“The De-Sanscritization of Yoga – A Modern Spiritual Tragedy!”

[Guest guest]

Abstract For Paper to be Presented at the

 

 

National Seminar on "Social Relevance of Sanskrit"

11th – 13th February 2008 at Pondicherry University

 

 

"The De-Sanscritization of Yoga – A Modern Spiritual Tragedy!"

 

By

Puduvai Kalaimamani, Puduvai Shakti

Yogacharini

MEENAKSHI DEVI

BHAVANANI, International Centre for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER), Yoganjali Natyalayam

Editor, Yoga Life

16A, Mettu St, Chinnamudaliarchavady Kottakuppam, Tamil Nadu – 605 104. South India

 

Ignorance is not bliss for the Yogi

.. Avidya is the Mother Klesha, the root of all evils, according to Maharishi Patanjali – giving birth to the other four Kleshas (Hindrances):

Asmita (ego); Raga (Attachment); Dwesha (Aversion) and Abhinivesa (Clinging to Life). The science of Yoga is becoming devitalized by modern materialistic ignorance. This pollution of the high science of Yoga is nowhere more evident than in the modern tendency to "de-Sanskritize" Yogic terminology. Replacing the power-packed Sanskrit words with weak, inaccurate and Shakti-less English terminology is the modern trend. In fact there are places in the world (notably perhaps in America) where the common man would even be surprised to learn that "Yoga" is a Sanskrit word! Obviously the trend started with the movement of Yogic practice from the East to the West in the late 19

th century and early 20th with pioneers such as Swami Vivekananda and Swami Yogananda. Especially Swami Yogananda built a spiritual empire in the USA with his Self Realisation Fellowship, where his spiritual centres were known as "Churches" and his initiated teachers as "ministers". The trend of replacing the Sanskrit terms with English words continued into the 1950's and 1960's as Yoga Masters flooded the West, seeking to establish their empires. Popularity of Asanas led to the development of new words such as "The Dancer", "The Bow", "The Plough" and "Downward Facing Dog" poses introduced into the Yogic vocabulary. The English equivalent of the Sanskrit word missed the profound depth of meaning implied in its Sanskrit counterpart. Likewise the vibratorially correct description of essential Yogic concepts like Dharma, lost true significance in its translation as the rather unattractive and dull word "duty". The vitality of the idea of

Abhyasa was diluted to that most hated word "discipline", meaning "something one does not wish to do but is forced to do". The list is endless. With the loss of its Sanskrit terminology and vocabulary, the great science of Yoga has been denuded of a vast part of its magnificent soul. Shakespeare had his tragic heroine Juliet cry out! "Romeo! Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo! A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

.. Unfortunately though this beautiful verbal concept is wonderful poetry, it is not philosophically nor spiritually accurate. The object and concept are part and parcel of the sound, at least in Sanskrit and the Hindu Shat Darshanas. Yoga by any other name is not union!