HINDU RELIGION AND YOGA

Yoga is spirituality, esotericism, or mysticism, not religion in the traditional sense.

Regardless of whether we are discussing Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, or Sikhism, Yoga is often linked to the cosmologies as well as religious beliefs and practices of these many traditions.

This has proved to be a stumbling barrier for many Western Yoga practitioners, who are either unaware of these traditions or have a strained relationship with their own religious heritage, whether Christianity or Judaism.

They are particularly taken aback by the many deities of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina pantheons, and they are unsure how these deities connect to real Yoga practice and the doctrine of nondualism (advaita) that is common to most varieties of Yoga.

Students who tend toward monotheism may be worried about falling to polytheism, which is regarded a sin in the Judeo-Christian faith.

Because the emphasis of this discussion is Hindu Yoga, I propose to begin by introducing the main Hindu Gods and Goddesses who figure in the Sanskrit and vernacular literature of Yoga.

Many Hindu deities are also part of the vast Buddhist pantheon, and the Jainas have mostly kept the same deities.

The different deities are worshiped and summoned as manifestations or personifications of the ultimate Reality, and each is regarded as the absolute Godhead in the perspective of their worshipers.

For example, worshipers of God Shiva consider Shiva as transcendental, formless, and qualityless (nirgu na), yet bestow onto this featureless being the gift of devotion.

Goodness, beauty, strength, and elegance are examples of anthropomorphic characteristics or attributes (guna).

All other gods are regarded as lofty beings that inhabit different celestial regions in comparison to Shiva (loka).

They are known as archangels or angels in Christian language.

The scenario is the polar opposite for Vishnu worshippers.

Vishnu is the ultimate Godhead for them, while all other gods—including Shiva—are simply devas, or "shining ones," who have a position comparable to angelic beings in Judeo-Christian and Islamic faiths.

The deities were first understood from three perspectives:

material (adhibhautika),

psychological (adhyatmika),

and spiritual (adhidaivika).

The Vedic God Agni, for example,

represents the physical sacrificial fire,

the sacrificer's inner fire (connected to snake power or kundalint-shakti),

and the divine fire or transcendent Light.

When considering a god, we must examine all three characteristics.

Most academics have concentrated only on the first component, leading them to reject Vedic spirituality as simply "naturalistic."

However, a deeper examination reveals that the Vedic seers and sages were well-versed in symbolism and adept in the use of metaphoric language.

It's our comprehension, not their symbolic communication, that's lacking.

India's "theologians" have talked about thirty-three deities since Vedic times, despite the fact that there have long been many more listed in the scriptures.

The following discussion will concentrate on only a few deities who are particularly connected with Yoga.

To begin, there is Shiva ("Benevolent One").

Shiva is already referenced in the Rig-Veda (1.14; 2.33): Shaivism, or the Shaiva tradition of worship and religion, revolves around him.

He is the god of yogins par excellence, and he is often portrayed as a yogin with long, matted hair, ashes on his body, and a garland of skulls—all indications of his complete sacrifice.

The crescent moon in his hair represents mystical insight and wisdom.

His three eyes, which represent the sun, moon, and fire, show all that has happened in the past, present, and future to him.

The cosmic fire is linked to the central or "third" eye, which is situated on the forehead, and a single look from this eye may incinerate the whole universe.

The snake wrapped around his neck represents Kundalinf's hidden spiritual force.

The Ganga (Ganges) River, which flows from Shiva's crown, is a symbol of continuous cleansing, which is the mechanism behind his gift of spiritual freedom to followers.

His four limbs symbolize his complete mastery over the four cardinal directions, and the tiger hide on which he sits signifies power (shakti).

His trident symbolizes Nature's three basic characteristics (guna), tamas, rajas, and sattva.

Shiva's most well-known animal is the bull Nandin ("Delightful"), a symbol of sexual energy that Shiva has harnessed to perfection.

The lion, which is often shown in Shiva pictures, represents desire for food, which he has also subdued.

Shiva has been linked to Rudra ("Howler") from the beginning, a god who is especially associated with the air element and its many expressions (e.g., wind, storm, thunder, and lightning, but also life force and the breath, etc.).

Rudra, on the other hand, is said to be a powerful healer, and Shiva's name alludes to the same function.

Shiva became the destructive side of the renowned trinity (lri-murti) in later Hinduism, the other two being Vishnu (representing the principle of preservation) and Brahma (representing the principle of creation) (standing for Hindu Religion, Customs and Manners the principle of ereation).

As a result, Shiva is often referred to as Hara ("Remover").

He is often shown on Mount Kaitasa with his heavenly wife Piirvati ("She who dwells on the mountain").

He is regarded as the first instructor of esoteric knowledge in several Tantras.

The Shaivas refer to him as Maheshvara ("Great Lord," from mahfi "great" and fsh vara "lord") because he is the ultimate Reality.

Shankara is the name given to him as the source of pleasure or tranquility, and Shambhu is the name given to him as the home of enjoyment.

Pashupati ("Lord of the Beasts"), ishana ("Ruler"), and, last but not least, Mahadeva are some of the other titles given to him ("Great God").

The linga is another symbol that is often associated with Shiva and has various meanings.

The term Shiva-linga is often mistranslated as "phallus," although it really means "sign" and represents the fundamental principle of creation.

The linga (also known as "lingam" in English) is the undivided and causative creative heart of cosmic existence (prakriti).

Its female counterpart is the yoni principle ("womb," "source").

Both of these concepts work together to create the tapestry of space-time.

The shiva-linga is worn as an amulet by certain Shaivas, particularly the Lingayatas, and stone or metal replicas of the linga placed in yoni bowls remind Tantric practitioners of the bipolar nature of all apparent existence: Shiva and Parvati (Shakti), or Consciousness and Energy, play in the world.

Among the Vaishnavas, Vishnu ("Pervader") is the object of worship:

Vishnu is referenced in the Rig-Veda, thus Vaishnavism has its origins in Vedic times (e.g., 1 .23; 1 54; 8. 1 2; 29).

Hari ("Remover"), Narayana ("Abode of Humans"), and Vasudeva are some of his other notable names ("God of [all] things").

Vishnu is depicted in mythology as sleeping in a formless condition on the cosmic snake Shesha (or Ananta) floating in the endless ocean of unrnanifest existence between the various eras of world creation.

Vishnu, like Shiva, is often shown with four arms, which symbolize his omnipresence and power.

The conch (symbol of creation), the discus (symbolizing the universal mind), the lotus (representing the unity), the bow and arrows (symbolizing the ego sense and the senses), the mace (symbolizing the life force), the lock of golden hair on the left side of his chest (symbolizing the core of Nature), and the chariot (symbolizing the mind as the principle) are among his attributes.

Vishnu is believed to have incarnated many times in order to reestablish the moral order (dharma) on Earth.

The following are Vishnu's 10 incarnations (avatira, "descent"):

1. Matsya ("Fish") incarnated for the sole purpose of rescuing Manu Satyavrata, the founder of the human race, from the flood at the beginning of the current world era.

2. Kurma ("Tortoise") emerged from Vishnu's infinity to retrieve numerous riches lost after the flood, most notably the elixir of life.

Using the cosmic snake (Ananta) as a rope and the cosmic mountain Mandara as a churning rod, both the deities (deva or sura) and the counter-deities (asura) cooperated in churning the global ocean.

The rod was pivoted around Kurma.

All of the lost riches were retrieved as a result of their churning, restoring global order and equilibrium.

3. Varaha ("Boar") was created with the task of destroying Hiranyaksha ("Golden-Eyed"), the demon who had inundated the whole world.

4. Nara-Simha ("Man-Lion") appeared to destroy the e v i l monarch Hiranyakashipu ("Golden Vestment"), who had failed to slay his Reproduced from Hinduson PrahJada, a famous devoVishnu astee of Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu could not be slain by a god, human being, or beast at any time of day or night, within or beyond the walls of his palace, thanks to a blessing bestowed by God Brahma.

Nara-Simha appeared as a lion-headed person inside a pillar at twilight.

He ripped apart the king's body with his claws, killing him.

5. Vamana ("Dwarf") incarnated specifically to kill the evil Bali, who had dethroned the gods and taken control of the world.

He asked Bali for as much land as he could walk across in three paces.

The demon emperor was amused by the request and allowed it.

Yamana took two steps to encompass all of creation, then put his foot on Bali's head and pushed him into the infernal regions with his third stride.

Yamana bestowed rulership over the nether regions to Bali since he was not completely devoid of qualities.

The three stages of Vishnu are previously mentioned in the Rig-Veda (e.g., l .23. 1 71 8, 20).

6. Parashu-Rama (also known as "Rama with the Ax") was a warlike manifestation of Rama.

He demolished the warrior estate twenty-one times, implying a major conflict between the kshatriyas and the brahmins during the early Vedic period.

7. Rama ("Dark one" or "Pleasing one"), also known as Ramacandra, was the righteous king of Ayodhya Nara-Simha and a younger contemporary of Parashu-Rama.

The Ramayana epic tells the tale of his life.

Sita ("Furrow"), who is frequently associated with the Goddess Lakshmi ("Good Sign") and represents the principles of marriage faithfulness, love, and devotion, was his wife.

She was abducted by Ravana, a demon king whose realm may have been in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), and saved by Hanumat, the monkey-headed demigod who symbolizes the ideal of loyal service.

8. Krishna ("Pul ler") was a God-man whose teachings are found throughout the Mahabharata epic, including the Bhagavad-Gfta and many other parts.

The kali-yuga, which began with Krishna's death and will continue for thousands of years, is still in full flow.

9. Buddha ("Awakened One") was created to deceive evildoers and demons.

Although some scholars dispute that this relates to Gautama the Buddha, there is little doubt that this was the intention of the brahmins who established the ten incarnation theory.

10. The avatara to come is Kalki ("THE BASE ONE").

He is depicted as riding a white horse and wielding a flaming sword in different Puranas.

His mission will be to put the current world (yuga) to an end and the beginning of the following Golden Age, or Age of Truth (satya-yuga).

God Brahma is the most abstract of the Hindu trinity, and as a result, he has failed to captivate the imagination of the brahmins.

He is just the world's Creator. He must be distinguished from brahman, the nondual transcendental Reality, with caution.

Smartas, or followers of the Smritis (nonrevelato ry literature), are frequently characterized as those who do not belong to the major religious groups, such as Shaivism or Vaishnavism.

Ganesha ("Lord of the Hosts")

The elephant-headed God, is closely connected with God Shiva and is known by several other names, including Ganapati (which has the same meaning) and Vinayaka ("Leader").

Ganesha hit the front pages of the New York Times and other major newspapers across the globe in 1995 for what has become known as the "milk miracle" (kshfra-camatkiira).

On September 2nd of that year, a normal Hindu in New Delhi dreamt that Ganesha was hungry for milk.

When the guy awoke, he immediately rushed to the closest temple and, with the priest's permission, gave a scoop of milk to the statue of this god.

The milk disappeared, much to his and the priest's surprise.

The word spread quickly across the nation, and tens of millions of devoted Hindus rushed to the temples.

Apparently, many others, including astonished doubters, saw the miracle in a variety of holy and non-religious places (such as Gane sha statues on car dashboards).

The miracle ended as quickly as it had started, within twenty-four hours.

Whatever perspective we take on the occasion, it allows us to consider the symbolism of the milk offering.

Milk was often blended with the legendary soma draft before it was given into the holy fire for the deities' pleasure, or it was imbibed by the sacrificial priest to enhance his connection with the deities in early Vedic times.

Soma sacrifices were only comprehended and performed metaphorically in later times.

Soma became the nectar of immortality, created by great concentration inside the human body.

Milk, being a product of the holy cow, is steeped with symbolism.

Ganesha is especially associated with the symbolism of the life force (prana) and the serpent energy (kundalini), which causes the ambrosial liquid to flood the yogin's body after it has completely ascended to the psychospiritual center at the crown of the head.

Then we must seek out Durga ("She who is difficult to cross").

Durga who symbolizes the cosmic force of destruction, namely the annihilation of the ego (ahamkara), which stands in the path of spiritual development and ultimate freedom.

She is a loving mother only to those who follow the road of self-transcendence; everyone else is subjected to her anger.

The embodiment of Durga's wrath, Kali ("Dark One"), is one of ten main Goddesses known as the "Great Wisdoms" (mahd-vidya).

Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, BagaJamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala are the other goddesses.

Chinnamasta ("She who has her head chopped off") is particularly significant for Yoga.

This ferocious Goddess is usually portrayed naked, with a garland of skulls around her neck stump, from which two streams of blood pour.

In her left hand, she clutches her severed head.

The Goddess chopped off her own head to feed her two attendants, Dakini and Vamini, or Jaya and Vijaya, according to several tales.

This first sacrifice of the holy Mother, according to yogic interpretation, represents the left and right currents-idd and pinga/0, which must be sacrificed in order to induce the free flow of psychospiritual energy via the center channel (sushumno-nodi).

In order for enlightenment to occur, the head symbol of the mind-must be severed, that is, transcended.

Sushumnasvara Bhasini, the Goddess's other name, suggests this yogic symbolism: "She who glows with the sound of the center channel."

The Goddess Lakshmi, whose name is derived from lakshman ("sign") and meaning "Good Sign" or "Fortune," emphasizes the benevolent side of the Ultimate in its feminine form.

The same element of the Divine is expressed by the South Indian Goddess Lalita Tripura Sundari ("Lovely Beauty of the Triple City").

Rather than frightening (ugra) and horrific (saundarya), she is characterized as kind (saumya) and lovely (saundarya) (ghora).

However, since Lakshmi and Lalita are seen as the ultimate Reality, they must also have a destructive side.

The Divine, from our limited human perspective, is neither solely good nor solely negative, but it transcends all such classifications.

The enormous Devi BhdgliJata, a Shakta counterpart of the Vaishnava Bhdgavata-Purona, which has been dated between the seventh and twelfth centuries, is the most significant Hindu book praising the Divine in its feminine form.

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