New Art from an Indian Master

Suresh Mutthukiulam of Kerala sent this canvas recently, commissioned by us to adorn Bodhinatha's Yoga Sutras to be printed next year. We thought you might like a previews. In this unusual piece, Suresh creatively describes eight siddhis, powers, that a yogi naturally attains (and is encouraged to renounce). There are 25 in Patanjali's text, but these are the famous ones. Read the captions in the slideshow for a deeper immersion into the powers.

The canvas is about 36\" by 42\"

This is Suresh (he is beardless of late) inside one of his murals.

The first siddi is invisibility. Notice the clothing can be seen, but the yogi\

s face, hands and feet are invisible. '

Knowledge of past and future, with an old bullock cart for the past and a flying car for the future, with the yogi looking both ways.

Physical strength is cleverly shown by the flying yogi who is holding up an entire mountain range with his little finger!

Here we have the power to see and hear at great distances (remote viewing is one term for this).

The ability to control the forces of nature is shown by the yogi\

s hand holding a lightening bolt. '

This siddhi is not well known. It\

s the ability to psychically enter the body of another person and be conscious in it. '

Suresh has creatively drawn the power to understand all languages, human and animal.

Attaining to cosmic knowledge is shown by a galactic circle around a holy text containing the light of all knowing and realizations.

In his drawing of the yogi at the center of the canvas, Suresh has shown the all important attainment of balance of energies, Siva and Sakti, male and female, sun and moon, ida and pingala (the serpents which also form the eyebrows), fire and air, etc.

}

];