A brief introduction of "Yogāsana - Jaina": An unpublished yoga manuscript

Abstract

Background: Considering the need to unearth the knowledge of yoga hidden in various handwritten manuscripts, the Philosophico-Literary Research Department of Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala has undertaken a long-term project on unpublished manuscripts. Aims: The current research work aims to study an unpublished yoga manuscript, "Yogāsana-Jaina," by exploring the details in relation to the author as well as the content. Method: The method followed for the current study was descriptive. First, translation of the Ms. from Sanskrit to English, and then a critical analysis of the content were done. Results: The whole manuscript, Yogāsana-Jaina, is devoted to the description of āsana s related with Jaina tradition. It describes around 107 āsana s with illustration of each āsana . Out of 107 āsana s, some āsana s are variations of many popular yoga āsanas , some āsana s are presented with right and left variations, whereas some āsana s are presented in different variations as well as names. Conclusion: The current Ms. can serve to be of great interest to the yoga practitioners/scholars/researchers interested in the variations of āsana s according to tradition, religion, and/or culture.

Keywords

• āsana
• jaina tradition
• unpublished manuscript
• yoga