The plants of yoga

By Dr. Ruy Alfredo de Bastos Freire Filho, PhD

President of the Brazilian Yoga Collegiate Dharmaparishad

Trustee of the International Yoga Coordination Centre (YOCOCEM) - India

Director of the Centro de Estudos de Yoga Narayana - Brazil

In several yogic traditions there is a strong association between yoga sadhana and the plant kingdom. One of the earliest manuscripts to mention it is Patanjali´s Yogasutra:
“Siddhis may be reached by birth, ausadhis (osadhi), mantras, Tapas or samadhi” (Kaivalyapada, sloka 1)
On Vyasa´s comments on this sloka in the Yoga Bhasya it is clear that it refers to the use of plants related to the ancient tradition that links the vedic soma to the amrita, the mother of knowledge and spiritual life.
“It describes perfection accomplished by means of herbs. A Human being that for one reason or other reaches the abode of the asuras and when lay hold of amrita prepared by asuras and damsels attains the absence of age and immortality and other siddhis. Or this siddhi can be reached by the use of amrita; as the rishi Mandavya that lived in the Vindyas used this kind of beverage.”
In his famous Yogasastra the jain sage Hemchandra indicates that yoga is a mean to replace the use of plants.
Yoga (one of Jainism´s three jewles) is like a sharp axe for the entangled vines of all calamaties. Is a super natural manner to attain happines and moksha without the use of mulas, mantras and tantric techings.”
The yogic and transcendental meaning is not restricted to plants which re useful for mankind´s use (raw material, food, medicines, transcendence) but many have also an important role as environmental touchstones, with several links to either biotic or abiotic systems. In general these are plants that are regarded as sacred in local traditions. A remarkable example is the Ficcus spp sacrality related to its several connections to other species (predation, parasistism, mutualism, symbiosis etc) being an important life substratum to other species like birds, bats, lizzards, beatles, aphids, nematoids, fungi, ants etc. Other noteworthy example is the rajasthani kejari (Prosospis cineraria) considered a sacred tree in the Bishnoi community , or the Philatus sanctisilvatus of Madhya Pradesh.
Soma
Among the most celebrated sacred plants in Indo-Iranian cults is the Soma. All nine hymns of the Rg veda (out of 114 ) and all the hymns of the Sama Veda are a tribute to soma, sometimes depicted as the creator or the Father of The Gods. It was the most popular vedic God.
Out of the three main gods mentioned in the Rg Veda: Agni (fire), Soma (the moon and soma), e Indra (heaven). Agni represents the sacrificial fire, Soma sacrificial offering and Indra the purohita; or in yogic terms agini=tapas, soma =psicophysical complex; Indra the purohita/yogi who benefits from the Soma transcendental powers. Very little is known about the botanical identity of Soma . According to Charaka
“The queen of herbs known as Soma, has fifteen knots on its stam ”
maybe it was the Asclepias acida (Efedra group). Some other authors believe it was the Amla-Emblica officinalis –which may have inspired the six concave sides of the Ellora temple domes.

Yaksinis or yoginis

The cult of plants in yogic sadhanas was thoroughly preserved in the Yaksinis/yogini sampradaya. The manuscript Kakacandisvarimata mentions the yaksini-sadhana in which by means of gutika the sadhaka excerts a powerful charm (akarsana) over yakshinis, yoginis and even the Bhairavi that may teach him a sadhana. In the Middle Age Yakshinis are gradually transformed into Yoginis. In the Bhutamada Tantra it was mentioned a mantra practice called the yoginisadhana where the object of devotion was named Yaksinis instead of yogini. Traditionally in Shakta Tantrism body tissues associated with the chakras are ruled by yoginis: In the muladhara Shakini rules the bones; in the svadhisthana Kakini, is related to body fats; in the manipura Lakini is associated with the muscles; in the anahata Rakini, presides the blood; in the vishuddha Dakini governs the plasma;in ajna Hakini relates to nervous system; in the sahashara Yakini is associated with the reproductive fluids.
Also the Ayurvedic tradition relates the action of certain plants to particular chakras:
Muladhara:Ashwaganda, haritaki, lotus roots, shatavari
Svadhisthana-coriander, gokshura, marshmallow uva ursi ,
Manipura-black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, golden seal
Anahata-cardamom, lotus seeds , rose, saffron
Vishudha-ajwan, bayberry, cloves, licorice
Ajna- Basil, elecampane,sandal, skullcap
Sahashara-calamus, gotu kola, nutmeg, valerian
Indian popular tradition ascribes the relation of the navadanyas to the grahas, to body tissues.

Plants of Nathism
Among the yogic traditions the Nathism appears to be sampradaya that preserves more clearly the importance of plants to the sadhana. Matsyendra Nath who mitically learned hatha yoga from Lord Shiva and Mahayogi Goraksha Nath guru was a known worshipper of the 64 yoginis/yakshinis/ausadhis. The “Matsyendra Samhita“ a manuscript attributed to Matsyendra mentions some of the 64 divyausadhis. In “Goraksha Samhita” Bhutiprakarana, accredited to Mahayogi Gorak Nath himself, it is mentioned the dvyausadhis which after an alchemical process are transformed into the 64 yoginis . These plants grow where Shiva and Parvatee are sexually united . In order to them to be effective they have to be harvested during certain periods of the lunar or solar year and should be picked with devotion to Shiva and the Shakti beejas should be chanted one after the other. In several Natha classical manuscripts plants are included as tools for the sadhana, as in the Satkarmasañgraha, among them:
Abhaya- Terminali chebula; bakula-mimusops elengi; kamala-croton philppinensis ;kusa grass-cynodon dactylon; padma;saireya-barleria prioritis ;surasa- ocimum sanctum-tulasi; upadantika-croton polyandrum; vaca-acorus calamus ; vyaghri- solanum jacquini, yavapatra- bamboo leaves
A study by Sikdar and Dutta (2008) have found that the Natha community of the Village of Raja Mayang-Morigaon district-used 62 medicinal plants to treat simple ailments-like cold- and complex ones –like cancer. The studied plants included the Bon tulsi (Ocimum gratissimum) –for fever-and the Nayantara (Catharanthus roseus)-for cancer.
A great effort should be carried out by the Natha community to organize its knowledge, to preserve it and to investigate its potential use for the benefit of mankind. On the other hand, it is time for the society in general to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution of Natha thought to its spiritual and material transformation.