Monday 25 August 2014

Kundalini and the Chakras

Continuing his series on Shaktism, Rajarshi Nandy moves beyond the philosophy of Shaktism to understanding the process of kundalini rising through the chakras. There are many accounts of this online (not always accurate!) and in books; but every sadhaka has his/her own experience which comes through in their writing. While this blog post is beneficial even to the casual reader, Rajarshi is sharing practical ideas with the discerning sadhaka - which he has learned the hard way from his own sadhana. If you have a query, you can leave a comment, and/or follow Rajarshi via Twitter @TheRajarshi 


Now we have seen in the previous article a brief and psychological idea of what Kundalini Shakti practically stands for. The next important aspect of the journey related to the traditional concept of Kundalini passing through the various chakras inside the body. There are many Tantric diagrams depicting the movement of Kundalini through these various chakras as well as the shape and nature of each of them.

But before all that, what exactly are the Chakras? A reasonable misconception to be avoided is the idea that these chakras are present inside the physical human body. They are not. Their relevance is with respect to the astral body – or sukshma sharira, though they may have some correspondence with some areas in the physical body. In Yogic terminology every human being has three bodies overlapping. The physical body – sthula sharira, astral body – sukshma sharira, and causal body – karana sharira. It in the second of these bodies that there is a complex system of nadis or channels of energy flow. By some accounts there are 72,000 such nadis in this astral body, of which some of the most crucial nadis pertain to the area – again not physically but astrally – inside the length of the spinal column.  And of these the most important is known as susumna nadi, the central channel through which the Kundalini Shakti must flow, once it is awakened inside the sadhaka. [It may noted in passing that even within susumna there are also subdivision of nadis, but for all practical purposes we need not explore those depths currently.]

When a set of these 72,000 nadis converge at different points along the axis of the susumna, they result in centers of psychological functioning which the texts refer to as the chakras. Each chakra has its own unique iconographic representation and its own domain.  According to most popular accounts there are six main chakras :-

Muladhara – this is the chakra at the very base of the spine while holds the physical frame together.  This chakra is related to a sense of structure and ability of possession of the structure. On the negative side, this also often manifests in individuals as the sense of greedy possessiveness of material things. It must be remembered that while the actual point of muladhara is merely the focus of the psychological feeling, the effect of this chakras extends throughout the body, from head to toe. Basically, when awareness is concentrated in the muladhara, one is acutely aware of his physical existence. This is one end of the spectrum whose other end is the Sahashrar, or thousand-petalled lotus overhead, where the connection to, or sense of, the physical body becomes extremely weak. In most accounts the Devata of this chakra is Ganapati. 

It is therefore of great importance that Ganapati has to be worshiped in some way before a “safe” awakening of Kundalini is possible. In Yoga  the ganas are also both metaphorically and practically representations of the various kinds of sense inputs that are processed by the organism. So Ganapati is the Devata who has supreme control over these inputs, and as needed, can increase or decrease the sensory experiences or balance them to an optimum state which is most conducive for awakening the sleeping Kundalini shakti in the adhara – mind-body complex.  Also, equally, being at the very root of the system of nadis, worship of Ganapati can ensure a balance between the material and the spiritual realms. That is why there is no ritual worship in Hinduism which does not start with an invocation of the Lord of Ganas, without whose favor it becomes difficult if not impossible, initiate this process. There are other and more detailed areas which pertain to sadhana of Ganapati, but that is not related to the idea of Kundalini, and so will avoid those for the present.

Diagrammatically it is represented as a square with 4 petals containing 4 Sanskrit bijas. The corresponding tanmantra is of gandha (smell), the Shakti is known as Dakini. The tattwa is Prithiwi tattwa. To make Kundalini move beyond this chakra one has to outgrow the need to accumulate things, possessions, acquisitions etc. The beeja of this chakra is “lam”.

Swadhisthana – this is above the muladhara and corresponds to the area of sexual organs.  This chakras functions as the repository of desires of all kinds. But the most powerful of these is the force of lust, kama. Diagrammatically this chakra is represented by a crescent moon,  with 6 associated Sanskrit alphabets. This corresponds to the tanmatra of rasa (taste), the presiding Shakti is known as Rakini, and the tattwa is jala (water).  The devata of this chakra varies according of different texts. Some mention Brahma, others Narayana.  The beeja of this chakra is “vam”.

The practical importance of the swadhisthana chakra is immense, for without some control of conversion of the force of lust and desire, it is quite impossible to awaken the Kundalini Shakti beyond this chakra. When Kundalini goes beyond a chakra permanently, then there is perfect understanding and realization of the elements involved with that chakra.  So when it goes beyond Swadhisthana, it knows how, understands and surpasses the actions and repercussions of desires and lust. Unfortunately this is rarely an easy job. Therefore in most ancient traditions the sadhakas were advised strict celibacy, refraining from any contact with the world around that may provoke desires. In most paramparas these sadhana were done in seclusion. This is one of the good reasons for the same. There are other uses of it, but that comes later on in the path.

There is another vital thing to be remembered when dealing with a Kundalini process. Kundalini as I had mentioned in the previous blog is a furious force, it can blow up and accentuate any unrectified propensities already present in the inner makeup of the sadhaka, unless one has worked on them. So therefore there is a massive danger that if Kundalini gets stuck in this chakra, the individual may actually end up becoming a sexual manic or develop a serious and damaging aversion/fear towards sex.  This can also open up the individual to various influences of beings of the astral plane who feed on such energies, and then bring about a massive downfall for the seeker. While the upward journey of the Kundalini can be sublime, the downfall can be debilitating and actually brings the sadhaka to state worst than when he had started off. That when it becomes very, very important to personify the Shakti to a form of a great Devata, or a form of the Mother, or be guided and protected by a competent Guru who knows the dangers of the path.

OTOH, if Shakti really moves beyond these two chakras, the sadhaka may gain some unique abilities pertaining to the prithiwi tattwa and the jala tattwa. And in normal understanding these can appear as supernatural powers or siddhis.

Manipura – this chakra related to the area around the naval. Diagrammatically it is represented by a triangle with 10 Sanskrit alphabets. The tanmatra of rupa (form/sight) corresponds to this chakra and the tattwa of Agni (fire) relates to it. The devata of this chakra is sometimes mentioned as Vishnu and sometimes as a three-eyed form of Shiva. The Shakti of this chakra is known as Lakini.  The beeja of this chakra is “ram”.
Manipura is the center of the average human sense of I-ness. Being related to the Agni tattwa, it rules the idea of power and control, as well as assimilation. When Kundalini passes beyond this chakra, one may get an realization of the nature of power and control, or controlling anything, outgrow the need for such. The Fire in this chakra is of two kinds – Bhuta Agni and Jathra Agni. Bhuta agni is the fire of spiritual digestion, while jathara agni is the fire of physical digestion. If one increases, the other automatically decreases. Often when Kundalini is in this chakra, one of the symptoms it may manifest in the sadhaka is a complete lack of hunger, or a disproportionate increase in hunger. One can eat three to four times his normal food and yet may feel intensely hungry.  There is another dangerous effect this chakra can have in a seeker, if it starts working in a disturbed manner. Doubts. Intense doubt about everything including the whole process. It good to awaken Shakti and have various experiences, but it is more important to be able to digest and assimilate the same in the adhara.  

Among the five mukhya vayus of Yoga, samana vayu moves around the navel and is responsible for proper assimilation of the yogic experiences.  There are hatha-yogic ways in which samana vayu maybe controlled and brought into balance like the Nabhi Kriyas of traditional Kriya Yoga. But the simplest method to smoothen this difficulty is non-reactiveness, and non-judgement. Eventually as the sadhana progresses, the bhuta agni increases in the adhara and removes all blockages that may impede the sadhaka in these respects.

Anahata Chakra – this chakra is around the heart. Diagrammatically represented by a hexagon, with 12 Sanskrit alphabets associated with it. The tanmatra corresponding to this chakra is sparsha or touch, the tattwa is vayu, devata is Shankara, the Shakti is Kakini. The beeja of this chakra is “yam.”

This is the first of the higher chakras. It deals with the sense of happiness and sadness. When Kundalini Shakti enters deep within this chakra, one can hear the sound of the nada. Depending of the sadhana and the devata being worship, the exact nada may vary. Sometimes it can appear as the sound of the drumbeat of Shiva’s damaru, or the buzzing of bees, or even a drone of the Omkara, as Sri Ramakrishna had heard.  Inside this chakra lies a knot, a tangle of nadis, without opening which a full and complete experience, and therefore clear movement of Shakti above is difficult. This is known in Yogic terminology as the Vishnu Granthi and once this is opened, one can get a glimpse or a full experience of the indwelling antaraatmah, that which is beyond the mind and body and life and emotions. Often it can manifest as a small thumb sized being, or it can take the shape and form of the Devata being worshiped. A clear intuition arises in the seeker which is the birth of the inner Guru.  This is the stage where the bond between the sadhaka and the istha devata is firmly forged.

Vishuddha – This chakra lies around the throat. Diagrammatically it is represented by  a circle, with 16 petals which contain all the vowels of Sanskrit. The devata is Maheshwara, the Shakti is Shakini, the


tanmatra is shabda (hearing), the tattwa is Akasha. The beeja of this chakra is “ham”. In the normal condition this chakra represents the externalized mind and the ability to speak, therefore the importance of placing all the vowels in this chakra. But when Kundalini passes through this completely and purifies the chakra, one enters a state where any mundane speech becomes impossible. Nothing other than spiritual discussions attracts the sadhaka.  Lying becomes an impossibility. A authority over words and language, poesy etc can come to the seeker if he so desires. Also and more importantly, as the Akasha Tattwa predominates in the sadhaka he will gain a capacity for harmonizing contrary ideas easily. Of the panchamahabhutas, or five great elements, Akasha is the subtlest, every present and always in perfect harmony. And also the most difficult to be realize permanently.

Agya – This chakra lies at the center of the forehead. It is represented by two petals with two Sanskrit alphabets, the devata is Ardhanarishwara. Being beyond the 5 lower chakras, it is also beyond any tanmatra or tattwa.

From Agya starts the first of the really spiritual centers of consciousness. The word Agya means command. When this chakra is energized with the Kundalini Shakti in full force, the sadhaka gains an ability to give a command which will actualize for sure, as well as receive a command from something/someone higher. It is the beginning of Shunya, just the beginning, not the end by any means. Also, in the Agya one starts developing the purusha tattwa inside the mind, learn to disassociate with the ceaseless flow of thoughts in the head. This is the best chakra to understand practically the difference between Purusha and Prakriti inside a sadhaka - the silent witness nature of Purusha and the constant movement of Prakriti. It can also provide the sadhaka with an ability of a particular type of clairvoyant vision which can be quite helpful in sadhana.

To move beyond the Agya chakra and near to the Sahashrar,  the seeker has to untie the a Gordian knot known as the Rudra Granthi, in order to experience reality or Brahman. There are more nuances in this as well, but that is the subject matter of a different  essay, and not very helpful at the beginning stages of sadhana.
               *    *    *

The reasons for associating diagrams, yantras and devatas with each chakra were so that the                     process of the sadhana pertaining to each chakra can become streamlined.  Using the bija mantras of the chakras,  the tattwas, and tanmantra, a competent sadhaka can explore the full range of possibilities of each chakra. However, that main body of knowledge remains specifically hidden within paramparas, or in some cases has been lost over time through disuse. The focus today is, and maybe rightly so, about awakening the Kundalini and making is pass beyond the chakras one at a time, instead of deliberating within the astral space of the chakra.   Infact the most common idea in any Tantric worship starts with the offering of a panchopachara puja, where five things are offered to the Devata, pertaining to five tattwa which of course are symbolic way of offering the energies pertaining to the lower five chakras.        
         
Though this six system of chakras has become popular today, there are other Tantric texts which speak of various different systems of chakras, mostly more than six. Beyond Agya and upto Sahashrar is the most complex and subtle zone of spirituality, as well as the least understood area. Self effort is not sufficient but grace – Kripa – becomes extremely important in that bit of the journey. The texts of Gorakshanatha, as translated by the late Pt. Gopinath Kaviraj who was a disciple of Sri Visuddhananda Maharaj, speak of a very different system of chakras from the prevalent notion.  And then there are also a set of “secret” chakras around the head which pertain to some obscure realms of consciousness. So which one is correct? In my opinion, all of them are correct, for all of them are using a model to define a reality. Some models are more details some lesser, but that does not mean one model becomes incorrect. Infact the experience of the chakras beyond Agya is so tremendously powerful and rare, that normal human daily vocabulary may find it very difficult to describe them accurately. A great master used to mention that these chakras beyond Agya are non-existent until one creates them by forcing the Kundalini Shakti into those areas!

However, for most of us, our life invariably revolves around the trappings of these six broad chakras, of which the lowest three are the most important for almost 90% of sadhaka as well as non-sadhakas. In my humble opinion most people who awaken Kundalini generally keep toggling Shakti between the lowest three chakras – stability/acquisitiveness, sex, power and food – trying to gain some sort of foothold and balance between the purely spiritual and the grossly mundane. That’s about it. The impediments posed by these things are often sufficient to stop one from pushing the Shakti higher and experiencing the real spiritual zones. The entire journey is not the work of one day or even one lifetime, unless the individual has prepared himself well over many lives.  Moreover once Shakti truly enters the zone of Agya or beyond, it is extremely difficult to engage normally with the world around.  On one side is the pull of the Spirit, and on the other side is the gravity of the ordinary world.  It is only the rarest of rare Yogis who can enter firmly into the Spiritual world, go right upto the experience of the sahashrar and then, instead of dropping away from the cycle of existence, come back again in order to serve some universal Dharma.

One question that often comes is whether all these chakras are opened or closed in a normal human beings. It depends. There is some function of the chakras – specially the five lower chakras - in almost everyone, unless one is a vegetable, but there is a MASSIVE difference between the average functioning of the chakras and when Kundalini passes through them and purifies them.  The first is normal life, the second is Yoga!

             

Sunday 17 August 2014

Ananya Vajpeyi, this is the story of my Sanskrit.

Ananya Vajpeyi’s article ‘The Story of My Sanskrit’ which appeared in The Hindu1, was brought to my notice by @RamaNewDelhi and @madversity. As the founder of an initiative that aims to popularise Sanskrit via social media, I read it with great anticipation, always on the look-out for innovative ideas to promote Sanskrit. I found much in the article it that I sympathised with. And much that I disagreed with. Fundamentally, though, I found the author still stuck in established discourse and existing pigeonholes. Her article brings nothing new or effective to the process of reviving Sanskrit. We get to read a lot about how qualified and well educated she is, but what about some concrete steps to ‘Save Sanskrit’ which her last paragraph urges her readers to do?

I do not agree with her categorisation of “liberal, secular, egalitarian, enlightened and progressive sections of our society” as the saviours of Sanskrit from the “clutches of Hindu supremacists, bigots, believers in brahmin exclusivity, misogynists, Islamophobes and a variety of other wrong-headed characters on the right whose colossal ambition to control India’s vast intellectual legacy is only matched by their abysmal ignorance of what it means and how it works.” This simplistic binary tells me if I’m not one, I am necessarily the other. Even if I were to agree with her categories, I don’t think one or the other is in a better position to ‘save Sanskrit’.  Also, with due respect, in my experience many  ‘characters on the right’ are earnestly trying to  balance the intellectual legacy rather than control it. Sandeep Balakrishna2 @sandeepweb is an example of this. I don’t share his politics, but I understand and respect what he’s trying to do in the intellectual space.

I’m fully in agreement with Ananya Vajpeyi on the ‘peculiar pains and pleasures’ of Sanskrit, its challenges and gratification. She clearly loves the language, which is why I find it odd that she needed to explain that her decision to study Sanskrit didn’t feel ‘outlandish’ or ‘counter-intuitive’. To my mind anyone wanting to study Sanskrit is perfectly natural. To her comment that the social worlds of Sanskrit engender and proliferate caste hierarchy, sexism, inequality and misogyny –  I’d like to respond by saying that Sanskrit texts are not alone in this –  most, if not all texts of a certain antiquity contain ideas that are ‘shocking to modern sensibility.’ That’s neither here nor there in the study of ancient texts, and certainly has no bearing  on the revival or saving of Sanskrit.

Having never studied Sanskrit in India, I personally have no visibility of the prejudice she says she faced from scholars. However it wouldn’t surprise me at all and it wouldn’t be an isolated incident. Kanchana Natarajan, author of ‘Vivekavidhi of Maṇḍana Miśra’ talks in the introduction of her book about how difficult it was to find a teacher willing to instruct her. Finally, after being turned down by many scholars, she found one learned Brahmin mīmāṃsaka who reluctantly agreed to teach her on the condition that classes would not be conducted on the days she was menstruating (I presume she had to tell him when 'the curse' was upon her…). It is said that Mahadevi Varma was denied permission to study Sanskrit at Benares Hindu University by Madan Mohan Malvia because she was not a brahmin (She eventually did her MA from Allahabad University in 1933). While Sukumari Bhattacharya was allegedly denied permission to study Sanskrit at Calcutta University because she was not a Hindu.3

Reviving and promoting Sanskrit

When I first started #SanskritAppreciationHour on Twitter, Bibek Debroy @bibekdebroy told me if I got to a thousand followers, it would be ‘a very good number for Sanskrit.’ 5,500+ followers later, I think I’ve earned the right to talk about what it will take to save/revive/promote Sanskrit. The platform I’ve developed is consciously inclusive, gender neutral, race neutral, religion, creed and caste neutral; not to mention age neutral. It refuses to be limited or dragged down by stereotypes. Lecturers include a Punjabi housewife, a New York Jew, a Yajurvedi in Stockholm, and a brilliant and engaging science student in Bangalore. It seeks to draw, to inspire beginners – answers queries, clears doubts and at the end of every session, people are connected with someone who can guide them to a class/teacher close to where they live, whether it is in Chinchpokli or Cincinnati. This is not to say that brahminical exclusiveness is a myth, but that in as much as it does exists, it need not be a limiting factor to the teaching and revival of Sanskrit.

#SanskritAppreciationHour is innovative. From being a one ‘man’ band it now has the support of 8 guest lecturers – who keep interest levels high by using a mix of devotional, medical, and mathematical texts, kāvya, yoga, and conversational Sanskrit, verses from the epics, the purāṇas, hitopadeṣa, subhāṣitāni, riddles, jokes, even recipes from a 16th century text – you name it! We answer questions from what your child’s name means, to what a śloka you saw in a dream might signify.

We swap stories about having visions of our iṣṭa-deva/devi. Fortunately Bhakti allows all us non-brahmins to have those since the 7th century.We point out Sanskrit in your everyday life that you didn’t even realise. Like amṛtāñjana means an ointment which revives you if you are wounded or in pain, and vajradanti is a toothpaste that purportedly makes your teeth as strong as a thunderbolt. And that tela comes from being the extract of tila (sesame) although it now applies to all oils.

@hariturmalai has spun off his own #SanskritQuiz which has rapidly gained in popularity. We share links to videos and and texts. And we draw inspiration from Saṃskrita Bharati, an organisation which has taught 1.2 crore people in the last 32 years, in 2,500 Indian towns and 14 countries – never once asking what the caste or religion of a person was. Anyone, everyone is welcome to learn.  

Sanskrit carries a dark side from which you need to ‘bracket’ yourself only if you choose to address the dark side. It's just as easy to skirt it. There are enough un-prejudiced learned brahmins and Sanskritists to make this work, to revive Sanskrit. Not that I’ve ever asked, but I’m pretty sure that 95% of the guest lecturers on  #SanskritAppreciationHour are brahmins, and I haven’t seen a hint or a squeak of prejudice or refusal to teach anyone. In fact the need to teach and popularise Sanskrit is what draws us all together, even though we don’t share each other’s social or political views.

If Ananya Vajpeyi’s objective is to save, promote, revive Sanskrit, the article is woefully lacking. Of course articles like this must be written and read. But in and of themselves they are not enough. What we need is fresh ideas, innovation and action rather than words. You could be the most learned Sanskritist in the world, but if you don’t inspire and encourage learners, if you don’t teach, you are no use to the cause. No use to Sanskrit. Finally, for the record, I’m absolutely certain that forcing people/children to learn by making Sanskrit compulsory at any level will be counter-productive. Love for the language has to come from within. As my teenage sons would say - It’s time to make Sanskrit ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ at the same time – the best kind of attractive.  
2http://www.indiafacts.co.in/author/admin/
3 I have not been able to find corroborating evidence at the time of writing this blogpost for the 2nd and 3rd examples. This information was in one of the comments on Anaya Vajpeyi’s article in the online version of The Hindu.
You can read more of Ananya Vajpeyi’s work here: http://works.bepress.com/ananya_vajpeyi/
And interact with her on Twitter @Ananya_Vajpeyi



Friday 15 August 2014

The Philosophical Roots of Shaktism.


Please welcome guest writer Rajarshri Nandy, a long time participant and support of #SanskritAppreciationHour. After much persuasion, he has agreed to write a piece for this blog. Rajarshi is a  sadhaka whose path includes, but is not limited to KaliKula Shaktism practices and homas (fire rituals). He is an admirer of Sri Aurobindo and Aghori Vimalananda. Kundalini is very difficult to explain in words, Rajarshi confesses, until experienced. Here's hoping all of you will be inspired to walk the path. You can follow him on Twitter via his handle @TheRajarshi.



Philosophical roots of Shaktism.

Among the various paths within Indian spirituality, one of the most important is Shaktism – or the worship of Shakti (Power/Energy) which is personified as the Goddess. The philosophy is known as Shaktism and an adherent of the path is called a ShaktA.  Some believe that this branch of spirituality originated at an ancient time from the root idea called Samkhya, which saw the world as a duality between Purusha – the male principle and Prakriti – the female principle.  While the term Prakriti means Nature in general, the term Shakti specifically indicates energy/power.  Shakti  always invariable involved some form of movement, for manifested energy and power is best understood through the sense of movement, while Purusha indicated that point of stillness or immobility with respect to which the movement is perceivable.  

Shiva therefore represented the ultimate transcendental stillness while Shakti or the Goddess became the sum total of all motions in the Universe. The ShaktAs took this idea to an  extreme  proclaiming that  world as we know it is entirely Shakti.  In one sense they were not wrong. Consider a simple example. At any given point the earth is in motion around the sun; the whole solar system is in motion around the center of the galaxy; the galaxy itself is in motion around some point in the Universe known as the Great Attractor and so on. Therefore our whole existence as a species is subject to a constant play of subtle cosmic movements overlapping with each other in ways which we may not be able to understand consciously.  And therefore the ShaktA scriptures proclaimed that it was the Goddess – Shakti personified – who creates, sustains and destroys this Universe.

Overtime in the course of its natural evolution, Shaktism practically bifurcated into two major schools – the SriKula and KaliKula. SriKula considers Lalita Tripursundari as the main form of the Goddess, while Kalikula considers Kali as the chief form of the Goddess. There were other methods of classification too,  based on geographical regions, but those became less prominent with the passage of time.

Tantra

Though much misunderstood and occasionally reviled, one of the most fascinating offshoots from Shaktism has been Tantra.  Simplistically expressed, Tantra concerns itself with the practical application of Shakti (energy) to achieve certain desired results in the world.  The more esoteric aspects of Tantra deal with the idea and practice of awakening a latent spiritual energy inside the human body which can aid an individual’s spiritual growth. This energy is traditionally referred to as Kundalini Shakti. To achieve this aim Tantra utilizes a wide range of tools like mantras (mystical chants), yantras (mystical diagrams), specific visualizations along with worship of different archetypal forms of the Divine Feminine energy.

Kundalini

Some believe that the idea of Kundalini  was first established as a powerful tool by the Hatha Yogis and Tantric Yogis of the original Naths Parampara. Possibly the earliest reference and explanation of this term comes from Sant Dhyaneshwara’s  exposition of the Srimadbhagwata Gita in Marathi, known as Dhyaneshwari. The knowledge was passed down by competent Gurus to fit disciples. In the last century British writer Arthur Avalon and the Theosophists translated some of the Tantric texts into English. This brought forth the knowledge and idea of Kundalini into the public consciousness in a massive scale.

A textual definition of the term Kundalini refers to the coiled up residual Divine Shakti at base of the human spine, which remains in a ‘sleeping’ state until it is awakened by force of sadhana (spiritual practices) and made to move through the six spinal centers, thus energizing them, until it finally merges with the Absolute, allegorically represented by the thousand-petalled lotus above the head. This, the Tantras said, was Shiva and this fantastic union of Shiva and Shakti- the awakened Kundalini -  results in a most terrific state know as Nirvikalpa Samadhi.


However inspite of mass dissemination and wide use of the term Kundalini, the actual phenomenon still remains as much as mystery today as it was centuries ago. For no understanding of Kundalini is practically possible without an understanding of a related term, ahamkara, of I-ness. Akamkara is the force that binds and holds the human personality to the body and gives it a unique and individualized character. It is what makes each one of us separate and different from the rest of humanity. In order to maintain this personality, with all its various likes/dislikes, habits, tendencies, attachments etc, a tremendous amount of energy (Shakti) is used. By dint of sadhana when this force is made to disengage from its daily and continuous job of maintaining this limited human personality and some part of the energy is freed up, then that free energy becomes the Kundalini Shakti of an individual.  And just like the ahamakara clings to ideas, opinions (of oneself) and attributes of the personality, similarly the free Kundalini  can be made to attach itself to something more subtle and Divine,  like the form  and personality of a Devata.

One of the most important ideas pertaining to the Tantras is that the human personality is not a constant but is a product of various conditionings acquired over many lifetimes along with the environment and experiences of this lifetime. And it can be changed if the conditioning is changed. But this ordinary personality is flawed, ignorant, weak and temporary. The aim therefore is to reconfigure or finish this personality with all this attributes and transform it into a more abiding, eternal, flawless personality from one of the archetypal energies, known as Devatas. And that is possible only when the ahamkara is fully (theoretically speaking) or partially (practically speaking) made to disengaged, or forget its ordinary existence, and align itself to this greater form.  One must slowly dissolve to the mundane in order to get recreated into the spiritual. And naturally such a process is not without its many difficulties, hazaards and dangers, unless one has a strong Guru to guide, either internal or external.

Once the Kundalini is awakened in an individual, as per Tantras, it is then made to self-identify with a form of the Divine Mother who then safely guides the journey of this transformation process. For an awakened Kundalini can also accentuate/blow-up  various pre-existing weaknesses or identify with something other than the Divine and eventually wreck havoc on the individual.  It is because of this danger associated with the process that the ancients would guard this knowledge and made sure that the experience is transmitted only through the medium of a competent Guru who was capable of protecting the disciple from missteps and damage. On the other hand, for the right individual, it was/is one of the fastest means of spiritual progress.  

Sometimes as the Kundalini Shakti passes through the various chakras in the subtle body, it can manifest different supernatural abilities in an individual. But this is not compulsory and varies from person to person. However what definitely happens with a Kundalini awakening is a marked change in the personality and behavior of the individual in some way or the other. New worlds open up and many older ideas and habits and rigid notions can get replaced totally or in parts, and this is easily noticeable to others. In some extreme cases an awakened Kundalini can shoot up straight to the head and produce fantastic spiritual experiences and generate a virakti – detachment and dislike – for the world around. But that is rare. 

One interesting problem with trying to awaken this Shakti is that the more one thinks of Kundalini, lesser the chance of experiencing an awakening. For the I-ness has to learn to forget the constituents of the personality, including mental ideas about ourselves and what we want to be, or not want to be, before Kundalini can awaken. It is difficult to experience the Kundalini, however the far greater difficulty lies in purifying and deconditioning this Shakti until it reaches the Absolute. For that needs a transformation, as opposed to forceful suppression, of the six ripus – Kama (lust), lobha (greed), krodha (anger), mada (arrogance), moha (attachment), jealousy (matsarya) – or energies which distort  the purity of this Shakti. 

Mostly this is lifelong process. The lesser is the ego attachment to these things, the greater is the Shakti available to an individual. Or stronger is the identification of the Kundalini Shakti with the Devata, greater is the manifestation of the Devata’s energy in the sadhaka’s life. No two cases of Kundalini Shakti awakening are exactly equivalent, even though the two people maybe worshiping the same form of the Devata. Therefore, because of the extremely individualistic nature of this path, dogmatic ideas are mostly unhelpful, and may they cause more hindrance to the sadhaka. 

One may wonder why exactly is Kundalini referred to as the Mother in Tantra. Is it mandatory to do so? No it is not, but it is a good safeguard. Shakti, any shakti, is a force almost mechanical in its activity. A knife can cut through anything including the wielder of the knife. And this is no ordinary Shakti but a vast amount of force. By personifying and  indentifying this force with the concept of the Divine Mother assures a protection for the sadhaka against many pitfalls and dangers, for once the bond is forged, indeed it behaves as a mother to a child (the sadhaka).

Though each experience of Kundalini has its own uniqueness, yet there are some broad classification that can be done. Again, to understand this, we have to understand our Ahamakara properly.  This I-ness works not only through our mind, but also through our pranas and the physical body. So depending on which part or parts of the being cause a turning of Ahamkara into Kundalini, will open certain possibilities and limit certain others. This also explain, if properly understood, why in some cases of Kundalini awakening may lead to various kinds of trances, or a remembrance of past lives, or even certain occult abilities. But this is too complex a topic to be dealt with completely in this writeup. Moreover the very act of writing down things whose reality is at a most subtle level can cause much distortion in the idea. Loss in transmission is a very real possibility in such things!

Kundalini in Tantra

Now that we have a basic understanding of what Kundalini maybe, we will see how this helps in Tantra, or  for that matter any other aspect of life. One of the typical features of a powerfully awakening  Kundalini is a tremendous inner concentrated ability of focus. This is way beyond normal powers of concentration. It is infact so intense that it can create a reality or open up occult realities for the sadhaka. Now Tantra deals with the art of using rituals for various purposes. In every ritual there are two components – the rules of the ritual and the Shakti of the individual. Togther they bring success. Which means if a person without sufficient Shakti performs a ritual with perfection, yet it may produce no results. So whenever a person has the freedom to use his own Kundalini Shakti, it gives a strong energy at his disposal which can be used for perfection in any ritual worship, or for that matter many other mundane areas of life. 

This is one of the biggest practical uses of the Kundalini Shakti. All sorts of magical or occult practices succeed based on the usage of this Shakti. Of course, one can turn this entirely to the spiritual realms and not bother with anything mundane, but that is a matter of individual paths. One example best illustrates this point. Once Swami Vivekananda, not yet world famous, had exorcised a haunted house where he and his brother disciples were staying using a fistful of sand from the banks of a river nearby. In most cases that would be an impossible thing to do, but Swami Vivekananda could do it because of the tremendous force of an awakened Kundalini Shakti working through his mind and body. 

Conclusion.

Thinking about awakening Kundalini is often a fruitless exercise. Rather a seeker is better off trying to reduce the impact of the six ripus on his consciousness, such that when an awakening happens, there will be lesser amount of troubles and hazards to deal with. Except for rarest of rare cases, having a competent master/mentor/friend/guide/guru who can help one digest the effects of Kundalini is almost mandatory.