Vasishtha Samhita
The Vasishtha Samhita (Sanskrit: वासिष्ठसंहिता, Vāsiṣṭha Saṁhitā, Vasishtha's Collection) is a 13th century medieval Vaishnavite text, one of the first to describe non-seated hatha yoga asanas including the arm-balancing Kukkutasana, Cockerel Pose. It makes use of the 10th century Vimanarcanakalpa, whose verse it paraphrases in prose to describe what may be the first non-seated asana, the arm-balancing Mayurasana, Peacock Pose. These descriptions in turn were exploited by the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika.[1]
The Vasishtha Samhita shares many verses with the Yoga Yajnavalkya, some of which originate in the earlier Padma Samhita. [2]
The text, ascribed to the earlier sage Vasishtha, was compiled by an unknown author of the Vaishnavite Shakta sect. Its 45 chapters cover peace, name-chanting, offerings, sacrifices, astrology, and donation.[3][4][5]
References
- Mallinson & Singleton 2017, pp. 87–88, 104–105.
- Atkinson, Simon (2022). Krishnamacharya on Kundalini : the origins and coherence of his position. Bristol: Equinox. p. 31-57. ISBN 9781800501522.
- Joshi, Dinkar (2005). Glimpses of Indian Culture. Star Publications. p. 25. ISBN 978-81-7650-190-3.
- Frawley, David (2014). Vedic Yoga: The Path of the Rishi. Lotus Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-940676-25-1.
- Rosen, Richard (2012). Original Yoga: Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga. Shambhala Publications. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-8348-2740-0.
Sources
- Mallinson, James; Singleton, Mark (2017). Roots of Yoga. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-241-25304-5. OCLC 928480104.
- Maheshananda, Swami; Sharma, B. R. (2005). Vasistha Samhita. Kaivalyadhama. ISBN 978-8189485375.
External links
- Sanskrit text of Vasishtha Samhita
- English prose translation by Manmatha Nath Dutt, Elysium Press, Calcutta, 1907
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