INDIA, June 21, 2015 (Swarajya by Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran): It is an indisputable fact that everyday practice of yoga brings immense benefits. The International Yoga Day celebrations is just an attempt to underscore this fact and bring awareness to this priceless heritage that we all share. Yoga is undoubtedly one of India’s greatest gifts to the world and is clearly a practice that originated in the Indic dharmic traditions. Not known to many is the mammoth work of the Tamil Siddha yogi Tirumla whose work Tirumantiram is part of the Shaiva Canon “Panniru Tirumurai” and is at the core of the 12th century philosophy of Shaiva Siddhanta in Tamilnadu.
The Tirumantiram is a collection of about 3000 verses in Tamil written by this Shaiva Saint. Tirumular is regarded as one of the 18 siddhas in the mystic Tamil siddha tradition; he also ranks as one of the 63 Shaiva Nyanmr Saints of the Tamil Shaiva Bhakti movement of the 1st millennium CE. The Tirumantiram dwells on Siva, Sakti, tantra, yoga and kriya, healing and several other topics. Of relevance to this article is Tirumular’s focus on yoga.
The focus of the first part of the third chapter (tantra) of the Tirumantiram is entirely on astanga yoga and its benefits. The term astanga yoga is commonly used in today’s parlance although the yoga industry focusses only on the physical poses (asanas). This verse states that the angas (elements) yama, niyama (relationship to the external world and to oneself), asanas (yogic postures), pranayama (harmony with your energy), pratyihara (harmony with your emotions ), dharana (harmony with your thoughts) , dhyanam (contemplation) and samadhi (oneness with the divine) are those that constitute the astanga.
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