Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} information about chakras - How many Six or Seven?

[hn bhat]

Dear Scholars,

A small question. in this thread, some discussion of yoga is going on and I thought I can push my question also. I saw some articles/books on Seven Chakras on many pages on googling. One is here:

http://www.sanatansociety.org/yoga_and_meditation/seven_chakras.htm

Are Six Chakra-s are popular in Indian system Muladhara,

svaadhishthaana, Manipuura, Anaahata, Vishuddhi and Aj~jaa as seen in this page:

http://www.namaste.it/kundalini/kundalini_eng/chakras1.html

Now my question is which one is authentic either six or seven Chakra-s. I am afraid of wrong informations fed in web pages.

With regards

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R.
EFEO,
PONDICHERRY

[Anil Gupta]

Respected sir,

I found only six chakras when i searched it in Vachaspatyam. Please see the original text below. I think it may help the scholars to find the correct numbers. Kindly see the bold green color texts in the original reference.

स्वाधिष्ठान

न0 (1)लिङ्गमूलस्थे सुषुम्णान्तर्गते षड्दलषद्मभेदे। "षड्ष्टले वेद्युतनिञे स्वाधिष्ठाने अनलत्विषि। बभमैर्यरलैयुक्ते वर्णैः षड्भिश्च सुव्रत।" तन्त्रसा0। "सिन्दूरपूररुचिरारुणपद्ममन्यतसौषुम्णमध्यघटितं ध्वजमूलदेशे। अङ्गच्छदैः परिवृतं तडिताभवर्णैर्बाद्यैः सविन्दुलसितैश्च पुरन्दरान्तैः (लान्तैः)। तस्यान्तरे प्रविलसद्विशदप्रकाशसम्भोजमण्डलमथो वरुणस्य तस्य। अर्द्धेन्दुरूपलसितं शरदिन्दुशुभ्रं पङ्कारवीजषमलं मकराधिरूढम्। तस्याङ्कदेश लसिता हाररेव पायान्नीलप्रकाशरुचिरश्रियमादधानः। पीताम्बरः प्रथमर्थौ वनगर्भधारी श्रीवत्सकौस्तुभधरो धृतबेदवाहुः। तत्रैव भाति सततं खलु राकिणी सा नीलाम्बुजद्युतिसहोदरकान्तिशोभा। नानायुधोद्यतकरैर्ललिताङ्गलक्ष्मीर्दिव्याम्बराभरणभूषितमत्तचित्ता। स्वाधिष्ठानाख्यमेतत् सरसिजभमलं चिन्तयेदुयो मुनीन्द्रस्तस्याहङ्कारदोषादिकसकलरिपुः क्षीयते तत्क्षणेन" पूर्णानन्दषट्चक्रम्।

आज्ञाचक्र

न0 वर्गः-आज्ञासंज्ञकं चक्रम्। तन्त्रप्रसिद्धे देहावस्थितसुषुम्णानाङीमध्यगते भ्रूमध्यस्थे द्विदले पद्माकारे चक्रभेदे। विशुद्धचक्रमुक्त्वा "आज्ञाचक्रं तदूर्द्धव्न्तु आत्मनो अधिष्टितं परम्। आज्ञासंक्रमणं तत्र गुरोराज्ञेति कीर्तिता"। तत्र निहितचित्तस्य पुरुषस्य सर्वपदार्थसाक्षात् कारेण "एवं भूतम्, एवं वर्त्तते, एवं भविष्यतीति" ज्ञानेन गुरोरीश्वरस्य तदूर्द्धव् सहस्रदलकमले स्थितस्याज्ञायाः "इतः परं त्वया इत्थं कर्त्तव्यमिति" नियोगस्य सङ्क्रमणं भवति तेन तदाज्ञाख्यं चक्रमित्यर्थः।  यथा च षट्चक्राणां देहे स्थितिस्तथोक्तं शारदायाम्। "षण्णवत्यङ्गुलायामं शरीरमुभयात्मकम्। गुदध्वजान्तरे कन्दमुत्सेधाद्द्व्यङ्गुलं विदुः। तस्य द्विगुणविस्तारं विन्दुरूपेण शोभितम्। नाड्यस्तत्र समुद्भूता मुख्यास्त्रिस्रः प्रकीर्त्तिताः। इडा वामे स्थिता नाडी पिङ्गला दक्षिणे मता। तयोर्म्मध्यगता नाडी सुषुम्णा वंशमाश्रिता। पादाङ्गुष्ठादपक्रान्ता शिखाभ्यां शिरसा पुनः। ब्रह्मस्थानं समापन्ना सोमसूर्य्याग्निरूपिणी। तस्यामध्यगता नाडी चित्राख्या योगिवल्लभा। व्रह्मरन्ध्रं विदुस्तस्यां पद्मसूत्रनिभं परम्। आधारांश्च विदुस्तत्र मतभेदाननेकधा। दिव्यमार्गमिमं प्राहुरमृतानन्दकारकम्। इडया सचलेच्चन्द्र पिङ्गलायां दिवाकरः। ज्ञातौ योगनिदानज्ञैः सुषुम्णायाञ्च तावुभौ। आधारकन्दमध्यस्थं त्रिकोणमति सुन्दरम्। ज्योतिषां निलयं दिव्यं प्राहुरागमवेदिनः। तत्र विद्युल्लताकारा कुण्डली परदेवता। परिस्फुरति सर्व्वात्मा सुप्ताहिसदृशाकृतिः। विभर्त्ति कुण्डली शक्तिरात्मानं हंसमाश्रिता। हंसः प्राणाश्रयोनित्यं प्राणा नाडी पथाश्रयाः। आधारादुत्थितोवायुर्यथावत् सर्व्वदेहिनाम्। देहं प्राप्य स्वनाडीभिः प्रयाणं कुरूते बहिः। द्वादशाङ्गुलमानेन तस्मात् प्राण इतीरितः"। तत्त्वचिन्तामणौ षष्ठप्रकाशे। "आज्ञानामाम्बुजं तद्धिमकरसदृशं ध्यानधाम प्रकाशम् हक्षाभ्यां वै कलाभ्यां प्रविलसितवपुर्युग्मपत्रं सुशुभ्रम्। तन्मध्ये हाकिनी सा शशिसमधवला वक्त्रषट्कं दधाना विद्यामुद्रां कपालं डमरुजपवटीं विभ्रती शुद्धचित्ता। एतत्पद्मान्तराले निवसति च मनः सूक्ष्मरूपं प्रसिद्धम्" एतदभिप्रायेणैव "मनो अपि भ्रूमध्ये निवसतियानन्दलहर्य्यामुक्तम्। मनसस्तत्र स्यित्याच्च तदुपहितजीवस्यापि तत्रैव स्थितिः। एवञ्च श्रुतौ हार्द्दविद्यायां "हृद्ययं तस्माद्धृदयम् इत्युक्तिस्तु हृदये ध्यानार्था इत्यविरोधः। महानिर्वाणतन्त्रे शरीरि एव चतुर्द्दश भुवनामि सूक्ष्मरूपेण स्थितानि तानि च तत्रैव ध्येयानीत्युक्तं तत्र कुत्र किं ध्येयमित्युक्तम् तत्र विशुद्धचक्रस्य जनोलोकतया ध्येयतामुक्त्वा अ अह। "एतत्पद्मस्योर्द्धदेशे ज्ञानपद्मं सुदुर्लमम्। दलद्वयसमायुक्तं पूर्णँचन्द्रस्य मण्डलम्। पद्ममध्ये वीजकोषे स्मरेच्चिन्तामणेः पुरीम्। तन्मध्ये नवकोणञ्च यन्त्रं परमदुर्लभम्। शम्भुवीजं हि तन्मध्ये साकारं हंसरूपकम्। हंसः परब्रह्मरूपः साकारः शिवरूपकः। तारचञ्चुर्वरारोहे निर्गमागमपक्षवान्। शिवशक्तिपदद्वन्द्वं विन्दुत्रयविलोचनः। विहारश्चास्य हंसस्य हेमपङ्कजपूजिते। एवं हेसो मणिद्वीपे तस्य क्रोडे परः शिवः। वामे तस्य सिद्धकाली सदानन्दस्वरूपिणी। तस्याः प्रसादमासाद्य सर्वकर्त्ता महेश्वरः। तपोलोक इदं भद्रे!सर्व्वलोकस्य दुर्लभम्। यव्र ब्रह्मादयोदेवा ध्यानयोगं सदाश्यसेत्। मनसापि न लभ्येन योगेन तपसा न च। तपोलोकं गोलोकस्य चतुर्लक्ष गुणं शिवे। यत्र ब्रह्मलोकेषु ये देवा चैकण्ठे ये सूरादयः। शम्भुलोके वसेद्योहि तेजोभक्तिपरायणः। तपसापि न लभ्येत तपोलोकगतिं शिवे। तपोलोकसमोनास्तिलोकमध्ये सुलोचने। सालोक्यं हिमहोलोके सारुप्यं जनलोकके। सायुज्यं च तपोलोके निर्व्वाणं हि तदूर्द्दके। ततो ब्रह्मादयोदेवास्तपोलोकार्थिनः। सदा। इति ते कथितं कान्ते। चक्रषट्कस्य लक्षणम्। यञ्ज्ञानादमरश्चैव जीवन्मुक्तश्च साधकः। यञ्ज्ञात्वा जननीगर्भं न विशेत्तु, कदाचन"।

मणिपूर

न0 (1)सुषुम्णान्तर्गते षट्चक्रमध्ये नाभिस्थे पद्मभेदे "तदूर्ध्वे नाभिदेशे तु मणिपूरं महाप्रभम्। मेधाभं विद्युदाभञ्च बहुतेजोमयं ततः। मणवद्भिन्नं तत्पद्मं मणिपूरं तथोच्यते। दशशिश्च दलैर्युक्तं डादिफान्ताक्षरान्वितम्। शिवेनाधिष्ठितं पद्मं विश्वलोकनकारणम्"

--
अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)

[hn bhat]

Thanks for providing the authentic source.

Now what would be the base for describing as Seven Chakra-s as seen in the other web page? May be baseless or some other source not known to us so far or purely depending on the interpretations of the so called modern proponents of Yoga Shastra on the web.

Thanks once again.

2010/6/29 Anil Gupta <anil.l...@gmail.com>

[Dr. S. Ramakrishna Sharma]

हरि: ॐ
नमस्ते।
Sri LalitAsahasranAma, Soundarya Lahari, Subhagodaya, Agni PuraaNa and many other texts provide ample material
on the Cahkras. All these texts have common six+one enlisted chakras. Shat-Adharas (as they are called in the Temple Vaastu Texts forming the adhara for the idol to be installed), have six chakras. The seventh one is not called adhara because upon it there are no chakras upon it as the basis within the microcosm. These chakras are called so because they are always found to be whirling/vortice of colorful energy patterns by an upasaka. They are called Padma/Ambuja because they have folding and unfolding behaviour due to imbalances in the energy levels.They are also called Mandalas(Agni Purana) because they appear as geometrical patterns.
We are familiar with different Mandalas spread on the floor or wooden plank for the purposes
of Puja. These are derived from the Mandalas seen within. The Five Great Elements have five geometrical
forms as given in the Tantra Shastra. Their combination is supposed to created well defined modifications which conduce performance of certain karmas like those in Aabhichara(though not limited to).
Indeed the websites are confusing and if paid for the packages offered they will confound more.
प्रणाम:

2010/6/28 hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com>

--
Aangirasa/Dr.S.Ramakrishna Sharma. M.A.,Ph.D.(Eng.Lit.),Ph.D.(Sanskrit.).

[hn bhat]

My question was whether there are Seven or Six Chakra-s and not the validity or description of the Chakra-s. Is there Seventh one called the Seventh Chakra or is it never called a Chakra?

Thanks for the elaborate exposition of the system of Chakra-s alias Adhara-s. (the first of the Chakra-s coincides with Muula+Adhara). The Last one as we know Sahasrara-padma above the Chakra-s and not as a seventh Chakra in so far as I can understand from the explanations. It could be considered as cakra also as it is referred to in Cakraraja-nilaye in Sahasranama. It may be including this, they call Seven Chakra-s the other six being common to both.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Dr. S. Ramakrishna Sharma]

>It could be considered as cakra also as it is referred to in Cakraraja-nilaye in Sahasranama.

>My question was whether there are Seven or Six Chakra-s

Chakraraja-nilaya does not mean that. It is the Sri Chakra- (srichahkraraja-nilaya-Srimat-tripurasundari)

As to the question regarding the number of chakras. That there are six adhara-chakras and the seventh is shatchkropari, above/upon the six chakras. What is its name? sahasrara-chakra, meaning that which has 1000 aras. It is special.

Here we have a sort of i) Vedic and 2)Tantra prakriya concord: I) sahasraaksharaa parame vyoman pratishtitaa 2) sahasraaraambujagataa

To answer, YES, there are seven chakras; but the roles are defined as six+one, because of prakiya/functional context.

--

अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि।
ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।।
तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः।
निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)

--
Aangirasa/Dr.S.Ramakrishna Sharma. M.A.,Ph.D.(Eng.Lit.),Ph.D.(Sanskrit.).

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

>My question was whether there are Seven or Six Chakra-s and not the validity or description of the Chakra-s. <

Taking the सहस्रार one gets seven cakras. I raised the problem in a monograph on कालचक्रतन्त्र in 1979 (The doctrine of four in the Mntranaya, Journal of Research, Visva Bharati). In fact the Buddhist tantras, known as Mantranaya, have six cakras while the शाक्त-शैव tantras have seven. One may not like the fact but the evidences indicate that the term षट्चक्र was borrowed from Buddhist tantras. But it does not fit into the system. The original Vedic idea of cakra was of an eightfold one. The description of the body as अष्टाचक्रा नवद्वारा is Atharvavedic. Non-षट्चक्र ideas long peristed, as Mm. Gopinatha Kaviraj has shown. Best DB --- On Tue, 29/6/10, hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Dr. S. Ramakrishna Sharma]

Thanks for the quotation from the Atharva Veda and the clarification.

>The original Vedic idea of cakra was of an eightfold one. The description of the body as अष्टाचक्रा नवद्वारा is Atharvavedic.

>नवद्वारा
पुरमेकादशद्वारं .... also part of another mantra.
Similar issues arise in the case of Pancha-Kosas as to whether there are five or more. When it come to Kanchukas there are more variations. What about Tattvas and Bhuvanas?
shat-trimsat-tattvaatiitasya. Thirty Six and Ninety Six .....
Nava-avaranas, twenty five avaranas; it varies according to Prakriya context.
All these do not confuse a spiritual aspirant because,
यया यया भवेत्पुम्सां प्रत्यगात्मनि निश्चय:।
सा सैव  प्रक्रिया ज्ञेया सा सा च  अनवस्थिता ।।
As श्री सुरेश्वरचार्य puts it in बृहदारण्यक वार्तिकं।
Sri Ma Ananda Mayi's expression often quoted by M.M Gopinath Kavraj JI
is :उधर सब् कुच होता है , यह दृष्टि की बात है न?

--
Aangirasa/Dr.S.Ramakrishna Sharma. M.A.,Ph.D.(Eng.Lit.),Ph.D.(Sanskrit.).

[Tirumala Kulakarni]

Namaskara

2010/6/29 hn bhat <hnbh...@gmail.com>

I am recording here what I have heard from Sri Bannanje Govindacharya in a pravachana -

There are SEVEN chakras in our body resembling sapta-sagaras. The chakra of surA-samudra (I don'r remember the name) shoud not be used for upAsana. So we find both types of sayings in scriptures.

I am sorry for not giving any authentication in this issue. 

TK

With regards

--

Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R.
EFEO,
PONDICHERRY

--

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

Thanks! The idea of the thirty-six tattvas cannot be older than Kashmir Śaivism. J.C.Chatterjee assigns its earliest work, the Śiva-Sūtras, to the eighth century CE DB --- On Tue, 29/6/10, Dr. S. Ramakrishna Sharma <d.ramak...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Dr. S. Ramakrishna Sharma]

>I am afraid of wrong information fed in web pages.

Insight is greater than website. Inner-net connectivity is more valid than
books, commentaries(merely intellectual) and interpretations(outsider).

Now, Sri Bannanje is not merely a scholar; he is guided by intuition(inner tuition).
I do have personal inner/interactions with him(blessed to have it).

Still if you want to keep the we page confusion(sorry), let it prevail.
THERE ARE SIX+ONE CHAKRAS. ALL SIX CHAKRAS HAVE THEIR CONTROL SWITCHES IN THE SEVENTH.

Further, if you want to do research in this domain, kindly refer to
मुक्तितत्वं , संपदकौ डा।वीरनारायण पाण्डुरङ्गी,पं ।सी ।आर्।प्रदीपसिम्हाचार्य
पुर्णप्रज्ञसंशोधनमन्दिरं 
बेङ्गलुरु २८
२००३

2010/6/29 Tirumala Kulakarni <tkula...@gmail.com>

--
Aangirasa/Dr.S.Ramakrishna Sharma. M.A.,Ph.D.(Eng.Lit.),Ph.D.(Sanskrit.).

[Ganesan]

The concept of thirty six tattva-s is definitely older than Kashmir Saivism. We have ample incontrovertible evidences for this.

For, before the rise of Kashmir saivism (which is strictly is a misnomer for the Pratyabhijna system or Trika system) the Saivasiddhanta based on 28 fundamental Agama-s and other Upagama-s was widely prevalent in Kashmir, central India, Lata (southern Gujarat). Some of the Agama-s such as the Matangaparamesvara, te Mrigendra treat this concept in a systematic manner.

 The Saivasiddhanta expounds the 36 tattva-s in a very clear way and we have some very important philosophical manuals composed by Sadyojyoti, Bhoja and others who lived between the  7th-9th centuries CE. that describe the concept of 36 tattva-s.

Especially Sadyojyoti, Ramakantha and others lived in Kashmir. Vasugupta the founder of the Trika system and Abhinavagupta refer to Matangaparamesvara, etc. as well as to Sadyojyoti and others in their texts.

Thus, Saivasiddhanta id the earliest Saiva system which propounds the concept of 36 tattva-s which concept was also followed by the propounders of the Trika-Pratyabhijna school in later period.

Ganesan

 

 

Dr.T.Ganesan
Senior Researcher in Saivasiddhanta
French Institute of Pondicherry
UMIFRE 21 CNRS-MAEE
11, St. Louis Street
P.B. 33  PONDICHERRY-605001
INDIA
Tel: +91 - 413 - 233 4168 ext. 123
E mail: gan...@ifpindia.org
Web: www.ifpindia.org

[Dipak Bhattacharya]

What is there to prove that the southern schools arose before the Kashmirian Pratyabhijnaa? Journey from Kashmir to the South is the general concept among scholars. Best DB --- On Mon, 5/7/10, Ganesan <gan...@ifpindia.org> wrote:

[Ganesan]

There is a longstanding misconception that Saivasiddhanta is a 'southern school'. Not at all. Not at all.

To put the historical development of Saivasiddhanta in a shortest mail:

You will be surprised to know that the earliest available systematic philosophical manuals on Saivasiddhanta doctrines were composed in Kashmir, and, Sadyojyoti is one of the earliest Saiva Acharya-s whose major works have come down to us  as I have told in my previous mail.

From the 7th century onwards Saivasiddhanta was prevalent in Kashmir, central India, (King Bhoja was in Malva) then Bengal (Gauda, some of the great Acharya-s hailed from the Radhadesa, ). There are hundreds of inscriptional evidences to substantiate this and they have been fortunately studied. Not only in the Bharatadesa, but also in the south-east asian countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia Saivasiddhanta was wide spread (hundreds of Sanskrit inscriptions written in local scripts from these countries belonging to the period from the 6th century onwards have been edited and published.

 Upto the 12th century this was the situation. In 11th-12th centuries it spread in the Kakatiya kingdom of Andhra (again for which we have a long Sanskrit inscription) where we have many names of Saiva Acharya-s pertaining to different lineages and then again further south it spread to Tamil country.

After the 12th century due to Muslim invasion Saivasiddhanta could not survive in the north of Vindhya (as did any other Vedic system) and in the Tamil country where Saiva devotionalism fully based on the Veda and the Purana-s was so wide spread from 5th century which was nourished by the devotoinal outpourings of Nayanmars (Devotees par-excellance of Siva) the Saivasiddhanta got firmly rooted from the 11th century. Of course, it was the greatness of the Tamil country that Saivasiddhanta flourishes there even now where the Saiva Agama-s are still preserved, studied and practised , enriched further by a large amount of texts, manuals, Tamil adaptations of Agama-s and compositions of original commentaries in Sanskrit as well as in Tamil.

So any discerning scholar will not call Saivasiddhanta a 'southern school' much less would he call the Advaita Vedanta a 'southern school' on the ground that it was systematised by Sankara, a resident of southern Bharat !

With the best wishes,