excerpt from "Sri K. Pattabhi Jois: A Tribute"

Your father was an astrologer. Did he teach you chanting or astrology when you were young? My father's father taught astrology - good astrology. He was a good vidvan [professor]. My father didn't teach, but when people asked him questions, he would answer them. He was also a good astrologer, but I didn't take the time to learn it from him. I was young. He did teach me some astrology slokas [verses] every day, and Sanskrit and the amarakosha [Sanskrit dictionary], as well as shabda [phonetics; syntax]. After that, I would go to Hassan. I didn't go to school in my village, but in Hassan, which was only five kilometers away. Every day, I would walk to school in the morning, and every evening, walk back. A lot of others came too, including my friends. One day, when I'd started studying at middle school, Krishnamacharya gave a lecture demonstration at the Jubilee Hall in Hassan. Different authors and so on would give lectures there every day. I didn't know who he was, but I went to see him anyway. My friend's sister told me that the man demonstrating was doing asanas perfectly, so I went along. I watched for an hour and [pauses and smiles] I liked it completely. I thought to myself, Tomorrow morning, I'm going to go to his house and ask him to teach me, which I did. Who are you? he wanted to know. I told him, I am Pattabhi Jois. Where are you from? A village near Hassan, Kowshika. Who is your father? My father is an astrologer. I told him my whole history. Tomorrow, he said. Tomorrow, you come. So, early next morning, I went to Hassan at 7:30 - school started at 10:30 - so I went to the guru's home, where he was teaching some students Yoga practice, and I started that day. It was in 1927, in ... November? Yes, November time. Afterwards, I was very excited. I took many big asanas many times: primary asanas, intermediate asanas, and some body-bending at that time. I was a young man, so whatever asana I was told to do, I did quickly. [smiling] My guru was very, very happy. After that, it was practice, practice, practice for two years, and then, in 1930, my father started my thread ceremony. When that was finished, I went to the Sanskrit College, where the thread ceremony was required for entrance. They asked me if I'd finished the ceremony and I said yes, yes. Show us your thread, they said, which I did. What gotra [lineage] are you from? they also wanted to know. That was your entrance exam? Yes, the entrance exam. Why did you come to Mysore? The first time? I don't know. But I was very interested in learning Sanskrit. You were interested in Sanskrit? I didn't tell my father. [shakes head] No, he would have said, Come back... But there was a train to Mysore every day for seven annas from my village... you know, fourteen annas isn't even one rupee. Because I was young, the fare was half-charge - seven annas. I thought, I can afford that; I have three rupees! Three rupees? [shakes head and laughs] I had three rupees. So I went to Mysore, where the Sanskrit College was. The other students had no problems because they had finished primary-level Sanskrit, which the college required. I hadn't done it so, before I could take the college examination, I had to complete it. I did this in Mysore for one, two years. Yes, one or two years... but food no. No food? [shakes head] It was very difficult then. I would bhiksha anna [beg for food] at Brahmin homes... Bhavathi bhiksha dehi [O, lady, give me food]? Oh, yes, Bhavathi bhiksha dehi... one year begging for food. Where did you sleep? In the Sanskrit College. One day, after I'd been at the college for a year, the principal put up a sign board asking anyone knew wrestling, back-bending , Yoga - whatever. If you did, he offered to let you do a presentation at the school's anniversary celebrations. An announcement board? Yes. I knew a few asanas. I didn't know the philosophy yet, but my guru was teaching it to me. The principal asked me if I was doing Yoga and I said yes. Where did he want me to demonstrate? I started to run into his office to change [laughs], but he said, No, no, no! Don't do it here! There will be a public function; you can do it there. So, on the anniversary day, I did Yoga practice - this is Paschimattanasana... this is Purvattanasana... Matsyasana - I called out the asanas name by name and did them. [laughs] It wasn't the full method by any means, but afterwards, he was very happy. The principal knew Yoga and he called me to his office the next day. I was afraid, wondering why he wanted to see me. When I got there, he asked me where I was getting my food and which class I was in. I said first year. He asked me if I had a scholarship. No, I said. Eating? No, I said. I am doing bhiksha anna, I told him. So, he said there was a choultry [canteen] sponsored by the Maharaja that served food every morning and evening to Sanskrit College students. Afterwards, they wrote a letter and the next day, I was eating at the choultry and I had a scholarship - a five rupee scholarship from the principal. [shakes head and laughs] It had been a long time since I'd even seen one rupee. I was very happy...