Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of Nidumamidi Math has said that Yoga was a contribution of ancient Dravidian traditions and that it existed much before the Aryan invasion of India. He was delivering his presidential address at a public meeting at Veerashaiva Kalyana Mantapa here on Sunday.
“Many inscriptions depicting people being seated in the Siddhasana posture were found in the Mohenjo-daro archaeological site. Yoga was a contribution not of the Rishi tradition of the Vedic culture but of the Muni tradition of non-Vedic Dravidian culture,” he said.
He, however, said that the practice of Yoga was popularised by Vedic traditions in the later period.
Condemning the “efforts of confining Yoga to a particular religion and nation”, the seer said that it was one of the greatest practices that humankind evolved for addressing both physical and mental issues.
Though he upheld the benefits of Yoga in keeping physical and mental health in good condition, he opposed the efforts of market forces to promote Yoga at the international level for commercial benefits.
“As with everything else, Yoga too is being commercialised and promoted at the world level by market forces,” he said. The seer emphasised the need for “liberating Yoga from the clutches of Hindutva forces.”
