Layayoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini (72 page)

Wisarga

Dhruwamandala, or Parama Shiwa

This order presents stages through which Kundalini passes from the muladhara to Parama Shiwa. The first stages are from the muladhara to the ajña. In the ajña Power Hakini, Itara-liṅga and pranawa are absorbed in this order into Kundalini. Then comes bindu. This bindu may be supposed to be the second bindu closely related to the bindu of pranawa, and is the seat of manas 2 (sense-mind). Associated with the second bindu are three forms of power, namely kala, nirodhika and indu. The sense-mind ordinarily functions in relation to the senses by kala. By the power nirodhika, the sensory function of the sense-mind is controlled, and then it is able to receive outer objects directly; this power is indu. Here indu is not the indu chakra. Kundalini absorbs all these.

Then is the half-moon-shaped nada. It is the same as the second nada, and is the seat of the manas chakra where lies chitta (sense-consciousness). Above it is plough-shaped mahanada, also called nadanta. Here there is no clear indication where the indu chakra is situated. It has been stated in the Kaṅkalamalinitantra, ch. 2, p. 5, that the chandra mandala (indu chakra) is below the mahanada. Also, in the Shatchakranirupana, Verse 39, the position of the plough-shaped mahanada is above the seat of Bhagawan (indu chakra). So, the indu chakra is to be placed above the half-moon-shaped nada and below the plough-shaped mahanada. Above it is the nirwana (or brahmarandhra) chakra. Here two forms of power are situated—añji and unmani. This chakra is the seat of dhi (concentrative mind). By the power of añji dhi functions as attention, in conjunction with the intellective mind. When añji is controlled by unmani concentration develops. In this chakra lies I-ness. Kundalini absorbs all these and then passes through the power-bridge (wisarga) into the guru chakra and sahasrara. Wishnuwaktra and guruwaktra are in the sahasrara. Wishnuwaktra is the final stage of the samprajñata samadhi. It is dissolved into guruwaktra which is the entrance to the Supreme Bindu where asamprajñata samadhi starts. The final stage is dhruwa-mandala—the infinity of Parama Shiwa. There is the wisarga (second; which separates sahasrara proper from Supreme Bindu.

For the passing of Kundalini from the ajña another order has been given, using different technical terms: after piercing the ajña, Kundalini passes into the bodhini chakra, then through kataha to parnashaila; then through dyumani to ghatadhara where absorption of mind takes place; above it is the brahma-chakra where calmness prevails; above it the brahmadanda, and above that is only water (that is, void) where the lustrous sahasrara is seen; next comes the karnikasthana (pericarp); above it is the siddhakhadga; then there is the matrika-mandala containing all bijas (germ-mantras); above it are nectarous pretabija ( = Hsouh) where concentration should be made on Supreme Power (—Rudrayamala, Part 2, 60. 30–4).

Now, the description of the chakras situated in the ajña system has to be made in the right order.

9 Manas

The manas chakra, numerically from the muladhara, is the ninth. It is situated within the chitrini nadi.

Terminology

1 Manas mandala (chakra), mentioned in the Yogashikhopanishad, 1.178; 5.15.

2 Manas chakra, mentioned by Jaganmohana Tarkalaṅkara in Foot-note 87 on the Mahanirwanatantra, 5. 104; by Swami Sachchidananda Saraswati in the Gurupradipa, p. 275; Pujapradipa, Part 2, p. 79; Jñanapradipa, Part 1, p. 173.

3 Nada, mentioned in the Shatchakranirupana, Verse 35; Sharadatilakatantra, 5. 136; Shadamnayatantra, 5. 268; Shiwasanghita, 5. 149; Koulawalitantra, ch. 22, p. 81; Sammohanatantra, Part 2, ch. 2, p. 2; ch. 4, p. 4; Shrikrama, quoted in the Yogakalpalatika MS.

4 Surya mandala, mentioned in the Kaṅkalamalinitantra, ch. 2, p. 5.

5 Jñananetra (knowledge-light), mentioned in the Soubhagyalakshyupanishad, 3.7.

Position

The manas chakra is situated above the second bindu which is just above the bindu of pranawa in the ajña (—Sammohanatantra, Part 2, ch. 2, p. 2; ch. 4, p. 4). The second bindu has not been mentioned in the Shatchakranirupana Verse 35, where it was simply stated that the nada (manas chakra) is above the bindu of pranawa in the ajña chakra. The Shiwasanghita (5.149) mentions the second bindu as bindu pitha (or bindu chakra), and gives the order as follows: bindu pitha, nada pitha, shakti pitha. So, the nada pitha (chakra), which is the manas chakra, is above the bindu pitha and is situated above the ajña chakra. Here, the second bindu has been termed as bindu pitha, that is, bindu chakra.

So, the position of the manas chakra is above the bindu chakra, situated above the pranawabindu in the ajña.

Description

The manas chakra is white (—Shatchakranirupana, Verse 35; Koulawalitantra, ch. 22, p. 81). It has six petals, and these are connected with the senses of smell, taste, form, touch and sound, and sleep. The petals assume the sense colours, that is, the petal connected with smell becomes yellow. Those connected with taste, form, touch, and sound, are white, red, ash, and white respectively. The petal representing sleep is black.

Explanation

The manas chakra is the seat of chitta (sense-consciousness). Here, the absorption of chitta takes place. It has been stated that the nada (manas chakra) which is the abode of all bliss is the place or position for the absorption of chitta by the niralamba-pura (-mudra) (the process of sense-control), the secret of which can be learnt from the parama-guru (a guru who has been given the secret which has been handed down in regular succession from the gurus) ; by the practice of this yoga-process, the yogi ‘sees’, in deep concentration, the subtle fire (that is, the sushumna which is subtle and fiery), and then inside it the shining forms (that is, inside the sushumna is seen the chitrini where lie the chakras) (—Shatchakranirupana, Verse 36). The absorption of chitta occurs when Kundalini passes through the manas chakra.

In waking (and not in deep concentration), chitta is constantly receiving sensory radiations through manas 2 (sense-mind). From the sensory area of the the brain, the sensory impulses of smell, taste, sight, touch and sound, on being reduced to non-material wayu-forms, pass through the ida nadi to the appropriate chakras, and proceed from there to the sense-mind. Smell in wayu-form passes to the muladhara, taste to the swadhishthana, form-colour to the manipura, touch to the anahata and sound to the wishuddha. The senses get their own characteristic qualities in the chakras, and are radiated through the petaline processes of the chakras to the ida and are carried to the sense-mind, by this nadi. The sense-mind sends the senso-mental radiations to chitta where the senso-mental patterns are changed into conscious forms, and the I-ness recognizes them as smell, taste, sight, touch and sound. In this manner, consciousness is being undulated and is assuming different sensory-forms, and becomes tinged with characteristic sense-colours. Smell gets its yellow colour, taste its white, sight its red, touch its ash colour and sound its white when they pass through the appropriate chakras.

When the senso-mental radiations are stopped or obstructed by the predominance of the tamas quality in chitta, consciousness is masked, and a state of nonconsciousness is induced. The induced nonconsciousness in the normal state is sleep. But there is always a permanent area of unconsciousness connected with chitta where all post-conscious and unconscious impressions (sangskaras) are stored. Pleasurable impressions are conveyed to chitta by memory as a notion (bodha), which becomes a feeling (bhawa), and the feeling develops as love (raga), which becomes mixed with desire (kama) arising from thought and perception. Desire, being mixed with will (manasyana), develops as volition (chikrisha) and then as conation (kriti). Conation, as conative impulse (kratu), passes to the appropriate chakra (one of the five lower chakras), and emerges as a pre-motor impulse, and is carried to the brain by the piṅgala.

Consciousness is the phenomenon in which sentiency is manifested, derived from the sattwa attribute of primus, which presents two forms: dichotomous and unitary. In the dichotomous form there is a constant and changeless individualized entity endowed with the power of being aware of what is happening in the other aspect. This individualized entity gives rise to the I-feeling in relation to the objective aspect of consciousness. In fact, consciousness is no consciousness unless a union takes place between the ‘I’ and what the ‘I’ knows. As this knowing or consciousness is conjugated in character, it is called sangjñana, that is, united knowledge or consciousness. What the ‘I’ knows are the contents of consciousness radiated into it sensorially from the outer world. This consciousness is termed chitta—sense-consciousness. Radiations from buddhi (intellective mind) also penetrate into chitta. When the senso-mental radiations are controlled by pratyahara, thoughts and intellection are also controlled, and now chitta is transformed into dhi (superconsciousness). The emptying of the sensory objects and the elimination of thoughts do not make consciousness vacant. In superconsciousness, the contents are subtle objects. The subtle objects come into being naturally in superconsciousness as the gross objects are naturally contents of sense-consciousness. The ‘I’ as an experiencer remains the same here too. The dichotomous consciousness is transformed into a unitary form only at a higher stage of samprajñata samadhi when the individualized I-ness is absorbed into all-I, all-dewata, or Kundalini consciousness. The individualized ‘I’-consciousness remains an indispensable aspect of chitta and dhi up to the levels of dhyana and the first three stages of samadhi. Thereafter, the stage of I-lessness develops. The seat of the ‘I’ is in the nirwana chakra.

10 Indu

The indu chakra, numerically from the muladhara, is the tenth. It is situated within the chitrini nadi.

Terminology

1 Indu (moon) chakra, mentioned in the Yogakundalyupanishad, 1.71.

2 Shitangshu (moon) mandala (chakra), mentioned in the Yogakundalyupanishad, 1.69.

3 Sixteen-petalled Anahata, mentioned in the Yogakunalyupanishad, 1.69.

4 Shambhawa (belonging to Shiwa) Sthana (chakra), mentioned in the Yogashikhopanishad, 5.16.

5 Chandra (moon) mandala (chakra), mentioned in the Kaṅkalamalinitantra, ch. 2, p. 5; Nirwanatantra, ch. 9, p. 11; Koulawalitantra, ch. 22, p. 81.

6 Chandra ( = Chandra mandala—Jaganmohana), mentioned in the Shiwasanghita, 5.188.

7 Kailasa (an abode of Shiwa), mentioned in the Gandharwatantra, ch. 5, p. 28; Shaktanandataraṅgini, 4,14; Rudrayamala, Part 2, 27.69; Goutamiyatantra, 34.53; Mridanitantra, quoted in Amarasanggraha MS; Dewibhagawata, 7.35. 46.

8 Shakti (power), mentioned in the Shiwapurana, 2.11.40; Shiwasanghita, 5.149.

9 Widya-pada (-chakra), mentioned in the Shiwapurana, 5a. 7.4.

10 Nadanta, mentioned in the Koulawalitantra, ch. 22, p. 81; Sharadatilakatantra, 5.136.

11 Soma, mentioned by Jaganmohana in his note No. 87 in connection with the explanation of the Mahanirwanatantra, 5.104, and note No. 42 in relation to his explanation of the Shiwasanghita, 5.188; and by Swami Sachchidananda in his works Jñanapradipa, ch. 3, p. 152, Pujapradipa, Part 2, ch. 4, p. 48, 80, and Gurupradipa, ch. 6, p. 279.

Position

The indu chakra is situated above the manas chakra (—Kaṅkalamalinitantra, ch. 2, p. 5; Koulawalitantra, ch. 22, p. 81; Shiwasanghita, 5.149; Shrikrama, quoted in the Yogakalpalatika MS.

Description

The indu chakra (
Plate 20
) is moon-white in colour, as its name indicates. It has sixteen petals (—Yogakundalyupanishad, 1.69). According to Jaganmohana this chakra has sixteen petals. Swami Sachchidananda quotes a passage from the Tantra in which it is stated that the ninth is the brahma chakra which is decorated with sixteen petals (—Jñanapradipa, Part 1, ch. 3, p. 153). He identifies brahma chakra with soma chakra. The colour of the petals is also moon-white.

On the petals are the following specific qualities (writtis) which are arranged from right to left: (1) mercy; (2) gentleness; (3) patience; (4) non-attachment; (5) control; (6) excellent qualities; (7) joyous mood; (8) deep spiritual love; (9) humility; (10) reflection; (11) restfulness; (12) seriousness; (13) effort; (14) controlled emotion; (15) magnanimity; (16) concentration.

It has been stated that there is the purna chandra mandala (full moon region, that is, chandra or moon chakra) in the ajña (system); in its pericarp, there is a nine-cornered region where lies the manidwipa (the isle of gems); in the isle of gems is the Shambhu-bija (that is, the germ-mantra of the God Shiwa—Hang) which (with sah which denotes Shakti—Power) is in the form of hangsah (swan); hangsah (as mantra in its power as consciousness) is Supreme Brahman, and (in its power-in-sound-form) is Shiwa in divine form; the beak of the swan is the pranawa, the wings are the Agama and Nigama (two forms of the Tantra), the feet are Consciousness-Power, the three eyes are the three bindus, and he is in a golden lotus; in the lap of the hangsah (that is, in the bindu of the Hang bija) is Deity Parashiwa with Power Siddhakali on his left, who is eternal bliss (Nirwanatantra. ch.9, p. 11).

It has been stated that above the nada (that is, in the chandra mandala) is Wrishabhadhwaja (an epithet of Shiwa) with his Power (—Koulawalitantra, ch. 22, p. 81). The concentration form of Wrishabhadhwaja is as follows: He is like crystal-white in colour, with braided hair and adorned with (crescent-) moon (in his forehead), and decked in tigerskin (
ibid
.). The concentration form of his Power is: she is yellow in colour, and holds in her beautiful hands a drum, a trident, a noose, and makes an attitude of dispelling fear; she is beautiful and adorned with various ornaments (—
ibid
.). It has also been stated that Parashiwa is with Power Hakim in the ajña (system) (—Mantramahodadhi, 4.24).

The presence of Deity Parashiwa has been mentioned in the Shadamnayatantra, 5.268. Parashiwa has also been mentioned as Sadashiwa in the form of a swan situated in a chakra (indu chakra) above the ajña (—Shadamnayatantra, 3.76). He has been mentioned as Mahadewa (Shiwa) and Wrishabhadhwaja who is like crystal white (—Shrikrama, quoted in the Yogakalpalatika MS). He has also been called Bhagawan (God) as immutable and Supreme Being, endowed with supreme yoga-power (—Shatchakranirapana, Verse 37).