Page 13 - Adhiyoga Purana

PROLOGUE
“Neel, what is the point in writing these Authentic Yoga Sutras? Are they going to help any common person?” — these were the words of my most beloved friend and mentor, O.M. Patil. O.M. was the first and only person who bought the Authentic Yoga Sutras book in the Dnyaneshwar Hall of M.I.T., Pune in 2012. O.M. did not know English, yet he purchased the book and had it reviewed by his scholarly friend, Mr. Nagnoor, who is a great astrologer. Nagnoor stated that the book displayed knowledge from the past life, not derived from reading books.
Later, I wrote an elaborate explanation of Authentic Yoga Sutras in Adhiyoga – The Authentic Yoga System of Neel Kulkarni. This book received an honorary Ph.D. and was translated into several languages. However, this still did not satisfy O.M. I then translated Adhiyoga into Marathi and dedicated it to O.M. He gave me his blessings but still felt it was not accessible enough for non-scholarly readers.
Recently, I thought of simplifying the understanding of Adhiyoga further and wrote Adhiyoga Upanishad. This book, in its question–answer format, undoubtedly helps readers understand the Adhiyoga System. But now that my yoga teaching life is completely stable — and my personal life is approaching its final chapter — I thought of writing a book in story format, so that it would be entertaining, easy to understand, and inspiring, as O.M. had wished. I am sure O.M. will be happy with this effort in his heavenly abode. O.M. remained in touch with me until his passing, for 12 years.
This book contains my humble yogic background and stories of my students from all over the world. Some stories are small and mild, while others are big and profound. All my studies and teachings are blessings from my father, and there is not much to my personal credit. “Idam na mama” (“This is not mine”) literally applies here. My father’s biography, My Father – for My Yoga Friends & Family, should be read in addition to this book, Adhiyoga Purana.
The stories in Adhiyoga Purana are real, though the names of students have been changed. AI has been used to correct grammatical errors and improve presentation. The stories are not always in chronological order; they are organized by geographical location or type of yoga training. I have taught over 50,000 students and more than 1,200 yoga teacher trainees. Therefore, not all stories are included, but some of my students will recognize their experiences within these pages.
The first person I must thank is O.M. Patil, who encouraged the idea for such a book. Next, I thank my father, who blessed me with everything I did and did not deserve, ultimately making my life apparently successful. The third is the body of my yoga students, who made all the teaching possible and kept it alive. Due to my karma, I have had far more non-Indian students than Indian ones — but this seems to match the statement Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (“the whole earth is one family”). I also bow to my mother, who began my life with stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, shaping my yogic studies. I have been blessed with great neighbors, a loving family, good friends, and inspiring teachers. Above all, I was blessed to be born in the greatest nation on earth in terms of yoga — India. If this book can one day be available in many Indian languages, I will feel I have repaid, in part, my debt to my country.
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