Meditate on the energy in the form of a bright ray of light, rising from the root energy center, becoming subtler and subtler, until finally dissolving at the highest center. Then God appears.
Verse 28, Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
The next two verses are about raising Kundalini the energy that is lying dormant near the base of the spine. One could write books on Kundalini, chakras and the channels. However, what follows is a brief description of the terms, sufficient to enable one to understand the next two meditations.
Yoga and tantra maintain that we have a subtle body apart from our gross body. The subtle body cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, it is vitally important. Without it, the gross body would not exist.
7-Chakras
The subtle body comprises of chakras and channels. Chakra means wheel. A chakra is basically an energy center. There are seven important chakras. Their location in the body is given in the diagram. The mooladhara chakra is located near the base of the spine. In the male body, it is located near the perineum, between the penis and the anal passage. In the female body, it is located at the root of the uterus, in the cervix. Swadhisthana chakra is located at the base of the spinal column, at the level of the tailbone. Manipura chakra is located directly behind the navel, inside the spinal column. Anahata chakra is located directly behind the chest, in the spinal column. Vishuddhi chakra is found in the spinal column, directly behind the throat pit. Ajna chakra is located at the top of the spine. It extends horizontally location forward to a point between, and just above the eyebrows. Sahasrara chakra is located at the top of the head.
Sushumna Nadi
Our subtle body also has several nadis or channels. There are three that are important, and of these three, one is of primary importance. That one is Sushumna Nadi or the central channel. Sushumna starts from mooladhara chakra, and extends upwards through the inner channel of the spine upto Ajna chakra. From there it extends upwards to Sahasrara chakra, and terminates there. With the exception of the last chakra (Sahasrara), all the other chakras are located inside this channel.
What is Kundalini Energy
Kundalini is dormant energy that is lying at the Mooladhara chakra. It is sometimes symbolized as a serpent lying coiled three and a half times around a Shiva lingam. Many meditation practices attempt to free this dormant energy. When this energy is freed, it rises up the spine, through the central channel (Sushumna), piercing each energy center (chakra). When it finally reaches the crown chakra (Sahasrara), an individual is liberated. At this point, the energy is said to have reunited with God. It is called the union of the God and the Goddess, Shiva and Shakti. The union of Consciousness (God), and Energy (Goddess). The Vigyan Bhairava was originally part of a text called Rudrayamala Tantra. Rudrayamala means exactly this. The union of God and Goddess (Shiva and Shakti). A more accurate way to describe this process would be to say that the energy and consciousness within us, has united with the energy and consciousness outside us. Individual Energy and Consciousness has reunited with Universal Energy and Consciousness. God within us has reunited with God outside. The great Indian saint Kabir, gave an example to explain this. He said that if you dip a pot into a body of water, the pot gets filled with water. Now, if the top of the pot is kept above the water level, the water inside becomes separate from the water outside. To get the water inside the pot to rejoin the water outside, break the pot. Then, there will be water everywhere. The ascent of Kundalini, the freeing of this energy is nothing but the individual energy and consciousness rejoining Supreme energy and consciousness. God within us reunites with God outside. Then there is only God everywhere. Just as in the example, when you break the pot, there is water everywhere, now there is God everywhere. That is why Self-Realized Masters see God everywhere and in everything. Their “pot”, their ego or sense
of separate identity, has been broken. Even if a person tries to harm a Saint, she only responds with love. This is discussed in greater detail, later in the Posts.
How to do this Technique
In this technique, we attempt to raise this energy (Kundalini), through a process of visualization. The central channel (Sushumna) should be visualized as a white or translucent tube. The chakras each have their colors and form. In some traditions, they are symbolized as diferent petalled lotuses, and in the Kashmir tradition, they are shown as wheels. For the purpose of the next two meditations, it is sufficient to visualize each chakra as a round ball of light.
- Sit comfortably with your eyes closed, and focus your attention on the root chakra (Mooladhara), situated at the base of the central channel.
- Now, imagine a ray of light rising from this chakra, up the spine, through the central channel (Sushumna), piercing each energy center. As it pierces each energy center, it becomes subtler.
- Like this, the ray of light continues upwards, getting fainter and fainter, until finally dissolving at the crown chakra. Initially, while doing this practice, it is useful to mentally say the name of each center, as the light pierces it. Mooladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, etc.
- You must be focused on this ray of light as it rises up the spine, piercing each center.
- After it rises and dissolves in the highest center, start again from the root center.
- Imagine another ray of light rising upwards, piercing each center successively. Continue this for upto 30 minutes.
Then God appears. God appears when the Kundalini energy finally rises through the central channel, to the top. This union is a feeling of complete bliss.