Gods lead by example in Yoga

Yoga is not just a physical and mental health recipe passed down by sages and practised since ages, even the celestial beings have performed Yoga, if one goes by the iconographic evidences.

The champions of Yoga, right from Sage Patanjali, have not merely prescribed the physical postures and soothing meditation to posterity, but also made the divine beings as 'brand ambassadors' of Yoga. This is evident from the scores of fables from the Puranas, which describe them as doing penance, or idols sculpted and consecrated in various temples, showing them as sitting in 'Yogic' posture.

One can see many in the Hindu pantheon of gods as performing penance. Lord Shiva is mostly shows as doing penance, while seated on Mount Kailash. He is depicted as Adi Yogi, whose mammoth statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Isha foundation premises in Coimbatore last year.

 Even the Pashupathi seal, linked to Harappan civilisation, has the protagonist in the Yogic sitting posture. Several temples in Andhra Pradesh have the presiding deities in the sanctum sanctorum sitting in the Yogic posture.

Yoga Narasimha

Narasimha, the lion-headed Hindu god, is commonly found in Yogic pose, as can be seen at Tirumala and Ahobilam temples. In Ahobilam, he is called as Yogananda Narasimha, which indicates his liking for Yoga. The famed Yoga Narasimha statue at Hampi in Karnataka shows Him as wearing the Yoga Patti (belt bringing the knees together). Lord Ayyappa is always seen in Yogic posture, with folded legs. Apart from Sabarimala in Kerala, the posture is retained wherever His temples are built across the world. Though pictorially he is shown occasionally as sitting on a tiger, the iconography always adheres to this Yogic posture.

Yoga Rama

Rama is mostly depicted in a standing posture carrying a bow and arrow and hence it is quite uncommon to see him in Yogic posture. There are quite a few 'Yoga Rama' temples in Rayalaseema, the prominent ones at Peddaputta in Kadapa district and Singanamala of Anantapuram district of Andhra Pradesh. These temples may be in ruins or out of popularity, but they send a strong message that Yoga is as ancient and as significant as the Gods. 

Yoga Srinivasa

It is surprising to see Venkateswara also in Yogic posture at the little-known Yoga Srinivasa temple, situated behind Gangundra Mandapam in Tiruchanur, Tirupati. This privately-managed temple, facing the 'Padma Sarovaram' tank where Goddess Padmavathi is believed to have appeared, is considered to be one of the ancient in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, the deities in lying (reclining) posture such as Ananta Padmanabha, Govindaraja or Ranganatha are also considered to be performing Yoga. In mythological parlance, the deities are said to be in 'Yoga Nidra' (yogic penance or trance), which should not be construed as slumber.

Now, the question: When the celestial beings show the way to humanity to perform Yoga, how many of us are listening...?

(Info credit: Sivakumar Challa of Archeological Research Group)