Yoga, Sanskrit inspired Sufi epics—Chakras became ‘mystical stations’, gods turned ‘angels

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Published 2024-07-03

It’s become received wisdom that the history of Indian ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Islam’, imagined as monolithic entities, are irreconcilable. But most medieval Hindus and Muslims didn’t follow the hostile rhetoric of courts. They inhabited a world of Awadhi Sufi epics with Hindu protagonists, which paid homage to ancient Indian mythological tropes. Anirudh Kanisetti explores this strange world, where the line between Sufi and Yogi was often blurred.

Sources:
Cohen, Richard J (trans.) The Chandayan. Marg, 2024.
Ernst, Carl W. Refractions of Islam in India: Situating Sufism and Yoga. Sage, 2016.
Gilmartin, David, and Bruce B. Lawrence. Beyond Turk and Hindu: Rethinking Religious Identities in Islamic South Asia. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2000.
Sreenivasan, Ramya. The many lives of a Rajput Queen: Heroic Pasts in India, c. 1500-1900. University of Washington Press, 2015.

Video Produced by Shekhar Tiwari

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All Comments (15)

@ShaikDastageerFaizurRahman 14 days ago

please do a video on dara shukoh and his works in detail about Hinduism
@ekamsat429 14 days ago

This could serve as a nice segue to the history of Baul and Sufi syncretism in Bengal.
@noneoftheabove666 14 days ago

This is probably going to hurt some people 😅
@shahabanwer7429 14 days ago

Fascinating!
@dev9100-luv-the-world 14 days ago

Very informative
@missalberta5838 14 days ago

These needs to be taught in NCERT if not there.
@GauravSharma-sj3tg 14 days ago

हिंदी में बात करे। आप ऐसे लगते है जैसे दूसरे ग्रह से आए है। जमीन से कटे लोग ही आप को सुनते होंगे
@venkataramangopalan1015 14 days ago

Well said in chaste English with excellent intonation.
@distilledpoison7563 14 days ago

It's like comparing islam and Christianity in middle East
@kunalroy9735 13 days ago

Do you can overshadow historical genocidal history of Turkish invasion?????
@tapsimavinkeredayanand8454 14 days ago

The sufis speak to my heart! This is beautiful and I’m sure Sufis influenced the Vaishnava saints with their unadulterated love for the divine
@ansh_u_r 14 days ago

Too much hyderabadi beef biryani coming out in the monologue...typical game of bourgeoisie...bring closer and make collide.
@ayes1669 14 days ago

Youre a leftist shame on you
@ansh_u_r 14 days ago

Sufis was just bagula bhagats..the medieval dhongi Babas trapping the gullibles.