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Home , Subtle body

The Original and its Role in Daily Tantrik Practice

--drawn by CT from the K!lottara (‘Beyond Time’) , representing the earliest known subtle body system (ca. 6th century A.D.)

Introduction.

The universal goal of Tantrik Yoga is the removal karmic ‘impurity’ (mala) which adheres to each of the 8 bodily constituents, whereupon it causes the concealment of one’s highest Self (!hiva). The 8 constituents are each associated with one of five lotus () suspended along the central channel (su!humn" n"#$). There they attract the psychological ‘impurity’ (mala) of un- healed past actions () that foment ‘ignorance’ of one’s true being, a scenario that is played out in the subtle body. This is because the impurity clings, as if an actual substance (dravya), to the base of each where it forms a subtle blockage or ‘knot’ (granthi) that prevents the vital breath from accessing the su!humn". Thus the soul, trapped in the heart center of un-awakened beings, is unable to ascend up the su!humn" via the vital breath. The central channel is the only conduit to !hiva (supreme consciousness), whose domain is the highest chakra, representing the limitless, source element of space, located above the crown of the head. Only by ‘coiling’ (ku%#alin$) enough pr"%a into the heart lotus during the practice of inner breath retention () can the yog" forcefully spring open the door to the su!humn", whereafter an ascending Goddess- is used to consecutively shatter one of five granthis that block the soul’s access to unity with !hiva at the crown lotus, the goal of Tantrik Yoga that bestows the experience of spiritual liberation. *The following table correlates to the ‘Overview of Tantric Yoga’ handout, given in week six (see step (krama) #5 of the eight steps in particular).

Purya!h"aka = ‘Group of 8 bodily constituents,’ including the five sensory functions (tanm"tras) plus instinctual mental function (manas), discursive intellect (buddhi), and ego (aha&k"ra) function, disseminated to five different element- based lotus centers (chakras) suspended along the su!humn".

Granthi = ‘knot’ of impurity to be removed, located the base or upper stem of each chakra (lotus) along the su!humn", where they block the upward flow of ordinary pr"%a and thus access of the soul, isolated in the heart, to supreme !hiva (presiding at the crown).

#hakti = five elemental seed (b$ja) mantras serving as inflections of the ‘Supreme’ (Par") !hakti mantra ‘AU#’ used to break each granthi in their surge

1 up the su!humn". Each of the first four begin with one of the four semi-vowels (LA, VA, RA, YA), the last with HA; each is powered by a different ‘long’ vowel; all five mantras end in the ‘concluding’ vowel (anuvs"ra), also known as the ‘seed point’ (). This is the letter # (‘nnng’), generated in the upper palate with the help of the ‘divine pose’ (see below). *All five seed mantras vocally ascended while maintaining the ‘divine pose’ (divya kara%a)--the jaw is dropped a bit, the lips/teeth parted, the tongue comes up a bit from the base of the mouth. One’s gaze is at the third eye center, the target location for each ascending mantra.

Purya!h"aka Granthi #hakti Mantras* Location

Earth, root Goddess: Niv$tti heart Smelling (gandha) chakra (‘Repose’) #1 Mantra begins: LA-

Goddess: Prati%h&h' Tasting (rasa) Water chakra (‘Stability’) throat #2 Mantra begins: VA-

Visualized ‘form’ Fire chakra Goddess: Palate (r'pa) Vidy' ‘Wisdom’) (top of mouth) #3 Mantra begins: RA-

Feeling (spar(ha), Goddess: !h'nti mentality (manas), Air chakra (‘Peace’) Middle of brows intellect (buddhi) Mantra begins: YA- # 4-6

Space Chakra Goddess: !h'ntyat"t' sound ((habda), (!hiva’s (‘Beyond Peace’) Crown of the ego (aha&k"ra) domain) Mantra begins: HA- head # 7-8

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