Paying homage to Patanjali

Krishnamacharya provided each of his students with their own personal mantra to be used at the start of each practice. TKV Desikachar honours Patanjali with these words and passes on the mantra on to his students.

Mantra

om
ॐ
oṁ

oṁ
oṁparticle
Om

OM

yogena chittasya padena vacham; malam sharirasya cha vaidyakena
योगेन चित्तस्य पदेन वाचां मलं शरीरस्य च वैद्यकेन
yogena cittasya padena vācāṁ; malaṁ śarīrasya ca vaidyakena

yogenainstrumental case singular
yogasubstantive masculine
durch Yoga
cittasyagenitive singular
cittasubstantive neuter
den Geist
padenainstrumental case singular
padasubstantive neuter
durch die Logik
vācāmaccusative singular
vācāsubstantive feminine
die Sprache, Rede, Wort, den heiligen Text
malamaccusative singular
malasubstantive neuter
Übel
śarīrasyagenitive singular
śarīrasubstantive neuter
des Körpers
ca
caparticle
und
vaidyakenainstrumental case singular
vaidyakasubstantive neuter
durch Heilkunde

Durch Yoga (yogena | ins sg) die Übel (malam | acc sg) des Geistes (cittasya | gen sg), durch Logik (pādena | ins sg) die [Übel] der Sprache (vācām | acc sg) und (ca) durch Heilkunst (vaidyakena | ins sg) die [Übel] des Körpers (śarīrasya | gen sg) ...

Dr. Ronald Steiner

yo 'pakarot tam pravaram muninam; patanjalim pranjalir anato 'smi
यो ऽपाकरोत्तं प्रवरं मुनीनां पतञ्जलिं प्राञ्जलिरानतो ऽस्मि
yo 'pākarot taṁ pravaraṁ munīnāṁ; patañjaliṁ prāñjalir ānato 'smi

yaḥnominative singular
yadsubstantive masculine
der, derjenige, welcher
apākarot3rd person singular imperative
apaprevixkr̥verbal root
er beseitigte
tamaccusative singular
tadpronoun 3rd person
dies
pravaramaccusative singular
pravarasubstantive masculine
der beste
munīnāmgenitive plural
munisubstantive masculine
der Weisen
patañjalimaccusative singular
patañjalisubstantive masculine
Patañjali
prānñjaliḥnominative singular
prāñjaliadjective
die hohl aneinander gelegten Hände ausstreckend - als Zeichen der Ehrerbietung und Unterwerfung
ānataḥnominative singular
ānatasubstantive masculine
Verbeugung vor
ānatasubstantive masculine
āprevixnamverbal root
Verbeugung
asmi1st person singular indicative present
asverbal root
ich bin

... beseitigte (apākarot | 3p sg imp) dieser (yaḥ | nom sg). Vor diesem Besten (taṁ pravaram | acc sg) der Weisen (munīnām | gen pl), vor Patañjali (patañjalim | acc sg) bin ich (asmi | 1p sg) einer der sich mit geöffneten Händen verbeugt (prāñjalir ānantaḥ | nom sg).

Dr. Ronald Steiner

abahu-purushakaram; shankha-chakrasi-dharinam |
आबाहुपुरुषाकारं शङ्खचक्रासिधारिणम् ।
ābāhu-puruṣākāraṁ; śaṅkha-cakrāsi-dhāriṇam ।

ā
āprevix
bis zu
bāhubahuvrīhi-compund
bāhusubstantive masculine
den Armen habend
puruṣatatpuru.sa~~-compound genitive
puruṣasubstantive masculine
Mensch
ākāramaccusative singular
ākārasubstantive masculine
Form, Figur, Gestalt
śaṅkhadvandva-compound
śaṅkhasubstantive masculine
Muschelhorn
cakradvandva-compound
cakrasubstantive neuter
Diskus
asibahuvrīhi-compund
asisubstantive masculine
Schwert
dhāriṇamneuter accusative singular
dhārinadjective
tragend

Vor dem der ab dem Oberkörper von menschlicher Gestalt hat (ābāhu-puruṣākāram | acc sg), der Muschelhorn, Diskus und Schwert tragend ist (śaṅka-cakrāsi-dhāriṇam | acc sg), ...

Dr. Ronald Steiner

sahasra-shirasam shvetam; pranamami patanjalim ||
सहस्रशिरसं श्वेतं प्रणमामि पतञ्जलिम् ॥
sahasra-śirasaṁ śvetaṁ; praṇamāmi patañjalim ॥

sahasrabahuvrīhi-compund
sahasranumeral
tausend
śirasamaccusative singular
śirasasubstantive masculine
Kopf
śvetammasculine accusative singular
śvetaadjective
strahlend
praṇamāmi1st person singular indicative present
praprevixnamverbal root
ich verbeuge mich vor
patañjalimaccusative singular
patañjalisubstantive masculine
Patanjali

... der mit tausend strahlenden Köpfen versehen ist (sahasra-śirasaṁ śvetam | acc sg), vor Patañjali (patañjalim | acc sg), verbeuge ich mich (praṇamāmi | 1p sg).

Dr. Ronald Steiner

om
ॐ
oṁ

oṁ
oṁparticle
Om

OM

It is this variation of the Sanskrit Mantra (मन्त्र, Mantra) which bears the closest resemblance to the Yoga-Sutra (योगसूत्र, Yoga-Sūtra) of Patanali (पतञलि, Patañali). The first two sentences of the Mantra (मन्त्र, Mantra), which differ it from the variations recited by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois or BKS Iyengar, seem almost like the beginning of the Yoga-Sutra (योगसूत्र, Yoga-Sūtra) itself. A neutral start compared to the beginning of the Sanskrit Mantra (मन्त्र, Mantra), rooted in Vaishnava Hinduism, by BKS Iyengar or the Shaiva version by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. It fits with TKV Desikachar, who underwent a Western education and only later in his adult years rediscovered the Yoga of his father from a different perspective.

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