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Kundalini etc.

From the Bhakti List Archives

s.ramachandran • January 18, 2003 


This writer is not sure about Guru mantra but one can share something about
Kundalini

The traditional viewpoint down the ages has been that there is a Kundalini
which is supposed to reside coiled up  below our body, lowermost in the
center and this is expected to be awakened thru a series of practices of
body/mind/breath manipulation.

Once it stirs up, the Kundalini is supposed to travel thru the main nadis
(or nerve passeges) and reach the psychic center at the top of our crown
i.e. called Sahasra which is symbolised like a  1000 petel lotus and then
the ultimate is supposed to take place i.e. Samadhi, nirvana etc.

There are many versions on these aspects.  Eventually,  the writer will
also share a diagonally opposite and more relevant aspect of the Kundalini.

However, without intending to scare anyone, I would like to mention that
dabbling in Kundalini is fraught with serious side-effects and long lasting
problems if not done properly under a good guidance of a good,reliable
practioner/Yoga teacher.  Essentially, the person either should have had
first hand experience and more importantly, he/she should not make this as
a money-making proposition and term it like a 'course'....

The writer has  personally come across persons who have somewhat lost their
mental balance apparently due to the practice of attempting to get in touch
with Kundalini.

This does not mean this is out of bounds for ordinary mortals.  There are
some pre-requisites.

1. mentally resolve that this is what you want to do/ attempt, There cannot
be two decisions, wavering etc. it has to be a firm single-point resolve

2. Get in touch with a good, reliable teacher. We will come to that later

3. Understand first by reading, then by practicing simultaneously and
experiencing the principles of Ashtanga Yoga as outlined by the Great
Patanjali who is none other than the resting couch of The Great Mahavishnu,
Adiseshan.

4.Incidentally, the Yoga text of Patanjali does not talk or refer to
Kundalini at all !!!!

5.  Take a pre-primary- Kintergarten- high school-college attitude in your
approach i.e. step by step. You cannot graduate without going thru primary
school.

6. Mentally prepare yourself for a minimum rigour of 10 years.  No joking.
Please this is serious.  This is not to discourage but to lay the facts.
Kundalini involves inner, psychic power and this in short means your very
life, breath.

So if you are really, really serious then proceed. The results will be
sweeter and sure  in the long run but you may have to make do with earthly,
mortal discomforts like sufferings.

It is said that during the process of getting in touch with the Kundalini,
one can witness certain powers which will first and foremost TEMPT you to
try and use them.  These are extraordinary powers say for instance the
ability to understand talk of birds and animals.  You cannot exhibit, try,
make use of these for any purpose whatsoever. Even for a good purpose.
Such is the nature of these powers of which only 0.001% perhaps could
result in you during the practice that you will automatically go out to
test and poof !!! all your efforts of 10 years will go waste !!!!

7. Emotional attachment to family, friends and other human forms has to be
slowly given up. Ashtanga Yoga contains the seeds and principles of
'Vairagaya' .  This has to be practiced with a firm resolve. Pranayama can
help a lot in this.

8. Habits have to totally change and that too at a faster pace.  You cannot
give time.  Needless to say smoking, partying, drinking, eating outside
food, NOT DOING DAILY SANDHYAVANDANAM, fast life, late night outing,
indulging in excessive sensual pursuits, high flying jobs etc. must change
quickly.

    (no offense meant for all the habit/life styles mentioned in para 8 but
these could prove to be obstacles in
     your  progress and hence they  are to be eschewed)

9. You must first understand how to come out of Kundalini once it is
awakened. Before taking the ship take lessons in swimming.

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST, you may have to give up the Gods too !!! A tough
proposition if at all.  The reason behind this is with  Kundalini etc. you
are attempting to somewhat roughly merge yourself, atman etc. into the
universal consciousness. Kundalini is the beginning and not an end.  So at
that point there is no point in thinking of 'me' and 'god' and ' that'.
Shri Vaishnawism, Saivism, Buddhism etc. all come to an end.  It is only
one primal  ubsistence in  silence inside a void!

The writer means every word he has written and  has started this thread of
discussion and hopes someone from these groups take up and enlighten all
further. Nothing like back and forth exchange of factual communication and
learning.

Om tat Sat

 


From: srinivasan venkatesan 
Date: Wed Jan 15, 2003 1:14pm
Subject: Query


Respected sir,

I would like to know what is meant by guru mantra?  Is it applicable
to us{iyengar's}if so how could we follow  it.  I would also like to
know about awakening the kundalini.

dasan

venkat.

-- SrImatE rAmAnujAya namaH --



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Note from Moderator: I would like to request SrI Ramachandran to address the relation of the area he has outlined, to the veda-s.  It is my understanding that ashTA'nga yoga is part of the bhakti mArga as an approach to realizing God.  So I would have thought that God realization was the goal of yoga.  Towards the end, the above write-up says that the practitioner of the path described "may have to give up God".  There is also a suggestion of enjoyment of the self, merging with the self etc.  Is there a relation here to kaivalyam?  The write-up above seems very interesting and informative, and some background along the lines suggested will hlep the appreciation of this material even further. 
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