Ramaswami in Robert Moses and Eddie Stern's NAMARUPA Magazine

To continue reading this article please purchase it or subscribe to Namarupa. Thank you.





There's also a free audio download link to all the mantras http://www.namarupa.org/volumes/0802.php

Here's the link to this issue http://www.namarupa.org/volumes/0802.php which also includes an article on Yoga Manga by Barry Silver


Also, my favourite...

http://www.namarupa.org/magazine/nr06/downloads/05_NR6-Srivatsa.pdf

Continue reading here (free download) http://www.namarupa.org/magazine/nr06/downloads/05_NR6-Srivatsa.pdf

And while we're at it, here are some of my favourite fb status updates from Ramaswami this month



"As I have mentioned earlier Sri Krishnamacharya taught several disciplines including the Vedanta. He taught the Brahmasutras following generally the line of reasoning of the visishtadwaita school. One day he stopped in the middle of the class looked at me and said,”If you want, I can teach the Brahma Sutras following the Sankara's Advaita school” Then he went on to describe in a nutshell Sankara's teaching. You see at that time Caruvakass or Lokayatas (sweet talkers or materialists) would say that matter was real and knowledge arises out of senses. So live a life getting as much pleasure as possible using your sense stimulation. The Body is the self, there is no separate Self. So lead a pleasurable life. Drink and be merry (piba rama). Sankara was completely opposed to this non vedic view which approach to life made people behave more and more like non humans. My Guru said ,
“Sankara told them that what they said 'existed' (the world known through senses) was not real and what they say 'does not exist' (the pure consciousness “Self”) alone exists. What is apparent (the world) is not real and what is real, the Self/Atman, is not apparent.

Sri Krishnamacharya lived for 100 years. But for the accident that partially incapacitated him in his last leg of life's journey, he maintained excellent physical and mental health. He could chant the entire Vedic Suryanamaskara running for about 60 minutes completely from memory when he was close to 100.
He practiced and taught variety of asanas and innumerable vinyasas variously to different people-- no one system developed out of his teachings can be said to represent his asana teachings completely. He had a working knowledge of Ayurveda and had occasionally given treatments to several of his students. Again he had a working knowledge of Jyotisha. One day at the end of my class, he said, “I feel it is time that you get married. You are Simha Rasi and now the planetary positions are very favorable for that.” His pranayama was phenomenal. I always used to be inspired watching him do pranayama, He used to remind of the vision of the epic hero 'Hanuman'. He could manipulate the physiological parameters with his pranayamas and mudras. He could chant 'OM' for almost a minute when he was close to 100 years. His voice was sonorous and beautiful. He was a great chanting teacher, a stickler to chanting rules with perfect pronunciation of the sanskrit syllables. He was a scholar of the vedas and vedic philosophies. He taught several vedic philosphies like vedanta, samkhya, yoga, nyaya, tarka and various important texts as Bhagavat Gita, Yoga Sutra, Brahma Sutras, major upanishads as Chandogya, Brahadaranyaka, Taittiriya, Mandukya and others and minor upanishads like Svetasvatara, Kausitaki and yoga upanishads. He also taught religious texts of Ramunuja, Desika and puranas and itihasas as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vishnu and Bhagavata Puranas. It is almost 25 years since he passed away, but he is still fresh in my memory. Using an Indglish expression I may say that he was 'awe-inspiring'. Remembering him everyday fondly and with reverence, I feel inspired".

"In the vinyasakrama method of asana practice, Sri Krishnamacharya invariably included long smooth synchronous throat breathing. So when one starts the next anga, Pranayama, not only the skeletal muscles are exercised but the breathing apparatus also would have been well prepared for the next practice Pranayama.. Then in Pranayama he would include, in many cases, pranayama mantra while in antah kumbhaka. With this the Yogi would be well prepared to go to the next anga of either mantra meditation or mantra prarayana (chanting). So,yoga practice Sri Krishnamacharya taught was a seamless flow, not only in asana practice but beyond into the other angas. He taught a wholesome yoga practice".

"A cursory look at philosophies like yoga, vedanta, samkhya may give the impression that they are somewhat weird and speculative. But a closer look would reveal how logical and gripping they are. My Guru would engage in a debate on these philosophies in Sanskrit with scholars with great facility while he would also teach ordinary students like us with consummate ease using readily understandable terms and reasoning".

"Ant creates an anthill. Bird builds a nest. A child makes a doll's house. An adult builds a house. A magician builds a castle in thin air. A King builds a Kingdom. A Yogi (viswamitra) creates a heaven. Brahma is said to have created this limited but unbounded Universe-- each according to one's capability"



"There is another interesting interpretation of the term 'Yoga'', “ अप्राप्य प्रापणं प्राप्यं योगम्
aprāpya prāpaṇaṁ prāpyaṁ yogam”. Yoga is attaining (obtaining) what is generally considered impossible and is also the means of obtaining the impossible. Yoga is the means of attaining that which cannot be obtained by other ordinary means. In other words yoga helps one to achieve physically, physiologically, mentally and spiritually those that cannot be achieved/obtained by other means. For instance the unique physical achievements one gets from Yoga may not be possible to get from other forms of physical exercises. Likewise the positive transformations (parinama) as one-pointedness, samadhi, siddhi, nirodha etc., yoga brings to the mind (citta) may not be got by other known means".


See also my earlier post
http://grimmly2007.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/krishnamacharyas-photo-album-srivatsa.html