03 | The Fascinating tale of two Krishnamacharya-s
Śrī Śrīnivāsa Brahmatantra Svatantra Parakāla Svāmi was known as Krishnamacharya in his Pūrvāśrama. Yogācārya T Krishnamacharya was most likely named after him.
Yogācārya T Krishnamacharya is undoubtedly the most influential teacher of our times. He revolutionised the practice of Yoga, created so many social reforms surrounding it and even opened the doors of Vedic chanting to women, a move that surprised and shocked many orthodox Brahmins at this time.
However, not many know that he belongs to an illustrious lineage of Vedānta-ācārya-s who have been propagating Śrivaiṣṇava-sampradāya for centuries and his family has, and is continuing to play an important role in this tradition. The Śrīvaiṣṇava-sampradāya has Lord Nārāyaṇa as the first Ācārya, followed by His beloved consort Śrī-mahālakṣmī (also known as ́Śrī-devī). Then comes Śrī Viśvaksena, the commander in chief of the divine army, followed by Śrī Nammāḷvār, Śrī Nāthamuni, Śrī Yāmunācārya and Śrī Rāmānujācārya. After Śrī Rāmānujācārya, two denominations evolved, which are known as the Vaḍakalai tradition (the northern school) and Tengalai tradition (the southern school). The Vaḍakalai tradition was propagated by Śrī Vedāntadeśika and the Tengalai tradition by Śrī Maṇavālamāmuni. There are some minor philosophical differences between the two schools, although the main tenets of Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition are the same.
The Vaḍakalai tradition propagated by Śrī Vedāntadeśika has further different Maṭha-s (schools) that serve as the bodies spreading the teachings in a dharmic manner. Prominent among these are the Parakālamaṭha headquartered in Mysuru, Āṇdavan Āśram headquartered in Srīraṅgam, Ahobilamaṭha headquartered in Ahobilam and Pauṇḍrīkapuram Āśram in Srīraṅgam. The Parakālamaṭha is the first and foremost among these and was founded with the blessings of Svāmin Vedāntadeśika himself, who appointed his close student Varadācārya as the first Ācārya of the Maṭha. We belong to the Vaḍakalai tradition, with the Parakālamaṭha in Mysuru as our primary reference school.
The Parakālamaṭha conducts religious and spiritual activities related to the Śrivaiṣṇavatradition under the auspices of the Parakālasvāmi, who serves as the Pontiff of the institution.
Very few people know that Yogācārya T Krishnamacharya’s grandfather was the 28th Parakālasvāmi of the sacred Parakālamaṭha was known as Śrī Śrīnivāsa Brahmatantra Svatantra Parakāla Svāmi. His period of ascending to this position was from 1836 to 1861 and he was regarded with great respect by citizens of his time. Among spreading the traditional teachings to every corner of India, he also taught the Gita-bhāṣya and Bhagavad-viṣaya to Śri Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the then King of Mysuru. The Parkālmaṭha-svāmi-s were always the Ācārya-s for the Mysuru royalty over many centuries. Interestingly before ascending to this title, his Pūrvāśrama name was Krishnamacharya. It is highly likely that our own Yogācārya T Krishnamacharya was named in his honour.
Even fewer people know that our own Yogācārya T Krishnamacharya was offered the chance to be the Parakālasvāmi of the Parakālamaṭha in the early 1900s. However, he politely declined this offer, owing to the promise he made to his Yogācārya Rāmamohana Brahmacāri that he would remain as a Yogācārya teacher all his life. Had he chosen otherwise, and had become the Pontiff of this Maṭha, we would never know how the Yoga landscape of this world would have shaped. It is our good fortune that he chose the Yoga path so that we can all be a part of it today.
While their journies have been fascinatingly contrasting, one ascending to the sacred position, while the other politely rejecting it, there is no doubt that the two Krishnamacharya-s contributed immensely to their respective fields of choice.
Following the footsteps of his grandfather Dr Kausthub Desikachar, deeply rooted in the Yoga teaching, continues to fully support the activities of the Parakālamaṭha, having been fully initiated into the Śrīvaiṣṇava-sampradāya by the current Pontiff, His Holiness Śrī Abhinava Vāgīṣa Brahmatantra Svatanta Parakāla Svāmi Mahā Deśika, the current Ācārya of the Parkālamaṭha of Mysuru.
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Little know facts about Yogācārya T Krishnamacharya | Curated by Dr Kausthub Desikachar. Current lineage holder of the Viniyoga tradition. Copyright © Kausthub Desikachar and Viniyoga Pte. Ltd. No part of this article may be reproduced in part or full without permission from the author.
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Dr Kausthub Desikachar is the successor and current lineage holder of the classical Viniyoga tradition of T Krishnamacharya & TKV Desikachar. He is an acclaimed yoga teacher, yoga therapist, healer and spiritual adviser. His objectives include the sharing of the authentic teachings of Yoga to the modern era, as well as building bridges between different healing modalities to promote physical, emotional social and spiritual health.
He is the founder of Viniyoga Pte. Ltd. and also the co-founder of Krishnamacharya Healing & Yoga Foundation, India, and founder and president of Europe based, KHYF International.
He is also currently the seniormost trainer of the Viniyoga tradition and offers Viniyoga® Yoga Teacher Training and also Viniyoga® Yoga Therapy Training all over the world. Being focused on quality, rather than quantity, Dr Kausthub Desikachar usually only offers one batch in a location, rather than do multiple ones in the same venue. These training programs are so popular that there is usually a waiting list to sign up and is often attended by students from multiple countries.
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