The Gorakṣaśataka is an early text on Haṭha yoga text from the 11th-12th century, attributed to the sage Gorakṣa . It was the first to teach a technique for raising Kundalini called "the stimulation of Sarasvati", along with elaborate pranayama , breath control. It was written for an audience of ascetics.
34-410: The 2012 translation of the text by James Mallinson divides it into the following topics: The title means "A hundred verses of [the sage] Gorakṣa". The Gorakṣaśataka is one of the first texts that teaches Haṭha yoga 's physical methods, without using the name. The first verse states that the text is for ascetics who had renounced ordinary life to attain liberation. The text explains how to control
68-503: A 14th-century Vaishnava saint . The lineage of Ramanandi Sampradaya is claimed to start from Rama , The lineage as said by Anantanandacharya to Krishnadas Payahari is: People of this sect are known as Vaishnavite in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. At the beginning of the 20th century, this sect declared to be the descendants of Rāma's sons, Kusha and Lava . The Ramanandi Sampradaya
102-460: A review in Yoga Journal , Matthew Remski points to the book's "endlessly diverse sources", which include "new critical translations of over 100 little-known yoga texts dating from 1000 BCE to the 19th century, threaded together with clear and steady-as-she-goes commentary". The translations, he states, "explode the available resources for everyday practitioners." Remski proposes that it may "become
136-445: A system of six limbs: asana (posture), breath-restraint (which it calls pranasamrodha ), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (concentration), meditation , and samadhi ; omitting the first two limbs of Ashtanga, namely the yamas and niyamas . It recommends gradually increasing breath retention as the best way to samadhi. It does not mention mantras; nor does it mention the preservation of bindu, but merely says that liberation
170-575: Is Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford , and recognised as one of the world's leading experts on the history of medieval Hatha yoga . Mallinson became interested in India by reading Rudyard Kipling 's novel Kim as a teenager; the book describes an English boy travelling India with a holy man. He was educated at Eton College and the University of Oxford , where he read Sanskrit and Old Iranian for his bachelor's degree, and studied
204-432: Is achieved by controlling the mind through controlling the breath. Mallinson comments that the text is too terse to serve as a foundation for practice, and could not have substituted for direct instruction by a guru; nor in his view would it have been used as a mnemonic : he had never met a yogi who worked in that way. Rather, hatha yoga texts lent authority to a school of thought and its yoga practices. The Gorakṣaśataka
238-520: Is appropriately in Penguin Classics as "this monumental anthology" of some 150 primary Sanskrit sources is destined to become a classic. The Indologist Alexis Sanderson writes that the anthology's "unprecedented array of sources [...] will be an indispensable companion for all interested in yoga, both scholars and practitioners". Ramanandi Sampradaya The Ramanandi ( IAST : Rāmānandī ), also known as Ramavats ( Rāmāvat ),
272-460: Is claimed that this tradition has been established in all four Yugas and in Kaliyuga Rama himself appeared as Ramanandacharya at Prayagraj . Bhaktamal , a gigantic hagiographic work on Hindu saints and devotees written by Nabhadas in 1660, was a core text for all Vaishnavas including Ramanandis. Many localised commentaries of Bhaktamal were taught to young Vaishnavas across India. In
306-482: Is described as an avatar of Rama , a humble student with great yogic talents. Munsi Ram Sharma says that more than 500 disciples of Ramananda who lives with him in Varanasi. It is said that propagator of Ramanadi tradition is Sita . She first imparted teachings to Hanuman , through which the revelation of this secret occurred in the world. Due to this, the name of this tradition is Sri Sampradaya, and its main mantra
340-511: Is one of the largest and most egalitarian Hindu sects India, around the Gangetic Plain , and Nepal today. It mainly emphasises the worship of Rāma , as well as Vishnu directly and other incarnations. Rāmānandī ascetics rely upon meditation and strict ascetic practices, but also believe that the grace of god is required for them to achieve liberation. For that reason, the Tyāga section of
374-516: Is one of the largest sects of Vaishnavas . Out of 52 sub-branches of Vaishnavism, divided into four Vaishnava sampradayas , 36 are held by the Ramanandi. The sect mainly emphasizes the worship of Rama , Sita , Hanuman , and the avatars of Vishnu . They consider Rama and Sita as the Supreme Absolute who are not different from each other. It is considered to have been founded by Ramananda ,
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#1732858261638408-403: Is referred to as the 'Ram Tarak Mantra'. The guru imparts initiation of sacred Ram mantra into the disciple's ear. They apply an upward-pointing tilak (urdhva pund) on the forehead. Complete devotion and immersion in devotional songs (bhajans) is the tradition's way of life. Most saints lead a life of renunciation (paramhansa) within this tradition. Farquhar credits Ramananda and his followers as
442-458: Is well-known in the Vedas. He created this universe and, with the desire for the welfare of people, Rama imparted the transcendental mantra to Sita, the daughter of King Janaka than She revealed this to the glorious Hanuman, the repository of virtues. Hanuman then conveyed it to Brahma, who in turn passed it on to the sage Vasishtha. Thus, in this sequence, the divine mantra descended into this world." It
476-459: The Rāmānandī ascetics, unlike some Śaiva ascetics, do not cut the sacred thread . Their reasoning for this is that only Viṣṇu or Rāma can grant liberation. Most Ramanandis consider themselves to be the followers of Ramananda , a Vaishnava saint in medieval India. Philosophically, they follow Vishishtadvaita ( IAST Viśiṣṭādvaita ) tradition. Its ascetic wing constitutes
510-580: The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies , University of Oxford . following the retirement of Christopher Minkowski . Mallinson travels to India each year, and has spent months at a time living as a Sadhu , taking only a blanket and a small bag. He enjoys paragliding including in the Himalayas and has accordingly been nicknamed the "flying yogi", a humorous allusion to the yogic flying of Transcendental Meditation . He has competed internationally for
544-586: The Gita Govinda , was also a member of this sect. Other sources classify Jayadeva simply as a Bengali Vaishnava. Kabir was also disciple of Ramananda and part of Ramanandi Sampradaya, Kabir also founded a separate sect that is now known as the Kabirpanthi . Another bhakti saint, Ravidas , who was also a disciple of Ramananda, followed Ramanandi Sampradaya and also founded the Ravidassia sect. Bhaktamal ,
578-588: The Kumbh Mela at Allahabad , where he was ordained as a Mahant (Abbot) of the Terah Bhai Tyagi suborder of the Ramanandi Sampradaya , the only Westerner to receive this honour. One of Mallinson's books, Roots of Yoga , with Mark Singleton as co-editor, is accessible to the public as well as to scholars. It contains a selection of texts on yoga from ancient times to the 19th century, presenting
612-457: The Ramcharitmanas , was a member of this sect. His writings are regarded to have made Vishnu and Shiva devotees of each other and thereby bridged the gap between Vaishnavas and Shaivas. Because Tulsidas attempted to reconcile various theologies scholars like Ramchandra Shukla do not agree that he can be considered to be a Ramanandi exclusively. Some sources say Jayadeva , who composed
646-551: The ethnography of South Asia for his master's degree at SOAS University of London. Mallinson is described as "perhaps the only baronet to wear dreadlocks "; he let his hair grow out from 1988 on his first visit to India during his gap year . He cut his hair in 2019 after the death of his guru, Mahant Balyogi Sri Ram Balak Das, who had initiated him into the Ramanandi Sampradaya at the Ujjain Kumbh Mela in 1992. Supervised by Alexis Sanderson , his doctoral thesis at Oxford
680-478: The history of yoga , in particular the early development of physical or Hatha Yoga , on which he is recognised as the world's leading expert. In 2014 he received a European Research Council Consolidator Grant worth €1.85 million for a five-year six-person research project on the history of Hatha Yoga. In 2018, he opened the SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies. In 2023 he was appointed Boden Professor of Sanskrit at
714-530: The 19th century, proliferation of the printing press in the Gangetic plains of North India allowed various commentaries of the text to be widely distributed. Of these, Jankidas Sri Vaishnav's edition of Bhaktamal known as Bhaktamal Bhaskara is considered to be the most authoritative as He has used the most oldest handwritten manuscripts in this edition. Ramananda's guru Raghavananda is described as an egalitarian guru who taught students of all castes. Ramananda himself
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#1732858261638748-621: The British paragliding team and won the British Open paragliding competition in 2006. In 2018 he became the first person to cross the eastern Solent on a paraglider. He has two daughters with his wife Claudia. In 2015, Mallinson appeared in the Smithsonian Channel documentary West Meets East with his longtime friend, the actor Dominic West , which was shown in the UK on BBC Four ; they visited
782-674: The Ganges basin, the Nepalese Terai , and the Himalayan foothills. Ramanandis are spread across India, mainly in Jammu , Punjab , Himachal , Gujarat , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan , Odisha , Assam and West Bengal . The majority of Hindu immigrants to Trinidad and Tobago as well as substantial section of Hindus in United Kingdom of Great Britain belong to Vaishnava sects such as
816-586: The Ramanandi. Ramanandi has had a major influence on the mainstream Sanatani (orthodox) sect of Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago . Saints Dhanna and Pipa were among the immediate disciples of Ramananda. Hymns written by them find mention in the Adi Granth , holy scripture of the Sikhs . Sects founded by saints Raidas , Sena and Maluk Das are also of a direct Ramanandi origin. The poet-saint Tulsidas , who composed
850-462: The breath in pranayama , using novel techniques such as sūryabhedana , "the piercing of the sun". It teaches śakticālanīmudrā ("stimulating Sarasvatī ") along with the three bandhas . "Stimulating Sarasvatī" is done by wrapping the tongue in a cloth and pulling on it, stimulating the goddess Kundalini who is said to dwell at the other end of the central channel . The text describes the complex process of raising Kundalini initiated by mūlabandha ,
884-514: The core teachings. Neil Sims, reviewing the book on the Indian Philosophy Blog, calls the book scholarly, writing that the editors "do an admirable job of letting the texts speak for themselves. No hint of partisanship, or even a preferred view, is given." In Mills's view, the book succeeds both on the level of increasing historical understanding among yoga students and teachers, and in contributing to yoga and South Asian scholarship. In
918-679: The largest Vaishnava monastic order and may possibly be the largest monastic order in all of India. There are two major subgroups of Ramanandi ascetics: the Tyagi, who use ash for initiation, and the Naga, who are the militant wing. The Ramanandi Sampradaya originates from Rama, who initiated Sita with his six-letter mantra. Sita later initiated her beloved disciple Hanuman with the same mantra. According to Shanti Lala Nagar, quoting Valmiki Samhita says "The Supreme Being, Rama, always ready to protect his eternal servants and to assist those with meek hearts. This
952-533: The message of love and equality. The scholars also disagree on Ramananda's connection with Ramanuja. While Farquhar finds them completely unconnected, Sita Ram and Grierson finds Ramananda connection with Ramanuja tradition. But a historical debate held between Ramanuj and Ramanand tradition in Ujjain Kumbh 1921, ended up the issue of both the traditions being one; Ramanuja Ramprapannadas from Ramanuj tradition got defeated from Bhagvaddas of Ramanandi tradition. Up to
986-586: The nineteenth century, many of the trade routes in northern India were guarded by groups of warrior-ascetics, including the Nāgā sections of the Rāmānandīs, who were feared because of their strength and fearlessness. The British took steps to disarm these militant groups of ascetics, but even today the sects still retain their heroic traditions. Ramanandi live chiefly in the northern part of India. Ramanandi monasteries are found throughout northern, western and central India,
1020-570: The origin of the North Indian practice of using Ram to refer to the Absolute . Farquhar finds no evidence to show that Ramananda endeavoured to "overturn caste as a social institution". On the other hand, Sita Ram, author of the Vaishnava history of Ayodhya , and George Grierson , eminent linguist and Indologist, represent Ramananda as saint who tried to transcend caste divisions of medieval India through
1054-506: The root lock, resulting in her dissolution, which is liberation . It mentions three "knots" ( granthis ), a kind of chakra , which have to be pierced to allow the Kundalini to pass through. The three are the knots of Brahma at the base of the Sushumna channel, of Vishnu at the heart, and of Rudra , between the eyebrows. Unlike Ashtanga, the eightfold yoga of Patanjali , the text describes
Goraksha Shataka - Misplaced Pages Continue
1088-659: The top book on every yoga teacher training reading list in the English-speaking world." The researcher Adrian Munoz, reviewing the book in Estudios de Asia y África , notes that while it is principally a sourcebook of "innumerable" yoga manuscripts, mainly in Sanskrit , rather than the presentation of any particular thesis, it is accompanied by an erudite 30-page introduction that sets the documents in their historical context. The yoga teacher Richard Rosen writes that Roots of Yoga
1122-666: Was a critical edition and translation of the Khecarīvidyā with an explanation of its place in the Hatha Yoga traditions. Mallinson worked as a principal translator for the Clay Sanskrit Library . He became Reader in Sanskrit and Yoga Studies at SOAS, University of London in 2013. He is the author of nine translations and editions of Sanskrit texts on yoga, poetry, or epic tales. He has written numerous book chapters and papers on
1156-536: Was influential but is now less well-known than the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā which copies around thirty of its hundred verses, describing techniques such as the pranayama method of ujjāyī or "victorious breath", widely used today in Vinyasa yoga classes. James Mallinson (author) Sir James Mallinson, 5th Baronet , of Walthamstow (born 22 April 1970) is a British Indologist , writer and translator. He
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