A PrACtiCAL MAN ShowS uS the wAY by Sharon Conroy asked me to read a particular article before our meeting.
In the fall 2009 issue of Yoga Samachar, I reviewed Edwin Bryant’s recently published book, The Yoga Sutras of
Here are three paragraphs from that article. It was authored by Faeq and Patxi Lizardi.
Patanjali: A New Edition, Translation, and
In the same way that reading the article set the stage for my meeting with Faeq, your
Commentary with Insights from the
reading of these paragraphs will set the stage for the article that follows.
Traditional Commentators. It is a wonderful resource with a rich and readable text
Guruji was preparing Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for publication. We were
that I will continue to study for many
living in the Institute and had the privilege of being around Guruji when he was
years. However, as a student and teacher
finalizing the manuscript. We were noting, entering, and retyping his corrections,
in the Iyengar tradition, it was B.K.S.
trying to follow the unattainable flow of his new ideas and his very fast yet
Iyengar’s foreword to the book that
systematic way of reading, correcting, and clarifying his own explanations.
immediately caught my attention and
…this new and beautiful explanation was the fresh fruit of his own practice of Pranayama that very morning!
truly delighted me. In the foreword, Guruji very clearly and succinctly states two ways in which he differs from the classical commentators. Although I had sensed for a while that
Some moments were particularly vivid and they can give to the reader an idea of
there were differences, I had not been
how that book was written. For example, we will never forget the time when Guruji
able to put them into words, and I was
was reediting his manuscript about the sutra III.9 to III.13. His text was very
delighted to see Guruji do so. What he
beautiful, and it was ready to go to the final version when, very early one morning,
said piqued my interest to know more
he came to our room and took all his time to expose to us his new ideas on how to
and gave rise to new questions.
explain these sutra. And, the concept of the silent moments between the rising impressions and our attempt to restrain them came to be crystal clear forever. But
While the idea of being able to sit down
something else also was clear for both of us: this new and beautiful explanation was
with Guruji to explore this topic was
the fresh fruit of his own practice of Pranayama that very morning!
enticing, the next time I would be in Pune was for his 90th birthday, and I
And the same happened so many times. It was a marvel to witness that fountain of
didn’t feel that would be an appropriate
new explanations when Guruji was confronted by a sutra, and was not very happy
time to request such a meeting. Then, it
about the clarity or fluidity of his own ideas to explain it, and next morning, after
occurred to me that perhaps among the
his own practice, the sentences were flowing like a mountain stream, so powerful
many longtime practitioners gathering
and so clear. We began to understand why he was not using for reference any book
from all over the world to honor Guruji
except two dictionaries. A few times, when we presented him ideas from traditional
would be someone who might be willing
commentaries, he refused kindly to see them and told us, with a smile, that he
to discuss this topic with me.
would go through all of them once his own work was over. Indeed, as with all his other writings, deeply anchored in tradition, he was proceeding like a thorough
As fate would have it, Faeq Biria and I
scientist, completely independent, using only his own experiential knowledge to
happened to be staying at the same
present his invisible guru’s text. It is said that a sutra can be explained in a scholarly
hotel in Pune. Although I had met him
way or be used as a thread connecting the sutra writer to the commentator, inspiring
only once, I knew that he was one of
him to share his experiential knowledge, and we felt often that this was the case.1
Guruji’s oldest students and understood that he was knowledgeable about the
The following conversation took place on December 19, 2008, on a bus traveling
Yoga Sutras.
between Mysore and Bangalore at the end of the south India tour celebrating Guruji’s 90th birthday. Faeq reviewed the content for accuracy in the spring of 2010.
When I told Faeq what I was interested SC: I’m pleased that you asked me to read your and Patxi’s epilogue in the new
in discussing and asked if he might be willing to meet with me, he graciously
Astadala Yogamala. It was quite inspiring to hear how Light on the Yoga Sutras came
agreed to do so. And, once I had given
into being. I was especially moved by the idea of each sutra being a thread
him a copy of Guruji’s foreword, he
connecting Patanjali to the commentator, inspiring him to share what he knows as
Yoga Samachar
Fall 2010 / Winter 2011
19
