Spanda-karikas and Nijashuddhi

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste MahaHrada,

Your post is very insightful.
Let me ask a few questions - not all at once, as they deserve reflection time..

"Above the forehead there is a place called DvAdashAnta,
where the top of the skull ends and two fingers beyond the head, there
is what is called the supreme ether (ParAkasha)" Svacchandasamgraha

This is the one I was thinking. As one measures 12 fingers from ajna chakra up 12 fingers is above the head. Yet this position is further then just two fingers above the head. I must assume these are one and the same locations?

And from that location can one conceive of prana coming from there?
or from ajna? or from the heart area ? All considered important locations.

Your assessment is welcomed.

pranams

[MahaHrada]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste Yajvan

This is the one I was thinking. As one measures 12 fingers from ajna chakra up 12 fingers is above the head.

One does not measure upwards , but measure on the body and thus follow the shape of the head to reach the first dvAdAshanta, put the hands first on the brow, than on the forehead and the third reaches the top of the head, that way you exactly reach in 12 finger measures from in between the eyebrows to the middle of the skull.
Next part talks of the ParAkasha that begins two fingerbreadth above the first dvadashanta.

There are diverse minor differences between the shastras and also the Sampradayas regarding details of the subtle body.

One of the differences is the distance between the dvadashanta and sahasrara (second dvadashanta).

Since the Sahasrara is considered the seat of Parakasha or Mahasunya whatever the supreme void is called, the second part referring to the seat of parakasha might possibly refer to Sahasrara considered in this case to be only 2 fingerbreadth distance from the first dwadashanta.

In the kashmiri sampradayas krama, trika, and others the main chakras are 5 plus sahasrara and these chakras are all thought to be located 3 fist distance from each other.

Others agree that Sahasrara is hovering closer to the dvadashanta and then of course usually do not name it dvadashanta.

I prefer to consider dvadashanta as a junction point or doorway between the individual body and the cosmic body, it leads one out of the individual state (represented by the 5 bodily chakras from muladhara to ajna) into the cosmic transpersonal state (the sahasrara.)

Beyond Ajna there are no nadis so consciousness has to leap through a gap, this gap is dvadashanta.

The nature of being a junction point is shared by the mundane breath dvadashanta here marks the junction from inbreath to outbreath.

Prana can, provided the yogi has the required stage of achievement, theoretically move up from all the points you mention plus muladhara and/or nabhi , this will give rise to different experiences.

If you mean by your question where or if there is a point or several, of origin of prana this is a more difficult question because we have to first distinguish between varieties of prana like male female prenatal and postnatal prana, and also consider the role of bindu/rajas.

Generally one can say that the postnatal prana is replenished by intake of 3 kinds of "food" 1.) sense impressions 2.) breathing and 3.) eating

Than there is inherited prenatal life force from our father and mother, which in the normal life will not be replenished and if used up causes the body to wither. This prenatal prana can only be replenished by yoga.

There are several locations where these differnt body energies originate from or prominently assemble.

Pranams

MahaHrada

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

One does not measure upwards , but measure on the body and thus follow the shape of the head to reach the first dvAdAshanta, put the hands first on the brow than forehead and third is top of head head, that way you exactly reach in 12 finger measures from between the eyebrows to the middle of the skull.

Namaste Maharada,

Yes, very helpful; follownig the contour of the head makes sense... thank you.

I will assume this method then applies to other locatons of the body. Following its contour. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Now may I ask another and get your clarification:

Lets say I breathe in through the nose, the prana comes in and moved downward ( apana); it reaches its completion, a dwell, a 'balance' point - the place where the exhale is born; The one exhales and , and finishes at its completion point , the place where the inhaled breath is born.

So here is my questions:

• Where does that inhale breath begin? how far out of the body ( 12 fingers again?) and in which direction? And when the inhale stops is this the heart area? ( not physical heart but the suble area of feelings, some like to call it the center madhya).
• With those answers, the 3rd question to tie this together:
  Are these two locations visarga as outlined in kArikA 24 of the Vijnana Bhairava agama?

My understanding� as a reference point
karika 24
The exhaling breath (prana) should ascend and the inhaling breath should decend, both forming visarga [consisting of 2 points]. Their state of fullness (is Found) by fixing then the two paces of their origin.

What is their two places of origin? The heart area. When one says the heart they do not mean the physical heart. It is the space in the chest area. Its called the space between the arm pits as its called, to give one a location. Another definition is 12 fingered spaces between the eyebrows to the heart area. So , the center of the breast area.
This visarga विसर्ग is sending forth , letting go , liberation , emission , discharge, hurling , throwing , shooting , casting. With the outward breath there is 'sa' and inword breath there is 'ha'. Many know this as hamsa mantra ( or swan) and this becomes so'ham over time , when repeated.

pranams



1. From Vijnana Bhairava - The Practice of Centering Awareness - this is the notes and teachings of Laksmanoo given to his sisya Prabha Devi in 1991; Then turned into publication in 2002 [ISBN 81-86569-35-9]

[MahaHrada]

So here is my questions:

• Where does that inhale breath begin? how far out of the body ( 12 fingers again?) and in which direction? And when the inhale stops is this the heart area? ( not physical heart but the suble area of feelings, some like to call it the center madhya).

Inhaling breath of the average person measures 8 Finger breadth (2 Fist) from the nose outside in space, The wasted 4 counts difference from the outbreath are considered to be one of the causes for the process of aging.

The recommendation is to equal the length of the outgoing with that of the inhaling breath to prolong life.

This is done by slowing down the outbreath to a distance of 2 fist length, so that both inhaling and exhaling breath only have 2 fist length.

Which is one meaning of the "samana" breath.

• With those answers, the 3rd question to tie this together:
  Are these two locations visarga as outlined in kArikA 24 of the Vijnana Bhairava agama?

Yes but not solely, as i wrote before, the meaning has to be extended to the inner breath, the lifeforce flowing in the nadis to fulfill the final promise of the karikas, the union with Bhairava consciousness.

The first step would be to become aware of the ending points and in the later karika, of the void,at the time when the mundane breath is not oscilating, but is still.

In the commentary it is not revealed that the reason for remembering the void is that we establish consciousness in the median channel and that this process should straighten the breath from the curled flow of mundane breath/pranashakti/kundalini, outside the body to awareness of the flow of life force in the median channel.

When that happens the points of the visarga are located in the brahmarandhra and muladhara, instead of outside the body in dwadashanta, and in the hridaya chakra.

If our consicousness is established inside the median void, we can proceed to untangle the twists of the translation offered to us and it will make sense in its literal translation also.

My understanding¹ as a reference point
karika 24
The exhaling breath (prana) should ascend and the inhaling breath should decend, both forming visarga [consisting of 2 points]. Their state of fullness (is Found) by fixing then the two paces of their origin.

What is their two places of origin? The heart area.

Not really, only one point is in that area, in the interpretation Swami Lakshman joo is suggesting we have two places of origin- one is the location of the end of the mundane outbreath, the outer dvadashanta, and one is the end of the inbreath, the inner dvadashanta in the hridaya chakra, one is the shiva bindu of the two bindus of the visarga (the knowledge) and the other place of origin in the outer dvadashanta is the shakti bindu of the visarga (the known).

And we should be aware of both balance points at the same time. and in a following karika of the void at these points.

When the outer breath does not move (Kumbhakam) the median way is open.

In the mundane breath shiva shakti is not balanced, body and mind swing from one state to the other, the presence of the phase "void of movement" is only acessible at a short time at both polar ends of the breaths. (the two bindus of the visarga)

Concentration on these points of the mundane breath should transport your consciousness and the prana should be incited to move into the median channel. When this happens the two points of the visarga are not recollected any more at the end of mundane breath but at the begining and end end of the median channel.

This visarga विसर्ग is sending forth , letting go , liberation , emission , discharge, hurling , throwing , shooting , casting.

Visarga means the creative emission of the universe/consciousness.

Here we are concerned with the basic triplicity of Kaula, consisting of the Supreme Bindu also called baindava, where shiva shakti is found in complete union (samarasya) which is the primal source of the universe and consciousness, and the visarga which consist of two polar bindus of shiva shakti split apart.

Together they are forming a trikona. The ultimate is that which encompasses all this and by the fact it encompasses the parts transcends.

This creation process which is continually happening, consist of a process in which this bindu is splitting into visarga through the impact of nada/spanda which is the resulting motion caused by the will of Shiva/Shakti to create.

When this bindu splits all the chakras and kundalini come into existence in an singular instance born from the trikona that is formend by the primal bindu and the visarga.

Spanda nada vak and prana are all related or synonymous to Kundalini.

This trikona is the knower, knowledge, known, soma, surya, agni, waking, dream, deep sleep, ajna, hridaya, muladhara, sristhi, stithi, samhara etc.

The question for the consciousness is how do we become aware of the underlying unity, of the primal phenomena, the samarasya of shiva shakti?

I suspect that karikas from 22 until 32 describe steps of one process related to Kundalini, there is more to be found than several disconnected dharanas.

This Kriya or dharana seems to be a method to unify individual consciousness with that primal unity of shiva shakti in the mahabindu by means of Pranayama and by focussing attention on the urdhva and the adhah kundalini resulting in unity of consciousness with the primal bindu in singular stillness of both prana and apana, a state called bindukala, in the heart of Shiva.

Pranams

MahaHrada

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Inhaling breath of the average person measures 8 Finger breadth (2 Fist) from the nose outside in space, The wasted 4 counts difference from the outbreath are considered to be one of the causes for the process of aging.


Which is one meaning of the "samana" breath.

The first step would be to become aware of the ending points and in the later karika, of the void,at the time when the mundane breath is not oscilating, but is still.

In the commentary it is not revealed that the reason for remembering the void is that we establish consciousness in the median channel and that this process should straighten the breath from the curled flow of mundane breath/pranashakti/kundalini, outside the body to awareness of the flow of life force in the median channel.

When that happens the points of the visarga are located in the brahmarandhra and muladhara, instead of outside the body in dwadashanta, and in the hridaya chakra.

If our consicousness is established inside the median void, we can proceed This Kriya or dharana seems to be a method to unify individual consciousness with that primal unity of shiva shakti in the mahabindu by means of Pranayama and by focussing attention on the urdhva and the adhah kundalini resulting in unity of consciousness with the primal bindu in singular stillness of both prana and apana, a state called bindukala, in the heart of Shiva.

Namaste MahaHrada
thank you for taking the time to post this... what you write does not seem foreign to my understanding ( and practice), this is a good thing.

Yet for some time I have been using the heart area and ajna points as visarga and find it works well... I not will try outside the body (via the nose location) as one starting point.

I also can see the value of the being mindful of both points at the same time. As the kArikAs continue with additional institutions - kArikA informs the saidu to focus ( be mindful, uninterrupted awareness) of the two end points and points and consider the void.

As one reads the offering from Bhairava, one can see the groupings and the progression of the teaching.

thank you again. I hopethis may inspire others to consider reading Vijnana Bhairava.

pranams

[MahaHrada]

Namaste Yajvan,
There are various locations of visarga or visarga and bindu (trikona) in the subtle body or chakra system. Spontaneously from memory i know at least six different locations that are used in dharanas, not counting those outside the body.

There is one thing concerning the different locations of the Visarga, it is important if not vital for the practice to take into account, or realise, that the two bindus , of the Visarga symbol always represent primal dualities and are therefore only to be found in locations that are because of their nature part of a pair of opposittes.

In the case of the hridaya chakra considered as inner dvadashanta it is the location of the jiva, the inspired breath his knowledge, the dual point of this location is consequently the phenomenal world, what is termend "the known", becoming aware of the unity of the knowledge the inspired breath, with the known, the expired breath, one causes the arising of the fusion point the supreme bindu, the authentic knower (transpersonal self/shiva)

This knowledge of the sameness of the known and knowledge happens naturally when the breath is not moving, that is on the junction point of his two modes, because it is unmoving both times, no matter whether inbetween an in and outbreath or inbetween an out and inbreath.

In the inner breath the prana flow, the polarities are shakti bindu in muladhara and shiva bindu in dvadashanta. In this case their union, the appearance of the knower, happens in hridaya chakra, that is why, the third, the undivided mixed bindu , also shown as satkona, is located in hridaya, (this bindu is not not the shiva part of the two visarga bindus as it was in the case of the dharana on outer breath, but the mahabindu the apex of the triangle, the source of the two visarga bindus.

Visarga is eiter operating in the mode sristhi samhara or samghatta
where shakti bindu is sristhi shiva bindu samhara and their union samghatta.

In samhara state the shakti is quiet or peaceful (shanta) since shiva principle dominates, when shakti principle dominates there is agitation (udgita) Only when both are balanced (sama) there is union and the knower will appear.

Pranams

Mahahrada

[yajvan]

Namaste Yajvan,

There is one thing concerning the different locations of the Visarga, it is important if not vital for the practice to take into account, or realise, that the two bindus , of the Visarga symbol always represent primal dualities and are therefore only to be found in locations that are because of their nature part of a pair of opposittes.

In the case of the hridaya chakra considered as inner dvadashanta it is

Namaste Mahahrada,
I see your point. Dualities, Sun and Moon; Night and day. It is the gap, sandhyā , where the treasure lies. As in amātrā, were the 4 ( turya, some prefer writing turīya) will be found.

I hope to see more of your posts , they are most refreshing to read.
thank you. Please feel free to talk more of -->:<-- visvarga.


I say It is in space, It is in every nook and corner, in every pinpoint of space. There is no space where It is not; there is no space which It does not occupy." Risi Sanatkumara, Chhandogya Upanishad 3.24



pranams

[srivijaya]

perhaps you may find it of interest, and may wish to comment on this matter.

Hi yajvan,
Many thanks for the link to this thread. I find the subject matter very interesting indeed but feel I can add little to it.

I tend to favour the definition of the 3 knots you quoted from Rajalakshmi
"The three knots are the knot of ignorance, knot of passion and knot of karma".

This is because after many years of struggling to get anywhere with a purely technical approach to kundalini, I have gained much success by switching my meditation to basic awareness and non-volitional release.

Within my system (Tibetan Highest Yoga Tantra) it is said that the prana and mind are linked. Where the mind goes, so goes the prana and vice versa.
In attempting to 'coerce' the prana around the body I have felt as if I'm putting the cart before the horse, although I have had some results with inner heat.

We know 'mind is the forerunner of all action', so now I work on mind and the results flow from that, rather than the other way around.

The Tibetans also state (in fairness) that one should observe strict celibacy, which I have not, and that one has more chance of success up to the age of 24 years, as beyond that time the vase body begins to deteriorate. I'm well beyond that now.

Swami Lakshmanjoo has a good section on the different kinds of Kundalini in his book "The Secret Supreme'. Cit Kundalini is the highest whilst Prana Kundalini (of which I have had some experience) is also acceptable.

Your original point was an enquiry into the nature of anava mala. My approach has been to directly investigate the 'I' and I don't mean in an intellectual way. The 'I' manifests as tension which can place itself at any point within the manifest field of mind and body. Locate this and observe it. It will dissolve, as if by magic. I equate the ego/I assumption (this tension) with anava mala. For me they are one and the same thing, a tangible event, rather than a philosophical stance.

The dissolution of this anava mala tension has enabled me to pass through the form Jhanas, as outlined in the Pali suttas and further into samhadi. Finding it is vipassana, releasing it is samatha.

It becomes ever more subtle and at some points it looks like its gone altogether but when one checks the mind during meditation break the truth is clear. Is there aversion or desire towards maya? Thus far is there ego and anava mala. They are inextricably linked.

Namaste

[MahaHrada]

Namaste Mahahrada,
I see your point. Dualities, Sun and Moon; Night and day. It is the gap, sandhyā , where the treasure lies. As in amātrā, were the 4 ( turya, some prefer writing turīya) will be found.

I hope to see more of your posts , they are most refreshing to read.
thank you. Please feel free to talk more of -->:<-- visvarga.

Namaste Yajvan,

I am glad you appreciate my input. I like to go on with more posts but am cautious not to comment on matters beyond my competence and experience.

Visarga is the expression of unity and duality, the kashmiri pandits always implied the existence of the unifying bindu even when they where mentioning only visarga. When reading the texts we should do likewise.

That unity is present when one part is concealed by the full expansion of one principle, which is always, at the same time,the junction point of movement.

Attainment of the fourth is implied as a result when awareness of the three is established.

Visarga is central to agamic practice and thought and it is a highly technical matter so that there is danger that it is too sophisticated to be represented in a forum like this danger is also that it remains tarka only even if it is correctly represented, because the practical application is missing.

I was posting in this thread at first only to remind about a comprehensiveness of the trika kaula that includes many different approaches and allows a wide range of interpretations and trika contains a great variety of methods and paths, that are all in harmony with each other and are considered equally true and most of all are non competitive with each other.Which fact is sometimes hard to understand especially, judging from the viewpoint of a competitively oriented western mindset, which does usually allow only one interpretation, one&#180;s own is right other considered inferior or wrong.

The aim of trika is to realise the union of knowledge and the known, there is no place for competition with this goal in mind.

In trika we find several approaches according to the qualification of the person, no method is considered true and another false or one better than the other, so if there occurs a problem the fault is not with the method, its cause is lack of qualification or competency for that method. There is no generalisation or sectarian approach in trika philosophy, as far as i know.

People in Kali Yuga lack humility, contentment, peace and society is competitive. It is the Age of Strife. Sanatan Dharma is non competetive and is based solely on qualification even to that extent that it includes sampradayas that have a competitive approach to serve the needs of those that have a competitive mindset.

This thread has developed in a direction where i am not shure whether i am competent enough to display the subject matter in a correct way (according to trika kaula) because i do lack guidance of a trika master and my knowledge of trika is superficially only and maybe not up to the task.

I suspect as i said that these karikas are connected with a certain method of trika, i guess it maybe something similar as is elucidated in parts of the parA trisikA and it is connected with the emergence of the 16 vowels (visarga being the last of the 16 vowels of thesanskrit alphabet) in the hrtkamala ending in appaearnce of the visarga in the heart of bhairava, which can lead to highest attainment, but unfortunately i guess has to be practised under the guidance of a living trika teacher.

I have to admit that at the moment i do not as yet even comprehend that dharana sufficently enough, if i think i have managed, than i will try to use it as an example to elucidate what the visarga implies in the context of trika.

An edition and translation of the parA trisikA vivarana of Abhinavagupta has been published commented and edited by Jaidev Singh in 1988, i don&#180;t know if it is still available, also in sri vidya shastras there are a lot of references regarding the concept of Bindu Visarga and Bindukala, in the srividya tradition it is mentionend, especially in the kamakalavilasa of the hadimata school, this text exists in several editions.

Pranams

MahaHrada

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~~

Namaste MahaHrada and srivijaya

thank you both for your well thought out posts. It is rewarding to talk to and listen to fellow practitioners of sadhana.


srivija, you mention the truth of mind being connected to prana. Yes, this is born out in the Upanishads and is also my experience. If you have interest there is this HDF post: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1462&highlight=prana+connected+mind


As you discuss 'basic awareness' meditation. Yes I understand what you say. I have been fortunate to apply this approach. I think complimenting it ( for me) with pranayam is a nice match. Also I am not 'big' on control techniques. I think it stifles ones ability to transcend. This is one reason why I enjoy the vij&#241;āna bhairava kārikās. Once this delicate awareness is recognized ( some say in place) , this restful alertness or sūkṣma-gati&#185;, then the kārikās have a foundation to work from. As Svami Sivananda suggests, 'An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory'

Regarding Svami Laksmanjoo - I have this book you mention and a few others by Svamiiji. He is a good writer and IMHO speaks from the level of Reality itself. I am fortunate to be reading many of his works.


MahaHrada,
I understand what you mean in your discussion on competition. I see this many places. Especially with the 6 systems of Indian Philosophy. They are so complete in themselves that many think they are independent. Hence, then the polemics of one school is better then another begins. My teacher has always said they are complementary ways of looking at Reality.

With the agamas, there's abheda, bhedabheda, and bheda. Within these offers the Tantras talk and describe the Truth as created and discussed by Śiva Himself. This is where I have put my attention as of late, and have focused more on Bhairava tantra wisdom.


Even as we see three types of Tantra agamas, they are designed to lead to Śiva. If you wish to extend the conversation in this direction, I will be gladly reading your posts.



pranams



1. sūkṣma-gati :
sūkṣma सूक्ष्म - subtle , keen ; minute , small , fine , thin
gati गति - arriving at , obtaining; state , condition