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Chapter 8 Modern Yoga Traditions

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Tracing the Path of Yoga
This chapter is in the book Tracing the Path of Yoga
183Chapter 8Modern Yoga TraditionsThe Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama’s discovery of an oversea trade route to India at the end of the fifteenth century opened a new chapter in India’s history, one marked by the impact of European colonial powers, including the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British.1 Land-based trade dominated by Persian and Arab intermediaries gave way to direct trade between India and Europe, leading to rapid transformation of the Indian subcontinent. The European colonial era culminated in the British “Raj,” or “Rulership,” in India, a period that began in the mid–eighteenth cen-tury and lasted until Indian independence in 1947. During this period, the commercial and corporate influence of the British East India Com-pany gave way to direct imperial rule, with India becoming the “Jewel in the Crown” of the British empire. The shift from Mughal to European colonial rule affected all levels of Indian society, transforming the cultural and religious landscape of India in innumerable ways. Though European missionary efforts to convert the Indian population to Christianity met with minimal success, the pervasive influence of European culture had profound effects on Indian religious life. Colonial rulers amplified existing cultural faultlines, utilizing divide-and-conquer tactics to drive wedges between religious and sectarian traditions and strategically defining the social and legal parameters of Indian caste divisions.2 The economic and industrial policies of the colonial powers destabilized local economies and exacerbated problems of poverty, hygiene, and health throughout India, in some cases leading to mass disruptions of welfare and livelihood.3 The British followed the Mughals in using Indian sādhu armies as mercenaries,
© 2021 State University of New York

183Chapter 8Modern Yoga TraditionsThe Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gama’s discovery of an oversea trade route to India at the end of the fifteenth century opened a new chapter in India’s history, one marked by the impact of European colonial powers, including the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British.1 Land-based trade dominated by Persian and Arab intermediaries gave way to direct trade between India and Europe, leading to rapid transformation of the Indian subcontinent. The European colonial era culminated in the British “Raj,” or “Rulership,” in India, a period that began in the mid–eighteenth cen-tury and lasted until Indian independence in 1947. During this period, the commercial and corporate influence of the British East India Com-pany gave way to direct imperial rule, with India becoming the “Jewel in the Crown” of the British empire. The shift from Mughal to European colonial rule affected all levels of Indian society, transforming the cultural and religious landscape of India in innumerable ways. Though European missionary efforts to convert the Indian population to Christianity met with minimal success, the pervasive influence of European culture had profound effects on Indian religious life. Colonial rulers amplified existing cultural faultlines, utilizing divide-and-conquer tactics to drive wedges between religious and sectarian traditions and strategically defining the social and legal parameters of Indian caste divisions.2 The economic and industrial policies of the colonial powers destabilized local economies and exacerbated problems of poverty, hygiene, and health throughout India, in some cases leading to mass disruptions of welfare and livelihood.3 The British followed the Mughals in using Indian sādhu armies as mercenaries,
© 2021 State University of New York

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Pronunciation Guide for Sanskrit Terms xiii
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Defining Yoga 9
  7. The Prehistory of Yoga 39
  8. Brahmāical Asceticism and Śramaṇa Tradition 59
  9. The Classical Hindu Model of Yoga 89
  10. Hindu Epic, Purāṇic, and Scholastic Representations of Yoga 107
  11. Classical Śramaṇa Traditions of Yoga 127
  12. The Medieval Transformation of Yoga 147
  13. Modern Yoga Traditions 183
  14. Tracing the Path of Yoga 235
  15. Notes 239
  16. Works Cited 317
  17. Index 359
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781438481234-011

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Pronunciation Guide for Sanskrit Terms xiii
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Defining Yoga 9
  7. The Prehistory of Yoga 39
  8. Brahmāical Asceticism and Śramaṇa Tradition 59
  9. The Classical Hindu Model of Yoga 89
  10. Hindu Epic, Purāṇic, and Scholastic Representations of Yoga 107
  11. Classical Śramaṇa Traditions of Yoga 127
  12. The Medieval Transformation of Yoga 147
  13. Modern Yoga Traditions 183
  14. Tracing the Path of Yoga 235
  15. Notes 239
  16. Works Cited 317
  17. Index 359
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