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The Essence and Power of Haṭha Yoga
The nature of the Haṭha Yogī is supreme, achieving a consciousness even Śiva respects. Others may wait lifetimes for liberation, but the Haṭha Yogī stands above all, enduring every condition with immense willpower and complete contentment, free from all desire. A story illustrates this: a yogī, baking bread on a funeral pyre, is offered a boon by Śiva. The yogī refuses, asking only that Śiva depart, demonstrating a state beyond want. In contrast, a Bhakti Yogī constantly petitions God, and a Jñāna Yogī argues, while the Haṭha Yogī is the realized Self. Four types of force exist: the stubborn will of a child, the determined will of a woman, the imposed will of a king, and the unwavering will of the yogī focused solely on self-realization. Haṭha Yoga's practical path involves six purification acts—Neti, Dhauti, Nauli, Basti, Kapālabhāti, and Trāṭaka—to cleanse the body and balance the vital energies. This balance of the Ha and Tha energies, the sun and moon channels, leads to union. It is the highest yoga.
"When the Haṭha Yogī comes, then Bhagavān, Sadāśiva, Swayambhū, Bholenāth, with great respect, welcomes the Haṭha Yogī."
"Ask anything, I will give you,' so he said, 'Okay, if you want to give me something, then disappear, go away.'"
Filming location: Sunshine Coast, Australia
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
