The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
Spinal centre of region of the navelp. 10 da, dha, na, ta, tha, da, dha, na, pa, pha
Tejas; expansion, producing heat and stimulating sight-sense of colour and form
Red
Anāhata
Spinal centre of region of the heartp. 12 ka, kha, ga, gha, nga, cha, chha, ja, jha, nya, ta, tha
Vāyu; general movement, stimulating sense of touch
Smoky
Vishuddha
Spinal centre of region of the throatp. 16 the vowels a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, ri, rī, lri, lrī, e, ai, o, au, ang, ah
Ākāsha; spacegiving, stimulating sense of hearing
White
Ājnā
Centre of region between the eyebrowsp. 2 ha, and ksha
Manas (mental faculties)
...
Above the Ājnā is the causal region and the Lotus of a thousand petals, with all the letters, wherein is the abode of the Supreme Bindu Parashiva.
p. 144
SHAPE
OF
MANDALA
BĪJA AND ITS
VĀHANA
(CARRIER)
DEVATĀ
AND ITS
VĀHANA
SHAKTI
OF THE
DHĀTU
LINGA
AND
YONI
OTHER TATTVAS
HERE
DISSOLVED
Square
Lang on the Airāvata elephant
Brahmā
on
Hangsa
Dākinī
Svayambhu and Traipura Trikona
Gandha (smell) Tattva; smell (organ of sensation); feet (organ of action)
Crescent
Vang on
Makara
Vishnu on
Garuda
Rākinī
...
Rasa (taste) Tattva; taste (organ of sensation); hand; (organ of action)
Triangle
Rang on a ram
Rudra on a bull
Lākinī
...
Rūpa (form and colour; sight) Tattva; sight (organ of sensation); anus (organ of action)
Six-pointed hexagon
Yang on an antelope
Īsha
Kākinī
Bāna and
Trikona
Sparsha (touch and feel) Tattva; touch (organ of sensation); penis (organ of action)
Circle
Hang on a white elephant
Sadāshiva
Shākinī
Shabda (sound) Tattva; hearing (organ of sensation); mouth (organ of action)
Om
Shambhu
Hākinī
Itara and
Trikona
Mahat, the Sūkshma
Prakriti called
Hiranyagarbha (v. 52)
p. 3
Kundalinī, who is in the Mūlādhāra, to Bindu, both of which belong to what is called the Anuloma order:¹ so in the region between the Ājnā Chakra and Sahasrāra, which is the seat of the causal body (Kārana Sharīra) of Jīva, there are seven Shaktis,² which, commencing with the lowest, are Bindu (which is in Īshvara Tattva), Bodhinī, Nāda, Mahānāda or Nādānta (in Sadākhya Tattva), Vyāpikā, Samanī (in Shakti Tattva), and Unmanī (in Shiva Tattva). Though these latter Shaktis have a cosmic creative aspect, they are not here co-extensive with and present a different aspect from the latter. They are not co-extensive, because the last-mentioned Shaktis are, as here mentioned, Shaktis of the Jīva. ‘Hangsa, Jīva or Kundalī is but an infinitesimal part of the Parabindu. The latter is in the Sahasrāra, or thousand-petalled lotus, the abode of Īshvara, who is Shiva-Shakti and is the seat of the aggregate Kundalī or Jīva. And hence it is said that all the letters are here twentyfold (50×20=1,000). In the Sahasrāra are Parabindu, the supreme Nirvāna Shakti, Nirvāna Kalā, Amākalā,³ and the fire of Nibodhikā. In the Parabindu is the empty void (Shūnya) which is the supreme Nirguna Shiva.
Another difference is to be found in the aspect of the Shaktis. Whilst the cosmic creative Shaktis are looking outwards and forwards (Unmukhī), the Shaktis above the Ājnā are, in Yoga, looking backwards towards dissolution. The Īshvara of the Sahasrāra is not then the creative aspect of Īshvara. There He is in the Nirvāna mood, and the Shaktis leading up to Nirvāna Shakti are “upward moving”—that is, liberating Shaktis of the Jīva.
1 That is, the ordinary as opposed to the reversed (viloma) order. Thus, to read the alphabet as A to Z is anuloma; to read it backwards, Z to A, is viloma. In the above matter, therefore anuloma is creation (srishti) or the forward movement, and viloma (nivritti) the path of return.
2 See my Garland of Letters or “Studies in Mantra Shāstra”: “Causal Shaktis of the Pranava.”
3 See my Garland of Letters or “Studies in Mantra Shāstra”: “Kalās of the Shaktis.”
These seven states or aspects of Bindumayaparashakti (S. N., v. 40) leading up to Unmanī, which are described in this and other Tantrik books, are called causal forms (Kāranarūpa). The commentary to the Lalitā¹ apparently enumerates eight, but this seems to be due to a mistake, Shakti and Vyāpikā being regarded as distinct Shaktis instead of differing names for the third of this series of Shaktis.
Spinal centre of region of the navelp. 10 da, dha, na, ta, tha, da, dha, na, pa, pha
Tejas; expansion, producing heat and stimulating sight-sense of colour and form
Red
Anāhata
Spinal centre of region of the heartp. 12 ka, kha, ga, gha, nga, cha, chha, ja, jha, nya, ta, tha
Vāyu; general movement, stimulating sense of touch
Smoky
Vishuddha
Spinal centre of region of the throatp. 16 the vowels a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, ri, rī, lri, lrī, e, ai, o, au, ang, ah
Ākāsha; spacegiving, stimulating sense of hearing
White
Ājnā
Centre of region between the eyebrowsp. 2 ha, and ksha
Manas (mental faculties)
...
Above the Ājnā is the causal region and the Lotus of a thousand petals, with all the letters, wherein is the abode of the Supreme Bindu Parashiva.
p. 144
SHAPE
OF
MANDALA
BĪJA AND ITS
VĀHANA
(CARRIER)
DEVATĀ
AND ITS
VĀHANA
SHAKTI
OF THE
DHĀTU
LINGA
AND
YONI
OTHER TATTVAS
HERE
DISSOLVED
Square
Lang on the Airāvata elephant
Brahmā
on
Hangsa
Dākinī
Svayambhu and Traipura Trikona
Gandha (smell) Tattva; smell (organ of sensation); feet (organ of action)
Crescent
Vang on
Makara
Vishnu on
Garuda
Rākinī
...
Rasa (taste) Tattva; taste (organ of sensation); hand; (organ of action)
Triangle
Rang on a ram
Rudra on a bull
Lākinī
...
Rūpa (form and colour; sight) Tattva; sight (organ of sensation); anus (organ of action)
Six-pointed hexagon
Yang on an antelope
Īsha
Kākinī
Bāna and
Trikona
Sparsha (touch and feel) Tattva; touch (organ of sensation); penis (organ of action)
Circle
Hang on a white elephant
Sadāshiva
Shākinī
Shabda (sound) Tattva; hearing (organ of sensation); mouth (organ of action)
Om
Shambhu
Hākinī
Itara and
Trikona
Mahat, the Sūkshma
Prakriti called
Hiranyagarbha (v. 52)
p. 3
Kundalinī, who is in the Mūlādhāra, to Bindu, both of which belong to what is called the Anuloma order:¹ so in the region between the Ājnā Chakra and Sahasrāra, which is the seat of the causal body (Kārana Sharīra) of Jīva, there are seven Shaktis,² which, commencing with the lowest, are Bindu (which is in Īshvara Tattva), Bodhinī, Nāda, Mahānāda or Nādānta (in Sadākhya Tattva), Vyāpikā, Samanī (in Shakti Tattva), and Unmanī (in Shiva Tattva). Though these latter Shaktis have a cosmic creative aspect, they are not here co-extensive with and present a different aspect from the latter. They are not co-extensive, because the last-mentioned Shaktis are, as here mentioned, Shaktis of the Jīva. ‘Hangsa, Jīva or Kundalī is but an infinitesimal part of the Parabindu. The latter is in the Sahasrāra, or thousand-petalled lotus, the abode of Īshvara, who is Shiva-Shakti and is the seat of the aggregate Kundalī or Jīva. And hence it is said that all the letters are here twentyfold (50×20=1,000). In the Sahasrāra are Parabindu, the supreme Nirvāna Shakti, Nirvāna Kalā, Amākalā,³ and the fire of Nibodhikā. In the Parabindu is the empty void (Shūnya) which is the supreme Nirguna Shiva.
Another difference is to be found in the aspect of the Shaktis. Whilst the cosmic creative Shaktis are looking outwards and forwards (Unmukhī), the Shaktis above the Ājnā are, in Yoga, looking backwards towards dissolution. The Īshvara of the Sahasrāra is not then the creative aspect of Īshvara. There He is in the Nirvāna mood, and the Shaktis leading up to Nirvāna Shakti are “upward moving”—that is, liberating Shaktis of the Jīva.
1 That is, the ordinary as opposed to the reversed (viloma) order. Thus, to read the alphabet as A to Z is anuloma; to read it backwards, Z to A, is viloma. In the above matter, therefore anuloma is creation (srishti) or the forward movement, and viloma (nivritti) the path of return.
2 See my Garland of Letters or “Studies in Mantra Shāstra”: “Causal Shaktis of the Pranava.”
3 See my Garland of Letters or “Studies in Mantra Shāstra”: “Kalās of the Shaktis.”
These seven states or aspects of Bindumayaparashakti (S. N., v. 40) leading up to Unmanī, which are described in this and other Tantrik books, are called causal forms (Kāranarūpa). The commentary to the Lalitā¹ apparently enumerates eight, but this seems to be due to a mistake, Shakti and Vyāpikā being regarded as distinct Shaktis instead of differing names for the third of this series of Shaktis.
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