The Hathayogapradipika ((Original Text, Transliteration, English Translation))

Sanctity is the very foundation of Indian life. The etiology of the maladies today, including the deteriorating environment, stems from the erosion of purity. When the entire social fabric is put into danger due to impurity, the fact of unveiling the splendour of the human person lies at the core of spirituality that is instrumental through Yoga-Sadhana. The Yoga-practices, the spiritual discipline and techniques of meditation enable an aspirant to attain the knowledge of the Supreme Reality, the Paramatman.

As Yoga its therapeutic procedures have caught the attention of even medical experts the world over today, a classical Yoga Sanskrit text like Hathayogapradipika is felt a necessary compendium.

Hathayogapradipika is a basic treatise on Hathayoga that covers the eight-fold path outlined by Maharsi Patanjali. Grouped in four comprehensive chapters, it starts with the introduction of the pre-requisites of Yoga like Yama (Restraints), Niyama (Observances), and Asanas (Postures). Pranayama (Breath regulation), purification of the Nadis, and the Satkarmas form the second chapter. After the practice of postures, six purificatory processes and regulation of the breath, both physical and psychic channels within the body are cleansed, and the mind is mastered. The third and the fourth chapters respectively narrate the Mudras, and meditation and Samadhi. The mind comes to abstraction at this stage, and it is ready for concentration and spiritual ecstasy.

About the Author

J.L. Gupta, the editor of this book, has been keenly involved with the editorial activities of books for more than two decades. He has been studying spirituality and Yoga over a long period. He has edited and translated several books and is conversant with the nuances in writing, editing and production of books. He has more than two dozen books to his credit. Some of them are Challenges to the Indian Woman (1989), Jaina Yoga Meditation in the light of Yogabindu (1994), Hymns of Lord Siva (1999), Hymns of Lord Krishna (2000), Hindu Gods and Goddesses (2003). Currently, he is working on projects on Yoga and other works of allied discipline.