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Ashtanga invocation. Simple explanation.

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Created on Friday, 16 March 2012 02:49

Ashtanga practitioners chant this verse 6 days a week before the practice, and the meaning behind it is very beautiful. Not being a Sanskrit scholar, I would like to share my down-to-earth explanation of the chant, the way I perceive it. My view is certainly influenced by Buddhist teachings that I have been following for some years now, therefore please keep this in mind =)

The chant consists of two parts; one connected to a Guru as a whole and second – to a great sage called Patanjali. The latter has written a great yogic text called “Yoga Sutras’, in which the very meaning of Ashtanga, the eight-limbed path, is defined.

Vande Gurunam Caranaravinde - I bow to the lotus feet of the Guru
This line denominates taking refuge in the Guru, in the path. This means that we, as practitioners, consciously make an effort to achieve enlightenment and by bowing to the feet of the Guru, we remind ourselves of that.

Sandarsita Svatma Sukhava Bodhe - The awakening happiness of one’s own Self revealed
Guru is the one who awakens the Self or Atman (the state of non-dual, limitless presence and awareness).

Nihsreyase Jangalikaya Mane Samsara Halahala Mohasantyai – Beyond better, acting like a jungle physician. Pasifying delusion, the poison of Samsara.
These two lines are related to the Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu divine trinity Gods. Shiva, the destroyer, is the God who lived in the jungle and in one Hindu story has drank the poison of Halahala. It is a beautiful story of how Shiva has saved the world and creation. Devas and Asuras (Gods and semi-Gods) decided to obtain the nectar of immortality (Amrita) by churning the ocean’s waters. What happened to their despair is that the Halahala (deadly poison) emerged from the depths of the ocean. The poisonous fumes of it started killing both Devas and Asuras, so survivors ran to Brahma for rescue. After consulting Vishnu, Brahma acknowledged that only Shiva could pacify the deadly poison. And indeed, with help of Parvati (his lovely consort, who kept the poison in his throat), Shiva drank the poison and his throat turned blue.

This mythical story actually has got a very deep, spiritual meaning. Once we commence on a spiritual journey, we churn our prana for it to ascend upwards along the shushumna nadi (central channel). However, before reaching the nectar of enlightenment, we first need to deal with our own poison from within. Without spitting it out, we should integrate it for it to be transformed (Shiva’s throat turning blue denominates the transformation). And we need to integrate both our feminine and the masculine aspects to achieve the transformation, as without Parvati’s helpful hand the poison would not have stayed in the throat of Shiva. For this very reason, the throat chakra is colored light blue. At this level, the process of transformation begins; here we obtain the knowledge of the deep truth from within.

So by chanting this passage, on a relative level, we acknowledge all the gurus, who allowed us to experience the state of presence (as an enlightened teacher is capable of that), and we remind ourselves of the commitment to practice. However, on the ultimate level, we actually greet the very state of presence itself which is within us (the Guru is actually inside us) and not external. We greet our ultimate state of mind, in its aware, present, and free of dualism and judgment state; we greet our primordial mind, to which we want to return and remain in.

Abahu Purusakaram                                       
Sankhacakrasi Dharinam
Sahasra Sirasam Sveitam
Pranamami Patanjalim

Taking the form of a man to the shoulders
Holding a conch, a discus, and a sward
One thousand heads white
To Patanjali, I salute  

Even though Sage Patanjali was human and not a mythical deity, in this chant he is depicted in the divine form of Vishnu. He has got 4 arms, which are holding 3 objects: conch, discus and a sword.

The conch (sankha, pronounced as “shankha”) represents the divine sound, which is capable of awakening us from the state of ignorance. Because Patanjali did a great job unifying the ancient yogic knowledge in his Sutras and the text has awakened many people, he is holding it in his hand. The discus (chakra) is the symbol of infinity and life that Vishnu sustains. As well, Vishnu uses his discus to fight negative spirits, which means that the discus is the weapon to fight the negative emotions that distract us from being enlightened. The sward (asi) represents the discriminative wisdom, for the sward can cut through illusion and dualism.

Since mind is represented by snakes in the Hindu tradition, the thousand headed snake above Patanjalis’ head represents his mastering over the possessive mind. This means that reading and following the Sutras one can achieve the “citta vritti nirodhah”, cease the fluctuations of the mind and therefore reach the state of Yoga, the state of Union. You can call it union with God, with your own Self, with the Universe.

After having read the Yoga Sutras, when I chant these lines in an aware state, a feeling of appreciation and gratefulness arise inside me. I find the text is very easy to understand. Yet, each time I re-read it, there is always something else emerging to be learnt.

Om shanti, shanti, shanti =)