Sritattvanidhi

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Opening page of the Kannada treatise Sritattvanidhi (19th century)

The Sritattvanidhi (Śrītattvanidhi, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and illustrations of, 122 hatha yoga postures.

Authorship

The Sritattvanidhi is attributed to the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (b. 1794 - d. 1868). The Maharaja was a great patron of art and learning, and was himself a scholar and writer. Around 50 works are ascribed to him.[1] The first page of the Sritattvanidhi attributes authorship of the work to the Maharaja himself:

May the work Sri Tattvanidi, which is illustrated and contains secrets of mantras and which is authored by King Sri Krishna Raja Kamteerava, be written without any obstacle. Beginning of Shaktinidhi.[2]

Martin-Dubost's review of the history of this work says that the Maharaja funded an effort to put together in one work all available information concerning the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. He asked that a vast treatise be written, which he then had illustrated by miniaturists from his palace.[3][page needed]

Contents

The Shiva nidhi section includes the Thirty-two forms of Ganesha; Mahaganapati pictured

The resulting

Skanda, Ganesha, different goddesses, the nine planets (navagraha), and the eight protectors of the cardinal points (aṣṭadikpālas). The work is in nine parts, each called a nidhi ("treasure"). The nine sections are:[4]

  1. Shakti nidhi
  2. Vishnu nidhi
  3. Shiva nidhi
  4. Brahma nidhi
  5. Graha
    nidhi
  6. Vaishnava
    nidhi
  7. Shaiva
    nidhi
  8. Agama nidhi
  9. Kautuka nidhi

Published editions

An original copy of this colossal work is available in the Oriental Research Institute at the University of Mysore. Another copy is in the possession of the royal family of Mysore. An unedited version with text in Devanagari script was published around 1900 by Khemraj Krishna Das of Sri Venkateshvar Steam Press, Bombay.

In recent times the Oriental Research Institute has published three volumes (Saktinidhi, Vishnunidhi, and Sivanidhi.[5]

Influence on modern yoga

Another important work on the subject is by the scholar of Sanskrit and hatha yoga,

Krishnamacharya, who did much to create modern yoga as exercise while teaching in the Mysore Palace, including training the yoga masters B. K. S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois there, was influenced by the Sritattvanidhi.[9][10]

The yoga scholars

satkarmas.[11]

  • A yogini in Aṇkuśāsana, the Elephant goad pose (Bhairavasana)
    A yogini in Aṇkuśāsana, the
    Bhairavasana
    )
  • "Kamapithasana" (Setubandhasana)
    "Kamapithasana" (
    Setubandhasana
    )
  • Gajasana, Elephant pose, a forerunner of Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana)
    Gajasana, Elephant pose, a forerunner of Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sritattvanidhi.

Notes

  1. ^ Gopal & Prasad 2004, pp. 92–94.
  2. ^ Wodeyar 1997, Shakti nidhi.
  3. ^ Martin-Dubost 1997.
  4. ^ Wodeyar 1997, pp. xviii-xxiv (Volume 1: Shakti nidhi.
  5. ^ Wodeyar 1997.
  6. ^ Sjoman 1999, pp. 69–85.
  7. ^ Sjoman 1999, plates 1–20.
  8. ^ Sjoman 1999, pp. 53–57.
  9. ^ Sjoman 1999, pp. 49–52.
  10. ISSN 0191-0965
    .
  11. ^ Mallinson & Singleton 2017, p. 94.

Cited sources

Further reading

External links
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