Kuṇḍalinī

The latent energy that awakens. The ascent through the cakras, the suṣumnā and the awakening of energy in Haṭha and Tantra.

89 verses · 5 texts

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Śivasaṃhitā 69

  1. ŚS 2.3The sun and moon, agents of creation and destruction, also move in it. Ether, air, water and earth are also there. (2) The Nerve Centers.
  2. ŚS 2.8One of these, through the channel named Ida, goes over the body to nourish it, like the waters of the heavenly Ganges – certainly this ambrosia nourishes the whole body through the channel of Ida.
  3. ŚS 2.9This milk-ray (moon) is on the left side. The other ray, brilliant as the purest milk and fountain of great joy, enters through the middle path (called sushumna) into the spinal cord, in order to create this moon.
  4. ŚS 2.12The right-side vessel, which is pingala is another form of the sun, and is the giver of nirvana. The lord of creation and destruction (the sun) moves in this vessel through auspicious ecliptical signs. (3) The Nerves.
  5. ŚS 2.14Sushumna, Ida, Pingala, Gandhari, Hastijihvika, Kuhu, Saraswati, Pusa, Sankhini, Payaswani, Varuni, Alambusa, Vishwodari, and Yasaswani are the fourteen principal nadis. Among these, Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are the chief.
  6. ŚS 2.16Among these three, sushumna alone is the highest and beloved of the Yogis. Other vessels are subordinate to it in the body.
  7. ŚS 2.21Two digits above the rectum and two digits below the linga (penis) is the adhara lotus, having a dimension of four digits.
  8. ŚS 2.22In the pericarp of the adhara lotus there is the triangular, beautiful yoni, hidden and kept secret in all the Tantras.
  9. ŚS 2.24It represents the creative force of the world, and is always engaged in creation. It is the goddess of speech, whom speech cannot manifest, and who is praised by all gods.
  10. ŚS 2.25The nadi called ida is on the left side coiling round the sushumna, it goes to the right nostril.
  11. ŚS 2.26The nadi called pingala is on the right side; coiling round the central vessel, it enters the left nostril.
  12. ŚS 2.27The nadi which is between Ida and Pingala is certainly Sushumna. It has six stages, six forces,1 six lotuses, known to the Yogis.
  13. ŚS 2.28The first five stages2 of Sushumna are known under various names; being necessary, they have been made known in this book.
  14. ŚS 2.30From all these (fourteen) nadis, there arise gradually other branches and sub-branches, so that at last they become three hundred thousand and a half in number, and supply their respective places.
  15. ŚS 2.31These nadis are spread through the body cross-wise and length-wise; they are vehicles of sensation and keep watch over the movements of the air i.e., they regulate the motor functions also. (5) The Abdominal Region.
  16. ŚS 2.32In the abdomen there burns the fire – digester of food – situated in the middle of the sphere of the sun having twelve Kalas. Know this as the fire of Vaiswanara; it is born from a portion of my own energy, and digests the various foods of creatures, being inside their bodies.
  17. ŚS 2.34The wise Yogi, having kindled this Viswanaric fire according to proper rites, should sacrifice food into it every day, in conformity with the teachings of his spiritual teacher.
  18. ŚS 2.35This body called the Brahmanda (microcosm) has many parts, but I have enumerated the most important of them in this book. (Surely) they ought to be known.
  19. ŚS 2.36Various are their names, and innumerable are the places in this human body; all of them cannot be enumerated here. (6) The Jivatma.
  20. ŚS 2.40The desires, etc., which cause pleasure or pain, act according to the past karma of the Jiva.
  21. ŚS 2.43As in their proper season, various creatures are born to enjoy the consequences of their karma; as through mistake a pearl-shell is taken for silver, so through the taint of one's own karmas, a man mistakes Brahman for the material universe.
  22. ŚS 2.44From desire all these delusions arise; they can be eradicated with great difficulty; when the salvation-giving knowledge of the unreality of the world arises, then are desires destroyed.
  23. ŚS 2.45Being engrossed in the manifested (objective) world, the delusion arises about that which is the manifestor – the subject. There is no other, (cause of this delusion). Verily, verily, I tell you the truth.
  24. ŚS 2.47By looking closely and deeply into the matter, this false knowledge vanishes. It cannot be removed otherwise; the delusion of silver remains.
  25. ŚS 2.48As long as knowledge does not arise about the stainless Manifestor of the universe, so long all things appear separate and many.
  26. ŚS 2.52Persons attached to sensual objects and desirous of sensual pleasures, descend from the road of nirvana, through the delusion of much talk, and fall into sinful deeds.
  27. ŚS 2.55Those persons attached to sense objects, seeking pleasure in them, wander ceaselessly through the cycle of saṃsāra.
  28. ŚS 2.57Desires such as sexual desire dissolve only through knowledge, and not through any other means.
  29. ŚS 4.1First with a strong inspiration fix the mind in the adhar lotus. Then engage in contracting the Yoni, which is situated in the perineal space.
  30. ŚS 4.2There let him contemplate that the God of love resides in that Brahma Yoni and that he is beautiful like Bandhuk flower (Pentapetes pheanicia)-- brilliant as tens of millions of suns, and cool as tens of millions of moons. Above this (Yoni) is a small and subtle flame, whose form is intelligence. Then let him imagine that a union takes place there between himself and that flame (the Siva and Sakti).
  31. ŚS 4.4Then let him go again to the Kula through the practice of mantrayoga (i.e., pranayama). This Yoni has been called by me in the Tantras as equal to life.
  32. ŚS 4.8Were he to kill his teacher or drink wine or commit theft, or violate the bed of his preceptor, he is not stained by these sins also, by virtue of this mudra.
  33. ŚS 4.10Perfect consciousness is gained through practice. Yoga is attained through practice; success in Mudra comes by practice; through practice is gained success in pranayama. Death can be cheated of its prey through practice, and man becomes the conqueror of death by practice.
  34. ŚS 4.103Aquel que practica diariamente durante seis meses bajo la instrucción del guru...
  35. ŚS 4.105Exposición de la mudrā śakticālana. El sabio debe despertar a la kuṇḍalinī firme que duerme en el loto del soporte [mūlādhāra], ascendiendo el apāna-vāyu y atrayéndola con fuerza.
  36. ŚS 4.106Aquel que practica así el śakticālana cada día...
  37. ŚS 4.107La serpiente [kuṇḍalinī], abandonando el sueño, se eleva por sí misma hacia arriba, sin duda.
  38. ŚS 4.11Through practice one gets the power of vach (prophecy), and the power of going everywhere, through mere exertion of will. This Yoni-mudra should be kept in great secrecy, and not be given to everybody. Even when threatened with death, it should not be revealed or given to others. The Awakening of Kundalini.
  39. ŚS 4.111Este excelente conjunto de diez mudrās no ha existido antes ni existirá después en forma semejante.
  40. ŚS 4.16My dearest, I shall now describe to you the Mahamudra, from whose knowledge the ancient sages Kapila and others obtained success inYoga. (1) Mahamudra.
  41. ŚS 4.18In this way, even the most unfortunate Yogi might obtain success. By this means all the vessels of the body are roused and stirred into activity; the life is increased and its decay is checked, and all sins are destroyed. All diseases are healed, and the gastric fire is increased. It gives faultless beauty to the body, and destroys decay and death. All fruits of desire and pleasure are obtained, and the senses are conquered. The Yogi fixed in meditation acquires all the above-mentioned things, through practice. There should be no hesitation in doing so.
  42. ŚS 4.19O ye worshipped of the gods! know that this mudra is to be kept secret with the greatest care. Obtaining this, the Yogi crosses the ocean of the world.
  43. ŚS 4.21Then (after Mahamudra), having extended the (right) foot, place it on the (left) thigh; contract the perineum, and draw the apana vayu upwards and join it with the samana vayu; bend the prana vayu downwards, and then let the wise Yogi bind them in trinity in the navel (i.e. the prana and the apana should be joined with the Samana in the navel. I have told you how the Mahabandha, which shows the way to emancipation. By this, all the fluids in the vessels of the body of the Yogi are propelled towards the head. This should be practiced with great care, alternately with both feet.
  44. ŚS 4.22Through this practice, the wind enters the middle channel of Sushumna, the body is invigorated by it, the bones are firmly knitted, the heart of the Yogi becomes full (of cheerfulness). By this Bandha, the great Yogi accomplishes all his desires. (3) Maha-Vedha.
  45. ŚS 4.23O goddess of the three worlds! when the Yogi, while performing the Mahabandha, causes the union of the prana and apana vayus and filling in the viscera with air drives it slowly towards the nates, it is called Mahavedha.
  46. ŚS 4.25He who practices this Mahavedha with great secrecy, obtains vayu-siddhi (success over the wind). It destroys decay and death.
  47. ŚS 4.26The gods residing in the chakras tremble owing to the gentle influx and efflux of air in pranayama; the great goddess, Kunali Maha Maya, is also absorbed in the mount Kailasa.
  48. ŚS 4.30This should be kept in great secrecy by the practitioner desirous of obtaining power; otherwise, it is certain that the coveted powers can never be obtained through the practice of Mudras. (4) Khechari.
  49. ŚS 4.31The wise Yogi, sitting in vajrasana posture, in a place free from all disturbance, should firmly fix his gaze on the spot in the middle of the two eyebrows; and reversing the tongue backwards, fix it in the hollow under the epi-glottis, placing it with great care on the mouth of the well of nectar, (i.e. closing up the air passage). This mudra, described by me at the request of my devotees, is the Khecharimudra.
  50. ŚS 4.32O, my beloved! know this to be the source of all success, always practicing it let him drink the ambrosia daily. By this he obtains vigraha-siddhi (power over the microcosm), even as a lion over the elephant of death.
  51. ŚS 4.35This mudra, O thou worshipped by the gods, must be carefully kept secret.
  52. ŚS 4.39The wise one who binds prāṇa and apāna together for the purpose of ascent drinks the nectar through this bandha, and attaining immortality, enjoys the three worlds.
  53. ŚS 4.41Through practice, the vāyu unites with the center of suṣumnā; pressing the anus firmly with the heel, the practitioner draws the apāna upward. This is Mūla-bandha, destroyer of decay and death.
  54. ŚS 4.43He who has perfected the Yonimudrā — what can he not accomplish in this world? Seated in padmāsana, free from sloth, the yogi leaves the ground and moves through the air by virtue of this mudrā.
  55. ŚS 4.64Exposition of the Mūlabandha.
  56. ŚS 4.65Drawing the apāna up forcibly, conduct it gradually upward; even while immersed in pleasures, one attains perfection through practice.
  57. ŚS 4.66This yoga produces the union of apāna and prāṇa, surpassing all that can be imagined; it can be practiced together with much enjoyment, and therefore the yogi should practice it.
  58. ŚS 4.79Even living according to one's own will, without conforming to the rules prescribed in yoga, the householder can attain liberation through the practice of Vajrolīmudrā.
  59. ŚS 4.81At first, the wise one should introduce into his own body, with effort and according to proper method, the fluid from the woman's womb; retaining his own bindu, let him practice copulation. These are the ten mudrās whose equal never was nor shall be; through the practice of any one of them, one becomes a siddha.
  60. ŚS 4.83Even by the left path (vāmamārga), having conducted the bindu, let him restrain the liṅga; let him practice this always for quick success in yoga.
  61. ŚS 4.84According to the Guru's instruction, the yogi should forcibly draw the fluid from the womb, intoning the sound huṃ-huṃkāra through the contraction of apāna; let the yogi desirous of success in yoga drink milk or nectar in this way.
  62. ŚS 4.85With this method the yogi [acts] for the quick attainment of success in yoga; one who always practices this best Shakti-chālana according to the Guru's instructions obtains vigraha-siddhi, which confers the powers of aṇimā and others, and has no fear of death.
  63. ŚS 4.86Know the bindu as of the nature of the moon, and rajas as of the nature of the sun; thus should the yogi unite these two with great care within his own body.
  64. ŚS 4.89In this world beings are born and die because of bindu — of this there is no doubt; therefore, let the yogi always preserve his bindu with great care.
  65. ŚS 4.90When the bindu has been perfected with great effort, what cannot be achieved in this world? Through the greatness of its preservation, one attains a glory equal to mine.
  66. ŚS 4.92Even immersed in pleasures, a man obtains siddhis through practice; through the force of his practice, he becomes an adept in due time, in his present life.
  67. ŚS 4.95Sahajolī and Amarolī are variants of Vajrolī; the difference arises from difference of nomenclature; let the yogi practice them with the greatest care and perseverance.
  68. ŚS 4.97The yogi should retain through Yonimudrā his own bindu that has begun to depart; the method by which bindu on the verge of emission can be retained through Yonimudrā is called Sahajolī.
  69. ŚS 4.98The difference arises from the difference of nomenclature; if the function is of equal movement, the practices are equivalent; the yogi should practice them with the greatest care and perseverance.

Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā 16

  1. HYP 1.28There is nothing in the three worlds equal to Siddhāsana. Practicing the bandha at the base and moving the śakti, [the yogī progresses].
  2. HYP 1.54Through the practice of Matsyendrāsana, kuṇḍalinī is awakened, the lunar bindu is stabilized, and the absence of disease arises.
  3. HYP 2.51Āsana, kumbhaka, the various practices called mudrās, and then absorption in nāda — this is the order of practice in haṭha yoga.
  4. HYP 2.70It rapidly awakens kuṇḍalinī, is pleasant and beneficial, removes the obstructions of kapha and other impurities at the entrance of brahma nāḍī.
  5. HYP 2.77Without doubt one also attains the state of rāja yoga. From kumbhaka comes the awakening of kuṇḍalinī, and from the awakening of kuṇḍalinī comes [samādhi].
  6. HYP 3.1Just as the supreme serpent (Śeṣa) supports the earth with its mountains and forests, so Kuṇḍalinī is the support of all yoga practices.
  7. HYP 3.2When the sleeping Kuṇḍalinī awakens by the grace of the guru, then all the lotuses (chakras) open and the knots are pierced.
  8. HYP 3.3When the sleeping Kuṇḍalinī awakens by the grace of the guru, then all the lotuses (chakras) are pierced, as are the knots (granthis).
  9. HYP 3.6Viparītakaraṇī, Vajrolī, and Śakticālana — these ten mudrās destroy old age and death.
  10. HYP 3.100Even without śakti itself, this Vajrolī is perfected in women.And the awakening of one's śakti is also perfected through Vajrolī.
  11. HYP 3.12By applying Jālandhara Bandha to the throat, the air is held upward;just as a snake hit with a stick becomes straight as a stick.
  12. HYP 3.13Then that Śakti Kuṇḍalinī suddenly straightens up;then that state similar to death arises, with both channels empty.
  13. HYP 3.60Pressing the perineum with the heel, contracting the anus, and drawing apāna upward — this is called Mūla Bandha.
  14. HYP 3.61Through the union of apāna and prāṇa, the decrease of urine and feces, even the old becomes young through constant practice of Mūla Bandha.
  15. HYP 3.64Since the great bird flies upward without rest, that is why it is called Uḍḍīyāna, and the bandha is described there.
  16. HYP 4.12Through various asanas, kumbhakas and other various practices, when the great śakti awakens, prāṇa dissolves into emptiness.

Gorakṣa Śataka 2

  1. goraksha-shataka 30Por encima del kanda, la kuṇḍalinī-śakti, enroscada ocho veces, cierra siempre con su boca la puerta del brahma-dvāra (apertura de Brahman).
  2. goraksha-shataka 31Despertada por la unión del fuego (agni), golpeada por el viento (prāṇa/māruta) de la mente, tomando las cualidades vitales, asciende hacia arriba por la Suṣumnā.

Upaniṣads 1

  1. upanishads 6In the heart resides this Ātman. Here there are one hundred and one nāḍīs. Each of them has one hundred branches. Each branch has seventy-two thousand ramifications. In them circulates vyāna.

Yoga Yājñavalkya 1

  1. yoga-yajnavalkya 1Now I will expound kuṇḍalinī, the Śakti of the supreme Lady, the Goddess generating perfection in yoga, residing in the mūlādhāra.

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