Kun

Kun.d.alini

Contents

#	*Cap.*	*PP.*
1.	The Tantrik Concept	9-17
2.	The Arousal of Kun.d.alini	19-37
3.	Cakra-s – the Energy Centres	39-57
4.	Transformation of Energy	59-69
5.	The Kun.d.alini Experience	71-99

Capp. 1-4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. (pp. 9-17)

p. 9 meaning of the word

"The Sanskrit word kun.d.alini means ‘coiled-up’."

{Another synonym for ‘coil’ is "helix".}

p. 10 characterizations of her in various scriptures

*characterization*	*scripture*
"She is ... as a chain of lightning ..., and shines in the mind of sages."	S.at.-cakra Nirupan.a v. 3
primal Prakr.ti (‘nature’), Cit-s`akti [‘thought-power’]	Maha-nirvan.a Tantra 5
S`abda-brahma-mayi in the form of mantra	Sarada-tilaka 1:13-14
"like a snake, coiled around herself, she holds her tail in her mouth and lies resting half asleep"	Yoga Kun.d.alini Upanis.ad 1:82

{The combination "coiled" and "lightning" may suggest induction of electric (lightning-like) current by moving a magnet through a coil of conductive wire. (The magnet may be likened to the bipolar mind – cf. [on p. 79] "This magnetic field – radiated by the head".)}

p. 12 kinds of s`arira (‘body’) of every person

sthula (‘gross’) [material]

suks.ma (‘subtle’)

karan.a (‘causal’)

p. 12 kinds of kos`a (‘sheath’) of every person

Anna-maya (‘food-formed’)

Pran.a-maya (‘breath-formed’)

Manas-maya (‘mind-formed’)

Vijn~ana-maya (‘intelligence-formed’)

Ananda-maya (‘bliss-formed’)

p. 12 correlation of kos`a-s with cakra-s and their elements

*kos`a*	*cakra*	*element*
Anna-maya	Muladhara	earth
	Svadhis.t.hana	water
	Man.i-pura	fire
Pran.a-maya	Anahata	air
Pran.a-maya	Vis`uddha	aither
Manas-maya	Ajn~a	cosmic consciousness
Vijn~ana-maya	Ajn~a	cosmic consciousness
Ananda-maya	Sahasrara	bliss

p. 16 the nad.i-s (channels) flanking Sus.umna nad.i

*nad.i*	Id.a	Pingala
*its color*	white	red
*its character*	lunar	solar
*its location*	on the left	on the right

"Two currents of psychic energy flow through Id.a and Pingala from the perineum ..., spiralling in opposite directions around the Sushumn.a, which meets them between the eyebrows. Sushumn.a remains closed at its lower end as long as Kun.d.alini is not awakened."

p. 16 layers of nad.i within Sus.umna

*nad.i*	*layer*
Vajra	outer
Citrin.i	inner
Brahman.i	innermost

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. (pp. 19-37)

p. 19 awakening of Kun.d.alini

"the aspirant initiates the process by which Kun.d.alini is aroused through ‘sense withdrawal or pratyahara, concentrating all his attention on a single point (dharan.a) ... . The will-power is directed inwards to the vital air (Pran.a) that is ... held in Pran.ayama, guided in its circulatory movement through Id.a and Pingala down ... into the space where Kun.d.alini lies coiled. The entry of Pran.a produces an abrupt effect like sudden combustion in a confined space {i.e., like a fiery explosion}, and its heat and sound combine to awake the serpent-power from its trance-sleep (yoga-nidra)."

p. 21 respiration

"phasing of inhalation (puraka), retention (kumbhaka) and exhalation" (recaka) "is 1:4:2.

The air is inhaled slowly through the left nostril (which is connected with the lunar channel, Id.a) while the right nostril is closed with the thumb.

The breath is then held, while meditating non the seed-sound Yam, and exhaled ... .

The same procedure is repeated using the right nostril (which is connected with the solar channel, Pingala) and seed-sound Ram."

p. 22 cakra-s "vibrating at different frequencies"

*cakra*	*vibration-rate*
Muladhara	4
Svadhis.t.hana	6
Man.i-pura	10
Anahata	12
Vis`uddha	16
Ajn~a	2
Sahasrara	1,000

p. 22 "the number of ‘rays’ of tattvas (subtle elements)" for the cakra-s

*cakra*	*the # of its rays*
Muladhara	56
Svadhis.t.hana	62
Man.i-pura	52
Anahata	54
Vis`uddha	72
Ajn~a	64

p. 24 struck into absorption

"When Kun.d.alini is struck, she awakens, uncoils ... and begins to rise upwards like a fiery serpent, breaking upon each chakra as she ascends, until S`akti merges with S`iva in laya-yoga (laya = absorption) in deep union".

Fig. I In Nepal, "Her fusion with the absolute in Sahasrara is represented in the centre of the chakra by a white footprint (S`iva consciousness) and a red footprint (S`akti consciousness)."

p. 29 bija-mantra

"According to the Tantras, to ‘awaken’ a mantra is to activate vibration channels and produces certain superconscious feeling-states ... . Each divinity possesses a bija mantra, a seed-sound syllable ... . Thus the bija mantra Hum is the root vibration ... of sound representing the essential nature of Kun.d.alini S`akti who ‘encompasses the mantra-sounds’ (Lalita-sahasranama, 103).

‘The sadhaka [aspirant] ... By means of concentration on the letter {syllable} Hum ... rouses the Kun.d.alini, pierces the centre of the Svayambhu-linga, the mouth of which is closed, and is therefore invisible, and by means of air and fire places her within the Brahma-randhra.’ (S.at.chakra-nirpan.a, v. 50)"

p. 30 solar & lunar phonemes

*phoneme*	*is __*
anusvara (/m/)	sun
visarga (/h./)	moon
short vowels (a, i, u; r., l.; e, o)	"sunbeams"
long vowels (a, i, u; r., l.; ai, au)	"moonbeams"

p. 30 sounds produced by Kun.d.alini’s traversing the cakra-s

*cakra*	*sound heard by sadhaka*
Muladhara	"chirping of a cricket"
Svadhis.t.hana	"tinkling of an anklet"
Man.i-pura	"sound of a bell"
Anahata	"music of a flute"
Vis`uddha	[p. 31 "cosmic sound"]

{These and other musical sounds are assigned to supernal worlds in Radha Soami.}

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. (pp. 39-57)

p. 39 vortices

"Early scroll paintings often depict the chakras as vortices of energy, without figurative images."

pp. 39-40, 42 the cakra-s & their divine occupants

p.	#	*cakra*	*s`akti*	*god with vahana*
39-40	1.	Muladhara	[p. 40] pink D.akini holding a skulled staff	elephant
40	2.	Svadhis.t.hana	dark-blue Rakini (or Cakini) holding a chisel	Varun.a on makara
	3.	Man.i-pura	dark-blue Lakini holding a vajra (thunderbolt)	Agni on ram
42	4.	Anahata	yellow Kakini holding a skull	Vayu on black antelope
	5.	Vis`uddha	white Sakini holding a bow-and-arrow	Indra on 6-tusked white elephant
	6.	Ajn~a	white Hakini or Siddha-kali holding a rosary

p. 44 according to the Gandharva Tantra (cap. xi)

*while moving from __*	*toward __*	*Kun.d.alini is known as __ Kun.d.alini,*	*because she is then __*
Muladhara	Anahata	Fire	"shining like molten gold"
Anahata	Vis`uddha	Sun	"bright as a million suns"
Vis`uddha	end of Sus.umn.a	Moon	"lustrous as a million moons"
beyond Sus.umn.a		--	"all"

p. 49, pl. VII pleated disks

"The chakras represented ... as abstract energy vortices and	{The cakra-s are in the illustration actually depicted (not as "vortices" but) as pleated disks (with radial pleating, as they are described and depicted likewise by the Theosophical Society).}
as ascending levels of consciousness within body of Cosmic Man, the Purushakara Yantra ... . Rajasthan"		{Aedifices are in the illustration depicted on levels of a schematized cosmic body; the whole scheme-outlay is very evidently Jaina in provenience.}

p. 50 (figure on the left) man with several diagrams vertically arranged on his body, and with deities vertically arranged over his head. Nepal

*location on body*	*diagram (instead of cakra)*
genitalia	16-petaled blossom
pubis	8-petaled blossom
abdomen	S`ri Yantra (with 14 vertices)
chest	similar to S`ri Yantra (but with only 10 vertices)
neck	same as diagram on chest
forehead	same as diagram on chest
apex of head	downward-pointing triangle

p. 50 (figure on the right) depictions on shanks, going upward to knees. Nepal

*on left shank*	*on right shank*
elephant	frog
human (god)	snake
mammal-headed human (god)	fish
bird-headed human (god)	turtle
mammal (rat?)-headed human (god)	rat

p. 52 Sahasrara

The cakra "Sahasrara is differentiated from the other six. The best graphic representations, indeed, show it in the form of an inverted lotus emitting a radiance that bathes the subtle body in its entirety like an aura."

pp. 52-3 the 2 sets of "obstacles to the rising of Kun.d.alini" : granthi-s (‘knots’), and "psychic blockages" designated /linga-s/

p. 52	p. 53
*cakra*	*its granthi*	*its linga*
Muladhara	Brahma	Svayam-bhu
Anahata	Vis.n.u	Ban.a
Ajn~a	Rudra	Itara

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. (pp. 59-69)

p. 57 manas

"Manas (mind) chakra situated above the Ajn~a chakra, illustrating the various mental faculties on each petal."
[p. 56 There are 9 such petals so labeled.]	{cf. the 9 sectors of the brain according to Taoism.}

pp. 59, 61 pan~ca makara (‘5 "M"-s’)

p. 59	"a term which refers to five ritual ingredients beginning with the letter M :
	madya, wine,
	mamsa, meat,
	matsya, fish,
	mudra, parched cereal, and
	maithuna, sexual union."
p. 61	"In the Pan~cha-makara rite, the nude female is worshipped".

pp. 59-61 sexuality

p. 59	"The ritual of collective sexual union performed in a circle is known as chakra-puja."
p. 60	"Sixty-four Yogini temple for the performance of chakra-puja by left-hand tantrikas. Ranipur-Jharial, Orissa".
p. 61	"The ritual of tantra-asana is performed with a partner of the opposite sex. ... It is ideal to have initiation from a Bhairavi (female guru)."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ajit Mookerjee : Kundalini : the Arousal of the Inner Energy. Thames & Hudson, London, 1982.