Yoga and the Sacred Fire: Self-Realization and Planetary Transformation
David Frawley
Motilal Banarsidass, 41, U.A.Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi-110007.
2006
xviii + 291 pp.
Rs.195/-
Human civilization is often supposed to have commenced with the invention of fire. It is the use of fire that made it possible for human beings to give up a nomadic way of life and to establish communities. The story of human civilization is nothing but the development of human settlements, from villages to towns, cities and nations.
The concept FIRE itself has a deeper meaning. Physics tells us that fire is the most subtle form of visible energy and dominates the physical world, so much so that an entire branch of physics called thermodynamics is devoted to it. Apart from this gross meaning, fire also has a subtle meaning, which covers all of human existence. It is the unraveling of the deeper meaning of fire that is the theme of this book.
The book commences with the study of the concept of AGNI as described in the Vedic texts. The very first mantra of the first mandala of the Rgveda is in praise of Agni. It is Agni who is the chief priest in any ritual sacrifice. He is also the messenger who conveys the essence of all oblations to the gods in the heavens. Without him a ritual sacrifice or YAJNA is impossible. There are innumerable Vedic mantras in praise of Agni, attesting to the prominent place accorded to it by Vedic culture.
Frawley then moves on to the manifestation of fire in the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms. Agni represents consciousness present in all these forms of creation. But the most explicit manifestation is in the human realm. Frawley discusses these ideas in great detail, the fire of breath, and even the presence of the fire principle in the human voice.
In an interesting interpretation , Frawley compares the eight limbs of Raja Yoga to eight fires and establishes a relationship between fire and yoga. This theme is further elaborated by incorporating concepts from Ayurveda. All yogic practices are linked to fire, because all of them should lead to the realization of the Divine Fire within us. The text closes with a discussion on a new planetary approach to yoga and the postulate of a new Sacred Fire, symbolizing a new consciousness.
The book encompasses within its pages a plethora of new ideas which ask to be explored in greater detail. In this sense, Frawley has opened up fresh paths for a reinterpretation of the Vedas and yoga. The book deserves serious study.
Dr N V C Swami, Dean of Academic Programmes, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore
Courtesy: ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ (English monthly from Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata), March 2008
Grateful thanks to Dr NVC Swami and ‘Prabuddha Bharata’
David Frawley
Motilal Banarsidass, 41, U.A.Bungalow Road, Jawahar Nagar, Delhi-110007.
2006
xviii + 291 pp.
Rs.195/-
Human civilization is often supposed to have commenced with the invention of fire. It is the use of fire that made it possible for human beings to give up a nomadic way of life and to establish communities. The story of human civilization is nothing but the development of human settlements, from villages to towns, cities and nations.
The concept FIRE itself has a deeper meaning. Physics tells us that fire is the most subtle form of visible energy and dominates the physical world, so much so that an entire branch of physics called thermodynamics is devoted to it. Apart from this gross meaning, fire also has a subtle meaning, which covers all of human existence. It is the unraveling of the deeper meaning of fire that is the theme of this book.
The book commences with the study of the concept of AGNI as described in the Vedic texts. The very first mantra of the first mandala of the Rgveda is in praise of Agni. It is Agni who is the chief priest in any ritual sacrifice. He is also the messenger who conveys the essence of all oblations to the gods in the heavens. Without him a ritual sacrifice or YAJNA is impossible. There are innumerable Vedic mantras in praise of Agni, attesting to the prominent place accorded to it by Vedic culture.
Frawley then moves on to the manifestation of fire in the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms. Agni represents consciousness present in all these forms of creation. But the most explicit manifestation is in the human realm. Frawley discusses these ideas in great detail, the fire of breath, and even the presence of the fire principle in the human voice.
In an interesting interpretation , Frawley compares the eight limbs of Raja Yoga to eight fires and establishes a relationship between fire and yoga. This theme is further elaborated by incorporating concepts from Ayurveda. All yogic practices are linked to fire, because all of them should lead to the realization of the Divine Fire within us. The text closes with a discussion on a new planetary approach to yoga and the postulate of a new Sacred Fire, symbolizing a new consciousness.
The book encompasses within its pages a plethora of new ideas which ask to be explored in greater detail. In this sense, Frawley has opened up fresh paths for a reinterpretation of the Vedas and yoga. The book deserves serious study.
Dr N V C Swami, Dean of Academic Programmes, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana, Bangalore
Courtesy: ‘Prabuddha Bharata’ (English monthly from Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata), March 2008
Grateful thanks to Dr NVC Swami and ‘Prabuddha Bharata’
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