Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga by Sadhguru && Arundhathi Subramaniam

Author:Sadhguru && Arundhathi Subramaniam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
Published: 2017-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

UNITY OF THE SEXES

Ardhanareeshwara is a unique mystical symbol. A delightful legend illustrates the difficulty encountered even by a great sage in grasping all its implications.

It happened…

Bhringi was a wise sage and ardent devotee of Adiyogi. Every morning, Bhringi came and circumambulated Adiyogi as a mark of respect.

One morning, Parvati happened to be sitting beside her husband. But Bhringi, single-minded in his devotion to Adiyogi, walked between them and circled only his master. He wanted his pradakshina or ritual circumambulation to be only for his guru.

Adiyogi was amused. Parvati was not amused. She cast a look at her husband who said, ‘Move closer. He will circle you too.’

Parvati moved closer. Bhringi saw that there was not enough space for him to circle only Adiyogi, so he transformed himself into a mouse. He was now able to circle just Adiyogi. Parvati was excluded once again.

Adiyogi’s amusement grew. But by now Parvati was intensely annoyed. So, to placate his beloved, Adiyogi lifted her and placed her upon his lap.

Bhringi was not to be outwitted. He changed into a tiny bird and flew around Adiyogi alone, excluding Parvati once again.

Now, Parvati was fuming. So, Adiyogi just pulled her close and made her a part of himself. Now the left half of his form became hers and the other half remained as it was. He turned into Ardhanaareeshwara – a composite androgynous form of male and female.

But Bhringi refused to admit defeat. When he saw this, he turned into a bee and circled Adiyogi’s right leg.

His childlike fervour was amusing. But Shiva did not want him to get lost in his devotion and miss the ultimate nature of existence. So, Adiyogi assumed the yogic posture of siddhasana, which does not allow any space between the right and left leg. Now, there was no way for Bhringi to circumambulate the right leg alone. If he wanted to perform the ritual pradakshina, he had to honour both the masculine and feminine principles.

The sage now finally came to his senses and realized how myopic his devotion had grown. His literalism gave way to a more inclusive understanding. He realized that both the masculine and feminine spring from a singular source. He bowed down to both dimensions, a chastened man.

The fundamentalist impulse can creep up on a devotee in many ways. Devotion is the quickest path to the divine, but it also has its pitfalls. The tendency to turn literal, or dogmatic, or to believe that one’s path or one’s notion of the divine is superior to all others is a seductive challenge.

This is why it is said ‘that which is not’ must never be named. To name is to limit, to curtail. At the same time, Shiva is given innumerable names. This may seem paradoxical, but there is a deep intelligence that underlies this.

The sum total of all these names is a representation of the universe in all its magnificent complexity. It is a representation of the unfathomable mysteries of existence. These can never be fully captured in any doctrine, or image, or concept, or shrine, or creed, or symbol.

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