March 2025 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami--Who am I ?--II
Srivatsa Ramaswami
March 2025 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami–Who Am I ?--II
Between Feb 19th and 26th 2025, I was in Mysore teaching a yoga program organized by Tapan Raj, The program for about 35 hours in all consisted of five major sequences (tadasana, trikonasana, asymmetrical seated poses as marichasana matsyendrasana, vajrasana, suptasana including sarvangasana with scores of breath oriented vinyasas). The program also included the participants doing 32 savinyasa suryanamaskara with my chanting of the entire arunam from Yajurveda (2 hrs). Participants also did 32 nadishodhana pranayama with me chanting the vedic pranayama mantra. They also (most of them) did 80 viloma ujjayi pranayamas. Shanmukhi mudra with an introduction to pranava dharana meditation also formed part of the practice. We also went through most of Sri Krishnamacharya's “Nathamuni’s yoga rahasya”. There were 20+ participants in person from different countries as Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, UK, USA, Serbia, Canada, Mexico and of course India. In all, a very nice group. The program was well organized by Tapan Raj and his very hospitable efficient wife Sahana
In April I am scheduled to teach a 4 day (8hrs) online program hosted by Ryan Leier in Canada.
Four day (8 hrs) Vinyasakrama yoga study program as learnt from Sri Krishnamacharya--Srivatsa Ramaswami
Of the ten major Vinyasakrama sequences three important ones would be taken up for study in this program and a session on pranayama
Day 1. Of the three standing sequences in Vinyasakrama yoga Trikonasana with other subroutines as Uttita parvakonasana, parsvottanasana and virabhadrasana will be taken up for study and practice. It will be extended to include prasarita padottnasana culminating in samakonasana. Trikonasana and related subroutines afford deeper practice of the skeletal system due to a broader base to work with.
Day 2. Suptasana or supine poses sequence-- It would contain subroutines as apanasana dvipadapitam urdhvaprasarita padahastasana culminating in Sarvangasana, the Queen asana . Further vinyasas in sarvangasana and the counterposes (pratikriyas) will also be included
Day 3. Asana in sanskrit means to be seated . The goal of all asana practice is to be able to sit in a yogic posture for a sufficiently long time to practice pranayama and meditation. Here two classic postures Vajrasana and padmasana with vinyasas would be taken up for study and practice. The day's work will include other seated poses like siddhasana gomulhasanas and more
Day 4. Acme of Hatayoga is pranayama. It is a practice included by all yogis --hatayogis, raja yogis, bhakti yogis and others. About ten different pranayama procedures will be gone through with brief practice in each of the procedures. An introduction to mantra pranayama also will be taken up.
Here is the link
https://www.oneyogavan.com/online-yoga
As I have repeatedly been informing my friends, my book “Samkhya Karika” is being published by Inner Traditions in the USA. Samkhya is a groundbreaking vedic darshana and yoga philosophy draws heavily from Samkhya. This book is published in the USA and is to be released on May 6, 2025. It can be preordered.
Now my publishers have sent a poster about its availability in India and the necessary contact information. I am attaching the Indian poster sent by the publishers, I would request studios and the many yoga friends in India to use the poster for yoga practitioners in India and to be informed about the availability of the book in India. It will be great if my friends owning or having access to yoga studios may consider displaying the poster in their studios to inform the yoga students of the availability of the book in India. It is priced at Rs 899 The poster can be download from the link given below
https://app.box.com/s/vezq5ug6gy8d5ux4fj8px9wv5dfem2em
Sivaswami, fresh from his Mahakumbh visit and holy dip and fasting on Mahasivaratri day, was happy to meet with Govindaswami again. Govindaswami started the discussion by saying that according to Samkhya and yoga the answer to the question “Who am I?” is " I am pure unvarying consciousness." What results can you derive from this?. My buddhi will conclude that I am immortal because I am non varying pure consciousness. If an entity does not vary over time- remain the same moment after moment–it is immortal. It has neither a beginning nor an end. . Lord Krishna says to Arjuna at the outset that the atman or the real self cannot be destroyed or even altered by any means.
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Sivaswami said that he still does not feel that he is immortal even after knowing indirectly that the real Self, the non changing consciousness, is immortal.
Truth, especially " spiritual" truth is known in three steps, according to vedic darsanas, added Govindaswami. Firstly, one comes to know of spiritual truth through unimpeachable sources like the sages or rishis and taught by one's teachers as Lord Krishna did by his emphatic opening teaching in the Gita to Arjuna. And this indirect knowledge of the Self is the minimum prerequisite for functioning as a karmayogi. Trillions of people in the past did not know this. Billions at present are also ignorant of this Truth about the Self. The trillions and more in the future also will be painfully unaware of this fact about the Self or oneself. Arjuna could fight the Kurukshetra war as a karmayogi after obtaining the knowledge about "Who am I" after the Lord's teaching of the Self at the outset. This is faith based understanding and is like saying “I believe is a supreme Lord” as told by my benevolent elders.
Sivaswami said that people who think rationally would like some convincing reasoning.
Govindaswami said : But the sastras do not ask you to merely faithfully believe. They are not just dogmatic alone. Truth should be convincing. So through analysis and contemplation the truth becomes strongly established in one's mind. Samkhyas would ask one to use uha or inference to know the Truth. As I had mentioned during our earlier conversation there are a few methods of reasoning to convince one about the nature of the Self or " Who am I".
Sivaswami said that he remembered about the scientist saying that the outside objects are not directly seen but only sensations produced by light particles, sound waves etc and reach the brain as electrical impulses. For the brain to see, the electrical impulses will have to be processed. Then it sees only the images produced in the brain. The yogis also say that each one sees the outside world only as a cittavritti or the processed projection of and from the mind. But why do we not accept that the brain can see as the scientists say
Govindaswami said: The embryo has no brain, no consciousness but with the ingestion of fats the brain develops. The brain or citta is prakriti and prakriti has no consciousness according to samkhyas and yogis. The embryo evolves into a human being by ingesting food from outside. Food, the organic matter has no consciousness as we understand consciousness. The embryo itself is a product of egg and sperm themselves products of food. So the brain or citta is also a matter made of fat cells.
There is another reasoning put forward by some ancient thinkers. Patanjali and scientists by implication would say that the information from the outside world is processed by the brain or citta and projected for the experience to take place. We have however seen that what is experienced is not merely the outside objects but also the physical person. Now the person has the brain in it and it would be incongrous to say that the brain or citta within the body projects the body of which the brain itself is a part. How can the brain project itself?
Sivaswami. Why not say that the brain or citta not only processes and also sees the objects?
Govindaswami argued that to say that one part of the brain is constantly observing another part of the functioning brain amounts to the scientist view that the brain sees. If it is so then science has yet to locate the locus of consciousness in the brain. It is impossible for the brain to be an observer and also the observed. Succinctly Patanjali would say all that is experienced as presented by the brain as cittavrityis are always known due to the non changing nature of the indwelling self of pure consciousness. "Sada jnatah cittavrittayah tat prabhoh purushasya aparinamitvat." And the Self is merely an observer “drata drisi matrah suddhah api pratyayam anupasyah” Further as pointed earlier the brain developed wholly from the embryo by ingesting fat food from outside.
Sivaswami then wanted to know if there is more reasoning to say that consciousness is separate from the brain and itself non changing.
In the Gita the Lord says that the real Self is consciousness and is immutable and immortal. Nothing can harm or alter it. Further He would say that the non changing Self observes all the happenings that take place during childhood, a different group of activities during adulthood and yet another set of experiences in old age. It observes death of the individual then the transmigration of the subtle body with the karma bundle to another birth and the experiences thereof.
Sivaswami interjected and said that many people do not believe in karma theory or transmigration and would like to get the best out of this one off life.
Irked a little by this digression, Govindaswami went on to say that ignorance or disbelief in karma or future birth does not affect the law of karma which is the cornerstone of vedic philosophies enunciated by Rishis. And rishis are truth speakers ( rishayah satyavacasah). In “spiritual” matters I would rather trust the rishis than arm chair skeptics
The Lord also says that no one encounters objects per se but only gets sensations.
And then we have Manduka Maharshi's Mandukya upanishad whose teachings every one can easily relate to oneself.
Sivaswami said that Mandukya Upanishad is a vedanta text. His friend agreed and said the upanishad first explains and step by step leads the aspirant to the Self which is pure consciousness and thereafter identifies as Brahman. It is a masterpiece.
How does this upanishad deal with "I"? asked Govindaswami and went on to answer it himself. I ,Govindaswami like you my dear Sivaswami and others everyday spend a lot of time awake and doing a variety of works in this world. Then I go to bed and soon for a period of time have dreams and then for a period of time have sleep. In these two states, sleep and dream I, (Govindaswami) am not conscious of myself-- which is not being aware of Govindaswami- unlike in waking state when there was a complete awareness of Govindaswami.
So when I say I slept well or had sweet dreams the "I "is not Govindaswami . According to science, during sleep and dreams states there is temporary paralysis of motor activities. . It is also said that when one has a dream there is a partial temporary paralysis of several motor functions and so the dreamer does not take even a step when the dream self does all activities like running at breakneck speed chased by the dream tiger.. So only in the waking state Govindaswami is considered as "I" by the mind. In the dream state the dream self is somewhat different from the waking state Govindaswami. In the waking state I am 75 having a family and a robust bank balance. But in the dream the dream self may be 17 years old, a penniless entity moving around aimlessly. If Govindaswami were the dreamer how could it consider the dream self as the real Govndaswami. So the dreamer is different from Govindaswami. Similarly in deep sleep Govindaswami is completely absent. But sleep is an experience and that experiencer is the non changing consciousness. And finally the upanishad mentions the fourth state of consciousness which transcends all the three states of waking dream and sleep. This fourth state or turiya requires enormous concentration afforded by yoga. Yogis call it yoygika pratyaksha or direct perception through yogic samadhi or concentration. All, almost all who talk about it– some may even have a Ph.D., teach the subject lifelong but have not reached that stage. of pratyaksha ot direct perception. At best they have an understanding, a conviction but no direct experience.
Then the rishi makes a deadpan statement. This atman or Self is Brahman (ayam atma brahma)
It should be realized, he says, in this lifetime.
As Govindaswami stopped talking and was taking a sip of water. Sivaswami asked the following questions
1. What is the benefit of knowing, directly and indirectly, the real nature of the Self?
2. What should one do to reach the third stage of direct realization of the Self and the additional benefits thereof?
3. What is the import of the mahavakya " aham brahmasmi"?
Govindaswami said that he was tired and suggested that they could discuss these questions the next time they would meet. Sivaswami who felt that he could not take anything more, gladly thanked Govindaswami
Then they had a nice dinner. Had a good time talking about school days and life post school.