Keith Edward Cantú: Sri Sabhapati Swami and Yoga in Modern Occultism

The Tamil Śaiva yogi Sri Sabhapati Swami (b. 1840 C.E., also spelled Sabhapaty Swamy / Svāmī or transliterated Capapati Cuvamikal) remains largely a hidden source for South Asian, North American, European, and to some extent even Australian esoteric and occult conceptions of the body. In addition to English, Sabhapati’s writings and/or hagiographical accounts survive in Tamil, Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindustani, Marathi, German, and French (with a record of Telugu), and his work is distinguished by its rich visual depictions of yogic physiology. 

In this talk I will present a brief sketch of Sabhapati’s life and works and then talk about the way he was engaged by the founders of the Theosophical Society, Henry Olcott and H.P. Blavatsky, how his works were later translated into German by Franz Hartmann, and how Aleister Crowley integrated his teachings into certain instructions published as part of the curriculum of A⸫A⸫, the teaching order he co-founded.