The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
the three knots, She runs to Sahasrāra and bites the Chandra (moon), which is in the middle of the same. Then the nectar begins to flow, and wets the (other) Chandra Mandala in Ājnāchakra. From the latter the whole body becomes bedewed with nectar. Afterwards the fifteen eternal Kalās (parts) of Chandra (moon) in Ājnā go to Vishuddhi and move thereon. The Chandra Mandala in Sahasrāra is also called Baindava. One Kalā remains there always. That Kalā is nothing but Chit Itself, which is also called Ātman. We call Her Tripurasundarī. It is understood by this that, in order to rouse the Kundalī, one should practise in the lunar fortnight alone, and not in the solar one.”
Kundalinī is led upwards “as a rider guides trained mare by the reins,” through the aperture hitherto closed by Her own coils, but now open, within the entrance of the Chitrinī Nādī. She then pierces, in that Nādī, each of the lotuses, which turn their heads upwards as She passes through them. As Kundalinī united with the subtle Jīvātmā passes through each of these lotuses, She absorbs into Herself the regnant Tattvas of each of these centres, and all that has been above described to be in them. As the ascent is made, each of the grosser Tattvas enters into the Laya state, and is replaced by the energy of Kundalinī, which after the passage of the Vishuddha Chakra replaces them all. The senses which operate in association with these grosser Tattvas are merged in Her, who then absorbs into Herself the subtle Tattvas of the Ājnā. Kundalinī Herself takes on a different aspect as She ascends the three planes, and unites with each of the Lingas in that form of Hers which is appropriate to such union. For whereas in the Mūlādhāra She is the Shakti of all in their gross or physical manifested state (Virāt), at the stage of Ājnā, She is the Shakti of the mental and psychic or subtle body (Hiranyagarbha), and in the region of the Sahasrāra She is the Shakti of the spiritual plane (Īshvara), which, though itself in its Brahman aspect undifferentiated, contains in its Power-aspect all lower planes in a concealed potential state. The Māyā Tantra (see v. 51, post) says that the four sound-producing Shaktis—namely, Parā, Pashyantī, Madhyamā, and Vaikharī—are Kundalī Herself (Kundalinyabhedarūpā). Hence, when Kundalī starts to go to Sahasrāra, She in Her form as Vaikharī bewitches Svayambhu Linga; She then similarly bewitches Bāna Linga in the heart as Madhyamā and Itara Linga in the eyebrows as Pashyantī. Then, when She reaches the stage of Parabindu, She attains the state of Parā (Parābhāva).
The upward movement is from the gross to the more subtle, and the order of dissolution of the Tattvas is as follows: Prithivī with the Indriyas (smell and feet), the latter of which have Prithivī (the earth as ground) as their support, is dissolved into Gandha Tattva, or Tanmātra of smell, which is in the Mūlādāhra; Gandha Tattva is then taken to the Svādhishthāna, and it, Ap, and its connected Indriyas (taste and hands), are dissolved in
Rasa (Taste) Tanmātra; the latter is taken to the Manipūra and there Rasa Tattva, Tejas, and its connected Indriyas (sight and anus), are dissolved into Rūpa (Sight) Tanmātra; then the latter is taken into the Anāhata, and it, Vāyu, and the connected Indriyas (touch and penis), are dissolved in Sparsha (Touch) Tanmātra; the latter is taken to the Vishuddha, and there it, Ākāsha, and associated Indriyas (hearing and mouth), are dissolved in the Shabda (Sound) Tanmātra; the latter is then taken to the Ājnā, and, there and beyond, it and Manas are dissolved in Mahat, Mahat in Sūkshma Prakriti, and the latter is united with Parabindu in the Sahasrāra. In the case of the latter merger there are various stages which are mentioned in the text (v. 52), as of Nāda into Nādānta, Nādānta into Vyāpikā, Vyāpikā into Samanī, Samanī into Unmanī, and the latter into Vishnuvaktra or Pungbindu, which is also Paramashiva. When all the letters have been thus dissolved, all the six Chakras are dissolved as the petals of the lotuses bear the letters.
the three knots, She runs to Sahasrāra and bites the Chandra (moon), which is in the middle of the same. Then the nectar begins to flow, and wets the (other) Chandra Mandala in Ājnāchakra. From the latter the whole body becomes bedewed with nectar. Afterwards the fifteen eternal Kalās (parts) of Chandra (moon) in Ājnā go to Vishuddhi and move thereon. The Chandra Mandala in Sahasrāra is also called Baindava. One Kalā remains there always. That Kalā is nothing but Chit Itself, which is also called Ātman. We call Her Tripurasundarī. It is understood by this that, in order to rouse the Kundalī, one should practise in the lunar fortnight alone, and not in the solar one.”
Kundalinī is led upwards “as a rider guides trained mare by the reins,” through the aperture hitherto closed by Her own coils, but now open, within the entrance of the Chitrinī Nādī. She then pierces, in that Nādī, each of the lotuses, which turn their heads upwards as She passes through them. As Kundalinī united with the subtle Jīvātmā passes through each of these lotuses, She absorbs into Herself the regnant Tattvas of each of these centres, and all that has been above described to be in them. As the ascent is made, each of the grosser Tattvas enters into the Laya state, and is replaced by the energy of Kundalinī, which after the passage of the Vishuddha Chakra replaces them all. The senses which operate in association with these grosser Tattvas are merged in Her, who then absorbs into Herself the subtle Tattvas of the Ājnā. Kundalinī Herself takes on a different aspect as She ascends the three planes, and unites with each of the Lingas in that form of Hers which is appropriate to such union. For whereas in the Mūlādhāra She is the Shakti of all in their gross or physical manifested state (Virāt), at the stage of Ājnā, She is the Shakti of the mental and psychic or subtle body (Hiranyagarbha), and in the region of the Sahasrāra She is the Shakti of the spiritual plane (Īshvara), which, though itself in its Brahman aspect undifferentiated, contains in its Power-aspect all lower planes in a concealed potential state. The Māyā Tantra (see v. 51, post) says that the four sound-producing Shaktis—namely, Parā, Pashyantī, Madhyamā, and Vaikharī—are Kundalī Herself (Kundalinyabhedarūpā). Hence, when Kundalī starts to go to Sahasrāra, She in Her form as Vaikharī bewitches Svayambhu Linga; She then similarly bewitches Bāna Linga in the heart as Madhyamā and Itara Linga in the eyebrows as Pashyantī. Then, when She reaches the stage of Parabindu, She attains the state of Parā (Parābhāva).
The upward movement is from the gross to the more subtle, and the order of dissolution of the Tattvas is as follows: Prithivī with the Indriyas (smell and feet), the latter of which have Prithivī (the earth as ground) as their support, is dissolved into Gandha Tattva, or Tanmātra of smell, which is in the Mūlādāhra; Gandha Tattva is then taken to the Svādhishthāna, and it, Ap, and its connected Indriyas (taste and hands), are dissolved in
Rasa (Taste) Tanmātra; the latter is taken to the Manipūra and there Rasa Tattva, Tejas, and its connected Indriyas (sight and anus), are dissolved into Rūpa (Sight) Tanmātra; then the latter is taken into the Anāhata, and it, Vāyu, and the connected Indriyas (touch and penis), are dissolved in Sparsha (Touch) Tanmātra; the latter is taken to the Vishuddha, and there it, Ākāsha, and associated Indriyas (hearing and mouth), are dissolved in the Shabda (Sound) Tanmātra; the latter is then taken to the Ājnā, and, there and beyond, it and Manas are dissolved in Mahat, Mahat in Sūkshma Prakriti, and the latter is united with Parabindu in the Sahasrāra. In the case of the latter merger there are various stages which are mentioned in the text (v. 52), as of Nāda into Nādānta, Nādānta into Vyāpikā, Vyāpikā into Samanī, Samanī into Unmanī, and the latter into Vishnuvaktra or Pungbindu, which is also Paramashiva. When all the letters have been thus dissolved, all the six Chakras are dissolved as the petals of the lotuses bear the letters.
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