.He was one of the very few who were practicing not only hatayoga but also excelled in all branches of the vedas. He could chant the entire (krishna) yajurveda. He could teach all the upanishads. He could teach all the darsanas be it nyaya, samkhya, yoga or vedanta. He was an authority on Vaishnavism. In olden times Hatayogis would concentrate on asana and maybe pranayama and some mudras–some good and some not so good–but seldom study the other sastras, On the other hand many vedic scholars would have nothing to do with yoga practice. Even as they do pranayama while doing rituals they may just touch the nose and recite the pranayama mantra without controlling the breath. Krishnamacharya was one of the very few, nay perhaps the only one who saw the individual benefits of both–hatayoga practice and vedic studies.
Some people came tohim to study religious texts alone. Some would come to him for some odd ailments and seek relief from aches and pains and Sri Krishnamacharya would oblige them with some simple yoga routines and some ayurvedic medications. Some would come only to study a few asana practices for their daily routine. But he taught yoga in a comprehensive manner to his few long standing students,
One of the texts he taught was the Bhagavatgita. He even conducted weekend public lectures on the Gita. He would say that the Gita is a great yogic text even as it is considered an important vedanta text. Lord Krishna who imported the important gita upadesa to Arjuna was called “Yogeswara”, Lord of yoga. Each chapter is termed a yoga, He would also point out a number of references common to gita and the sutras of Patanjali.
The Gita is not a stand alone text. It is part of Mahabharata, said to be the longest work. an epic. Mahabharata and the venerated Ramayana are ’ epics or itihasas. An Itihasa is considered as a historical narration.it means ‘thus’, ha is ‘indeed 'and asa would be ‘happened’. So itihasa would be “how it happened’ or a historical presentation.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are historical accounts of two dynasties, Suryavamsa or Sun Dynasty and chandravamsa or moon dynasty. It contains narration of two avataras or Lord Vishnu viz., Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. Both contain each a character called Bharata. Ramayana’s Bharata was a reluctant proxy King. Mahabharata’s Bharata was an outstanding emperor. Bharata was the grandson of the famous Royal Sage Viswamitra–Viswamitra is credited with one of the most sacred mantras of the vedas the Gayatri considered second only to pranava or “OM” mantra.
Viswamitra before he could complete his tapas faltered and fathered a female child through a celestial person, Menaka. The lovely girl Sakuntala was brought up by a sage , Kanva, in a secluded Ashram in the midst of a forest. Sakuntala happened to meet a king named Dushyanta who was on a hunting mission. Sakuntala served the King during the expedition and subsequently married the King and became pregnant. Dushyanta left for his country promising to return and take Sakuntala to his country, but it is said that he completely lost any memory of his time with Sakuntala due– it is said– to the curse of another sage Durvasa who felt that he was insulted by the King.
Sakuntala gave birth to an extraordinary male child. The child named Bharata exhibited enormous powers and courage. Lion cubs were his playmates. He would force open the mouth of the lions and count the number of teeth–a strange way to learn counting. Dushyanta who had promised Sakuntala that he would fetch her soon after, never returned. as you may infer, because he had total amnesia about Sakuntala. Then at the urging of Kanva the foster father of Sakuntala, she with the child Bharata went to see the King who could not remember anything about Sakuntala, his own wife. Then due to divine intervention he regained his memory and accepted Sakuntala as his lawful wife. Sakuntala was made the queen and our little fellow Bharata was made the crown prince. In due course Bharata became the King and is said to have created his kingdom called Bhaarath, containing the present day India.
Bharata is said to have performed several royal yajnas and conquered several kingdoms. Pictures from Google search which are said to map the entire territory under Emperor Bharata are available.
The Sanskrit word Bharata (भरत) itself is said to be derived from the sanskrit root bhru to support, to bear. Now let us get to know the meaning of the term Mahabharata the epic or itihasa which is the story of Bharata and his lineage. Mahābhārata (महाभारत) is of two parts maha and bhārata (भारत). Maha is great or extended and bhārata would be ‘of Bharata’ or Bharata”s. Bharat’s what? It is Bharata’s story. Since the Mahābhārata is the story of not only Bharata but also his extended dynasty/lineage it came to be known as Mahabharata.
The term Bharata in Mahabharata would indicate Bharata’s story. The same word भारत would also indicate Bharata’s kingdom. It came to be known as bhāratavarṣa (भारतवर्ष) or the kingdom of Bharata. Even in the present day during Sankalpa of any religious activity performed in India, one would mention the location as bhāratavarṣa or the kingdom of Bharata.
The word Bharata is as mentioned comes from the root bhru to support or bear. As the emperor Bharata took care of all his subjects he was called Bharata the supporter or benefactor of his subjects,
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Several commonly used words in Sanskrit and many Indian languages are derived from the root bhru to support or bear. The word bhartā/bhartṛ (भर्ता/भर्तृ) derived from the same root would be husband. In the olden days the husband would take care of his wife and so was called bharta. On the other hand the wife, again in the olden days, would be called as bhāryā (भार्या) meaning one who would be supported by a husband.
Then we have the word bhrātā/bhrātṛ (भ्राता/ भ्रातृ) also derived from bhru. Bhrātṛ that rhymes with the English word brother means brother. A brother is one who would take care of a single unmarried or widowed sister. Since in the olden days in India widows were not marrying another time, the brother was required to care of the sister requiring support. Of Course these would require considerable give and take among the brother's family members