The Mystical Torah- A Yogi's Perspective

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Foreword When I was quite young, I came into contact with Gurudev Paramahamsa Hariharanandaji, the irrefutable source of inspiration and transformation in my life. Shri Gurudev was well versed in many scriptures of both the East and the West, including the Torah. In those days, I was a novice, but still very curious about the Torah. Although I had already studied the Old and New Testaments, I did not understand what the Torah was specifically. Therefore, it was through my beloved master that I gained my first understanding of this treasured holy book and its teachings.

The Old and the New Testaments

The Christian Holy Bible is a holy book that consists of two parts, the Old and the New Testaments, and in turn, each testament contains many books. The word "testament" is derived from the original Latin word testamantum, implying a will or covenant. The Old Testament corresponds approximately to the Hebrew Bible, the sacred writings of Judaism, and has thirty-nine books. The New Testament is a recording of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his earliest followers. Historians and researchers date the Old Testament between 1450 BC and 450 BC, and say that it was largely written in Hebrew but also contained a bit of Aramaic. Authorship is attributed to different individuals, and some of it is said to be of divine origin. The Old Testament influenced and inspired the three major Abrahamic religions that developed in the Middle East Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Moreover, the Old Testament has been one of the main sources of the moral and social ideals held in Middle Eastern and Western countries.

What is the Torah?

The book that Christian people refer to as the Old Testament contains what is known as the Written Torah to the Jewish people. The Written Torah is the part of the Old Testament that includes the five special law books as taught by Moses-Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy which are said to be of divine origin, as well as the many books of the Prophets and Writings, which cite the prophets' lives and teachings. In the narrowest sense, the Torah can be said to include Moses' five books, but in the broadest sense, it also includes the books of the Prophets and Writings as well as the entire Oral Law (Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash), including the works of commentators throughout the ages. Thus, the Torah is the holy text of the Jewish people. For the purpose of this book, we will limit our discussion of the Torah to the law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the Pentateuch. The word "Pentateuch" is originally derived from the Greek word pentateukhos, penta meaning "five" and teukhos meaning "the book." Thus, the Pentateuch is literally a book of five volumes - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The word Torah itself is derived from the Hebrew word toraah, which means "instruction, doctrine, and law," or from yaa and raah, meaning "show or instruct." The five Law Books of Moses in the Torah contain the story of creation, the mistakes of the first human couple and the subsequent sufferings, enslavement and redemption of their descendants, as well as many other fascinating episodes. Within them, there are many laws and prescriptions for devout Jews to follow and practice in daily life.

Introduction Life is a book. Each one of us has been presented with the opportunity to author our own book. You are the author of yours and I am the author of mine. People can see a book's cover from a distance; however, those who get closer can open it and look at its contents. Similarly, only the external part of you can be seen from a distance, but those who live with or near you learn a little more about what you are writing in your book, meaning your conduct, nature, behavior, and character. From this closer perspective, things might not always seem as nice as they once did and that is when trouble can begin. Likewise, faraway mountains are very beautiful and attractive but when we are standing right on top of them, we nevertheless find they have very rough surfaces and are not as beautiful as they first appeared. When I was a little boy, I could see the tiny contour of some remote hills from the village where I was born and raised. They often changed color, appearing really blue during monsoon after the rain and gray in the summer. Eventually, when I was a little older, I was able to see them from a closer proximity. Then, at the age of fifteen, I went to the Himalayas for the first time. I was quite surprised and filled with wonder about what I saw because they were also completely different from how they appeared at a distance and from what I had imagined.

Every day, in each and every moment, you are writing the book of your life. Just imagine how much you have written since childhood. It is important not to forget that what you write is not only for you to read; others also read it. You have surely heard the expression, "My life is an open book." That means that you cannot hide anything or keep secrets from anyone. When you write something, it is a record that is not just for you; it is for others, too.

Since I was a child, I have always kept a notebook with me to jot down inspiring things- good thoughts, messages from the scriptures, and teachings of the masters. One day many years ago when I was teaching in the college, I left my bag in the staff room while I went to teach a class. I was not concerned about leaving my personal belongings there, as everybody knew me and I had nothing to hide. However, while I was gone, some colleagues who were also very good friends of mine decided to look in the bag to see what it contained. Inside, they found my notebook in which 1 had written an interesting quote, first in Sanskrit and then translated poetically in the Odia language. After class, I returned to the staff room and discovered them quiet and looking very serious. When 1 asked what had happened, they replied, "You claim to be a spiritual person, but you are writing love songs! We read your notebook." Little did they know that what I had written was not a love song but rather a quotation from a great poet, a saint and very famous king. The poet's name was Bhratruhari. He lived a long time ago in Ujjain, India. In order to become a holy man and yogi, he ceded his throne and kingdom to his younger brother, Vikramaditya, During his life as a poet and saint, Bhratruhari wrote three beautiful books: Nitishatakam, on morality; Shringarashatakam, on love; and Vairagyashatakam, on detachment. The introduction to these three books includes the story of his life in a poetic form of Sanskrit, in which he states, "The one I love and am thinking of is not thinking of me but of another, and the one my beloved thinks of is thinking of another. Strange is this world." This is the quote I had written in my notebook.

The reason I relay this incident is to remind you that whatever you write is a record, even if you write it in "invisible ink." It is not a record that will be preserved through the ages, but neither are you writing it just for your own enjoyment. Instead, many other people will read it, and will do so in your own lifetime. Additionally, whether what we write is pleasant or unpleasant depends on one's perception. For example, imagine you are sitting with me and we are looking at each other. We are not just observing each other's physical appearance, but rather something more and much beyond that. In essence, we are reading and also becoming a topic in each other's books of life.

**Contents and Sample Pages**