Yoga - Hinduism's gift to the world -- Letter to Yoga +

 

Forwarded Mail

 

 

May 16, 2010

 

Ms. Natalya Podgorny

Editor, Yoga +

 

Dear Madam,

 

I have been subscribing to your magazine for many years and have enjoyed reading articles on yoga and spirituality.

 

The founder of this magazine, Swami Rama was a Hindu by birth and followed the path of spiritual enlightenment based on the knowledge derived from the ancient Hindu/Vedic scriptures of more than five thousand years old.  I presume that one of the learned scholars, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait who is born as a Hindu, has taken over the mantle of Swami Rama in spreading the knowledge and spirituality including Yoga rooted in the scriptures of Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma for the benefit of the mankind, of course by commercializing them which have been given to the world by the Hindu saints and sages free of charge.

 

The Himalayan Institute and your magazine have grown over the years and have become a part of the multi-billion dollar business in the U.S. While one may not pass a value judgement on the practice of turning spirituality into a money making business, it is indeed unethical and immoral to sell the spiritual product/s without acknowledging its origin and roots. Like other Yoga journals circulating in the country, Yoga+ has followed the same commercial path of deceptively and subtly de-linking Yoga from its mother, Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma. I have yet to see any article in your magazine which openly talks about Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma and gives credit to it for bequeathing the wonderful science of yoga to the world civilization. Yoga + writes  and mentions often about Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism but never about Hinduism. Why?

 

Pandit Rajmani Tigunait has been writing a series of articles on the Sage Patanjli's Yoga Sutra but no where he ever acknowledges its roots to Hinduism. I am sure that Pandit Tigunait, a Sanskrit scholar, is fully aware that one of the main limbs of Yoga as mentioned by Sage Patanjli is Yamas (Restraints) which requires the practitioner and the preacher to speak 'Satya' ('Truthfulness'), refrain from lying. The denial of the Hindu origin of Yoga by the manipulative and deceptive scholarship is nothing but negation of the ethical codes laid down in the Yogic traditions.

 

I am also sure that Pandit Tigunait  knows that Yoga is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. May be that he like many other Hindu business gurus/yogis of modern time are willing to sell their souls by rejecting their own heritage and roots for fame and financial gains.

 

In the similar fashion, your magazine talks about 'Chakras', 'Puranas', Ayurveda and Vedantic philosophy without acknowledging their roots in Hinduism. We are aware that the Western Indologists and their supporters have made a big business to project Hinduism in the most negative and denigrating manner. They are portraying Hinduism in terms of  'Caste, cow and curry' and thereby distorting its history, culture and traditions to suite their personal agenda. While trashing Hinduism, they are simultaneously busy in appropriating its knowledge. It seems that the Yoga magazines including your magazine and Yoga schools operating in this country are also following the same Adharmic path of these Indologists of denying the credit to Hinduism for its valuable contributions to the world civilization.

 

I'll appreciate if you and Pandit Tigunait could please let me know as to your reason for denying the credit to Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma for the Yogic and spiritual knowledge that you are using to make money out of it. After all, you are benefiting out of the knowledge gifted to you by Hinduism free of charge. I hope you, your institute and Pandit Tiganait are left with some moral and Dharmic values which you preach in your magazine. Please remember that all these adharmic Karmas will bear their fruits one day from which there is no escape.

 

I would also like to state categorically that if your magazine and Institute continue to de-link Hinduism from Yoga and its other spiritual traditions, I'll discontinue its subscription and advise others to follow it.

 

Regards,

 

Dhiru Shah

India Awareness Foundation