Mapping the esoteric body in the Islamic Yoga of Bengal
By Shaman Hatley
Tantric practices became prevalent across an extraordinary spectrum of sectarian boundaries in South Asia and beyond, flourishing with Saivism,Buddhism, and Vaisnavism and finding a place in both Jainism and the Brahmanical smarta traditions as well. If one leaves aside monolithic Orientalist characterizations, it would seem evident that in South Asia, Islam constituted no less likely a ground for the assimilation of Tantric yoga. In important ways, a suitable foundation was already in place: Sufi traditions, after all, embraced elaborate spiritual disciplines that, like those of Tantric yoga, required esoteric initiation and presupposed a mystical physiology as the locus for meditations involving syllabic formulas,visualization, and controlled respiration. Islamic adaptations of indigenous yogic disciplines are indeed by no means unique to Bengal: Sufi silsilahs and Ismaºilis in South Asia attest multiple examples of experi-mentation, and as Carl Ernst shows, Arabic and Persian translations of the lost Sanskrit Amrtakunda circulated in Sufi circles as far afield as Istanbul. In the presence of the enormous variety of dhikr techniques available inlate medieval Islam, it was apparently not uncommon for Sufis to “obtain multiple initiations into the practices of several Sufi orders, though the primary orientation would remain in a single order.”The variable and extendable nature of the elements of Sufi meditational praxis, the potential for the individual Shaykh to innovate, and the probable Islamization of yogi communities in Bengal, discussed subsequently, suggest historical circumstances in which the development of Islamic forms of Tantric yoga should be of little surprise.
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Madho Lal Hussain of Lahore: Beyond Hindu and Muslim
Madho Lal Hussain
by Yoginder Sikand from Pakistan Christian Post, Oct. 31, 2005
`Shah Hussain! Shahadat Paye O Jo Maran Mitran De Age (Shah Hussain! He [alone] attains martyrdom who dies at the feet of his beloved)
Sufism has had a long and rich history in the Indian sub-continent. It is perhaps in Punjab, more than in any other part of this vast land, that Sufism has struck the deepest roots, producing many great exponents and exercising a pervasive influence on the minds of the common people. To this very day, the innumerable Sufis of this region are held in the highest esteem by millions of Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Hindus of the province and beyond.
Shah Hussain is one such mystic who is still fondly remembered by millions of ordinary Punjabis four centuries after his death. He was born in Lahore in 1539 A.D. into a family of the Dhatha Rajput tribe. This tribe had recently converted to Islam, hence the epithet “Shah” attached to his name. Even as a child Hussain showed a marked preference for red clothes, which explains why he was also called Lal (Persian for “red”) Hussain. Hussain`s strong mystical inclinations were apparent very early in his life. In childhood itself he managed to memorize the entire Qur`an under the guidance of his teacher, Shaikh Abu Bakr. Then, at the age of ten he was initiated into the Oadiriyah Sufi order by the renowned saint Bahlul Shah Daryai of Chiniot. For the next twenty-six years he lived under the strict supervision of his Pir (spiritual master), faithfully following all the rites and practices of orthodox Islam, and leading a life of great austerity.
Renunciation Sufi Muslim Devotee at the Mela Charagan (Lamp Festival) Celebration of Madho Lal Hussain
At the age of thirty-six an incident occurred that was to completely change Hussain`s life. One day while at a madrasa studying a tafsir (commentary) on the Our`an under the tutelage of Shaikh Sadullah of Lahore, he came across the Qur`anic verse: “The life of this world is nothing but a game and a sport.” He asked the Shaikh to explain the verse and was told that it meant that the world should be shunned. Hussain refused to accept this interpretation and asserted, instead, that the words of the verse must be taken literally. He told his teacher that, in accordance with his understanding of this verse, he would spend the rest of his life in enjoyment. It was during this period of his life that Hussain met Madho, a Brahmin lad. The two men became so closely associated that in the popular mind the saint is most commonly known as Madho Lal Hussain, as if the two had been fused into one. The intensely close relationship that blossomed between them has been the subject of much speculation and controversy, starting in their very lifetime. John Subhan, an expert on Indian Sufism, writes that their contemporaries saw this intimate connection between a Hindu boy and a Muslim faqir of “questionable character” as “a disgrace”, though he himself sees this
Lovers of Madho Lal Hussain Circling Sacred Fire
“irresistible attraction” between the two men in terms of “fervent love”. Like wise, the Punjabi historian Shafi Aquil speaks of the relationship between Madho and Hussayn as one of “boundless love” and for this employs language generally used to describe male-female relationships. Thus, he writes, “Shah Hussayn was in love with Madho and Madho himself, too, desired him” (Madho se Shah Hussayn ko pyar tho aur khud Madho bhi unko chahte the). He goes on to add that, “Under no condition could Shah Hussayn bear to be separated from Madho”.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Hindus priests give offerings at Muslim shrine
Hindu Muslim Unity: Muslim organizes Ganpati festival
Muslim children perform aarti
MUMBAI: Jaffar H Khan (60) will celebrate twice over on Saturday. The railway employee, a devout Muslim who fasts every Ramzan has, at the same time, organised a Ganpati puja at Malad station for most of his service tenure. This will be the first puja after his retirement on June 30, but things have not changed for the elephant god’s Muslim fan as Ganesh Chaturthi and Eid coincide.
“We get donations of around Rs 10,000 every year of which Rs 2,000 is spent on the idol. We distribute snacks, cold drinks like rose milk and modaks to devotees and prasad after the visarjan,” he said. Records for the donations are maintained, he said.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Hindus observe Moharram
The “imambara” is flocked by Hindus and Muslims both, who observe Moharram by offering prayers and holding majlis in which men and women chant and weep, mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hasan and their followers.
“My mission is to promote Hindu-Muslim unity. We can do so by taking part in each other’s religious programmes and sharing their joys and sorrows,” says Harish Chandra Dhanuk, a Hindu who participates in the Islamic holiday. Dhanuk’s is the third generation in his family, who religiously observe “Moharram.” “I have seen my father and grandfather doing the same during their days,” he said.
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Hindu Muslim Unity: food fight promotes interfaith harmony
throwing rice cakes at each other
INDONESIA: Perang topat (or rice cake throwing) is a ritual “war” that symbolizes brotherhood and tolerance between Muslims and Hindus.Hundreds of people of all ages, male and female, were separated into two groups, one in the yard of a Hindu prayer house, and the other in the yard of a sacred place for the ethnic Sasak Muslim community. As soon as they heard a command to begin, both groups immediately charged a centuries-old tradition in Lingsar village meant to promote harmony between local Muslims and Hindus, instead of promoting a dreadful and horrible clash.
The annual event in Lingsar village takes place in Pura Lingsar, the most unique building of its kind in the country because it comprises Pura Gaduh, a place for Hindu worshippers, and Kemaliq, a Sasak Muslim house of ceremonies.
“Perhaps only in Lingsar can they find Hindu and Muslim celebrations held on the same date and in the same place, although we have different versions,” said Kemaliq chief executive Suparman Taufik. “India, with its Hindu majority, has the Taj Mahal as Muslim heritage and Indonesia with its Muslim majority has Borobudur and other temples, so there’s no reason for disharmony. This reflects the colors of culture.”
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Hindu Muslim Unity: Festivals Celebrate Communal Harmony
MUMBAI: Terror attacks have occurred in the past during festival season, and though the main objective of these acts of terror is to disturb peace during the festivals, the festivities of different religions continue in full swing.
Recently, Hindus organized their religious festival Ganesh Pooja with full devotion, while Muslims were busy in their pious month of Ramadan. Preparations are being made to celebrate the famous festivals of Dusshehra, the Durga Pooja and the Eid-Ul-Fitr. While the festivals of different communities in India—the nation of unity in diversity—are associated with their religious importance, these festivals at the same time present an example of communal harmony and equality for which the world has perhaps no match. The festivals thrive despite the terrorists’ best efforts to disturb the social fabric.
In this holy land—with its mix of Ramanand, Kabir, Nanak, Chishti, Khusro, Nizam, Sai Baba, Sheikh Farid and Bulle Shah—no terrorist organization can uproot communal harmony. Indian festivals will continue to be models of religious brotherhood and keep alive the country’s unity in diversity.
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