Charka System

In Sanskrit, Muladhara means: “base”. It is the first chakra in the spiritual evolution of humans. This chakra is located in the base of the spine and corresponds to the pelvic plexus. It lies between the origin of the reproductive organ and anus and it is a point where Sushumna, Ida and Pingala nadis meet. The Kundalini energy is usually symbolized with a three and a half time coiled female serpent, asleep or in a latent state in Muladhara chakra. The most important aspect of this chakra is being a shelter where the mighty Kundalini sleeps. According to the Tantric traditions the three coils of the serpent represent the three major aspects of nature: Sattva–harmony, Rajas-action and Tamas-inertia, while the half coil itself symbolizes the transcendental consciousness. Although the Kundalini Yoga and the Tantra have their differences, they both symbolize the latent power in humans in the shape of a sleeping goddess Kundalini Shakti as incarnation in the human body, which possesses potential to bring the ultimate light or darkness to the spirit. It is known that Muladhara chakra releases the main vital energy, which is responsible for the body reproduction and, it plays the major role in the transformation process of these sexual forces into the spiritual potentials as well. During the moments of sexual ecstasy, the Muladhara chakra increases its activity, so the orgasm can be used as a fire starter for the Kundalini. To the best of my knowledge, the orgasm has been used as a jump board for awakening of this mighty force through the sexual act of the love couple in some Temples across northern India even these days. However, although it is the lowest center in human’s spiritual evolution, the significance of the Muladhara chakra is very important and should be treated with great respect. The awakening of this primeval force is the beginning of the human evolution because mostly, the whole process starts here in Muladhara chakra. Usually, it takes years of deep meditation, all kinds of pranayama exercises, and many physical exercises known as asanas, but most of all a purified, creative and quiet life to complete the awakening process of all of the 7 primary chakras. The process of awakening the main chakras is a completely different matter from the awakening of Kundalini energy and it lasts until all of the chakras become active. If pulsating feeling appears in the physical point where the Muladhara is located, it is usually a clear sign that awakening of this center is close, even active to some level. Still, the Muladhara chakra possesses a high level of activity in humans whose sexual life is active. However, in no uncertain terms it has to be understood that active Muladhara chakra does not necessarily mean an active Kundalini energy. In fact, the parallel awakening of these two different processes almost never happens. The awakening and rising of the Kundalini is strictly an individual matter, but the greatest masters of the Kundalini Yoga always advise aspirants to awake their primary chakras before starting to work with this powerful force. It rarely happens but is fully possible, that Kundalini could be asleep in some higher chakra than Muladhara. In that case, it surely is a result of long and hard efforts in the past incarnations. Actually, it means, a start of climbing up of the awaken Kundalini from the chakra that was asleep in the previous incarnation. Yet, it is a case of one in a thousand, and most of the humanity must achieve the awakening of the Kundalini in the Muladhara chakra.
The second chakra is Svadhisthana. In Sanskrit, the word Svadhisthana means: “one’s own self”. In the human body, this chakra corresponds to the hypogastric plexus in the genital region and it is very close to the location of the Muladhara no matter whether a male or female is concerned. It controls the liquid factor of the body associated with the taste and the reproductive glands – the testicles in males and ovaries in females. This center is connected with the subconscious mind, the collective unconsciousness and long forgotten genetic memories. When Svadhisthana chakra becomes active, the consciousness of the disciple is hit by a tornado of a million psychic manifestations, which usually possess dark character. When this happens, disciples must deal with all those mental conflicts that are the product of the collected negative Karma, which sometimes can be generated even from their past lives. Therefore, in time when Svadhisthana chakra awakes, the debts of Karma come out in a “full glory”. For that reason, besides a deep meditation, the Kundalini Yoga points out on following the moral doctrine that contains many rules for the right relationship of the disciples with the world around them. Only if the disciple’s mind is focused on the highest spiritual goal and tends to purify itself, the disciple can smoothly pass along the path within the mental storms that contain all sorts of psychic impressions. These previously repressed psychic impressions in the depths of the unconsciousness for a very long time swim freely on the surface of the consciousness now. The huge spectrum of those manifestations can often cause disturbances in the meditative process, but that is a stage of development that each truthful disciple walking along the path of self-realization must go through. In other words, the second chakra represents a center in which one’s consciousness cleans itself from the dark Karma, which on the other hand will create the right conditions for awakening the next higher chakra. The disciple, even in this stage of the spiritual growth, feels the guilt in his or her consciousness for every immoral thing done, no matter whether the wrong thing appeared in deeds, words or thoughts. Physiologically, like all the other chakras Svadhisthana pulsates when irritated, starts to awake or it is fully active. According to the oldest Sanskrit scripts, in ancient times, the primary home of the latent Kundalini Shakti was in Svadhisthana and not in Muladhara as it usually is the case today. A fall of the spiritual evolution of humans by alien interaction which had come from the stars long before the Earth’s global flood, is clearly mentioned in those scripts. However, so many things are vague about our distant past that sometimes a human has to take the facts open-minded no matter how contradictory the facts are. Sometimes, our history records present contradictory facts in order to search for true facts that really happened thousands of years ago. To the best of my knowledge, that interaction really happened and it is the main reason for the Kundalini Shakti’s sleeping in the Muladhara nowadays that had been the highest animal chakra in those days.
The third center is the Manipura chakra, which in Sanskrit means “City of Jewels”. This chakra is located in the solar plexus area, right behind the hoof. Physiologically, it coordinates the digestive processes and the activity of the organs situated in the abdomen. The pranic energy is very strong in this center and in the East it is also known as the center of inner heat, where the chi energy can be driven out of the physical body. The Chinese masters of martial arts consider this center very important because according to them the source of the powerful energy they call “chi” lies there. According to witnesses, by using this chakra they can focus their energy to one point in their bodies and become resistant to a sword thrust in that particular place, and similar things. Speaking of martial arts, as far as I know, the Shaolin monks are the top masters of using the energy that comes from this center. On the other hand, the usage of the Manipura chakra on The Himalayas is almost a common thing. Many have witnessed the abilities of the lamas and yogis who usually meditate sitting in the snow, dressed only in thin robes: through the process of their meditation they release the heat that comes from their own physical bodies and melt the snow around them. Despite the fact that they are half-naked and exposed to temperatures way below zero, they look as if experiencing overheating. However, while the level of the spiritual evolution in a human is in Muladhara and Svadhisthana chakra, the disciple’s consciousness can easily fall into many emotional traps hidden in the lower nature. Only after the disciple’s consciousness has evaluated these two chakras and experienced purification in Manipura chakra, these emotional traps are easy to detect and avoid. Therefore, we must treat this chakra with great respect because it holds our personal power, will and control.
A center that corresponds to the heart plexus is known as Anahata chakra. Physiologically, it controls the circulatory, respiratory and immunity systems. Spiritually, this center is special because it is the residence of the human soul. Here in Anahata chakra the purification of the emotions transforms the individual into a more subtle being and one loses the hard connection with the material world. In Sanskrit, the word Anahata means “incessant”. The name is a symbol for the incessant connection of the human soul with the cosmic love like the one of the primeval forces in the Universe. When this center is activated, a human becomes the fire of the cosmic love. From now on, unselfishness dominates one’s deeds and he or she gives everything without expecting anything in return. It is sufficiently enough for a person to know that some good deed is done, and one does not look for a reward or gratitude for it. What one feels in his/her spiritual heart is a feeling of unlimited love as never before. It is as if a light is coming out from the center of Anahata chakra, which makes one to feel overjoyed. If Anahata is awake, the disciple surely experiences the phenomenon of amplifying the strength of the thoughts. The stronger the thoughts become, the more the disciple becomes aware of a vast ocean of thoughts that exists everywhere around him or her. One of the tasks of the Anahata chakra is to send each thought born in the consciousness directly to that vast ocean of thoughts. If the disciple’s thoughts are purified, noble and divine, they will cause an identical thought vibration in every similar mind throughout the whole Universe. Wherever these individuals go, they always bring luck, love, and peace and pain relief along. With the unconditional love that radiates from their spiritual hearts, they have acquired the ability to heal. They project their spiritual energy into the part of the body where the pain is present and induce the healing changes. In the time of Kundalini rising, when the energy passes through the Anahata chakra, the heart of the yogis open in full glory and start to shine in all directions. This chakra is also known as “Unstruck Note”, because unstruck sound is the sound of silence. In this spiritual “silence”, which is the underlying sound of the Universe, a disciple passes the gateway to higher consciousness.
The fifth center located in the base of the throat that corresponds with the carotid plexus is known as Vishuddha chakra. In Sanskrit, the word “Vishuddha” means purification, so it is considered a purifying center. All of the smallest anomalies and impurities remained from the lower chakras will be purified here. It is well known that when this center is active, it extracts special nectar that influences many psychophysical processes in the human body. With the help of this nectar, it is possible for a yogi to achieve neutralization of the inner and outer venom. On various Festivals in some parts of India, the yogis drink a very strong venom and stay alive and in the mood as if drinking pure water. If an average person drank just a smaller amount of the poison that these yogis drank, he/she would be dead in less than a minute. About this ability, yogis usually say that it is strictly connected with the control of the nectar that Vishuddha extracts with the help of a special Kriya method. They also underline the fact that by using this nectar they are capable to survive without any food and water much longer than an average person is. It is interesting that almost every yogi who demonstrates this ability is seated in padmasana. They explain padmasana as a sitting position that prevents energy leakage from the physical body. At the same time, it allows them to accumulate a huge amount of pranic energy and with the strength of their minds to always keep their body processes controlled. However, the fact is that they force all the processes in their physical bodies to a minimum, which analytically speaking means a need of a supreme control of the nerve system. The body of the yogi is in a self-induced hibernation state, and helped by the Vishuddha chakra (which extracts the energetic food); the yogi can stay alive much longer that it is publicly known. Another characteristic of Vishuddha is the legendary elixir of youth. When Kundalini flows through this center, it distributes a great amount of regenerative power throughout the whole physical body. Each cell in the body is exposed to a process of regeneration and the phenomenon of getting younger is strongly visible. The roles of Vishuddha chakra are many, but the primary is the purification of the mind. So, thanks to the level of the clear mind, reached by the help of active Vishuddha chakra, a yogi can focus all the mental strength into one mantra and accumulate a great pranic force in it.
The sixth center is called Ajna chakra and is a special center in human. It is located in the middle of the forehead at the pineal gland, and from the outside, it is marked as a point between the eyebrows. This chakra is also known as a third eye or command center because it controls all processes in the human body including the senses. In Sanskrit, Ajna means “Command” and that explains the specialty of this chakra: “High level of spiritual development in which the yogi’s mind can communicate with the mind of other person, and control it if necessary.”
A psychically awaken person can observe the events that take place on an astral plane or even higher with this chakra. All paranormal abilities, which an individual latently possesses like: telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, levitation, materialization, ability to see aura and many more are possible only if Ajna chakra is functional. The level of consciousness is so high in this center that the yogi starts to see the hidden essence of all visible appearances. The yogi’s perception starts to change its focus and the yogi starts to see the light aura around all life forms. With the use of the Ajna chakra power, the yogi can easily read other people’s thoughts and intentions, make telekinetic influence on them, heal them, etc. Therefore, when the third eye in one is open, the spirit is free to walk to other worlds. That kind of person is always fully conscious on an astral plane and enjoys the privilege of using the best performance the astral body can offer. In contrast to the average astral traveler, this kind of person is capable of taking long astral trips into deep space, and his/her stay there can be estimated between a few hours to a few days. However, when the mighty Kundalini reaches this chakra, it comes to a point where the three powerful streams Sushumna, Ida and Pingala nadi join again in one big stream of consciousness which goes straight to the highest chakra. Yet, despite the fact that the yogi’s consciousness is expanded beyond limits, the journey with the Kundalini Shakti is still not over because the final battle with the yogi’s own Ego remains to be won in the highest chakra. If the yogi succeeds to win there, the Nirvana will be his/her.
WARNING: The true disciple must always be very cautious when some chakra becomes active. This especially concerns Ajna chakra because when this center becomes active, an explosion of all kinds of psychic experiences accompanied with unusual symptoms that sometimes are difficult to be explained emerges. In most cases when Ajna chakra starts to manifest its true nature one starts to gain psychic powers like astral projection, telepathy, telekinesis, ability to heal, super hearing, etc. Therefore, when that happens, the disciple has to be very careful because there is a good chance to become blinded by the shine of those psychic powers, as much as to start feeling a strong urge to use them for selfish reasons. To avoid the seductive nature of mental powers the disciple has to focus on his or her spiritual heart with the intention to remain modest and on the right path. Usually, most of the disciples fail this test and start to feed their own Ego. When these abilities manifest themselves, the Ego is the first thing that comes out from the shadow and creates an illusion of greatness. Thus, the disciples start to think of themselves as of beings of a higher rank and see other people as beings of a lower rank. Worst of all, they cannot resist the desire to demonstrate their abilities wherever they go. That is a totally wrong path and it will jeopardize their further spiritual evolution. In time, the lack of spiritual consciousness will surely bring the extinguishing of the active chakra, which will automatically withdraw the gained psychic powers. When this happens, the disciples will remain to swim in their own stupidity with absolutely no chance for further spiritual development. To avoid all these deviations from the right path, the disciple’s heart should be very modest and always aware of the potential risk, which the psychic abilities hide. There is nothing wrong with the psychic powers; this book’s primary purpose is to develop them, but only when used for constructive purposes and when it is absolutely necessary.
Therefore, a piece of advice for a disciple: When at a certain level of your psychic development your mind becomes very strong and starts to manifest paranormal abilities, you must always keep the flame of the cosmic love lit. This inner flame will save you from not taking the dark path and it will safely guide you towards the light.
Sahasrara is the seventh and the highest of all the chakras inside the etheric body. Its location is in the aura above human’s head, but its lower boundary still touches the physical body on the crown of the head. This chakra contains the vibrations of all other chakras and awakes only if the disciple is fully ready for it. Despite the fact that there is a global opinion about Ajna chakra being the home of the highest power, I believe that this is a wrong belief. The greatest spiritual power lies in Sahasrara and not in Ajna chakra. The Sanskrit translation of the word Sahasrara explains everything – “Thousand-Petal Lotus”.
In the Kundalini Yoga, each chakra is symbolized with its own number of petals, but Sahasrara has the most. The symbolic meaning for thousand petals of Sahasrara is the thousand spiritual powers in humans that lead them to the highest point of spiritual evolution. It leads the yogi to a power and knowledge beyond normal human understanding. This chakra is beyond all experiences because the spirit that observes the act of observing and the object of observing become one. The consciousness is at the top level and faces maximum expansion. When Kundalini Shakti reaches this point of spiritual height, the consciousness of the yogi that has passed the three main energy channels, awaken all lower chakras and come to the door of Sahasrara explodes and disperses into a million pieces and rejoins again in one big mighty unity. One consciousness fades away until it dies and a new purified and illuminated one is born. The Ego and all its manifestations are destroyed in the final battle and the yogi has been set free from the eternal circle of life and death. That is an experience of Nirvana. It is a state of the spirit that only a few – the most worthy ones will be lucky to experience during their lifetime. A very interesting fact is that the nature of the Kundalini energy is bipolar but when it rises and reaches Sahasrara chakra it becomes mono polar or one complete unity. This unity of Kundalini born in Sahasrara chakra, in ancient India was called “The great joining of Shiva and Shakti”. In the old scripts of Kundalini Yoga, Shiva and Shakti represent the male and female principle in humans.
In Sahasrara, the ecstasy of the spirit is infinite and new horizons (greater than the ones opened when Kundalini was passing through the Ajna chakra); appear in front of the yogi. No word can describe this experience, which in fact, is the highest spiritual achievement. When this has been accomplished, the yogi has beaten the weal of Karma and now blissfully floats on the level of Nirvana. It is just then when the yogi is much higher than the Karma can reach. The yogi is finally free, because once the yogi’s worthy spirit has touched the subtle energy of Nirvana’s plane, he or she will never have to reincarnate again except if a decision has been made to help the global spiritual evolution of humankind. According to a Yoga tradition, a spirit that has reached the Nirvana and taken a physical form again, comes from the love of humanity, so it is called an Avatar – The One, who brings the message of God. An Avatar always offers the path of cosmic love, peace and understanding. The Avatar’s spiritual vision is always the same: “To help every living being to discover the path that will lead it to its true home”. However, most of the effects that appear when Kundalini energy passes through Sahasrara are beyond the analytical mind because they are present much higher on the planes than the physical, and only those who have experienced them can understand them. Perhaps the best association for this experience is what some yogi said once: “The light that radiates from the Sahasrara chakra stretches in all directions where the third eye can reach”…