up in a Shaivite family, for example, is likely to
chose a Shaivite divinity, for example Subramu-
niya, youngest son of SHIVA, as one’s personal
favorite.
It is not infrequent, however, for people to
choose divinities outside their sectarian context.
A Bengali Vaishnavite (devotee of VISHNU) might
chose KALI, the fierce goddess, as ishta devata.
This was precisely what Sri RAMAKRISHNA did.
Further reading: Klaus Klostermeier, Survey of Hindu-
ism (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994);
Thomas Hopkins, Hindu Religious Tradition (Encino,
Calif., Dickenson, 1971).
Ishvarakrishna See SAMKHYA.
Iyengar, B. K. S. (1918– ) yoga teacher
Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar was
born on December 14, 1918, in the small village
of Bellur in the Kolar District of Karnataka state in
India, during the worldwide influenza pandemic.
His mother had an attack of influenza while car-
rying and birthing Bellur. Both of them miracu-
lously survived, but the child was left with a weak
constitution, and he often suffered from malaria,
typhoid, and tuberculosis.
Bellur was the 11th of 13th children, 10 of
whom survived. His schoolteacher father, Sri
Krishnamachar, died of untreated appendicitis
when Bellur was nine years old, leaving his family
in a state of poverty. His mother, Sheshamma, was
known to be simple, kind-hearted, and religious
in a highly orthodox way. Bellur’s poor health and
lack of financial resources affected his education.
He struggled to stay well enough to pass exams
and to collect funds to pay for his high school
education.
In 1934, at age 15, he went to live with his sis-
ter in Mysore. His brother-in-law, the famous YOGI
Sri T. Krishnamachar, was in need of someone to
perform yoga ASANAS (postures) at the Yogashala,
the school of yoga. Bellur was initiated into the
GAYATRI MANTRA and began to learn yoga practice
from his brother-in-law, which slowly helped
him to overcome his maladies. He began to train
students at the school and soon ended his formal
education in order to devote his energy to yoga
instruction. He won certificates in the elementary,
intermediate, and advanced diploma courses in
yoga.
In 1937, Krishnamachar sent the young Bellur
to Pune, India, to teach yoga. His commitment to
a disciplined practice grew, as did his conviction
not to publicize or beg for work or recommenda-
tions. He was devoted to living a yogic life as long
as God willed.
In 1943, Iyengar married Ramamani; they
had five daughters and one son. Although the
1950s continued to be financially challenging,
Iyengar began to have contact with eminent
personalities, such as the spiritual leader J.
KRISHNAMURTI, the freedom fighter Jayaprakash
Narayan, Achyut Patwardhan (commandant of
the National Defense Academy), Prime Minis-
ter Nehru, and the violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
Iyengar trained Menuhin in yoga, which helped
him to have better control over his violin. This
special friendship, begun in 1952, continued
over time and gained Iyengar great respect in the
West. From the 1960s onward, Iyengar traveled
abroad regularly to train students and perform
demonstrations.
In 1975, Iyengar opened the Ramamani Iyen-
gar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) in Pune,
named after his wife. His eldest daughter, Geeta,
and son, Prashant, are actively involved in teach-
ing yoga there.
Iyengar has based his teachings on the tradi-
tional eight limbs of yoga as presented in the YOGA
SUTRAS by PATANJALI, written over 2,500 years ago.
His first book, Light on Yoga, explains Patanjali’s
philosophy while introducing Iyengar’s emphasis
on body, mind, and spirit integration. This work,
first published in 1966, has been translated into
18 languages.K 204 Ishvarakrishna