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A '''chakra''' is one of several locations along the human spine that have special significance in the medical model used by [[Ayurveda]] and [[yoga]].  Since ancient times, yogis have claimed that concentrating upon certain chakras at the right time during meditation can have physiological benefits or can alter one's level of consciousness (per the glossary at the end of Sei Swami Satchidananda's translations of ''The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'').  Each chakra has a Sanskrit and English name associated with it, a yantra (diagram), a color, and a Bij (seed) [[mantra]].  The associated diagram, color or mantra can be used to aid in evoking the effects associated with that each chakra.  In a strictly physiological sense, the chakras are said to be nerve centers which are the junction point of many [[Meridian (Chinese medicine)|meridiens]].


==Seven chakra system==
[[File:Chakras map.svg|thumb|upright|One widely popular schema of seven chakras is as follows, from bottom to top: 1. [[Muladhara]] 2. [[Svadhishthana|Svadhisthana]] 3. [[Manipura]] 4. [[Anahata]] 5. [[Vishuddha|Vishuddhi]] 6. [[Ajna]] 7. [[Sahasrara]].<ref name="grimes100"/> The colours are modern.<ref name="Leland 2017"/>]]
The more common and most studied chakra system incorporates six major chakras along with a seventh center generally not regarded as a chakra. These points are arranged vertically along the axial channel ([[Nadi (yoga)|sushumna nadi]] in Hindu texts, Avadhuti in some Buddhist texts).<ref name=SubtleBody /> According to Gavin Flood, this system of six chakras plus the ''sahasrara'' "center" at the crown first appears in the ''Kubjikāmata-tantra'', an 11th-century [[Kaula (Hinduism)|Kaula]] work.<ref>{{cite book |last=Flood |first=Gavin |author-link=Gavin Flood |title=The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion |publisher=[[I.B.Tauris]] |year=2006 |isbn= 978-1845110123 |page=157}}</ref>
It was this chakra system that was translated in the early 20th century by [[Sir John Woodroffe]] (also called Arthur Avalon) in the text ''The Serpent Power''. Avalon translated the Hindu text ''Ṣaṭ-Cakra-Nirūpaṇa'' meaning the examination (nirūpaṇa) of the seven  (ṣaṭ) chakras (cakra).<ref name="White 2003 221">{{cite book |last=White |first=David Gordon |author-link=David Gordon White |title=Kiss of the Yogini |year=2003 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |location=Chicago |isbn=0-226-89483-5 |page=221}}</ref>
The Chakras are traditionally considered meditation aids. The yogi progresses from lower chakras to the highest chakra blossoming in the crown of the head, internalizing the journey of spiritual ascent.<ref name="Banerjea175">{{cite book |first=Akshaya Kumar |last=Banerjea |title=Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ljn1koKa0CQC&pg=PA175 |year=1983 |publisher=[[Motilal Banarsidass]] |isbn=978-81-208-0534-7 |pages=175–184}}</ref> In both the Hindu kundalini and Buddhist candali traditions, the chakras are pierced by a dormant energy residing near or in the lowest chakra. In Hindu texts she is known as [[Kundalini]], while in Buddhist texts she is called Candali or [[Tummo]] (Tibetan: ''gtum mo'', "fierce one").<ref name=johnston40/>
Below are the common [[new age]] description of these six chakras and the seventh point known as sahasrara. This [[new age]] version incorporates the [[Spectrum|Newtonian colors]] of the rainbow not found in any ancient Indian system.<ref name="Leland 2017">{{cite journal |last=Leland |first=Kurt |title=The Rainbow Body: How the Western Chakra System Came to Be |url=https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/4246-the-rainbow-body-how-the-western-chakra-system-came-to-be |journal=[[Quest (Theosophical magazine)|Quest Magazine]] |publisher=[[Theosophical Society in America]] |volume=105 |issue=2 (Spring 2017) |date=2017 |pages=25–29}}</ref>
{{-}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Chakra yantra !! Sanskrit name !! [[Sanskrit]] || Literal translation !! Location !! No. of<br />petals !! Modern<br />colour !! Seed<br />syllable !! Description
|-
| [[File:Sahasrara Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || ''Sahasrara'' || सहस्रार (सहस्र-आर) || "Thousand-petaled" || Crown || 1000 || Multi or violet || — || Highest spiritual centre, pure consciousness, containing neither object nor subject. When the feminine [[Kundalini energy|Kundalini]] Shakti rises to this point, it unites with the masculine [[Shiva]], giving self-realization and [[samadhi]].<ref name="grimes100"/> In esoteric Buddhism, it is called Mahasukha, the petal lotus of "Great Bliss" corresponding to the fourth state of [[Four Noble Truths]].<ref name=johnston40>{{cite book |first1=Geoffrey |last1=Samuel |author-link=Geoffrey Samuel |first2=Jay |last2=Johnston |title=Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_qOz641rV0C |year=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-136-76640-4 |pages=40–42}}</ref>
|-
| [[File:Ajna Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || ''Agna'' || आज्ञा || "Command" || Between<br />eyebrows || 2 || Indigo || — || Guru chakra, or in New Age usage third-eye chakra, the subtle center of energy, where the tantra [[guru]] touches the seeker during the  [[shaktipat|initiation ritual]]. He or she commands the awakened [[kundalini]] to pass through this centre.<ref name="grimes100"/>
Corresponds to the upper dantien in the Qigong system.
|-
| [[File:Vishuddha Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || ''Vishuddhi'' || विशुद्ध || "Purest" || Throat || 16 || Blue || ''Ham''<br />(space) || 16 petals covered with the sixteen Sanskrit vowels. Associated with the element of space ([[akasha]]). The residing deity is Panchavaktra shiva, with 5 heads and 4 arms, and the Shakti is Shakini.<ref name="grimes100"/>
In esoteric Buddhism, it is called Sambhoga and is generally considered to be the petal lotus of "Enjoyment" corresponding to the third state of [[Four Noble Truths]].<ref name=johnston40/>
|-
| [[File:Anahata Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || ''Anahata'' || अनाहत (अन्-आहत) || "Unstruck" || Heart || 12 || Green || ''Yam''<br />(air) || Within it is a yantra of two intersecting triangles, forming a [[hexagram]], symbolising a union of the male and female, and the element of air ([[vayu]]). The presiding deity is Ishana Rudra Shiva, and the Shakti is Kakini.<ref name="grimes100"/>
In esoteric Buddhism, this Chakra is called Dharma and is generally considered to be the petal lotus of "Essential nature" and corresponding to the second state of [[Four Noble Truths]].<ref name=johnston40/>
Corresponds to the middle dantien in the Qigong system.
|-
| [[File:Manipura Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || ''Manipura'' || मणिपुर (मणि-पुर) || "Jewel city" || Navel || 10 || Yellow || ''Ram''<br />(fire) || For the [[Nath]] yogi meditation system, this is described as the ''Madhyama-Shakti'' or the intermediate stage of self-discovery.<ref name="Banerjea175"/> This chakra is represented as a downward pointing triangle representing fire in the middle of a lotus with ten petals. The presiding deity is Braddha Rudra, with Lakini as the Shakti.<ref name="grimes100"/>
|-
| [[File:Swadhisthana Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || ''Svadhisthana'' || स्वाधिष्ठान (स्व-आधिष्ठान) || "Where the self<br />is established" || Root of<br />sexual organs || 6 || Orange || ''Vam''<br />(water) || Svadhisthana is represented with a lotus within which is a crescent moon symbolizing the water element. The presiding deity is Brahma, with the Shakti being Rakini (or Chakini).<ref name="grimes100"/>
In esoteric Buddhism, it is called Nirmana, the petal lotus of "Creation" and corresponding to the first state of [[Four Noble Truths]].<ref name=johnston40/>
Corresponds to the lower dantien in the Qigong system.
|-
| [[File:Muladhara Mandala.svg|center|80px]] || '''[[Muladhara]]''' || मूलाधार (मूल-आधार) || "Root" || Base of<br />spine || 4 || Red || ''Lam''<br />(earth) || Dormant [[Kundalini energy|Kundalini]] is often said to be resting here, wrapped three and a half, or seven or twelve times. Sometimes she is wrapped around the black Svayambhu linga, the lowest of three obstructions to her full rising (also known as knots or granthis).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=C. Mackenzie|title=The Devī Gītā: the Song of the Goddess: a translation, annotation, and commentary|date=1998|publisher=State university of New York press|location=Albany (N.Y.)|isbn=978-0-7914-3940-1|page=195}}<!--|access-date=18 December 2014--></ref> It is symbolised as a four-petaled lotus with a yellow square at its center representing the element of earth.<ref name="grimes100"/>
The seed syllable is ''Lam'' for the earth element<!--ref: Mumford (1988)-->. All sounds, words and mantras in their dormant form rest in the muladhara chakra, where [[Ganesha]] resides,<ref>{{cite book |last= Tigunait |first= Rajmani |title= Tantra Unveiled: Seducing the Forces of Matter & Spirit |publisher= Himalayan Institute Press |date=1999 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EudU6IxUxYUC&q=ganesha+muladhara&pg=PA87|page=87|isbn= 9780893891589 }}</ref> while the Shakti is [[Dakini#In Hinduism|Dakini]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Ecstasy Through Tantra |first=John |last=Mumford |publisher=[[Llewellyn Worldwide]] |year=1988 |edition=Third |page=72 |isbn=0-87542-494-5}}</ref> The associated animal is the elephant.<ref>{{cite book |title= Dreambody: the body's rôle in revealing the self |last1=Mindell |first1=Arnold |last2=Sternback-Scott |first2=Sisa |author3= Goodman, Becky |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |year=1984 |isbn=0-7102-0250-4 |page=38}}</ref>
|}
== Table ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sanskrit name !! Color !! Location !! ''Bij mantra''
|-
|Sahasrara || Crown || Violet || Ah
|-
|Ajna || Third Eye || Indigo || Om
|-
|Vishuddhi || Throat || Blue || Ham
|-
|Anahata || Heart || Green || Yam
|-
|Manipura || Solar Plexus || Yellow || Ram
|-
|Svadhishtana || Sacral || Orange || Vam
|-
|Muladhara || Root || Red || Lam
|}
==  Notes ==
<references>
<ref name="grimes100">
{{cite book |last=Grimes |first=John A. |title=A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qcoUFYOX0bEC |year=1996 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-3067-5 |pages=26, 30, 100–101, 265}}
</ref>
<ref name=SubtleBody>
{{cite book |first1=Geoffrey |last1=Samuel |author-link=Geoffrey Samuel |first2=Jay |last2=Johnston |title=Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_qOz641rV0C |year=2013 |publisher= Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-76640-4 |pages=39–42}}
</ref>
</references>

Latest revision as of 13:54, 31 January 2024

A chakra is one of several locations along the human spine that have special significance in the medical model used by Ayurveda and yoga. Since ancient times, yogis have claimed that concentrating upon certain chakras at the right time during meditation can have physiological benefits or can alter one's level of consciousness (per the glossary at the end of Sei Swami Satchidananda's translations of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali). Each chakra has a Sanskrit and English name associated with it, a yantra (diagram), a color, and a Bij (seed) mantra. The associated diagram, color or mantra can be used to aid in evoking the effects associated with that each chakra. In a strictly physiological sense, the chakras are said to be nerve centers which are the junction point of many meridiens.

Seven chakra system

One widely popular schema of seven chakras is as follows, from bottom to top: 1. Muladhara 2. Svadhisthana 3. Manipura 4. Anahata 5. Vishuddhi 6. Ajna 7. Sahasrara.[1] The colours are modern.[2]

The more common and most studied chakra system incorporates six major chakras along with a seventh center generally not regarded as a chakra. These points are arranged vertically along the axial channel (sushumna nadi in Hindu texts, Avadhuti in some Buddhist texts).[3] According to Gavin Flood, this system of six chakras plus the sahasrara "center" at the crown first appears in the Kubjikāmata-tantra, an 11th-century Kaula work.[4]

It was this chakra system that was translated in the early 20th century by Sir John Woodroffe (also called Arthur Avalon) in the text The Serpent Power. Avalon translated the Hindu text Ṣaṭ-Cakra-Nirūpaṇa meaning the examination (nirūpaṇa) of the seven (ṣaṭ) chakras (cakra).[5]

The Chakras are traditionally considered meditation aids. The yogi progresses from lower chakras to the highest chakra blossoming in the crown of the head, internalizing the journey of spiritual ascent.[6] In both the Hindu kundalini and Buddhist candali traditions, the chakras are pierced by a dormant energy residing near or in the lowest chakra. In Hindu texts she is known as Kundalini, while in Buddhist texts she is called Candali or Tummo (Tibetan: gtum mo, "fierce one").[7]

Below are the common new age description of these six chakras and the seventh point known as sahasrara. This new age version incorporates the Newtonian colors of the rainbow not found in any ancient Indian system.[2]

Chakra yantra Sanskrit name Sanskrit Literal translation Location No. of
petals		 Modern
colour		 Seed
syllable		 Description
Sahasrara Mandala.svg
 Sahasrara सहस्रार (सहस्र-आर) "Thousand-petaled" Crown 1000 Multi or violet — Highest spiritual centre, pure consciousness, containing neither object nor subject. When the feminine Kundalini Shakti rises to this point, it unites with the masculine Shiva, giving self-realization and samadhi.[1] In esoteric Buddhism, it is called Mahasukha, the petal lotus of "Great Bliss" corresponding to the fourth state of Four Noble Truths.[7]
Ajna Mandala.svg
 Agna आज्ञा "Command" Between
eyebrows		 2 Indigo — Guru chakra, or in New Age usage third-eye chakra, the subtle center of energy, where the tantra guru touches the seeker during the initiation ritual. He or she commands the awakened kundalini to pass through this centre.[1]

Corresponds to the upper dantien in the Qigong system.

Vishuddha Mandala.svg
 Vishuddhi विशुद्ध "Purest" Throat 16 Blue Ham
(space)		 16 petals covered with the sixteen Sanskrit vowels. Associated with the element of space (akasha). The residing deity is Panchavaktra shiva, with 5 heads and 4 arms, and the Shakti is Shakini.[1]

In esoteric Buddhism, it is called Sambhoga and is generally considered to be the petal lotus of "Enjoyment" corresponding to the third state of Four Noble Truths.[7]

Anahata Mandala.svg
 Anahata अनाहत (अन्-आहत) "Unstruck" Heart 12 Green Yam
(air)		 Within it is a yantra of two intersecting triangles, forming a hexagram, symbolising a union of the male and female, and the element of air (vayu). The presiding deity is Ishana Rudra Shiva, and the Shakti is Kakini.[1]

In esoteric Buddhism, this Chakra is called Dharma and is generally considered to be the petal lotus of "Essential nature" and corresponding to the second state of Four Noble Truths.[7]

Corresponds to the middle dantien in the Qigong system.

Manipura Mandala.svg
 Manipura मणिपुर (मणि-पुर) "Jewel city" Navel 10 Yellow Ram
(fire)		 For the Nath yogi meditation system, this is described as the Madhyama-Shakti or the intermediate stage of self-discovery.[6] This chakra is represented as a downward pointing triangle representing fire in the middle of a lotus with ten petals. The presiding deity is Braddha Rudra, with Lakini as the Shakti.[1]
Swadhisthana Mandala.svg
 Svadhisthana स्वाधिष्ठान (स्व-आधिष्ठान) "Where the self
is established"		 Root of
sexual organs		 6 Orange Vam
(water)		 Svadhisthana is represented with a lotus within which is a crescent moon symbolizing the water element. The presiding deity is Brahma, with the Shakti being Rakini (or Chakini).[1]

In esoteric Buddhism, it is called Nirmana, the petal lotus of "Creation" and corresponding to the first state of Four Noble Truths.[7]

Corresponds to the lower dantien in the Qigong system.

Muladhara Mandala.svg
 Muladhara मूलाधार (मूल-आधार) "Root" Base of
spine		 4 Red Lam
(earth)		 Dormant Kundalini is often said to be resting here, wrapped three and a half, or seven or twelve times. Sometimes she is wrapped around the black Svayambhu linga, the lowest of three obstructions to her full rising (also known as knots or granthis).[8] It is symbolised as a four-petaled lotus with a yellow square at its center representing the element of earth.[1]

The seed syllable is Lam for the earth element. All sounds, words and mantras in their dormant form rest in the muladhara chakra, where Ganesha resides,[9] while the Shakti is Dakini.[10] The associated animal is the elephant.[11]

Table

Sanskrit name Color Location Bij mantra
Sahasrara Crown Violet Ah
Ajna Third Eye Indigo Om
Vishuddhi Throat Blue Ham
Anahata Heart Green Yam
Manipura Solar Plexus Yellow Ram
Svadhishtana Sacral Orange Vam
Muladhara Root Red Lam

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Grimes, John A. (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. State University of New York Press, 26, 30, 100–101, 265. ISBN 978-0-7914-3067-5. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Leland, Kurt (2017). "The Rainbow Body: How the Western Chakra System Came to Be". Quest Magazine 105 (2 (Spring 2017)): 25–29.
  3. ↑ (2013) Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body. Routledge, 39–42. ISBN 978-1-136-76640-4. 
  4. ↑ Flood, Gavin (2006). The Tantric Body: The Secret Tradition of Hindu Religion. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1845110123. 
  5. ↑ White, David Gordon (2003). Kiss of the Yogini. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-89483-5. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Banerjea, Akshaya Kumar (1983). Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha. Motilal Banarsidass, 175–184. ISBN 978-81-208-0534-7. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 (2013) Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body. Routledge, 40–42. ISBN 978-1-136-76640-4. 
  8. ↑ (1998) The Devī Gītā: the Song of the Goddess: a translation, annotation, and commentary. Albany (N.Y.): State university of New York press. ISBN 978-0-7914-3940-1. 
  9. ↑ Tigunait, Rajmani (1999). Tantra Unveiled: Seducing the Forces of Matter & Spirit. Himalayan Institute Press. ISBN 9780893891589. 
  10. ↑ Mumford, John (1988). Ecstasy Through Tantra, Third. Llewellyn Worldwide. ISBN 0-87542-494-5. 
  11. ↑ (1984) Dreambody: the body's rôle in revealing the self. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-7102-0250-4. 
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