Articles for July 2016 on Sutra Journal

July 2016 Issue of Sutra Journal

Yoginis of Past and Present

June, 2016 by Laura Amazzone

Since ancient times, the Yoginis have appeared in various forms and often have a close association with nature. The Yoginis are said to be lavishly adorned, have captivating appearances that can be both terrifying and mesmerizing, and offer “life-enhancing energies that bring about fertility, growth, longevity, abundance and material and spiritual well-being.” read more

Kalari Shakti – the Flowing Art of Kalarippayatu

July, 2016 by Shiva Rea

There is an unspoken sharing of this sacred space and practice of Kalarippayatu as we move in silence, punctuated by occasional corrections in the lyrical language of Malayalam. Sweat pours from our oiled bodies as we begin to experience inner and outer transformation. Even though we face a wall of ancient weapons – sticks, swords, clubs and shields, there is an environment of inner power, respect and balance for all from the young beginners to the advanced practitioners. read more

Yoga Meditation

July, 2016 by Gregor Maehle

In the beginning there was only the one yoga, sometimes referred to as Maha Yoga, the great yoga. Before the one greater yoga broke apart into small factions, Hatha Yoga was the physical school through which all yogis had to pass. read more

Manifesting Shakti: Five Elements Yantra Guide

July, 2016 by Ekabhumi Charles Ellik

A step-by-step instruction to create a simple yantra suitable for use with the Five Elements Meditation (Tattva Shuddhi). read more

The Flowering of Freedom: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Part Six

June, 2016 by Richard Miller

Enlightenment is supported by our ability to maintain sustained intention and attention for recognizing our underlying and unchanging Essential Nature. The tendency of the mind to get involved with, and distracted by changing phenomena (vikṣepaḥ) needs to shift so that we are able to sustain self-inquiry (antarāyaḥ), no matter what else may be arising in the body, mind, or world. read more

Krishnamacharya’s Yoga Rahasya

July, 2016 by Eric Shaw

Many students of the yoga tradition know that Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888 - 1989) is credited with being the father of modern yoga, but most remain foggy about the details of his life and even foggier about the books he wrote. read more

The Divine Mother's Yoga

July, 2016 by Eva Khattab

Mother Nature is an intelligent force that that has experimented with her Earth laboratory for 4.5 billion years. If Earth is out of balance as a result of human technology, waste and over-population, why would we imagine that Mother Nature does not have a means nor the intention to bring the system back into balance? read more

Marshall Govindan on Thirumandiram and the Tamil Yoga Siddhas

July, 2016 by Vikram Zutshi

Marshall Govindan (or Yogacharya M. Govindan Satchidananda) is a Kriya Yogi, author, scholar and publisher of literary works related to classical Yoga and Tantra and teacher of Kriya Yoga. He is the President of Babaji's Kriya Yoga and Publications, Inc., and the President of Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Archaryas, a lay order of more than 25 Kriya Yoga teachers operating in more than 20 countries. read more

Shakti, Bhakti, Yoga and Darshan: Practice and Experience in the Religious Art of India (Video)

July, 2016 by Debashish Banerji

Arjuna’s Argument: Family Secrets Unveiled

June, 2016 by Christopher Key Chapple

In twenty years of teaching the Bhagavad Gītā, students have from time to time argued in class that the weak Arjuna was right in protesting the battle, that he should not go to war, that the family structure should have been protected, that Krishna was full of bad advice. read more

Asko Parpola on The Roots of Hinduism

July, 2016 by Vikram Zutshi

In this article Prof. Parpola engages in a wide ranging discussion with Vikram Zutshi, Dr. Debashish Banerji and Dr. Jeffery Long on several fascinating topics related to his ouevre. read more

Reflections on Early Indian Terracotta Objects

July, 2016 by Pratapaditya Pal

From times immemorial the humble clay has remained one of the most popular materials to be shaped the human hands into objects of utility, beauty and spirituality. In the Indian subcontinent today, while modernity is in full swing with all its mechanical and digital inventions, pots of diverse shapes and sizes of unfired clay are still used in both villages and urban areas for quotidian purposes, such as cooking, storing, eating and drinking. read more

Subhash Kak in Conversation

July, 2016 by Vikram Zutshi

Subhash Kak is an Indian American computer scientist. He is Regents Professor and a previous Head of Computer Science Department at Oklahoma State University – Stillwater who has made contributions to cryptography, artificial neural networks, and quantum information. read more

Introduction to 'Haṭhayogapradīpikā' - Part One

July, 2016 by Kausthub Desikachar

Believed to be composed in the fourteenth century AD, the Haṭhayogapradīpikā is authored by the grand master Yogin Svātmārāma. He was not only an adept in this field, but was also an expert in the deeper aspects of the Saṁskṛta language. The manner in which he presents such a rich teaching through the powerful lyrics and beautiful poetry that constitute this text is a testimony to his proficiency. read more

The Most Versatile of Mystics

July, 2016 by Philip Goldberg

Ramakrishna was one of the most colorful, enigmatic, and revered holy men in India, where such figures are as much a part of the landscape as the ornate temple towers looming above dusty villages or the unassuming shrines tucked into alcoves in teeming cities. read more

Tolerance, Exclusivity, Inclusivity, and Persecution in Indian Religion During the Early Mediaeval Period - Part Three

July, 2016 by Alexis Sanderson

It might appear, therefore, that Śaivism was as much distinct from, and opposed to, the religion of the Vaidikas as the latter was to the former and as both were to Buddhism and Jainism. However, while the Śaivas thought their scriptures superior to the Vaidikas’ and the Vaidikas thought their own superior, the two traditions’ views of each other were not symmetrical, not at least where the Śaivas of the Mantramārga were concerned, these alone having left us adequate evidence of their views on this issue. read more

HISTORY OF INDIAN ART THROUGH FIVE MASTERPIECES Part Five: The Last Mughal Renaissance

June, 2016 by William Dalrymple

Zafar came late to the throne, succeeding his father only in 1838 when he was in his mid-sixties, and when it was already too late to reverse the inexorable political decline of the Mughals. But despite this he succeeded in creating around him a court culture of unparalleled brilliance, and partly through his patronage there took place in Delhi a last great literary renaissance. read more

Piety, Puja, and Visual Images Part Two

July, 2016 by Pratapaditya Pal

The earliest evidence for yoga is found not in texts but rather in art, in the material remains of the Indus, or Harappan, civilization. Much later it was this renunciate /ascetic tradition that was predominant in the philosophical literature known collectively as Upanishad, out of which—and in antagonism to Vedic sacrificial rituals—emerged Jainism and Buddhism, as well as theistic Hinduism. read more

Iqbāl’s ‘God’ and the Gītā’s ‘Lord’* Part Two

July, 2016 by Purushottama Bilimoria

As though Muhammad Iqbāl had borrowed the pan-idealist symbolism of the self (and not-self), he believed that the ultimate is best described in terms of the ego ([khūdī] which he used interchangeably with self). The Supreme is conceived as the ultimate Ego. The term ‘ego/Ego’ is appropriate, he believed, because it refers to a center of experience and all experience must have a center if it is to be distinguished as experience. read more

dharma	yoga	tantra
ayruveda	meditation	buddha

July 2016 Issue of Sutra Journal

Yoginis of Past and Present

Kalari Shakti – the Flowing Art of Kalarippayatu

Yoga Meditation

Manifesting Shakti: Five Elements Yantra Guide

The Flowering of Freedom: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Part Six

Krishnamacharya’s Yoga Rahasya

The Divine Mother's Yoga

Marshall Govindan on Thirumandiram and the Tamil Yoga Siddhas

Shakti, Bhakti, Yoga and Darshan: Practice and Experience in the Religious Art of India (Video)

Arjuna’s Argument: Family Secrets Unveiled

Asko Parpola on The Roots of Hinduism

Reflections on Early Indian Terracotta Objects

Subhash Kak in Conversation

Introduction to 'Haṭhayogapradīpikā' - Part One

The Most Versatile of Mystics

Tolerance, Exclusivity, Inclusivity, and Persecution in Indian Religion During the Early Mediaeval Period - Part Three

HISTORY OF INDIAN ART THROUGH FIVE MASTERPIECES Part Five: The Last Mughal Renaissance

Piety, Puja, and Visual Images Part Two

Iqbāl’s ‘God’ and the Gītā’s ‘Lord’* Part Two

The Śaiva Religion and its Philosophy in Context Part Two: Shaivism’s Sources and Influences

The Foundations of Mindfulness - Part One

The Globalization of Yoga: An Argumentative Approach

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