6. Exposure to Kuṇḍalinī-yoga

[The following conversation took place in May, 1978 at Sringeri. Acharyal sent for me in the afternoon. He was seated alone upstairs in the eastern side of Sacchidananda Vilas. He gave me two books in English in which the authors had written about experiences associated with the arousal and ascent of the kuṇḍalinī-śakti. Acharyal had first enlightened me about kuṇḍalinī-yoga in 1973 and had subsequently thrown further light on it on some occasions. He asked me to read the books and give Him my comments on the contents. Then He queried, “Is there anything you would like to ask?”]

I: Would Acharyal please tell me about Acharyal’s first experience of the kuṇḍalinī and the cakras?

Acharyal: This took place a few months after My being initiated into saṁnyāsa (on May 22, 1931). I had just finished My morning āhnika and was about to get up. Without premeditation, I joined My palms and said,

Abruptly, I felt an upsurge of joy and stopped being aware of My surroundings. It began to seem that My body was becoming transparent and that I was seeing My backbone from some vantage point in front of My chest.

I: Did Acharyal apprehend the backbone together with the rib cage, internal organs and so on?

Acharyal: No. It was the backbone that stood out, whitish in colour, with the silhouette of the body appearing dark like a shadow. The backbone then seemed to become translucent to reveal a canal in its interior. In moments, the canal’s width became greatly magnified. I could then see a tube, red and bright like fire, traversing the length of the canal. A mellifluous female voice announced,

I: Could Acharyal perceive the speaker of the words?

Acharyal: No. I just heard the words. The width of this fiery canal then expanded and a section along the length vanished to reveal another canal within. This one was coloured like the sun half an hour after sunrise. I heard the words,

“iyaṁ vajrā nāḍī ।³ (This is the vajrā-nāḍī.)”

The width of this canal too abruptly increased and a section along the length faded away. A pale tube looking like the moon seen through a thin layer of cloud became visible within the earlier tube. At this juncture, the words that I heard were,

“iyaṁ citriṇī nāḍī । atra brahmanāḍī vartate । sā suṣumnetyapi vyapadiśyate ।⁴ (This is the citriṇī-nāḍī. The brahma-nāḍī is here. It is even termed suṣumnā.)”

The meaning that flashed in My mind was that the pale tube was called citriṇī, its hollow interior formed the brahma-nāḍī and that the name suṣumnā has been employed even to denote the citriṇī or brahma-nāḍī. The fiery, sun-like and pale canals did appear to form a unit.

The scene underwent a change. I could then discern that the triad of nāḍīs stretched from between the anus and the penis on the lower side to above the level of the eyebrows, into the head, on the upper side.

Next, there appeared a moon-like tube that was distinctly coupled to the triad both at the base of the latter and between the eyebrows. On its upper side, this tube continued from the junction between the eyebrows to the left nostril. On its lower side, it ended at the right testicle. Between the two junctions, it formed arches on the triad’s left and right sides, with the crossovers occurring at the levels of the throat, chest, navel and genital. For a moment, this shape was replaced by one in which the tube formed a bow-like arch between the lower and upper junctions and towards the body’s left side. I felt that both the forms may be met with.

After the earlier shape was restored, I heard the words, “iyaṁ iḍā nāḍī ।⁵ (This is the iḍā-nāḍī.)”

Something appeared to be moving through this tube in synchrony with My breathing, which, I somehow felt, was taking place through just the left nostril. Also, the flow within this tube seemed to have a cooling effect.

In moments, this tube disappeared. Instead, another tube manifested that was red and bright. This too was clearly coupled to the triad between the brows and at the lower end of the triad but, unlike the iḍā, continued to the right nostril and the left testicle. Between the upper and lower junctions, it formed arches on the sides of the triad, with crossovers at the levels of the throat, chest, navel and genital. However, wherever the previous tube traversed from left to right this crossed from right to left and vice versa. Then, for a moment, the shape changed and the tube resembled a bow between the upper and lower junctions, lying on the right side of the triad.

The words I then heard were,

“iyaṁ piṅgalā nāḍī ।⁶ (This is the piṅgalā-nāḍī.)”

I began to feel that My breathing was taking place through just the right nostril. In synchrony with the breathing, I could apprehend something moving through this tube. The flow seemed to have a heating effect.

A few moments later, the moon-hued tube that had disappeared again came to sight. I could then see both the arching tubes simultaneously. Next, My breathing shifted from the right nostril to the left nostril and, with this, I noticed the activity in the reddish tube giving way to that in the moon-hued tube. Shortly, I felt that breathing was taking place through both the nostrils; I could then apprehend activity in both the tubes.

{Later, Acharyal said, “Three shapes of the iḍā and the piṅgalā have been spoken of. The first is characterised by each of the two nādīs forming arches alternately on the left and right of the suṣumnā. The second form is that of a near straight line from the base of the suṣumnā to the middle of the brows; the iḍā remains on the left, while the piṅgalā lies on the right of the suṣumnā. The third shape is roughly like that of a bow in the chest lying on one side of the suṣumnā. The first and the third shapes are the ones that are poles apart: the second can be regarded as a variant of the third in which the bow’s curve is negligible with respect to its length.” Acharyal then read the following portion of Kālicaraṇa’s commentary on the first verse of the Saṭcakra-nirūpaṇa.

atra śire te ca ityatra cakāro vārthaḥ । etenānayoḥ sthityāṁ dvividhaḥ kalpo darśitaḥ । anyatrānayordhanurākāreṇa sthitiruktā । tadyathā - viddhi te dhanurākāre nāḍīḍāpiṅgale pare ॥ iti ।⁷ It is said in the Yāmalā, “The iḍā and piṅgalā are on its left and right. These two either proceed straight up to the nostrils, or do so by alternating from the left to right and from the right to left and going round all the cakras.” By this, two positions of the iḍā and piṅgalā have been shown. The occurrence of a shape resembling the curvilinear part of a bow has been stated elsewhere. For instance, it is said, “Know the iḍā and piṅgalā nādīs to be shaped like a bow.”}

(Acharyal:) The scene soon underwent a change and centred on the lower end of the triad of tubes. There, I could see a beautiful lotus with four petals that were deep red in colour. The voice announced,

“idaṁ mūlādhāra-cakram ।⁸ (This is the mūlādhāra-cakra.)”

At the pericarp of the lotus, there was a Śivaliṅga. A cobra lustrous like lightning lay with its body making about three and a half turns around the Liṅga. The serpent’s hood rested on the upper end of the Liṅga and its mouth effectively blocked the passage to the triad of tubes.

The serpent was motionless and appeared to be fast asleep. Yet, it was somehow unmistakable that it was the embodiment of unbounded power. I was told that this was the kuṇḍalinī.

Then, for a few moments, I saw on each of the four red petals, a distinct, bright golden letter; the letters were vaṁ, śaṁ, ṣaṁ, and saṁ. Simultaneously, I could apprehend a yellow, square region enclosing the pericarp. Inside this yellow square was an inverted red triangle; the kuṇḍalinī lay in the red triangle. The letter laṁ appeared in the square accompanied by the smell of the earth at the start of a spell of rain.

I: Did Acharyal feel that the lotus itself smells like freshly wet earth?

Acharyal: No. From the appearance of the pṛthvī-bīja (laṁ) and the smell, I just understood that the mūlādhāra-cakra is associated with the element pṛthvī (earth), which is characterised by the quality of smell.

Then, there manifested within the yellow square a white elephant with multiple tusks. On it was seated a deva with four arms, holding a thunderbolt in one of them. I further saw a swan on which sat a deva with four heads. A red-eyed devī with four arms was also visible. From the voice, I learnt that the elephant was Airāvata and the divinity on it was Indra; the other deva was Brahma, while the devī was Dākinī.

The divinities then disappeared and I could see just the lotus with the Liṅga and kuṇḍalinī.

I: What was the overall impression that formed in Acharyal’s mind?

Acharyal: I got the feeling that the kuṇḍalinī was primary and that a way of contemplating on the mūlādhāra-cakra was in association with the letters and divinities as seen by Me.

Thereafter, the scene shifted up the suṣumnā to around the level of the root of the penis. There, I beheld a lotus with six vermilion-hued petals. The voice said,

The central region of the lotus was white and comprised a figure resembling the crescent-moon. Then, the letter vaṁ manifested briefly in that region and, simultaneously, I felt the taste of water. The āpo-bīja (vaṁ) and the taste led Me to understand that the svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra is associated with the element āpas (water) characterised by the quality of taste.

Simultaneously, there appeared on the six vermilion petals, one bright letter each; the letters were baṁ, bhaṁ, maṁ, yaṁ, raṁ and laṁ. In the white zone, I could see a crocodile on which was seated a deva with a noose. Further, I beheld the figure of Viṣṇu seated on an eagle and bearing in His four hands, a conch, cakra, mace and lotus. A dark, three-eyed devī was also visible. The voice informed Me that the deva on the crocodile was Varuṇa and that the devī was Rākinī.

The scene shifted farther up the suṣumnā. At the level of the navel, I could see a lotus with ten petals that were dark like rain-bearing clouds. In the interior region, there was an inverted red triangle. The words I heard were,

On the ten petals flashed blue letters ḍaṁ, ḍhaṁ, ṇaṁ, taṁ, thaṁ, daṁ, dhaṁ, naṁ, paṁ and phaṁ. The appearance of the agni-bīja, raṁ, within the red triangle together with a sensation of heat led Me to understand that this cakra is associated with the element fire that is characterised by heat and form. I also saw in the red region a deva with four arms seated on a ram, Rudra smeared with ashes and seated on a bull and a dark devī with three faces wearing a yellow dress. I was told that the deva on the ram was Agni (Fire) and that the devī was Lākinī.

I: Was there anything explicit to convey that the kuṇḍalinī can rise from the mūlādhāra to the svādhiṣṭhāna and then to the maṇipūra?

Acharyal: No, but there was the hint provided by the shift of focus up the suṣumnā from one cakra to the next. At any rate, of its own accord, a conviction arose on beholding the svādhiṣṭhāna that this was a centre to which the kuṇḍalinī could ascend through the brahma-nāḍī. A similar certitude arose about the maṇipūra.

From the maṇipūra, the scene shifted up the suṣumnā to the level of the chest. I could see a lotus with twelve red petals. The voice informed Me,

In the interior, there was a smoke-coloured, hexagonal region formed by an upright and an inverted triangle. An inverted triangle lay within this and contained a lustrous Liṅga. This cakra with a Liṅga seemed to be a pure and sacred place. A non-vocal, internal sound became audible. I spontaneously felt that sound that was in an undifferentiated form in the mūlādhāra passed on to a slightly less subtle state in the maṇipūra and then reached the stage prior to spoken and heard speech here.

After this, the letters kaṁ, khaṁ, gaṁ, ghaṁ, ṅaṁ, caṁ, chaṁ, jaṁ, jhaṁ, ñaṁ, ṭaṁ and ṭhaṁ manifested for a few moments on the petals. In the hexagonal region, I saw the vāyu-bīja, yaṁ, and simultaneously felt a slight breeze. This led Me to understand that the anāhata-cakra is associated with vāyu (air) characterised by the quality of touch. I further saw in the hexagonal region, a four-armed deva of a smoky hue seated on an antelope, a very attractive three-eyed deva displaying the abhaya and varada-mudrās (symbols of granting fearlessness and boons) and a devī. The voice announced that the deva on the antelope was Vāyu, the other deva was Iśa (Śiva) and that the devī was Kākinī.

The focus shifted farther up the suṣumnā to the level of the throat. There, I beheld a lotus with sixteen petals that were smoky in hue. The voice stated,

In the interior, there was a white circular region. For a few moments, the vowels manifested in red on the petals. The appearance of haṁ, the bīja of ākāśa, in the circular region accompanied by the feeling of My being in vast expanse led Me to comprehend that this cakra is associated with ākāśa (space).

In the interior region, I also beheld a deva seated on a white elephant, Śiva with five faces and ten arms together with Pārvatī, and a devī clad in a yellow dress. The voice announced that the deva was Ambara, that the Lord was here as Sadāśiva and that the devī was Śākinī. This cakra gave the impression of being an exalted centre.

The scene moved even farther up the suṣumnā to the level of the eyebrows. I could see a glorious lotus with two white petals. The voice informed Me,

In the central region, there was an inverted triangle wherein there was a Liṅga. Above the triangle was a crescent. Then, the letters haṁ and kṣaṁ manifested in the two petals and the Praṇava in the interior region. The m of the Praṇava was above the crescent, in bindu form. I could also see a devī with six faces. I was told that she was Hākinī. Beholding this cakra itself gave great joy.

Then, above the end of the suṣumnā and within the head, I saw a lotus with very many white petals hanging downward and arranged in multiple layers. All the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet could be seen here. The voice told Me that this was the thousand-petalled sahasrāra. At the pericarp of the lotus was a region that resembled the full moon and shed nectarine rays. Inside this was a bright triangle. I heard the words,

While I could somehow sense the presence of a few zones between the ājña and the sahasrāra, I did not directly apprehend them. Even without hearing any words to that effect, I felt certain that the ascent of the awakened kuṇḍalinī-śakti ended at the sahasrāra, wherein Śakti united with Paramaśiva.

At this point, My experience ended. As I opened My eyes, I was a bit bewildered whether I had been dreaming or vividly hallucinating or had had a divine experience. Without giving the matter any further thought, I got up and left for Acharyal’s presence as it was time for Me to offer My obeisance to Him.

I: How long did the experience last?

Acharyal: What do you think would have been the duration?

I: Between half and one hour.

Acharyal (laughing): It lasted less than five minutes.

{Clearly amused at my surprise on hearing this, Acharyal asked, “What is the time now?” Looking at my wrist watch, I said, “4.43." I was seated cross-legged in front of Acharyal with my arms resting on my legs and with my palms joined. Acharyal leaned forward and grasped my joined palms in His right hand. Closing His eyes, He said, “Ambā (Mother)!” Suddenly, all that Acharyal had described began to unfold before me with great clarity. I even heard the voice that Acharyal had spoken of. My experience ended where Acharyal’s had.

I regained awareness of my body and surroundings and saw Acharyal withdrawing His hand from mine. “What is the time now?" He asked. After checking, I reported that it was 4.46. “As you can see, less than five minutes has passed,” remarked Acharyal, with a smile. He then instructed me, “Describe what you saw in the hands of Hākinī in the ājña-cakra." As the vision had been very clear and the memory fresh, I promptly said, “The abhaya-mudrā, the varada-mudrā, a book, a skull, a ḍamaru (small drum) and rudrākṣa rosary.”

With a nod, Acharyal said, “Yes, that is just what I saw then. I asked you about what I had not described earlier to confirm the similarity of our visions. They being similar, it would be reasonable to take it that both lasted for the same time rather than that your vision lasted for three minutes and Mine for half to one hour.”}

I: Had Acharyal read about the kuṇḍalinī and the cakras before this experience? Had Paramacharyal spoken to Acharyal about them?

Acharyal: Neither. I was thoroughly unfamiliar with kuṇḍalinī-yoga at that time. If someone had asked Me then, “What do You know about the kuṇḍalinī?” perhaps I would have just said that it is a name occurring in the Lalitā-sahasranāma!

{For the next 45 minutes, He granted audience to and blessed the devotees who had come for His darśana. He would have thereafter started for His evening walk but as it was raining, He did not do so. He indicated that if I wished to ask Him anything, I could do so.}

I: Did Acharyal narrate what transpired to Paramacharyal? What did He say?

Acharyal: While I performed My namaskāras to Acharyal, He continued with His āhnika. He gave no indication of having noticed My presence. Not wanting to disturb Acharyal, I started to leave quietly. Abruptly, He looked up at Me and said, “Yes, tell Me.” I submitted, “A few minutes ago, I had an unexpected experience that seems to be of the nature of a divine teaching. However, I am not certain that it was not a day-dream or hallucination.” Acharyal’s gaze was upon Me but He said nothing. So, I proceeded to give the details. When I finished, He said, “All right,” and readied Himself to perform daṇḍa-tarpaṇa. Feeling happy that Acharyal had graced Me with the opportunity of making My submission, I left.

That day, the morning Candramoulīśvara-pūja was performed by Acharyal, not the arcaka. In the afternoon, after bhikṣā, Acharyal sent for Me. When I went to Acharyal’s presence and paid obeisance, He gestured to Me to sit down. He said, “You had sensed something moving in the iḍā and piṅgalā nāḍīs in association with breathing through the left and right nostrils. The movement was that of prāṇa. Your feeling that sound that is in an undifferentiated state in the mūlādhāra acquires a less subtle state as it reaches the maṇipūra and then attains a stage prior to articulated speech at the anāhata was correct.

“Śabda is said to have four forms; parā, paśyantī, madhyamā and vaikharī. Each form is grosser than the preceding one. Articulated speech is of the fourth kind. The Veda instructs us:

(Ṛg-Veda I.164.45)

“Vāyu arising from the mūlādhāra ascends through the levels of the navel, heart and throat and produces audible sound. At these four levels, it has the appellations parā, paśyantī, madhyamā and vaikharī. The mūlādhāra and the other cakras that You saw have been spoken of in the Upaniṣads and the Tantras. For instance, the Yogacūḍāmaṇi-upaniṣad teaches:

(In the brahma-nāḍī, the great path, there are the mūlādhāra with four petals, the svādhiṣṭhāna with six petals, the ten-petalled lotus at the navel, the twelve-petalled lotus of the heart, the six-petalled one called viśuddha, the one with two petals between the eyebrows and the one with thousand petals.)”

Then He picked up a book and told Me, “This is the Saṭcakra-nirūpaṇa, a chapter in a work authored by a tāntrika named Pūrṇānanda. As is discernible from the title, it delineates the cakras. I shall read out and briefly explain the three verses about the maṇipūra. You will find that what You saw is in conformity with what is described here.”

{Having narrated these words of Paramacharyal, Acharyal read to me the verses He had heard from Paramacharyal and succinctly clarified them. About His explanation, He remarked, “This is what Acharyal told Me that day.” The verses are:

Above the svādhiṣṭhāna, at the root of the navel is a lotus with ten petals having the colour of dense rain-bearing clouds and containing blue-lotus-hued letters beginning with ḍaṁ and ending with phaṁ. One should meditate there on the triangular region of fire that is like the rising sun. Outside this is a triad of svastikā signs and within it is Fire’s bīja (raṁ).

One should meditate on Fire, who is like the sun at dawn, has a lustrous body with four arms and is seated on a ram. Ever abiding in his bosom is Rudra, whose complexion is that of pure vermilion, who is smeared with ashes and appears white, who is fully grown, has three eyes, displays with His hands the varada and abhaya mudrās and is the destroyer of creation.

Lākinī, who does good to all, has a bright body with four arms, is dark in complexion, wears yellow clothing, is adorned with various ornaments and is ecstatic, dwells here. By meditating on this lotus at the navel (maṇipūra), a person gets the power to protect and to destroy. Sarasvatī, with the wealth of the totality of knowledge, ever abides in his mouth.}

(Acharyal:) I could realise that what I had seen of the maṇipūra-cakra tallied with the description contained in the text. Two doubts arose in My mind. Are the cakras actual constituents of the gross body that can be seen within it, by surgeons, like flesh and bones? Have some aspects of the cakras and the forms of the divinities to be contemplated therein been described in authoritative texts in more ways than one? What prompted the second doubt was that I had perceived the iḍā and piṅgalā in two forms each. Even without My asking anything, Acharyal Himself said, “The cakras are subtle and cannot be seen with our eyes. They and the kuṇḍalinī can, however, be apprehended in meditation by adepts. There do exist some differences in the descriptions of the cakras and the devatās therein. It is not necessary to consider them now.”

I: Did Paramacharyal say anything about the cause of Acharyal’s unexpected experience and its having the nature of a teaching?

Acharyal: Since you want to know, I will tell you even about this. After clearing My unvoiced doubts, He lightly patted Me on My left cheek and said, “You are blessed. Śāradāmbā has directly taught You today and that too of Her own accord. I am reminded of the fact that She had Herself expounded yoga to Acharyal (H.H. Sacchidananda Sivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamigal). Paramacharyal (H.H. Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamigal) had earlier told Him that She would do so. Acharyal (H.H. Sacchidananda Sivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamigal) has explicitly stated in His ‘Śrī-Śāradā-śataślokīstavaḥ’:

“You are Her very own. So, it is but fitting that She chose to instruct You. She will teach You further. Acharyal (H.H. Sacchidananda Sivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamigal) used to receive Her guidance not only when awake but also in dreams. You too shall do so.”

{While Paramacharyal did not make any mention of even His having been directly taught by Śāradāmbā, this fact is clear from the following verse of His own composition, “Śrī-śāradā-stuti-mañjarī”:

Earlier, I beheld Śāradāmbā in a dream as coming to My abode adorned with earrings and with a joyful face. At all times, the Goddess has, with great compassion, again and again called Me, uttering My name, and made known everything to Me.}

I: Was there anything else Paramacharyal said pertaining to Acharyal’s experience?

Acharyal: No, I have told you everything.

I: Paramacharyal stated that Ambā would teach Acharyal further and even made a reference to guidance in dreams. Was there any such sequel to the experience of that morning?

Acharyal (laughing): Just as I had guessed, this has not missed your attention. Yes, there was such a sequel. I will tell you about it tomorrow.

{The rain had stopped a few minutes earlier. Acharyal got up and, gesturing to me to follow, went for a walk. The following conversation took place the next day prior to Acharyal going for His afternoon bath.}

Acharyal: In the night following the experience that I spoke of yesterday, I had a dream. It began with My being alone in the sanctum of Śāradāmbā. Ambā manifested in the place of the idol and She seated Me on Her lap. Then in front of Us, I saw a boy who looked like Me. He was seated in the padmāsana and was wearing just an ochre loin cloth. Somehow, I could see his kuṇḍalinī, in the form of a coiled serpent, asleep in his mūlādhāra-cakra. Ambā lightly touched him with Her right hand on his back in the region of the mūlādhāra-cakra. Immediately, the sleeping kuṇḍalinī awoke and, hissing, raised her hood. The four petals of the cakra that were drooping earlier turned upward. The lotus now appeared to be in full bloom, with the letters on the petals bright and visible. Abruptly, the scene changed. I again saw the kuṇḍalinī asleep. This time Ambā touched the boy between the eyebrows. The kuṇḍalinī awakened as before. I understood that the kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by the touch of the Guru and that the portion of the back corresponding to the mūlādhāra and the region between the eyebrows are among the places where such touch is particularly effective in doing so.

As this understanding dawned on Me, I could again see his kuṇḍalinī lying asleep. Ambā now raised Her right hand in a gesture of blessing. She did not touch the boy. This time also his kuṇḍalinī awakened. I realised that the Guru can arouse the kuṇḍalinī even by a mental blessing. Next, the boy began to perform prāṇāyāma, together with the jālandhara, uḍḍiyāna and mūla bandhas.

I: By looking at the boy’s neck and abdomen, Acharyal could have readily made out that he was performing the jālandhara and uḍḍīyāna bandhas. How did Acharyal conclude that he was contracting his anus and thereby performing the mūla-bandha?

Acharyal: This is a legitimate question. At that time, I found Myself spontaneously performing the mūla-bandha and there simply arose a conviction in My mind that the boy was doing the same. I saw a fire building up in the boy’s suṣumnā and its flames beginning to lick his sleeping kuṇḍalinī. I could feel the heat of that fire. As the flames heated her, the kuṇḍalinī abruptly woke up and hissed fiercely. Then, she began to ascend the suṣumnā. I understood that the practice of prāṇāyāma together with the jālandhara, uḍḍīyāna and mūla bandhas serves to awaken the kuṇḍalinī.

The scene underwent a change and I saw the kuṇḍalinī asleep yet again. It seemed to Me that I could now experience whatever was going on in the boy’s mind. I sensed that he was visualising the mūlādhāra and contemplating on the devatās therein. Then, he mentally worshipped the kuṇḍalinī. Thereafter, he conceived of the kuṇḍalinī being reverentially led by him to the svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra. There, he clearly visualised the svādhiṣṭhāna and concentrated on the devatās therein. Having done so, he offered worship to the kuṇḍalinī. This worship was patently a continuation of the worship that he had commenced at the mūlādhāra. The conviction arose in My mind that such visualisation of the cakras, meditation on the devatās in them and worship of the kuṇḍalinī help to awaken and raise the kuṇḍalinī. The whole process delighted Me.

The scene changed once again. I saw the kuṇḍalinī on the verge of moving up the suṣumnā. There appeared to be some obstruction to the ascent. The kuṇḍalinī, however, forced her way up. I heard Ambā telling Me,

“brahma-granthiṁ bhitveyamūrdhvaṁ gacchati ।²⁴ (Having pierced the brahma-knot, she is moving upwards.)”

It seemed to Me that the boy was willing the kuṇḍalinī to rise and that this exercise of will power was making a positive contribution. As the kuṇḍalinī reached the svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra, that lotus fully bloomed. She soon reached the maṇipūra-cakra. Then, instead of moving upwards, she gradually descended to the mūlādhāra-cakra and remained inactive there. I comprehended that it is possible for the awakened kuṇḍalinī to travel partially up the suṣumnā, descend and become dormant.

In a few moments, I again witnessed the arousal and ascent of the boy’s kuṇḍalinī. This time there appeared to be no obstacle to her upward movement from the mūlādhāra to beyond the maṇipūra. It was at the region of the anāhata-cakra that she seemed to encounter an obstruction. She, however, burst her way through it and caused the anāhata-cakra to bloom. Ambā told Me,

“viṣṇu-granthiśchinnaḥ।²⁵ (The viṣṇu-knot has been cut.)”

Continuing through the viśuddha-cakra, the kuṇḍalinī came to the ājña-cakra. Here too, she overcame some obstacle and moved upwards. Ambā stated,

“rudragranthibhedo jātaḥ ।²⁶ (The piercing of the rudra-knot has occurred.)”

Finally, the kuṇḍalinī reached the pericarp of the sahasrāra. Ambā said,

The boy’s face showed signs of his being in a state of bliss. His body was motionless and from My position on Ambā’s lap, I could not discern his breathing. At this point, My dream ended and I woke up.

{About the locations of the triad of granthis (knots), Acharyal has stated as follows. There is some direct evidence in the minor Upaniṣads that the brahma, viṣṇu and rudra granthis are at the lower end of the suṣumnā, the chest and between the brows, which is where the mūlādhāra, anāhata and ājñā cakras are located. As the iḍā, piṅgalā and suṣumnā unite at the mūlādhāra and at the ājñā cakras, it is understandable that the first and third of the triad of granthis be associated with these cakras. The Yoga-kuṇḍalī-upaniṣad says:

Straightening her (coiled) body into the mouth of the suṣumnā and then piercing the brahma-granthi, which stems from rajas, the kuṇḍalinī quickly shines within the mouth of the suṣumnā like a streak of lightning.

The opening of the suṣumnā is at the mūlādhāra. The other cakras are higher up the interior of the suṣumnā. So, according to the Upaniṣad, the brahma-granthi is at the mūlādhāra and not at or near some higher cakra.

The kuṇḍalinī then rapidly moves upwards to the viṣṇu-granthi and becomes positioned at the heart. She proceeds upwards to where the rudra-granthi, which has that (the ājñā-cakra) for its root, is located, to the middle of the brows, and splitting this goes to the region of the moon.

What the Brahmavidyā-upaniṣad says is:

The brahma-granthi is in ‘A’ (in the mūlādhāra). The viṣṇu-granthi is located in the heart. The rudra-granthi is in the middle of the brows (in the ājñā-cakra) and is pierced by means of the haṁsa-wind.

However, the Haṭhayoga-pradīpikā hints and the commentary Jyotsnā on it [on verses 4.70, 4.73 and 4.76] explicitly states that the brahma, viṣṇu and rudra granthis are in the anāhata, viśuddha and ājñā cakras respectively. As for Bhāskararāya, he contends, in his commentary on the Lalitā-sahasranāma [on the names 100-104], that associated with each cakra is a pair of granthis, one below and the other above the cakra, and that the brahma, viṣṇu and rudra granthis are the pairs of knots associated with the svādhiṣṭhāna, maṇipūra and anāhata cakras respectively.

A practitioner of kuṇḍalinī-yoga should strive to arouse the kuṇḍalinī and raise her all the way to the sahasrāra, overcoming any obstruction in her path regardless of where it may be encountered. He does not have to take radically different steps to pierce a granthi than to raise the kuṇḍalinī from one cakra to the next. Further, the way to deal with a particular granthi, say the viṣṇu-granthi, does not change regardless of whether it be associated with the anāhata, viśuddha or maṇipūra cakras. Hence, the lack of uniformity in the specification of the locations of the granthis is not of practical consequence to a spiritual aspirant.}

I: Some years ago, Acharyal had told me about the series of seven dreams had by Acharyal when young in which Śiva expounded haṭha-yoga. At that time, Acharyal had mentioned having experienced a single dream also of such a kind. Is this that dream?

Acharyal: Yes, it is. I remember having said then that I would tell you about this someday.

I: Did Acharyal feel that Ambā wanted Acharyal to practice kuṇḍalinīyoga as a principal spiritual practice?

Acharyal: No. Even during the dream, I unambiguously realised that though Ambā was Herself making known this form of yoga to Me, She did not intend that this be My principal sādhanā at all. It was, however, not as though I looked upon what I had been taught as having no practical relevance to Me.

Prior to these two experiences itself, I had been practising praṇāyāma with the three bandhas. After the dream, I started the practice of visualising the mūlādhāra-cakra, contemplating on the deities therein as they had been shown to Me and then worshipping the kuṇḍalinī. Next, I conceived that in response to My request, the kuṇḍalinī was rising to the svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra. I visualised that cakra clearly, focused on the devatās there and continued My mental worship of the kuṇḍalinī. In this fashion, I carried forward the worship in the higher cakras. Wherever appropriate, I saw the kuṇḍalinī in the form of Goddesss Pārvatī.

I: In which cakra did Acharyal mentally adorn Śakti with ornaments and in which cakra did Acharyal offer dīpārādhanā ?

Acharyal: The maṇipūra and the ājña cakras. At the sahasrāra, I just imagined that Śakti and Śiva had become one.

I: Did Acharyal engage in the new practice with any specific aim, such as the arousal and raising of the kuṇḍalinī?

Acharyal: No. I was not motivated by the desire for any result. The contemplation and worship that I had partially witnessed in the dream appealed to Me. Hence, I started to devoutly perform these.

I: How much time did Acharyal spend on such contemplation and worship?

Acharyal: Fifteen to twenty minutes a day, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

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