The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) (1924)
which is associated with and informs that region. Lastly, the organism as a whole has its consciousness, which is the individual Jīva. Then there is the subtle form or body of these Devatās, in the shape of Mind—supersensible “matter” (Tanmātra); and sensible “matter”—namely, ether, air, fire, water, earth, with their centres at the Ājnā, Vishuddha, Anāhata, Manipūra, Svādhishthāna and Mūlā- dhāra. Of these six Tattvas, not only the gross human body, but the vast macrocosm, is composed. The six Chakras are therefore the divine subtle centres of the corresponding physical and psychical sheaths. The seventh or supreme centre of consciousness is Paramashiva, whose abode is Satyaloka, the Cosmic aspect of the Sahasrāra in the human body. The Supreme, therefore, descends through its manifestations from the subtle to the gross as the six Devas and Shaktis in their six abodes in the worldaxis, and as the six centres in the body-axis or spinal column. The special operation of each of the Tattvas is located at its individual centre in the microcosm. But, notwithstanding all such subtle and gross transformations of and by Kula-Kundalinī, She ever remains in Her Brahman or Svarūpa aspect the One, Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, as is realised by the Yogī when drawing the Devī from Her world-abode in the earth centre (Mūlādhāra) he unites Her with Paramashiva in the Sahasrāra in that blissful union which is the Supreme Love (Ānanda).
In a similar manner other statements as regards these Chakras should be dealt with, as, for instance, those connected with the existence of the “Petals,” the number of which in each case has been said to be determined by characteristics of the gross region which the particular Chakra governs. The centres are said to be composed of petals designated by certain letters. Professor Sarkar¹p. 167 expresses the opinion that these petals point to either the nerves which go to form a ganglion or plexus, or the nerves distributed from such ganglion or plexus. I have been told that the disposition of the Nādīs at the particular Chakra in question determines the number of its petals.¹ In the five lower Chakras their characteristics are displayed in the number and position of the Nādīs or by the lobes and sensory and motor tracts of the higher portions of the cerebro-spinal system. As I have already explained, the Chakra is not to be identified with the physical ganglia and plexuses, though it is connected with, and in a gross sense represented by, them. The lotuses with these petals are within the Sushumnā, and they are there represented as blooming upon the passage through them of Kundalī. The letters are on the petals.
1 Op. cit., p. 292.
The letters in the six Chakras are fifty in number— namely, the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet less Ksha, according to the Kangkālamālinī Tantra cited in v. 40, cr the second La (ib.). All these letters multiplied by 20 exist potentially in the Sahasrāra, where they therefore number 1,000, giving that Lotus its name. There are, on the other hand, 72,000 Nādīs which rise from the Kanda. Further, that these letters in the Chakras are not gross things is shown by vv. 28 and 29, which say that the vowels of the Vishuddha are visible to the enlightened mind (Dīptabuddhi) only—that is, the Buddhi which is free of impurity resulting from worldly pursuits, as the effect of the constant practice of Yoga. Verse 19 and other verses speak of the letters there mentioned as being coloured. Each object of perception, whether gross or subtle, has an aspect which corresponds to each of the senses. It is for this reason that the Tantra correlates sound, form, and colour. Sound produces form, and form is associated with colour. Kundalī is a form of the Supreme Shakti who maintains all breathing creatures. She is the source from which all sound or energy, whether as ideas or speech, manifests. That sound Mātrikā when uttered in human speech assumes the form of letters and prose and verse, which is made of their combinations. And sound (Shabda) has its meaning—that is, the objects denoted by the ideas which are expressed by sound or words. By the impulse of Ichchhā Shakti acting through the Prānavāyu (vital force) of the Ātmā is produced in the Mūlādhāra the sound power called Parā, which in its ascending movement through other Chakras takes on other characteristics and names (Pashyantī and Madhyamā), and when uttered by the mouth appears as Vaikharī in the form of the spoken letters which are the gross aspect of the sound in the Chakras themselves (see vv. 10 and 11). Letters when spoken are, then, the manifested aspect in gross speech of the subtle energy of the Shabdabrahman as Kundalī. The same energy which produces these letters manifesting as Mantras produces the gross universe. In the Chakras is subtle Shabda in its states as Parā, Pashyantī, or Madhyamā Shakti, which when translated to the vocal organ assumes the audible sound form (Dhvani) which is any particular letter. Particular forms of energy of Kundalī are said to be resident at particular Chakras, all such energies existing in magnified form in the Sahasrāra. Each manifested letter is a Mantra, and a Mantra is the body of a Devatā. There are therefore as many Devatās in a Chakra as there are petals which are surrounding (Āvarana) Devatās or Shaktis of the Devatā of the Chakra and the subtle element of which He is the presiding Consciousness. Thus, Brahmā
1 See my Mahānirvāna Tantra (first Edition), p. lvii. My reference there to the lotus as a plexus of nādīs is to the gross sheath of the subtle centre, which gross sheath is said to contain the determinant, though in another sense it is the effect, of the characteristics of the subtle centre.
which is associated with and informs that region. Lastly, the organism as a whole has its consciousness, which is the individual Jīva. Then there is the subtle form or body of these Devatās, in the shape of Mind—supersensible “matter” (Tanmātra); and sensible “matter”—namely, ether, air, fire, water, earth, with their centres at the Ājnā, Vishuddha, Anāhata, Manipūra, Svādhishthāna and Mūlā- dhāra. Of these six Tattvas, not only the gross human body, but the vast macrocosm, is composed. The six Chakras are therefore the divine subtle centres of the corresponding physical and psychical sheaths. The seventh or supreme centre of consciousness is Paramashiva, whose abode is Satyaloka, the Cosmic aspect of the Sahasrāra in the human body. The Supreme, therefore, descends through its manifestations from the subtle to the gross as the six Devas and Shaktis in their six abodes in the worldaxis, and as the six centres in the body-axis or spinal column. The special operation of each of the Tattvas is located at its individual centre in the microcosm. But, notwithstanding all such subtle and gross transformations of and by Kula-Kundalinī, She ever remains in Her Brahman or Svarūpa aspect the One, Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, as is realised by the Yogī when drawing the Devī from Her world-abode in the earth centre (Mūlādhāra) he unites Her with Paramashiva in the Sahasrāra in that blissful union which is the Supreme Love (Ānanda).
In a similar manner other statements as regards these Chakras should be dealt with, as, for instance, those connected with the existence of the “Petals,” the number of which in each case has been said to be determined by characteristics of the gross region which the particular Chakra governs. The centres are said to be composed of petals designated by certain letters. Professor Sarkar¹p. 167 expresses the opinion that these petals point to either the nerves which go to form a ganglion or plexus, or the nerves distributed from such ganglion or plexus. I have been told that the disposition of the Nādīs at the particular Chakra in question determines the number of its petals.¹ In the five lower Chakras their characteristics are displayed in the number and position of the Nādīs or by the lobes and sensory and motor tracts of the higher portions of the cerebro-spinal system. As I have already explained, the Chakra is not to be identified with the physical ganglia and plexuses, though it is connected with, and in a gross sense represented by, them. The lotuses with these petals are within the Sushumnā, and they are there represented as blooming upon the passage through them of Kundalī. The letters are on the petals.
1 Op. cit., p. 292.
The letters in the six Chakras are fifty in number— namely, the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet less Ksha, according to the Kangkālamālinī Tantra cited in v. 40, cr the second La (ib.). All these letters multiplied by 20 exist potentially in the Sahasrāra, where they therefore number 1,000, giving that Lotus its name. There are, on the other hand, 72,000 Nādīs which rise from the Kanda. Further, that these letters in the Chakras are not gross things is shown by vv. 28 and 29, which say that the vowels of the Vishuddha are visible to the enlightened mind (Dīptabuddhi) only—that is, the Buddhi which is free of impurity resulting from worldly pursuits, as the effect of the constant practice of Yoga. Verse 19 and other verses speak of the letters there mentioned as being coloured. Each object of perception, whether gross or subtle, has an aspect which corresponds to each of the senses. It is for this reason that the Tantra correlates sound, form, and colour. Sound produces form, and form is associated with colour. Kundalī is a form of the Supreme Shakti who maintains all breathing creatures. She is the source from which all sound or energy, whether as ideas or speech, manifests. That sound Mātrikā when uttered in human speech assumes the form of letters and prose and verse, which is made of their combinations. And sound (Shabda) has its meaning—that is, the objects denoted by the ideas which are expressed by sound or words. By the impulse of Ichchhā Shakti acting through the Prānavāyu (vital force) of the Ātmā is produced in the Mūlādhāra the sound power called Parā, which in its ascending movement through other Chakras takes on other characteristics and names (Pashyantī and Madhyamā), and when uttered by the mouth appears as Vaikharī in the form of the spoken letters which are the gross aspect of the sound in the Chakras themselves (see vv. 10 and 11). Letters when spoken are, then, the manifested aspect in gross speech of the subtle energy of the Shabdabrahman as Kundalī. The same energy which produces these letters manifesting as Mantras produces the gross universe. In the Chakras is subtle Shabda in its states as Parā, Pashyantī, or Madhyamā Shakti, which when translated to the vocal organ assumes the audible sound form (Dhvani) which is any particular letter. Particular forms of energy of Kundalī are said to be resident at particular Chakras, all such energies existing in magnified form in the Sahasrāra. Each manifested letter is a Mantra, and a Mantra is the body of a Devatā. There are therefore as many Devatās in a Chakra as there are petals which are surrounding (Āvarana) Devatās or Shaktis of the Devatā of the Chakra and the subtle element of which He is the presiding Consciousness. Thus, Brahmā
1 See my Mahānirvāna Tantra (first Edition), p. lvii. My reference there to the lotus as a plexus of nādīs is to the gross sheath of the subtle centre, which gross sheath is said to contain the determinant, though in another sense it is the effect, of the characteristics of the subtle centre.
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