The pursuit of power is at the heart of classical yoga traditions. Whether it be power over others, power over the spiritual realm, power over one’s self, or the power to perform acts of telepathy, flight, invisibility, omniscience, or superhuman strength, power is a pervasive feature of the tradition. From the Vedic hymns of the second millennium BCE, when the seers (ṛṣis) sought to harness cosmic forces through sacrificial ritual and inspired speech, to the proliferating global yoga cultures of the twenty-first century, where a wide variety of practitioners seek to harness and enhance their mental and physical prowess, power is found as both an implicit value and intended aim. This issue of Tarka explores the paradox of power from various contemplative perspectives – both ancient and modern.
The pursuit of power is at the heart of classical yoga traditions. Whether it be power over others, power over the spiritual realm, power over one’s self, or the power to perform acts of telepathy, flight, invisibility, omniscience, or superhuman strength, power is a pervasive feature of the tradition. From the Vedic hymns of the second millennium BCE, when the seers (ṛṣis) sought to harness cosmic forces through sacrificial ritual and inspired speech, to the proliferating global yoga cultures of the twenty-first century, where a wide variety of practitioners seek to harness and enhance their mental and physical prowess, power is found as both an implicit value and intended aim. This issue of Tarka explores the paradox of power from various contemplative perspectives – both ancient and modern.
