Читать книгу Ashtanga Yoga - The Intermediate Series - Gregor Maehle - Страница 59

A third category of yoga postures includes those dedicated to human forms. We find in this category postures named after parts of the human anatomy and after ancient human masters. Human beings are at various times under the sway of tamas, rajas, or sattva. For this reason, asanas are named only after those humans who have gone beyond their animalistic and demonic natures and have awakened to their inherent divinity. These are typically Vedic rishis or in some cases illustrious Tantric yoga masters. The purpose of this category of postures is to remind us of the sacred exploits of these masters and also to remind us of the divine potential inherent in every human. There are six postures in the Intermediate Series that fall into this category, with two of them named for sages (Bharadvajasana and Ardha Matsyendrasana), but we will find many more in later sequences.

LIGHT ON ASURAS

Although the Sanskrit word asura is generally translated as “demon,” this is, of course, problematic. Alternative translations are demigod, titan, and devil. Like the so-called gods (devas) and humans, the asuras, or anti-gods, are subject to the law of karma. Not all asuras cast negative figures; some of them have been outstanding spiritual beings. The asura king Prahlada, for example, was a great devotee of the Supreme Being in the form of Lord Vishnu, and the asura Vibhishana was a devotee of Lord Rama. The asura Baka was a devotee of the Supreme Being in the form of the Lord Krishna. The asura Ghattotkatcha, son of Bhima, was one of the greatest fighters on the side of the Pandavas during the Mahabharata war, and consequently shed his life for them.²

The Ramayana’s description of the asura fortress Lanka reads like that of a modern, sophisticated metropolis: Lanka is described as incredibly wealthy, beautiful, clean, and orderly, and its citizens learned, intelligent, and brave. The demons of Lanka, however, tend to make the wrong choices and follow a corrupt leader.

We need to understand asura metaphorically as having the potential for negative traits; for us humans it is important to recognize asura as our own dark side, our shadow that is always there. Conversely, deva is the light within us. We should not smirk at the naïveté of ancient societies and their talk about demons; instead we should consider that our own demonic potential can surface in many ways in the course of one day. There is no point in seeing the dark side only in others, either. Each human being has in each moment the choice to follow his or her demonic or divine potential. Only if we can acknowledge our own asuric potential can we overcome it. If we deny our dark side, it will only get stronger and stronger and surface in the most unlikely and most unwanted situations.