Acknowledgments by Matthew Rulli xv Authors’ Note xvii Introduction: Yoga’s Narrative Canvas

Introduction

Yoga’s Narrative Canvas

Under the Pole Star, atop Mount Kailas, that mountain of stone covered with snow, the sun of curiosity blazed bright, causing the ice to melt and rivers of wisdom to flow. Shakti kept asking questions until Shiva broke his silence and revealed how the layers of the body may connect with the layers of the world and become a single fabric, unknotted, uncrumpled, joyful. The serpent around Shiva’s neck overheard this conversation that caused him to sprout many heads and hands; he eventually acquired human form and became known as Patanjali Yoga secrets revealed

1

and shared this knowledge with the world. This same knowledge was overheard and transmitted by a fish, who became a man called Matsyendra. This same knowledge was carried south by Agastya, who also took with him the mountains and rivers from the north, as well his beautiful wife, the rishika and yogini known as Lopamudra. Saraswati gave this knowledge to Brahma and it was overheard by a goose, who transformed from Hamsa to Param-hamsa when it shared the knowledge with the Saptarishis, the seven sages of the celestial sphere, who then shared it with devas as well as Asuras. Vishnu shared it with Lakshmi on the ocean of milk. As a fish, he also shared it with Manu, the leader of men. Sita gave this same knowledge to Ram, when he sat on this throne and it was overheard and transmitted by Hanuman. Radha gave it to Krishna, enabling him to let go of Madhuvan and move to Mathura and fulfill his destiny. Krishna, in turn, gave it on the battleground to Arjuna, enabling him to fight without anger in Kurukshetra. The hermit Dattatreya discovered this knowledge everywhere: in rocks and rivers, in trees and animals, in the behaviour of men and of women. So did the Jinas. So did the Buddhas. This knowledge is known as yoga. And these stories, yoga mythology. Patanjali

Before we delve deeper into yoga mythology, let us first understand what yoga is, and what mythology is.

2 Introduction