Green_Manalishi
Jedi Master
Has I was reading a small book about the evolution of Yoga throughout the millennia, something caught my eye.
According to the author, during his 20 years of research into the ancient roots of Yoga, there was a de-evolution in Yoga. The major change in Yoga happened about 5000 years ago when the Aryan people invaded the region that is today India, destroying the Dravidian civilization (it was this civilization that “discovered” Yoga) that existed there. Of course there is a big chance that this situation is a parallel one to what happened in Europe about the same time, with the invasion of the Goddess cultures by nomadic tribes known by various names.
Before the invasion of the Aryans the Yoga that was practiced is described has Tantra-Samkhya. In this system these two names mean the following:
Tantra: the behavior is regulated by a matriarchal system, by sensorial and anti-repression. Therefore it positions the women in a privileged position within the family, society and in public administration; culture of a exuberant and complete sexuality without guilt nor malice.
Samkhya: naturalist (non-spiritualist), interpretation of the phenomena triggered by Yoga as an occurrence that obeys the laws of nature, and is not a result of any divine grace or spiritual merit of the practitioner.
After this first change, according with the author Yoga continued it’s de-evolution and took the following denominations, first Brahmáchárya – Samkhya and after a while, in the medieval times, Brahmáchárya – Vêdánta (this last one being the low point of Yoga in the authors opinion). The new terms used above mean the following:
Brahmáchárya – the behavior is marked by a patriarchal, by an anti-sensorial and repressive system. Consequently it doesn’t admit that the power is bestowed in women, which must be relegated to the function of child birth and household tasks. It doesn’t accept pleasure, freedom or sexuality.
Vêdánta – spiritualist, mystic, attributes the phenomena produced by Yoga to the divine grace and spiritual merit of the practitioner.
My point with all this is that this is an example of what seems to be a parallel between the societies from Europe and, in this case India, from 5000 years ago. It is another source pointing to the conclusions that seem to point to a better society millennia ago, and that we are in a descending spiral and not a ascending one. Also that mysticism, in believing in a downward spiral, is not a step forward but a step backward in understanding the Universe.
According to the author, during his 20 years of research into the ancient roots of Yoga, there was a de-evolution in Yoga. The major change in Yoga happened about 5000 years ago when the Aryan people invaded the region that is today India, destroying the Dravidian civilization (it was this civilization that “discovered” Yoga) that existed there. Of course there is a big chance that this situation is a parallel one to what happened in Europe about the same time, with the invasion of the Goddess cultures by nomadic tribes known by various names.
Before the invasion of the Aryans the Yoga that was practiced is described has Tantra-Samkhya. In this system these two names mean the following:
Tantra: the behavior is regulated by a matriarchal system, by sensorial and anti-repression. Therefore it positions the women in a privileged position within the family, society and in public administration; culture of a exuberant and complete sexuality without guilt nor malice.
Samkhya: naturalist (non-spiritualist), interpretation of the phenomena triggered by Yoga as an occurrence that obeys the laws of nature, and is not a result of any divine grace or spiritual merit of the practitioner.
After this first change, according with the author Yoga continued it’s de-evolution and took the following denominations, first Brahmáchárya – Samkhya and after a while, in the medieval times, Brahmáchárya – Vêdánta (this last one being the low point of Yoga in the authors opinion). The new terms used above mean the following:
Brahmáchárya – the behavior is marked by a patriarchal, by an anti-sensorial and repressive system. Consequently it doesn’t admit that the power is bestowed in women, which must be relegated to the function of child birth and household tasks. It doesn’t accept pleasure, freedom or sexuality.
Vêdánta – spiritualist, mystic, attributes the phenomena produced by Yoga to the divine grace and spiritual merit of the practitioner.
My point with all this is that this is an example of what seems to be a parallel between the societies from Europe and, in this case India, from 5000 years ago. It is another source pointing to the conclusions that seem to point to a better society millennia ago, and that we are in a descending spiral and not a ascending one. Also that mysticism, in believing in a downward spiral, is not a step forward but a step backward in understanding the Universe.