References
https://www.dermascope.com/
"Thousands of years ago, ancient texts in India found that the body has its own vibrations. These vibrations found within the body are called chakras, Sanskrit for wheel. They found that the body has roughly 114 chakras within it. These chakras are wheels of energy. When the energy is producing positive vibrations, the wheel will turn in a clockwise position, meaning that the chakra is open and flowing without disruption. When the chakra is imbalanced, the wheel can turn in a counterclockwise position, closing that vibration of energy and bringing negativity into that space. Chakras can also be blocked, where the wheel is not turning at all, and the vibration is stagnant, with no energy coming in or out of its chakra."
http://www.thekundaliniyoga.org/siddha_yoga/experiences_stages_of_siddha_yoga.aspx
"Depending on the accumulated impressions of his past Karma and the diligence with which he practices meditation (Sadhana), he will likely have amazing spiritual experiences on his way to Self Realization."
Stage One (Arambha-avastha).
"He will feel Prana in everything he touches with his skin. He will get a whiff of Prana in everything he smells with his nose. He will sense Prana in everything he tastes with his tongue. And he will hear the sound of Prana in everything he hears with his ears. In other words, he will begin to sense the entire material universe as manifestations of Prana Shakti."
Stage Two (Ghata-avastha).
"The aspirant gradually begins to lose interest in material desires and begins to develop a sense of detachment from worldly attractions. This does not mean that he has to, or will, give up on material things (Samsaric). He may continue to live in the material world if he so chooses, but he will begin to develop a sense of non-attachment to material things."
"While the First Stage results in the aspirant feeling Prana within himself, the Second Stage leads the aspirant to sense Prana in everything.... the aspirant will find himself sensing Prana within and outside himself, not just during Sadhan but at all times."
Stage Three (Parichaya-avastha).
"His perspective of the universe changes to where he constantly sees the universe as nothing but a manifestation of Prana. He sees that oneness in everyone and everything."
This is what Ramalinga Adigal meant when he told me I shall come to know if the Prana dwells, lives, and travels in me or if I live in the Prana. In other words, it's akin to what Agathiyar told us: that he was the Prapanjam and the Prapanjam was in him.
"At this stage, not only does the aspirant experience the universality of Prana, but he is also able to begin to exert control over it. He develops an ability to exhaust all the accumulated Karma of his previous lives without having the necessity to be reborn again and again. As a result, he reaches the status of Siddha, which enables him to gain extraordinary powers (Siddhis), including the ability to awaken the dormant Kundalini Shakti in others. He achieves his goal of Self-Realization, and having done so, can choose to continue to live in this world as long as he desires or to liberate himself from it at will. He is no longer an “aspirant” but is now a true “Yogi”. Some yogis choose to dwell in this state for extended periods with the goal of helping others achieve Self-Realization. Others move on to the next stage of Liberation (Mukti)."
Agathiyar explained the same saying in attaining the state of Jeevan Mukta, where the Individual Soul or Jeeva(Atma) attains Mukti or Salvation; we become Him.
Stage Four (Nishpatti-avastha).
"This is the fourth and the final stage of siddha yoga, where the siddha yogi, having achieved Self-Realization, liberates himself from the cycle of birth and death. He achieves a state of bliss (Samadhi) where he is completely beyond the physical confines of this universe. He feels neither hunger nor thirst, nor heat nor cold. His Awareness no longer dwells in the material, but constantly resides in Prana. When he chooses to depart from his body, he does not need to be reborn, and his Awareness stays merged with the Chaitanya forever. He rests in his own essential nature – Self (the Atma-swaroop)."
"Throughout this journey, although the Siddha Guru will always be there for specific guidance, the initiate will be guided automatically by his own awakened Kundalini energy, especially during the conduct of his siddha sadhan."
This is what Agathiyar means when, in telling me there was nothing further to do, he added that "She (Kundalini) will do her work."
Agathiyar
Agathiyar says it was the start of better things, like becoming Light. He said, "Due to man's inappropriate lifestyle, the Muladhara chakra or Kulam (pond or lake) has been dammed and prevented from flowing. With continuous practice of breathing techniques over time, the chakras gain power or energy, or Shakti. By continuing this, one can become Light and continue living as Light, become Brahman in the Paraveli, and reach the Holy Feet of Sivan."
மனிதனின் முறை அற்ற வாழ்வியல் முறையால் முடக்க பட்டுக் கிடக்கும் மூலாதார சக்ரம் (இங்குக் குளம் என்பது சக்கரத்தைக் குறிப்பதாகும்) காலத்தினால் மேட்கொள்ளும் மூச்சி பயிற்சியினால் சக்கரம் சக்திகொள்ளும். அப்படி செய்து வரவே ஒளியாகி வாழலாம். பரவெளியில் பிரமம் ஆகலாம். சிவனின் பாதம் அடையலாம்.
Agathiyar, in explaining the many instances and forms where Lord Murugan appears, in the song "Shanmuga Nayagan Thotram", says that he is seen and felt in Kundalini Yoga too.
- he is seen as a vision,
- in the flower fields,
- when the mind settles,
- in the breeze that delivers Gnanam,
- in the chant of his name,
- in the virgin forest,
- in the places his devotees reside,
- in the hill fortresses,
- amidst the crowd of devotees and their dance,
- in the places of worship,
- in the silence where the Atma attains bliss,
- in reaching out to the poor and in giving to them,
- in forgetting one's body in devotion and bhakti,
- in those who have known the truth,
- in the gist of Vedanta,
- at Tiruchendur where the waves break,
- in Kundalini Yoga,
- in the merger of Paramatma and Jeevatma,
- in the service rendered by devotees,
- in showering him with flowers,
- in the waters that fall,
- in seeing all as one,
- in seeing nature,
- in the winking stars,
- in seeing him on a peacock,
- in forgetting the body and
- watching the Jeevatma,
- in carrying out Sariyai,
- in Poigai where the Ganges merge,
- in letting go of opinions and ego,
- in the rows of light,
- when Gnanam dawns and
- in Agathiyar's songs, and he goes on.
R Venugopal
R Venugopal writes in his "Soul Searchers - The Art of Breathing", Health Harmony, New Delhi, 2000,
"The Svadishtana is regarded as a blockage to the awakening of the kundalini. He says the actual awakening starts from the Manipura chakra only. Till the time Manipura chakra does not get purified and awakened, the Kundalini cannot rise fully."
This was told by Tavayogi that all our efforts would only bring us to Svadishtana. The Siddha Guru has to come and lead us from there. Agathiyar came to confirm it when my energy stagnated, pooled, and ponded there. He broke the bunds and let the water (energy) flow again.
Swami Muktananda
Swami Muktananda mentions in his book ‘Secret of the Siddhas’, Siddha Yoga Publication, 1980, that his master gave him one word that completely transformed him. Muktananda says,
"Before meeting my guru, I had practiced many different kinds of yoga, but it was I who had practiced them. That word (Guru Om), which I received after so many years, spread through my body from head to toe like wildfire carried by the wind. That word activated a spontaneous yoga within me. I was filled with amazement. It produced in me both inner heat and the coolness of joy. After the awakening of the Shakti, this process of yogic movements began to take place within my entire body. The pulsation of his ecstasy pervades my entire body like the movement of the wind. The Kriyas were his, the yoga was his, and meditation took place because of him. The final message that I received was from him. The power of his word permeates each of my blood cells; the fluids of my entire body are his. That is why I am joyful. Gurudev entered me and replaced all my bodily fluids with his. He evicted me and took up residence in me. He annihilated my ego. By making my individuality his, he became me. This is the guru’s compassion. Only when I lost myself in the ecstasy of Bhagawan Nithyananda did I realize who he was."
"After you receive Shaktipat, meditation starts spontaneously, and at that time Prana and Apana, the ongoing and outgoing breath, become balanced, and long Kumbhaka retention of breath begins to take place effortlessly. The Prana and Apana become even, and eventually, the breath begins to be retained within. This is called Kumbhaka. In true Kumbhaka, the Prana and Apana become one at that point. Prana does not go out, nor does Apana come in. The Prana becomes extremely subtle and moves into the Sushumna, and then the Sushumna opens up and begins to unfold. When Kundalini awakening takes place through grace, it will rise of its own accord and become established where it should be established. Kundalini will take care of herself... when the Kundalini is awakened by the grace of the guru, the grace itself will guide it in the correct manner. There is absolutely no danger in such a case. After the awakening of Kundalini, meditation comes spontaneously. There is no need to center the mind because the Kundalini herself grabs hold of the mind and centers it in whatever place she considers suitable. If one has awakened the Kundalini through self-effort, it is very difficult to lead it upward because, right from the moment the Kundalini is awakened until the moment it finally merges in the Sahasrara, the seeker has to depend on yogic practices."
"When the Nadis are cleansed, the mind is purified. The mind is intimately connected to the Prana. To control the mind, yogis try to control their breath. The Prana and Apana become even, and eventually, the breath begins to be retained within. This is called Kumbhaka. In true Kumbhaka, the Prana and Apana become one at that point. Prana does not go out, nor does Apana come in. When the Prana stops, the mind becomes still, and you experience supreme tranquility. Great beings are in this state of inner stillness."
Swami Muktananda, in his "Kundalini - The Secret of Life," published by Siddha Yoga Publication, 1994, wrote about receiving Shaktipat from the guru.
"The easiest and best method (of awakening, activating, and setting into operation the Kundalini) is through Shaktipat from the guru, when the guru directly transmits his own divine Shakti to the disciple. It is the secret initiation of the greatest sages and has been passed on from guru to disciple from the beginning of time."
When the Chakras of the sense organs are purified, the physical senses become sharpened and refined, says Swami Muktananda.
"The basis of all disease and pain is the impurities that block the flow of Prana in the Nadis. These blockages are caused by imbalances and disorders in the three bodily humors - wind, bile, and phlegm. She (Kundalini) penetrates all 720 million Nadis, consumes all the old, decaying fluids, then releases vital energy into them all. The Nadis become filled with Prana. It is only after the body has been purified that the Shakti can work with full force."
"On her journey to the Sahasrara, Kundalini passes through all the sense organs, purifying them and investing them with new powers. As Kundalini rises to the ocular center, she purifies the eyes. As the Kundalini purifies the sense of touch, one begins to feel thrilled of love through every pore and hair of the body. One becomes immersed in the joy of touch. When Kundalini reaches the center of smell, it purifies that, and one comes into direct contact with the essence of smell. When the Shakti moves to the auditory center, she purifies this too. When a shower of nectar is released and begins to fall, dropping onto the root of the tongue, the taste buds become extremely refined. Even the simplest food is relished."
Swami Kripananda
Swami Kripananda, writing the introduction for Swami Muktananda's "Kundalini - The Secret of Life", states,
"It is not enough for the guru to awaken Kundalini. The guru also controls and regulates the process, helping to remove all the blocks and obstacles in the disciple's path until the disciple attains the ultimate realization of the self. Being one with the inner energy, the guru can accomplish this on a subtle level from within."
"Bit by bit, as it moves through the subtle system, blocks are removed, addictions fall away, and one's life is set in order. Ultimately, the experience of the self becomes constant. Hence, nothing happens overnight. Bit by bit, the Kundalini unfolds and travels within. Because he has merged his individual awareness into the divine, the guru can serve as a pure vessel through which its pure energy flows. It is this transmission of divine energy which awakens and guides the Kundalini."
"It is not enough for the guru to awaken Kundalini. The guru also controls and regulates the process, helping to remove all the blocks and obstacles in the disciple's path until the disciple attains the ultimate realization of the self. Being one with the inner energy, the guru can accomplish this on a subtle level from within."
"Whether Shaktipat (a process by which the guru awakens Kundalini) comes to us dramatically like a sonic boom or very quietly and subtly as it does to many people, the awakened Kundalini totally transforms our outlook and our experience of ourselves."
John White
John White echoes the need to wait patiently before seeing any results in "Kundalini, Evolution and Enlightenment",
"Desiring something, even such a noble goal as the awakening of Kundalini, is misguided,..... Seek to refine your character and cultivate your mind through selfless service, discriminating studies, and dedicated spiritual training. Do that, and Kundalini will awaken gently, automatically, and without the unhealthy effects that are being seen more and more frequently."
Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy echoes this statement, too, saying that,
"A genuine seeker never considers the hidden powers or occult powers as his goal. He cares only for God. He longs only for God's loving presence in his life."
M. P. Pandit
"What is being laboriously attempted, dangerously pursued, and problematically achieved in Kundalini yoga can be assured in a yoga like Sri Aurobindo's in a very natural way by throwing oneself open to divine consciousness and grace, letting it descend into oneself, and letting it decide which centers of consciousness are going to be operated upon, which one is most open and ready. It is more in the natural way of evolution to let things develop in this manner rather than having a systematized procedure."
Alice A. Bailey
"When this process is carried forward with care and due safeguards, and under direction, and when the process is spread over a long period of time, there is little risk of danger, and the awakening will take place normally and under the law of being itself."
The documentary "Inner Worlds Outer Worlds"
"Kundalini is a bridge from gross matter to the most subtle energies. Kundalini is not energy that can be forced by will, effort, and friction. It is analogous to growing a flower. All we can do as good gardeners is prepare the soil and proper conditions and let nature take its course. If we force a flower to open prematurely, you'll destroy it. It grows with its own intelligence, with its own self-organizing direction."