Anikó is a formally trained language teacher, and the sound of mantras drew her to Sanskrit and the study of Veda recitation…
By Sophia Ann French
Anikó Pribojszkiné was born and raised in Hungary, and while she has never been to India, she felt “at home” when she found Veda Studies and started reciting mantras in the Veda Studies lineage. “I studied languages in college and graduated as a Russian and English-language teacher. I didn’t teach much, though, and when my children were born, I spent time at home with them and got another University Degree in Economics. At present, I work in finance. We are responsible for financing Hungarian Organisations that participate in European Union Programmes, especially cross-border programmes at the Romanian-Hungarian border and the Romanian-Slovakian border,” says Anikó. She discovered yoga in her 40s, and even though she got her experience of Indic Knowledge Systems through yoga, she felt, “yoga classes ended where I wanted to start. I gradually started practising yoga at home, and then recited mantras and practised meditation after that. When I first started practising yoga, it was only the physical aspects of it. But that gradually changed, and I started listening to different lectures on Yoga Philosophy. I did a Yoga Teacher Training Course and a special course on Vedic philosophy, which took three years. This changed my view of life, my behaviour and my personality. My teachers often recited from various scriptures, and I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of Sanskrit,” explains Anikó. She spent another five years studying Sanskrit at the Sanskrit Academy, Hungary and gradually moved towards Veda mantras.
Excerpts from Veda Studies’ conversation with Anikó…
The Sanskrit Effect
Anikó Pribojszkiné: I studied Sanskrit grammar and language in a very special method. We started with the basics, and after a year, we started translating the Bhagavad Gīta. Our teacher taught us classical Sanskrit through the sentences of the Bhagavad Gīta — all the sentences were grouped according to different grammatical issues. So it was taught based on grammar. My Sanskrit teacher inspired me to study mantras. We were at a retreat, and we would practise mantras in the afternoons. I was singing, and another participant was on the guitar. Our teacher heard us and she suggested I study Veda mantras. I agreed, and that was when I first learned about the Agni Sūktam. To be honest, it felt strange at first. Later, when I started studying with Shantala, I knew this was the way I had to follow.
The Veda Effect
Anikó Pribojszkiné: I said earlier that Indic Knowledge Systems changed me. So a lot of that change had taken place over the years, and before I started reciting Veda mantras. So I had a certain level of understanding, and I feel that before we delve into deeper studies like Veda, it is good to have a basic understanding of philosophy. Shantala says the Vedas are for everyone, and she is right. I think they are right for everyone who qualifies, and I feel all the things I did before Veda recitation were preparing me for this. Vedic studies and chanting will have a positive benefit on our concentration, our health and everything, but only if we are well prepared for it. It is not by chance that the first mantras of the Veda are the Agni Sūktam — you need that force energy. I notice this in my students as well. Some students show up for a free class, and that sparks curiosity among a few. Those few students then come back to study more and are curious: For example, they wonder why we recite the Gāyatrī mantra in different ways. Then, from that small number of students, even fewer become devoted to the study. That is why I feel that agni is necessary to develop the will to learn.
The Indica Veda Studies Teacher Training Experience
Anikó Pribojszkiné: It was a great, great challenge for me. I wanted to join the first TTC, but it had already begun, so I couldn’t join. Shantala told me to prepare myself before the next TTC. I spent 10 months studying the syllabus, and when the second TTC started, I joined. This was a challenging period, but at the same time, it raised my level of energy. Shantala was right when she said we have to prepare.
What Does Spirituality Mean?
Anikó Pribojszkiné: Spirituality for me means the possibility of making contact with the truth, which is within my true self. This is my main goal in life. I know that these things don’t come so easily. You have to work for it. Tapas is very important. So I am working on it, and this is spirituality for me.
Words of Advice?
Anikó Pribojszkiné: First, listen to many authentic mantras and open your heart. That’s all you have to do because if you have an open heart, everything else will come. Śraddhā and Agni will guide you to all the other Devatās.
To get in touch with Anikó email her at [email protected]