CONCEPT OF KUṆḌALINĪ YOGA IN TELUGU VEDANTA TEXTS

Abstract

The concepts relating to Kuṇḍalinī Yoga in Telugu literature on Yoga and Vedanta, are discussed in this article. Kuṇḍalinī yoga, as in other Indian languages, has been dealt rather consistently in a metaphorical manner in Telugu too. Here an attempt is made to understand the concept of Kuṇḍalinī as explained by the writers in Telugu, the classical Dravidian language of India. For the purpose of this study, numerous Telugu texts of Yoga and Vedanta were identified and collected. The period of the texts ranged from 11th Century to 19th Century. A thorough study of these texts was attempted.The direct references to Kuṇḍalinī concepts such as the cakras, nādis, and awakening methods were traced.  Metaphorical references were also identified. It is interesting to note that while some of the standard symbols (for example: snake) have been consistently used by several of these authors to represent Kuṇḍalinī, a new coinage of metaphorical terms have also been noticed peculiar to the texts of this classical language.In several Telugu literary forms, Kuṇḍalinī yōga has been innovatively presented bringing out both the practical as well as the conceptual aspects of this mystical science. This study contributed to identifying the hitherto unknown aspects of Kuṇḍalinī. These findings throw fresh light on understanding this subtle subject of Kuṇḍalinī.