Is Surya Namaskar Communal?

India has a very thin line of defense between the political gimmicks and its ultrasensitive religious sentiments. The latest controversy on Suryanamaskar has shown us how feeble is our religious tolerance and how cunning our political maneuvers are.

While the government of Madhya Pradesh claims it an attempt to break a Guinness World Record by conducting Suryanamaskar with a crowd of 6 million people, many minority religious communities in the state argue that the act promotes communal discord in the society. Muslim clerics in MP declared Fatwa against Suryanamaskar and the Christian organizations like Isai Mahasangh are planning to approach the Guinness World Records authorities demanding them not to include the Suryanamaskar attempt in the record book.

The opposing minority communities claim that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had made it mandatory for schools and the department of education verbally mounted heavy pressure on several schools to conduct Suryanamaskar. “Surya Namaskar is a part of Hindu worship, which should not be allowed in the schools as it violates the constitution,” National convener of National Secular Manch, LS Hardenia was quoted as saying in Hindustan Times. “It has also violated Article 28 of the Indian Constitution, which clearly states that, no religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State funds,” he said. Several of the education institutions on condition of anonymity revealed that they didn’t want to be involved in any controversy, reveals the report. “It has also violated Article 28 of the Indian Constitution, which clearly states that, no religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of State funds. It also requires that the State Government must seek consent of the guardian to impart any religious instruction to minors but the Government has not done that either. So it is a clear violation of the Constitution of India,” the article quoted John Antony, the State Office Secretary of Isai Mahasangh.

However, the Chief Minister of the state tried to clear the air and said Suryanamaskar is not mandatory in schools and that this yoga asana, which is a part of a routine exercise in most schools across the state, is optional.

According to the School Education Department of the state, more than 70 Lakh people have taken part in the mass event out of which there were students from 6000 schools across the state. According to the reports, the event also witnessed participation of large number of Muslim students defying the fatwa issued by some Muslim bodies.

However, it can also be understood in a lighter sense where it was just an attempt to create a record by doing mass Suryanamaskar whereby the economically backward state tries to put itself on the world map. The communal part of this healthy exercise is hard to understand as it’s a common sequence of Hatha yoga asanas or in simple words, a physical and meditative activity. The state government officials claim that this was only an effort to unite citizens through a group activity and if at all to give a religious connotation, it could be termed an act of religious harmony and universal brotherhood, because no religion preaches hatred.

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The Wheel of Yoga

Different approaches to God-realization in Hinduism

Types of Yoga

“Hinduism has taken into consideration the fact that people are of different tastes, temperaments, predilections, and bent of mind, and therefore has accepted the need for different paths for different individuals to suit their requirements. Thus four different paths have been laid down: Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga and Raja Yoga. Followers of all the four paths have the common goal of merging with the Supreme Reality. While the Jnana Yogin aims at reaching his goal by the realization of his identity with the Supreme Reality, the Bhakti Yogin surrenders his individuality at the feet of the Lord, his beloved; the Karma Yogin realizes his goal by work unattached to the fruits thereof and the Raja Yogin soars ahead by physical and psychic control culminating in ‘merging’ through Samadhi.

1. Jnana Yoga – is the way of wisdom.

The Jnana Yoga is monist. The aim of asceticism is to reach Knowledge and gain access to noumenal truth. The word jnana means “knowledge”, “insight,” or “wisdom”. Jnana-Yoga is virtually identical with the spiritual path of Vedanta, the tradition of nondualism. Jnana Yoga is the path Self-realization through the exercise of understanding, or, to be more precise, the wisdom associated with discerning the Real from the unreal.

The term jnana-yoga is first mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna declares to his pupil Prince Arjuna: “Of yore I proclaimed a twofold way of life in this world, o guileless Arjuna – Jnana Yoga for the samkhyas and Karma Yoga for the yogins.” (III.3). Jnana Yoga represents the knowledge of the self in general. Self is present everywhere and all bodies are perishable. The self never perishes. It never dies even though body is killed. The Yoga of knowledge represents the knowledge of the self, and the self is eternal, omnipresent, imperishable and omniscient.

Jnana Yoga is the most arduous way, reserved for an elite and in it the Yogin must go beyond the plane of Maya. Jnana Yoga leads to an integration through knowledge, gnosis. Also, there is dhyana yoga. The Sanskrit dhyana becomes Ch’an in Chinese which becomes Thom in Vietnamese, Son in Korean, Zen in Japanese. This yoga is specifically what gets called the yoga of meditation.  All these constitute the Buddhi yoga of the Bhagavad Gita, that is, the yoga of integrated intelligence and will.

2. Bhakti Yoga – is the way of exclusive devotion to God.

Bhakti Yoga is the supreme devotion to the Lord. Bhakti is intense attachment to God who is the Indweller in all beings, who is the support, solace for all beings. Bhakti yoga is integration through love or devotion. It teaches the rules of love, for it is the science of the higher love; it teaches how to direct and use love and how to give it a new object, how to obtain from it the highest and most glorious result, which is the acquisition of spiritual felicity. The Bhakti Yoga, does not say “abandon” but only love, love the Most High”.

3. Karma Yoga – is the way of selfless work.

To exist is to act. Karma yoga means the discipline of action or integration through activity. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of self-surrendered action. Even an inanimate object such as a rock has movement. And the building blocks of matter, the atoms, are in fact not building blocks at all but incredibly complex patterns of energy in constant motion. Thus, the universe is a vast vibratory expanse. Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of action which purifies the heart and prepares the heart and mind for the reception of Divine Light or the attainment of Knowledge of the Self. But this has to be done without attachment or egoism. The karma yoga of The Gita is a unique philosophy of action and it declares that nature has given the right of action to man only and the right of the result of action is under the authority of nature. But the action is a duty of man; therefore he should perform actions without the desire of fruit. Lord Krishna says: “Not by abstention from actions does a man enjoy action-transcendence, nor by renunciation alone does he approach perfection.” (III, 4). Then God Krishna, who communicates these teachings to his pupil Arjuna, points to himself, as the archetypal model of the active person: “For Me, O son of Pritha, there is nothing to be done in the three worlds, nothing ungained to be gained – and yet I engage in action.” (III.22).

4. Raja Yoga  - The Respelendent Yoga of Spiritual Kings

This refers to the Yoga system of Patanjali, is commonly used to distinguish Patanjali’s eight-fold path of meditative introversion from Hatha Yoga. Psycho-physical practices for mind and cure have been part of Hindu medical science in the ancient times and no wonder Dr. freud and other modern psychologists are just the beginners in the field discovering the age-old science. Sri Aurobindo observed: “Indian yoga is experimental psychology. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the Upanishads – these and the Saiva Siddhanta treatises – furnish pioneering examples of experimental psychology.” “In Indian psychology they proceed from the basis of the supremacy of mind over matter and postulate Atman as the ultimate Reality of the universe unification with which is the basic purpose of this yoga.”

Romain Rolland 1866-1944) French Nobel laureate, professor of the history of music at the Sorbonne and thinker. He authored a book Life and Gospel of Vivekananda, calls this yoga as the experimental psycho-physiological method for the direct attainment of Reality which is Brahman. Many serious seekers have successfully tried direct realization of the Supreme through the mind control without waiting for indefinite births to take place. This great methodology was developed by the great classical theorist Rishi Patanjali who sought to attain ultimate knowledge through the control and absolute mastery of the mind thus cutting down the endless path of the soul for perfection through future births. The whole thrust is on the concentration and control of mind after shutting it out of all worldly objects to reach the Ultimate Reality.

“The powers of the mind are like rays of dissipated light; when they are concentrated they illumine. This is the only means of Knowledge. The originality of Indian Raja Yoga lies in the fact that it has been the subject for centuries past of a minutely elaborated experimental science for the conquest of concentration and mastery of the mind. By mind, the Hindu Yogi understands the instrument as well as the object of knowledge, and in what concerns the object, he goes very far, farther than I can follow him.”

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of Ramakrishna and a world spokesperson for Vedanta. India’s first spiritual and cultural ambassador to the West, said: “The science of Raja Yoga proposes to lay down before humanity a practical and scientifically worked out method for reaching the truth.”

Other Forms of Yoga

There are several other forms of yoga, such as Hatha Yoga, Mantra Yoga, and Laya Yoga. The purpose of Hatha Yoga is to destroy or transform all that which, in man, interferes with his union with the universal Being. It is a “Yoga of strength” which lays particular stress on physical exercises that even permit the adept to perform physiological feats that are normally beyond human capacity.

Once a Yogin has obtained purification by the different disciplines of the Hatha Yoga the Yogin must recite a series of mantras or “prayers” which make up the Mantra Yoga. The aim of Laya Yoga is to direct the mind upon the object of meditation.

All these are branches or subdivisions of the four main divisions of yoga stated above. All branches of yoga have one thing in common, they are concerned with a state of being, or consciousness. “Yoga is ecstasy” says Vyasa’s Yoga-bhashya

How to Do Surya Namaskar Steps Mantras

Learn how to do Surya Namaskar, its advantages, Surya Namaskar mantras, and the step by step poses and position of the 12 postures of Sun Salutation. Surya Namaskar, which literally means ‘Salutation to The Sun’, is a complete meditative technique and one of the popular forms of Hatha Yoga. Surya Namaskar includes Asanas, Pranayama, Mantras and Mudras and practicing this technique daily is beneficial for the health of the individuals. The Pranayama of Surya Namaskar helps for the flow of fresh oxygen into your body and mind and the various body movements stretch all the important organs of the body. Surya Namaskar includes the combination of 12 different postures with a specific breathing pattern which helps to strengthen and unblock the whole system.

How to do Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutation Steps & Postures

Morning is the right time to practice Surya Namaskar as the early morning sunrays are rich source of Vitamin D which is required for strong bones and clear eyesight. You can use a carpet or a small piece of cloth for doing this. There are twelve mantras for each of the twelve postures and these mantras are to be recited for each posture.

Following are the different postures in Surya Namaskar

First Posture – Namaskarasana

You should be in a standing position with palms folded in front of your chest, feet together and toes touching each other. Breathe as usual and recite the mantra.

Mantra – Om Mitrayah Namaha

Advantages – The mind and body turn out to be healthy

Second Posture – Parvatasana

Lift your arms over your head and shoulders, with palms touching each other. The biceps should touch the ears. Inhale and stretch your abdomen to the maximum extent and tilt backwards.

Mantra – Om Ravaye Namah

Advantages – A good exercise for the shoulders and the food pipe (Esophagus). Vision is also enhanced.

Third Posture – Namaskara Hastapadasana

Breathe in deeply and hold the breath. Bend forward without folding the knees and keep the palms on the floor. Touch your knees with the forehead and exhale deeply. Initially, if you are not able to keep the palms on the floor, you can just touch it with the fingers.

Mantra – Om Suryaya Namaha

Advantages -  This exercise is a remedy for belly and digestive ailments. The chest and hands become strong and your body grows to be well balanced. Also, diseases of the feet and fingers are set right.

Fourth Posture – Ekapada Prasaranasana

Breathe in and drag your right leg backward, with the knee and fingers of the foot touching the floor. Press hard the abdomen and belly such that they touch the left leg. Now raise your head as high as possible and look upward. Hold breath and resume in the posture for sometime. 

Mantra – Om Bhanave Namaha

Advantages – As this exercise stretches the small intestine and the seminal vesicles, it is a good remedy for constipation and diseases of the liver. Besides, thinness of the semen and diseases of throat are also corrected.

Fifth Posture – Bhudharasana

Breathe in deeply and hold it. Pull both the legs backwards and keep the thumbs of the feet, ankles and knees touching each other. Keep the head, waist, the back and the elbows in a line and bend forward with the palms on the floor. Your body looks like a bow now.

Mantra – Om Khagaya Namaha

Advantages – This movement helps to relieve from the pains – especially of arms, legs and the knees. It is also good for the abdominal disorders.

Sixth Posture – Ashthanga Pranipatasana

Inhale and hold the breath. Keep the knees on the floor and make the chest and forehead to touch the floor. The palms are to be placed on the side of the chest. Ensure that the abdomen should not touch the floor and drag it.

Mantra – Om Pusane Namaha

Advantages – This exercise makes the arms strong and if ladies perform this Asana before getting pregnant, the child could be prevented from many diseases.

Seventh Position – Bhujangasana

Inhaling the breath, lower your waist and raise your upper body. Now look upwards and keep the arms straight.

Mantra – Om Hiranya-Garbhaya Namaha

Advantages – Apart from toning up the body and the back muscles, this Asana improves eyesight. Disorders related to the reproductive system and the irregularities in female’s menstrual cycle are corrected. Also improves blood circulation.

Eighth Posture – Bhudharasana

This position is the same as that of Bhudharasana, explained in fifth position.

Mantra – Om Marichiye Namaha

Ninth Posture – Ekapada Prasaranasana

Repeat the process of fourth position.

Mantra – Om Adityaya Namaha

Tenth Posture – Namaskara Hastapadasana

The position is same as that of the third one.

Mantra – Om Savitre Namaha

Eleventh Posture – Parvatasana

The procedure is same as that of step two.

Mantra – Om Arkaya Namaha

Twelfth Posture – Namaskarasana

Same as that of first position

Mantra – Om Bhaskaraya Namaha

This full round of Surya Namaskar can be repeated as many times as possible.

“Om Sri Savitra Soorya Narayanaaya Namah”

How to Do Surya Namaskar Steps Mantras

Learn how to do Surya Namaskar, its advantages, Surya Namaskar mantras, and the step by step poses and position of the 12 postures of Sun Salutation. Surya Namaskar, which literally means ‘Salutation to The Sun’, is a complete meditative technique and one of the popular forms of Hatha Yoga. Surya Namaskar includes Asanas, Pranayama, Mantras and Mudras and practicing this technique daily is beneficial for the health of the individuals. The Pranayama of Surya Namaskar helps for the flow of fresh oxygen into your body and mind and the various body movements stretch all the important organs of the body. Surya Namaskar includes the combination of 12 different postures with a specific breathing pattern which helps to strengthen and unblock the whole system.

How to do Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutation Steps & Postures

Morning is the right time to practice Surya Namaskar as the early morning sunrays are rich source of Vitamin D which is required for strong bones and clear eyesight. You can use a carpet or a small piece of cloth for doing this. There are twelve mantras for each of the twelve postures and these mantras are to be recited for each posture.

Following are the different postures in Surya Namaskar

First Posture – Namaskarasana

You should be in a standing position with palms folded in front of your chest, feet together and toes touching each other. Breathe as usual and recite the mantra.

Mantra – Om Mitrayah Namaha

Advantages – The mind and body turn out to be healthy

Second Posture – Parvatasana
Lift your arms over your head and shoulders, with palms touching each other. The biceps should touch the ears. Inhale and stretch your abdomen to the maximum extent and tilt backwards.

Mantra – Om Ravaye Namah

Advantages – A good exercise for the shoulders and the food pipe (Esophagus). Vision is also enhanced.

Third Posture – Namaskara Hastapadasana

Breathe in deeply and hold the breath. Bend forward without folding the knees and keep the palms on the floor. Touch your knees with the forehead and exhale deeply. Initially, if you are not able to keep the palms on the floor, you can just touch it with the fingers.

Mantra – Om Suryaya Namaha

Advantages -  This exercise is a remedy for belly and digestive ailments. The chest and hands become strong and your body grows to be well balanced. Also, diseases of the feet and fingers are set right.

Fourth Posture – Ekapada Prasaranasana

Breathe in and drag your right leg backward, with the knee and fingers of the foot touching the floor. Press hard the abdomen and belly such that they touch the left leg. Now raise your head as high as possible and look upward. Hold breath and resume in the posture for sometime. 

Mantra – Om Bhanave Namaha

Advantages – As this exercise stretches the small intestine and the seminal vesicles, it is a good remedy for constipation and diseases of the liver. Besides, thinness of the semen and diseases of throat are also corrected.

Fifth Posture – Bhudharasana

Breathe in deeply and hold it. Pull both the legs backwards and keep the thumbs of the feet, ankles and knees touching each other. Keep the head, waist, the back and the elbows in a line and bend forward with the palms on the floor. Your body looks like a bow now.

Mantra – Om Khagaya Namaha

Advantages – This movement helps to relieve from the pains – especially of arms, legs and the knees. It is also good for the abdominal disorders.

Sixth Posture – Ashthanga Pranipatasana

Inhale and hold the breath. Keep the knees on the floor and make the chest and forehead to touch the floor. The palms are to be placed on the side of the chest. Ensure that the abdomen should not touch the floor and drag it.

Mantra – Om Pusane Namaha

Advantages – This exercise makes the arms strong and if ladies perform this Asana before getting pregnant, the child could be prevented from many diseases.

Seventh Position – Bhujangasana

Inhaling the breath, lower your waist and raise your upper body. Now look upwards and keep the arms straight.

Mantra – Om Hiranya-Garbhaya Namaha

Advantages – Apart from toning up the body and the back muscles, this Asana improves eyesight. Disorders related to the reproductive system and the irregularities in female’s menstrual cycle are corrected. Also improves blood circulation.

Eighth Posture – Bhudharasana

This position is the same as that of Bhudharasana, explained in fifth position.

Mantra – Om Marichiye Namaha

Ninth Posture – Ekapada Prasaranasana

Repeat the process of fourth position.

Mantra – Om Adityaya Namaha

Tenth Posture – Namaskara Hastapadasana

The position is same as that of the third one.

Mantra – Om Savitre Namaha

Eleventh Posture – Parvatasana

The procedure is same as that of step two.

Mantra – Om Arkaya Namaha

Twelfth Posture – Namaskarasana

Same as that of first position

Mantra – Om Bhaskaraya Namaha

This full round of Surya Namaskar can be repeated as many times as possible.

“Om Sri Savitra Soorya Narayanaaya Namah”

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