Article on Krishnamacharya of Mysore; Yogi Nathamuni, a ninth-century South Indian Vaishnava saint; The Hindu (online) - Mangala Kadaba

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[THE HINDU]

 

Friday, April 11, 1997

SECTION: Entertainment

 

 

Dedicated to great Yogi

 

11-04-1997 :: Pg: 25 :: Col: a

 

About 90 years ago, 16 year old Krishnamacharya of

Mysore had a dream in which he was directed by Yogi

Nathamuni, a ninth-century South Indian Vaishnava saint,

to go to Alwar Tirunagari in Tamil Nadu. The boy went to

the place and at the premises of a temple of Lord

Vishnu, saw an old man seated under a tamarind tree. The

boy asked him where he could see Yogi Nathamuni. The

latter pointed to a particular direction, which the boy

followed till he reached a mango grove by the side of

the river Tamaraparani.

 

As Krishnamacharya was very tired and had not eaten, he

fell unconscious. He went into a trance and found

himself in the presence of three sages. Saint Nathamuni,

who appeared in the centre of the trio, explained the

``Yoga Rahasya'' to him. A few hours later, he opened

his eyes to find nobody there. The mango grove had also

disappeared. It was then that he realised that he had

received the ``Yoga Rahasya'' directly from its author

and his ancestor, Yogi Nathamuni.

 

That teenage boy later went on to become an eminent

teacher- practitioner of Yoga.

 

The ``Yogacharya'' T. Krishnamacharya was not just an

exponent on Yoga but was a versatile personality. He was

a great scholar in religion, the Vedas, the Upanishadas,

Carnatic music, Ayurveda and astrology. An expert in

many languages, Krishnamacharya who lived between 1888

and 1989, influenced the thinking in various fields such

as Vedanta, Karma and Ayurveda. He wrote many books in

Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu.

 

An `acharya' of a high Krishnamacharya said emphasise on

the basic methods of teaching _ ``Desa'' (place),

``Deha'' (constitution), ``Kala'' (time), ``Vrtti''

(Avocation), ``Marga'' (interest) and ``Shakti''

(capacity). His prescription to teachers was: ``Teach

what is inside you, not as it applies to you, to

yourself, but as it applies to the other''.

 

To make his life and teachings widely known, the

Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM), a 21-year-old

institution named after him to teach Yoga, has brought

out a publication to mark his 108th anniversary.

 

Releasing the publication at a function held at the

premises of KYM on Tuesday, Mr. C. Subramaniam, former

Maharashtra Governor, praised Krishnamcharya for

propagating and imparting, what he called, the science

of Yoga. Describing Yoga as a great heritage of the

country, he said in the present days of constant

controversies and confrontations, people required it

much more now than at any other time.

 

Calling upon people to practise Yoga, Mr. Subramaniam

said any amount of reading about it could not fetch the

full benefits and significance of Yoga. As it would help

people realise their talents, the study of Yoga should

be included in school curriculum, the former Governor

said.

 

Receiving the first copy of the book, Mr Govind

Swaminathan, veteran advocate and one of the students of

Krishnamacharya, reminisced about the days when he was

taught Yoga. He said it was a leveller of one's ego and

it would make those who practised it self-disciplined

persons.

 

Mr. T.K.V. Desikachar, son of Krishnamacharya and

Managing Trustee of KYM, said the publication was

compiled on the basis of writings of the Yoga exponent

and many oral narrations. Mrs. Mala Srivatsan, Executive

Trustee of KYM, who compiled the publication, said a

section of the book contained `Ashtothrams' (108 hymns

in praise of the ``Yogacharya'').

 

T. RAMAKRISHNAN

 

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