Uddālaka’s Yoga in the <i>Mokṣopāya</i>

Abstract

This paper suggests that the Uddālaka story, told in the Mokṣopāya (MU) (950 CE), in which the young sage Uddālaka undergoes a process of body and mind purification after an experience of the appearance of kuṇḍalinī in the body, prompted by the recitation of the syllable OṂ, could be seen as a precursor to systems of praxis outlined in later Haṭha Yoga (HY) texts. The narrative of Uddālaka paints a picture of a complex and blended world of sectarian influence, spiritual knowledge and embodied praxis within which the MU was no doubt composed, and within which early HY also likely emerged as praxis for the sake of mokṣa. The depiction of Uddālaka’s yogic transformation is summarized here and analyzed to reveal a multilayered picture of influence that may shed light on the formative environment of early Hatha Yoga.

Keywords

• yoga
• haṭha yoga
• mokṣopāya
• yogavāsiṣṭha
• kuṇḍalinī
• praṇava
• prāṇa
• jīvanmukti
• videhamukti