Fwd: IN REGARD TO THE LETTER CONCERNING A SPURIOUS SYSTEM OF HAND MUDRAS

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---------- Forwarded message ----------Dr Jonn Mumford <drjonnm

Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 8:40 AMIN REGARD TO THE LETTER CONCERNING A SPURIOUS SYSTEM OF HAND MUDRASAnanda Bhavanani <yognat2001, Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani <abb, " Dr.Ananda Bhavanani " <yognat

 

 

 

IN REGARD TO THE LETTER CONCERNING A SPURIOUS SYSTEM OF HAND MUDRAS

 

I am aware of the system a student suggested worth experimenting with and the teacher who originated it, whose background is variegated , to say the least, resident in Delhi.

 

I think it is wonderful that ideas are shared and my comments are only meant to clarify what may seem confusing to so many Westerners.

It took me a while to work out that this Teacher, who has spread this popular idea through newspaper articles in Delhi, was using the Chinese system of finger correlation to the elements and this was never intended to be used as 'gestures' but utilized by stimulating with needles. (I have several diplomas in clinical acupuncture from Hong Kong). The Tantric Buddhists do have an authentic tradition of Mudra also but it bears no resemblance to the proposed system.

 

The Vedic system of allocating the fingers to the elements and the Tantric system are the only

authentic systems and they are mirror images of each other as the Vedic

system deals with subtle planes and the Tantric with gross manifestations.

 

I found it very depressing to recently review a book of " Mudras " by a Western woman and a

Video based on this spurious system.

 

The book is well written but deals mainly with a system invented by the

teacher out of New Delhi. This system is at total variance with tradition and has

caught the imagination of Western teachers who are fascinated by the idea

that putting certain fingers together will cure anything including

flatulence, heart attack, and deafness: Alas I wish it were true!

 

 

The video is even worse and has absolutely nothing to do with classical

Indian hand gestures - it is so silly that I can only assume the information

was " channeled " and if that is the case it is the proof that if you are

stupid in life you will be just as stupid in death! - a theme we explore in

" Death: Beginning or End " a position constantly maintained by Dr. Swami Yogamaharishi Gitananda Giri throughout his life .

 

Authentic Hasta Mudras can only be found within the context of Hatha-Tantric

traditions, Bharat-Natyam dancing, and South Indian Martial arts.

Anything else is spurious!

 

The system taught by Dr. Swami Yogamaharishi Gitananda Giri is indeed authentic and startling. I was first exposed to it in 1969 when I sponsored Dr. Swami Yogamaharishi Gitananda Giri on a teaching tour of Australia and to my knowledge he was the first to introduce it to Europeans. Traditionally it is said to have originated hundreds of years ago in the Ashram of the mythical sage Dattatreya. Authentic Mudra's produce instant results and are independent of placebo effect.

 

Meditation On Lord Dattatreya

Maalaakamandalu dharah karapadmayugme Madhyastha paaniyugale damarutrishoolam;

Adhyastha urdhva karayoh shubha shankhachakre Vande tamatrivaradam bhujashatkayuktam.

MEANING: "I meditate on Lord Dattatreya, the son of Atri, who has six hands, who holds the rosary and water-vessel in two hands, with damaru and spear in the other two hands, and with conch and discus in the upper two hands. "

Many years ago I studied with another Teacher in Delhi, (not the spurious Ayurvedic practitioner I have referred to), who taught the same basic movements Swamijii taught but with a different designation vocabulary.

To this day nothing has ever been published to equal Dr. Swami Yogamaharishi Gitananda Giri's "Mudra" book and particularly in view of the current revised edition by his brilliant son Dr.Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani.

 

 

 

Swami Anandakapila Saraswati

http://www.jonnmumfordconsult.com/

-- Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi BhavananiChairmanICYER and Yoganjali Natyalayam25, 2nd Cross, Iyyanar NagarPondicherry, South Indiawww.icyer.com

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