Hathapradipika
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika or often Hathayogapradipika ( Sanskrit : हठप्रदिपिका Hatha Yoga Pradipika . F ) is after Yogasutra of Patanjali , the most famous classical yoga scripture. It was written by Svatmarama in the 14th century .
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The Hathapradipika - the original name - describes the techniques of Hatha Yoga , the purification of the physical and subtle body, as well as their effects. It is divided into four or ten chapters, depending on the edition, and consists of 643 verses. Although Hatha Yoga and Kundalini Yoga are described, the author repeatedly emphasizes that Raja Yoga is very important:
- No success in Raja Yoga without Hatha Yoga and no success in Hatha Yoga without Raja Yoga! Therefore, both should be practiced well to the end. Hpr. II, 76
The Hathapradipika is strongly influenced by the Gorakshashataka .
I. About asanas
The Hathapradipika begins with Shiva being the herald of Hatha Yoga, whereby it is expressly emphasized: Hatha Yoga is only a preliminary stage of Raja Yoga . The author Svatmarama ranks among his predecessors Matsyendra and Goraksha , who had worked about 500 years before him.
After the introduction, the requirements for the Hatha Yogin are described, such as the ethical templates or the eating regulations. The main focus of the first chapter is on the asanas , 15 of which are described in detail.
II. About pranayama
The second chapter deals with the Shatkriyas and with Pranayama .
III. About mudras
The third chapter deals with Kundalini, then several bandhas and mudras , including sexual practices, which are omitted in some editions.
IV. About samadhi
Finally, the last chapter deals with mudra and samadhi.
Effects, translations
Since the Hathapradipika was translated very early into English and soon afterwards also into German, it is the best-known classical yoga book after the Yoga Sutra, but its importance is overestimated and often - not quite correctly - referred to as the "main work" of Hatha Yoga.
The Hathapradipika was also well known in India and exerted a strong influence on later yoga works, such as the Gherandasamhita or the Shivasamhita . The most famous commentary on the Hathapradipika is the Jyotsna of Brahmananda, which was written in the second half of the 19th century.
See also
literature
- Hans-Ulrich Rieker : The classic yoga textbook of India. Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Zurich: Rascher Verlag 1957
- Swami Svâtmârâma: Hatha-Yoga Pradipikâ . Neuenkirchen: Phenomenon-Verlag (2007). ISBN 978-3-933321-61-9 . (Translated from Sanskrit by Hermann Walter, 1893).
- Swatmarama: Hatha Yoga Pradipika . Munich: Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center (1987). (Commentaries by Brahmananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda ).
- Yogi Hari : Hatha Yoga Pradipika: Origin and Source of Hatha Yoga. Via Nova, Petersberg 2007, ISBN 978-3-86616-083-5
