The Rig Veda, considered the oldest book in the world, reveals through its metaphors a spiritual practice rooted in shamanism, widespread in a vast region encompassing northwest India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Let's dive deeper into these age-old teachings, where each metaphor reveals a mystical wisdom imbued with the mysteries of the human soul.
At the heart of this spiritual epic is the fascinating story of the Pûrus, a confederation of Vedic peoples whose influence would extend significantly throughout India's history and spirituality. Established between the sacred waters of the Ganges and the Indus, these peoples flourished between 4,000 and 6,000 BC. BC, mainly along the majestic Sarasvati River.
The stories of the Rig Veda transport us to a time when the Pûrus practiced sacred rituals, engaging in sacrifices imbued with deep spirituality. At the heart of these ceremonies, an intoxicating drink, made from an entheogenic plant, weaved a sacred link between the material and the divine. This mystical potion, consumed during these rituals, opened the doors to immortality, allowing initiates to explore the celestial dimensions of existence.
Thus, the Rig Veda becomes not only the guardian of the ancestral stories of the Pûrus, but also a window open to transcendence, where the boundaries between the earthly and the celestial fade in the timeless quest of the human soul. These ancient texts, rich in metaphor and symbolism, reveal the timeless beauty that resides in spiritual seeking, a beauty that transcends time and continues to illuminate our understanding of the divine and immortality.
Shuddhananda Melarnavam, 72 Mela Kartha RagasThe light of affection to Shuddha Shakti! I am always delighted by your blessing! With devotion, to have success, the Melarnava mala in the world gives us the thala raga attraction. My life has passed with meditation, songs, loneliness and delight since the age of five. Knowing this, Poornananda Bharati heard my songs and inspired me. He is brother to my maternal grandfather. He went to the Himalayas at a young age and attained Atmic status.His mentor, a great sage called Jnana Siddha, trained me in Shuddha equi-yogic practices. I meditated at the feet of Swami Siddharoodar, Shirdi Say Baba, Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi and Pooranayogi Aurobindo and developed the equi-yoga power. This power gave the inner inspiration and called me to sing. I made the songs as the practice of worship. What I learnt, heard and knew; everything is the blessing of Shuddha Shakti Paramatman. Message from Shuddhananda Bharati.These 72 Melagartams are sung by great Pandit Dr.Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, a great Indian Carnatic vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer and actor. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, for his contribution towards Indian art. He was made Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2005. We can find these beautiful 72 Melagartams on five CDs by Editions ASSA in L'Auberson.Editions ASSA, Christian Piaget
The Magic Weapon of ShivaThis Tamil drama, The Magic Weapon of Shiva, while having as its central theme the penance of Arjuna, also explores the philosophies of Saiva and Vaishnava groups. Divinity, devilry, the greatness of sages, the discipline of mankind, the expertise of warriors, kindness of God Krishna, the path for meditation and penance, detachment, the glories of prayer of Shiva, the mercy of God and the virtues of Nama Shivaya The Panchakshari - all these subjects are explained in this drama. Tamil Land has great sacred virtues. Here the first prayer goes to the sages; they were the ones who guided us by disciplining the social life, with wise books, arts and good conduct. They guarded the society, established duties, and created brave warriors. When these scholarly, selfless sages lived among us, doing their penance and guiding the society, India attained a glorious state. During that time education, industry, art, trade, politics, good conduct and bravery reached to great heights. The famous texts written in this golden age still guide us. Great people exuded greatness; they guided those who sought their help to realise God; they trained the kings in administration, control of senses and divinity. They elevated the social life to higher levels. Behind the renaissance of our land, we see the hand of these great men. The inner power of Ramadasa inspired Shivaji to do great things. Vivekananda became a universally respected philosopher, because of the influence of sage Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. With his divine power, guru Gobind roused the religious sentiments of his disciples. Those who do penance are doing their duty. Penance not only helps to build up inner strength, but also helps to succeed in politics. Arjuna, by getting the advice of sage Vyasa did penance in the Himalayas and acquired the divine weapon from God Shiva, demolished the army of Kauravas in the battle of Bharath, and established justice. This drama was written by keeping the Vana Parva of Mahabharata of Vyasa, the Tamil Mahabharata, Kirathrjunia of Bharavi, Bhagavad Gita, and Shiva Jnana Bodam as basic sources. A warm thank you to Daye Craddock for her help in careful editing of this book, and to Dr.Balamuralikrishna, a great Carnatic vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, for his preface. He is also acclaimed as a poet, composer and respected by all Indian classical musicians for his knowledge of Carnatic music. We arranged for him a tour of Indian Carnatic music and dance in Switzerland in 1992.It is a real pleasure for me to present The Magic Weapon of Shiva to you. Thank you, Dr.Shuddhananda Bharati for having transmitted The Magic Weapon of Shiva to us. With the blessing of Aum Shuddha Shakti Aum and the blessing of Shiva. Editions ASSA, Christian Piaget
Sadasiva Brahma and Saiva SiddhantaIn part one, the saint that created a beautiful presence was Sadasiva Brahman. Sadasiva was a perfect yogi of self-knowledge, perfectly free and pure and elevated in blissful trance. He lived in the Vedantic Truth.In part two, Saiva Siddhanta; knowledge about the twelve sutras of the Sivajnana Bodham. Let the pure almighty Grace lead us from light, love to love and bliss to bliss. Let Siva grant victory to our efforts. An introduction to Saiva Siddhanta by Kavi Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati. Collected lectures on Saiva Siddhanta, 1946 - 1954.Editions ASSA, Christian Piaget
Explication of the Gita, Path revealed by Githai, Geetai Kattum PathaiAuthor: Dr. Shuddhananda BharatiThe great messageThe teaching of the Gita is yoga, spiritual truth applied to external life and action; it may be any action and not necessarily an action resembling that of the Gita. It is the principle of the spiritual consciousness applied to action that has to be kept. By turning (from the present world-consciousness) to the Divine and entering into the Divine consciousness one can possess through the world also the Eternal. The language of the Gita sometimes admits two apparently opposite truths and turns to reconcile them. It admits the ideal of departure from Samsara into the Brahman as one possibility; also it offers the possibility of living free in the Divine (in me, it says) and acting in the world as the Jivan Mukta. It is the latter kind of solution on which it lays the greatest emphasis. The full truth lies in the supramental consciousness and the power to unite from there life and matter. One has first to conquer the lower nature, deliver the self involved in the lower movement by means of the higher self which rises into the divine nature; at the same time one offers all one's actions including the inner action of the yoga as a sacrifice to the Purushottama, the transcendent and the immanent Divine. When one has risen into the higher-self, has the knowledge and is free, one makes the complete surrender to the Divine, abandoning all other Dharmas living only in the Divine consciousness, the Divine will and force, the Divine Ananda.Sri AurobindoEditions ASSA, Christian Piaget
Editor's NotesThe world recognizes and salutes Kavi Yogi Maharishi Dr.Shuddhananda Bharati. He is a noble soul who is continuously engaged in mediation on Godhead and in composing devotional songs. Thanks to the divine grace of Madurai Meenakshi Amman, his association with many spiritually enlightened people and his deep knowledge of multiple languages, he has expounded on the essence of the Vedas and the Agamas in the form of verses and musical compositions. The second edition of his epic creation Bharata Shakti has been published in a detailed version. His musical compositions have been published in several volumes. Kavi Yogi's Yoga Samajam is an abode of peace where he is engaged in solitary meditation. The strength of his penance motivates his pen. We often visit the Yoga Samajam to imbibe the divine spirit pervading the place and obtain mental peace. Divine worship is performed there both in the mornings and evenings. This collective worship includes name chanting, chanting of Keerthanas, practice of Sama Yoga, chanting of mantras, universal songs, folk songs and discourses on philosophy. These are rare songs which serve to heighten one's awareness of divinity's presence in the midst of mankind and lead to enhanced quality of life in this world.Swamiji is a great self-realised soul, a pure hearted sage who has experienced many religions. He teaches us the way to infuse this life with Shiva's divinity. In the mornings, he performs worship and meditation along with name chanting. In the evening gatherings, he performs Jyoti worship with flowers and gives discourses from his wisdom acquired due to God's grace.1.To make everyone lead a life infused with God consciousness.2.To make everyone lead a life full of love with the realization of one world, one God and one spirit.3.To make everyone of us understand our divine religion.4.To make us lead happy lives by showing the way to religious amity.5.To purify mankind by means of meditation, worship, name chanting and prayers.6.To make our bodies, mind and soul strong and glowing with health. 7.To teach everyone to practice hygiene and sanitation so that diseases are eradicated.8.To do service for the sake of world peace.9.To undertake the practice of yoga in a place brimming with natural beauty.10.To spread knowledge by publishing books with the help of friends. Kavi Yogi Shuddhananda is traveling all over the world and doing noble service to carry out these 10 tasks in a proper way and he is also conducting these camps in Sri Lanka. Let us all salute the divine sage and accept his teachings whole-heartedly and reap the benefits.A warm thank you to Savitri for his translation from Tamil to English. It's a choice of the Editor to keep the words in their Tamil forms, like Kaali (Kali), naadha (nada).Editons ASSA, Christian Piaget
Bhagavad Gita in proseThe essence of Vedas are Upanishads. The Bagavath Gita is an essence of Upanishads. The Gita given by Krishna is the light of the Indian life. This is a common book for all mankind. The common book of India is Gita. There is no book which states clearly the path of winning the battle of life and attaining greater happiness. Many in the world have read the Bible in various languages and do a lot of charitable work. Likewise, people should read Gita in their own language. We should attain the joy of living as dutiful people as their life is soaked in Gita, and unite with the inner soul.In that intention Yogi Shuddhananda Bharati is presenting this translation. Those who wish to have the original text and explanation may refer The Secret of Karma Yoga (Gita Yogam). Every day, on an appointed time, assemble in peace and read at least one chapter diligently and meditate for fifteen minutes about the inner eternal being. You may receive the benefits of Gita.Editions ASSA, Christian Piaget
This book introduces, edits, and translates the two earliest texts of the hathayoga tradition, the Amrtasiddhi and the *Amrtasiddhimula (which survives only in Tibetan translation). Basing their study on a bilingual manuscript, an extremely rare phenomenon, the authors argue that the origins of hathayoga are found in an eclectic tantric Buddhist milieu, probably active in the second half of the 11th century CE. The texts provide fundamental and later very influential teachings on the nature of the yogic body, psycho-physical practices centred on manipulating bindu, the types of practitioners, and much more. The book is addressed primarily to scholars, but will also be of interest to students and practitioners of yoga.
About the authors
James Mallinson studied Sanskrit at Oxford and is Reader in Indology and Yoga Studies at SOAS University of London and chair of the SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies. From 2015 to 2020 he was Principal Investigator of the ERC-funded Hatha Yoga Project and from 2021 to 2024 he will be Principal Investigator of the AHRC/DFG-funded Light on Hatha project, which will produce a critical edition of the Hathapradipika.
Péter-Daniel Szantó (1980) started his studies in Tibetology and Indology at Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest. He defended his doctorate in Oxford, prepared under the supervision of Alexis Sanderson, and then held several post-doctoral positions (Merton College, Universität Hamburg, All Souls College). He is currently working at the University of Leiden. His research focuses mainly on the history and literature of tantric Buddhism in South Asia.
Contents
I. Introduction
1 The teaching of the Amrtasiddhi
1.1 Chapter synopses
1.1.1 Chapters 1-10 The elements of the body
1.1.2 Chapters 11-14
1.1.3 Chapters 15-18
1.1.4 Chapters 19-31
1.1.5 Chapters 32-35
1.2 Innovations in the teaching of the Amrtasiddhi
1.3 The Amrtasiddhi and subsequent works on physical yoga
1.3.1 The Early hatha corpus
1.3.2 The later hatha corpus
1.3.3 Related Vajrayana works
1.4 Bindu and Blis
1.5 Alchemical metaphors
2. Constitution of the text
2.1 Description of manuscripts
2.2 Stemmatic analysis
2.3 Conventions for the critical edition
II. Critical edition of the Amrtasiddhi
III. Annotated translation of the Amrtasiddhi
IV. *Amrtasiddhimula
1. Critical edition of the *Amrtasiddhimula
2. Translation of the *Amrtasiddhimula with a running commentary
Works consulted
Index
Composed in the middle of the eleventh century CE, the Natarajapaddhati is the earliest surviving Saiva ritual manual (paddhati) known to have been written in the Tamil country. This volume furnishes a critical edition of the first 340 verses of this hitherto unpublished work, which detail the daily obligatory rites of an initiate (diksita) in the Saivasiddhanta tradition. It provides precise instructions on the sequence of performing all rites, from waking up in the early morning until bedtime. The author, Ramanatha, a disciple of a certain Nataraja (also known as Natesa), to whom he pays homage and in whose honour the work is named, mentions that he resides in a monastery (matha) situated on the eastern side of the temple of Siva Puspavanesvara, in some unidentified town.
This book explores the concept of the Tamil Veda as canon for Srivaisnavas, a South Indian Hindu community. It argues that the commonly accepted historical narrative surrounding the loss of the Tamil Veda and its subsequent recovery by Nathamuni in the 9th or 10th century is a story that appears in texts in the 17th century. Additionally, this book asserts that there have been two distinct canons: the first one, consisting of Nammalvar's Tiruvaymoli or of the four works attributed to him, was prevalent until the early 17th century, after which the 4000 verses of the Alvars became the new canon. In the process of untangling many narratives through examination of texts, contexts, and inscriptions, novel perspectives arise that constitute a paradigm shift in our understanding of the identity of the Alvars and the historical trajectory of the sampradaya. This new understanding encompasses not only the dating of key Acaryas and the hagiographies, but also sheds light on the broader historical framework of this tradition.
This book introduces, edits and translates the Dattatreyayogasastra, a Sanskrit text on yoga composed in about 1200 CE in South India. It teaches four types of yoga practice but devotes the majority of its 193 verses to hathayoga, which it divides into two varieties, one which consists of the eight auxiliaries first taught by Patanjali and one which has nine physical methods. It is thus the first text to combine the astanga system of Patanjali with physical techniques, and its teachings were highly influential on later authors and commentators of yoga texts. The book is addressed primarily to scholars but will also be of interest to students and practitioners of yoga.
Ce livre introduit et présente une édition ainsi qu'une traduction anglaise du Dattatreyayogasastra, un texte sanskrit sur le yoga composé vers 1200 de notre ère dans le sud de l'Inde. Il enseigne quatre types de pratiques de yoga, mais consacre la majorité de ses 193 versets au hathayoga, qu'il divise en deux variétés, l'une constituée des huit auxiliaires enseignés pour la première fois par Patanjali et l'autre comportant neuf méthodes physiques. Ce texte est ainsi le premier à combiner le système astanga de Patanjali avec des techniques physiques, et ses enseignements ont exercé une grande influence sur les auteurs et commentateurs ultérieurs de textes de yoga. Ce livre s'adresse principalement aux chercheurs, mais il intéressera également les étudiants et les praticiens du yoga.
Dans la perception occidentale, les Rajas indiens évoquent souvent un luxe suranné, alors que la société indienne continue d'être appréhendée prin¬cipalement par le biais des inégalités de castes ou de la tradition hindoue textuelle. L'objectif du volume n'est pas de relancer le débat sur la nature de la royauté en Inde, mais plutôt d'aborder la société de cour (au-delà du roi) comme un ensemble de relations et de pratiques, autrement dit de considérer la royauté comme un modèle de civilisation.
La royauté hindoue a été abondamment étudiée, notamment la relation entre rois et brahmanes (Jan Heesterman) ou, dans une perspective plus large, entre le pouvoir politique et les institutions et valeurs socioreligieuses (Louis Dumont). Cet ouvrage rappelle que le développement des études régionales a déplacé le débat vers la nature de l'État dans l'Inde ancienne. Plusieurs modèles ont été proposés : féodalisme, État bureaucratique, État segmentaire et souveraineté rituelle, État intégratif selon un modèle processuel, formation impériale. De plus, des recherches anthropologiques et ethno-historiques ont souligné le rôle central de la royauté dans la société indienne. Plus récemment, Daud Ali a ouvert une nouvelle voie de recherche, avec le concept de « société de cour » de Norbert Elias en Inde tout en reconnaissant les contributions de Michel Foucault à propos de l'appareil d'État. Celles-ci ont aidé à placer la recherche sur la royauté indienne dans la continuité de processus historiques plus vastes, sociaux, économiques et religieux.
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