Sritattvanidhi

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

The Sritattvanidhi (Śrītattvanidhi) ("The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is an treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections, Sritattvanidhi, includes instructions for and illustrations of 122 postures, making it by far the most elaborate text on asanas in existence before the twentieth century.

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. There are around 50 works 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]

Contents

The resulting illuminated manuscript, which he entitled the Sritattvanidhi, brings together several forms of Shiva, Vishnu, 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]

Published editions

An original copy of this colossal work is available in the Oriental Research Institute, University of Mysore, Mysore. Another copy is in the possession of the present scion of the Royal Family of Mysore, Sri Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wadiyar. An unedited version of this work with only text in devanagari script was published about a century ago by Khemraj Krishna das of Sri Venkateshvar Steam Press, Bombay (Mumbai).

In recent times the Oriental Research Institute has published three volumes (Saktinidhi, Vishnunidhi, and Sivanidhi.[5] Prof. S.K.Ramachandra Rao, has edited a book titled "Sri-Tattva-Nidhi (of Krishna Raja Wodeyar III of Mysore) (Vol-1). It was published by Kannada University, Hampi in 1993. However, in reality it was on Ragamala Paintings as depicted in " Svarachudamani" authored by the Mummadi Krishna Raja Wodeyar. Similar set of Ragamala Paintings are also found in Sri Tattva-Nidhi.

Another important work in this genre is by a Sanskrit scholar and hatha yoga student named Norman Sjoman. He has written a book titled: The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace (Year of Publication: 1996, ISBN 8170173892).The book presents the first English translation of a part of kautuka nidhi; Sritattvanidhi, which includes instructions for and illustrations of 122 postures—making it by far the most elaborate extant text on asanas in existence before the twentieth century. The book includes instructions for 122 yoga poses, illustrated by stylized drawings of an Indian man in a topknot and loincloth. Most of these poses—which include handstands, backbends, foot-behind-the-head poses, Lotus variations, and rope exercises—are familiar to modern practitioners (although most of the Sanskrit names are different from the ones they are known by today). But they are far more elaborate than anything depicted in other pre-twentieth-century texts.

Influence on Modern Yoga

In his 1996 book, The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace, Norman Sjoman asserts that influential yoga teacher Krishnamacharya was himself influenced by the Sritattvanidhi, which includes 122 asanas, some possibly based on gymnastics.[6]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sritattvanidhi.

Notes

  1. ↑ mummaDi kRuShNarAja oDeyaru - oMdu cAriTrika adhyana by Dr. R.Gopal & Dr. S.Narendra Prasad,@page=92-94
  2. ↑ shrI kRuShNarAjamahArAjakaMThIravaviracitavAda, maMtrarahasyada shrItatvanidhiyeMba graMthavaM sacitravAgi bareyuvudakke nirviGnamastu.:atha shaktinidhiprAraMbhaH
  3. ↑ Martin-Dubost, op. cit.
  4. ↑ Sri Mummadi Krsihnaraja Wodeyar's 'Sritattvanidhi', Volume-1;shakti nidhi @ pages xviii-xxiv: by Oriental research Institute, University of Mysore, 1997
  5. ↑ Chief editor, M. Madaiah. Imprint: Mysore : Oriental Research Institute, University of Mysore. Physical Description: v. <1-3 > : col. ill. ; 29 cm. Series Information: (Oriental Research Institute series ; nos. <186, 194, 199 >) Volume Titles: v. 1. Saktinidhi -- v. 2. Visnunidhi -- v. 3. Sivanidhi / chief editor, K.V. Ramesh. Source of citation: DK Agencies, retrieved 1 March 2007.
  6. ↑ Cushman, Anne (Jul–Aug 1999). New Light on Yoga. Yoga Journal. p. 43. ISSN 0191-0965.

References

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