Chinnamasta

[Guest guest]

OM companions on the path

 

Not surprising given my background in Raja Yoga and Hatha

Yoga, my nomination for Goddess of the Week (or longer) is

Chinnamasta who chopped off her head and drinks the 'blood' of

Kundalini and also feeds her two associate Dakinis.

 

Her triumph over the senses and her Tandava on the spine of

Kama while he is lying with Rati shows the common bonds

shared with Shakism and the other traditional paths despite the

efforts of many of the adherents of all the paths to claim

difference and superiority.

 

Could we have Chinnamasta featured sometime in the future?

 

OM

[Guest guest]

Dear OmPrem:

 

You asked "Could we have Chinnamasta featured sometime in the future?"

 

Definitely, I think that's a great suggestion. I've actually been

hoping to set aside ten weeks later in the year -- one for each of

the Dasha Mahavidya. Taking them sequentially would enable us to

build a contextual understanding of these forms, and build upon them

through the weeks. In that way, we might also be better positioned to

satisfy Kallikaputri's suggestion about focusing each week's

discussion more strongly upon the chosen Goddess form.

 

Perhaps I'll create a poll to let the members speak for themselves.

Again, thanks for a truly excellent suggestion.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe

[Guest guest]

OM Devi Bhakta

 

Thank you for posting the descriptions of the Mahavidyas.

 

The author, Nitin Kumar, offers two explanations of Chinnamasta

symbolism and seems to prefer the second where the Goddess

is charged by the sexual energy of the copulating couple on

whom She stands.

 

The first explanation, the author says, represents the Goddess

as rising above desire. Here, "she signifies self-control, believed

to be the hallmark of a successful yogi."

 

I would like to amplify the second explanation on why

Chinnamasta is significant for Yogis. Chinnamasta not only

represents self-control but more importantly freedom from

desire and the use of that sexual energy, Ojas, to fuel the

process of spiritual enlightenment. The chopped-off head and

the three streams of blood represent the altered state of

consciousness as the prana and apana of the ida and pingala

nadis unite to form kundalini in the sushumna nadi.

 

In his book, Tools for Tantra, Harish Johari, explains the

symbolism of Chinnamasta thusly,

 

" `Chinna' means `chopped off' and `masta' is `mastak', or

`head'. Chinnamasta is a goddess who has chopped off her

own head. The head is the seat of all the activities of the mind,

so with the cutting off of this head, the activities of mind - the

mental modifications (vrittis) - are stopped, which is the goal of

Yoga as defined by Patanjali in his `Yoga Sutras'.

 

"Chinnamasta is seen dancing the cosmic dance of destruction

(tandava, the famous dance of Shiva, who performs it to bring an

end to the phenomenal world). The phenomenal world is a

playground of worldly desires. The five sense organs, which are

agents of these desires, have their seat in the head, that is, the

brain. The choppped-off head symbolizes the cessation of these

five senses, which enhances the sixth sense, intuition, whose

seat is the sixth psychic center (ajna or agya chakra).

 

"The goddess is dancing with her two associate dakinis

(sub-shaktis), who are on her left and right side, and the dance

is performed on the body of Kama, the desire principle. Kama is

shown in communion with his wife, Rati, and Chinnamasta is

dancing on his spine. From her headless neck flow three

steams of fresh blood, which is being drunk by three heads. Two

heads of the two dakinis on the right and lief side and central

stream by her own head, which she holds in her left hand.

 

"In their left hands the two dakinis hold two chopped-off heads,

and in their right hands they hold a `khang' (a swordlike weapon,

broad at the end) smeared with blood. They are dancing with the

goddess and at the same time drinking her blood. Like Kali she

is naked and wears a garland of human skulls, and her tongue

is protruding. The total image has some affinity with that of Kali.

Kali is known as the fierce one, the Chandi, and Chinnamasta is

even fiercer than Kali and known as Prachand Chandi. `Shakta

Pramod' scripture says: `She is that Paratpara Shakti who is

Para Dakini named Bhagwati.' `Para' means beyond and

primordial.

 

"She is the shakti of Kabandh Shiva, the one who destroys the

phenomenal world at the time of `pralaya' (annihilation), the

shakti who is beyond even the primordial nature, `paraprakriti'.

 

"The three streams of blood coming from the neck represent the

three nadis, the ida, pingala, and sushumna. Her two attendants

drink ida and pingala, and she herself drinks sushumna. This

explains the loss of her head, the seat of the desires, located in

the first five chakras, which are up to the neck, and the head,

which is separate. The first five chakras are ruled by the brain

stem, the controller of basic instincts. The chopped-off head is

the seat of higher consciousness, the cerebral cortex and its two

hemispheres. The cosmic dance of destruction is performed on

the spine of Kama, the principle of desire, while he is in sexual

communion with his wife, Rati. In other words, Chinnamasta is

the shakti which takes her sadhak away from sensuous

involvement, grants him the upward flow of energy, complete

control over the sexual impulse and other primary impulses and

instincts. She is located in sushumna, which destroy

ingnorance. Only sushumna goes up to the cerebral cortex, the

seat of higher consciousness.

 

"Worship of Chinnamasta brings power of will and vision.While

meditating on her, one must see her dancing on one's own

spine and concentrate on her head drinking the middle stream

of blood coming out of her headless neck.

 

Johari is a bit repetitive and not entirely clear on why ida, pingala

and sushumna are important (for example, one would not drink

ida, pingala and sushumna but, instead would drink FROM them

the prana that flows through each), so perhaps an explanation

of their significance is in order. Every prayer and meditation

practice from every religion or spiritual practice utilizes the same

mechanism of ida, pingla, sushumna and taking kundalini

through the main chakras to reach the same God/Goddess. This

may be done consciously as in Yoga or unconsciously as in the

public face that religions present to the world.

 

There is a prana, a subtle energy, the flows through ida, the nadi

to the left of the sushumna, that is cool and tends to slows

mental and physical processes. It is called apana vayu and

moves downward. The prana that flows through the pingala nadi

to the right of the sushumna is hot and tends to speed up the

mental and physical processes.It is called prana vayu and

moves upward.When, through sadhana such as pranayama, the

directions of these energies is reversed such that the apana

vayu now flows upward and the prana vayu flows downward

toward each other, they meet at the Muladhara Chakra, unite and

form a new prana that is given the name Kundalini. It is

Kundalini that is taken up through the sushumna, to awaken

each of the main chakras, revealing ever more subtle spiritual

knowledge as each chakra is opened. Another way that this

process is expressed is that the prana in Pingala is called `Ha'

or `sun' and the prana in Ida is called `Tha' or `moon'. The union

or yoking of these two pranas is called Hatha Yoga.

 

Chinnamasta rises above the physical and has transcended

both desire and death because she has created Kundalini and

taken it to the Sahasrara Chakra. She is Kundalini personified.

Or, She is the sushumna through which Kundalini flows. Her

attendants are the constituents of Kundalini, Prana and Apana,

or Ha and Tha. Or, they are the pingala and ida through which

prana and apana flow. The attendents look to Chinnamasta for

food. Chinnamasta symbolically tells them to look within,

develop an appreciation of both prana and apana as spiritual

food as well as their usual function as regulators of the body and

mind.

 

Jaya Maa

 

Omprem

[Guest guest]

ompremji, i just read your response to devi_bhakta's post on the

description of the iconography of chinnamasta (by nitin kumar)!

 

it is always interesting to read different perspectives on a subject

and therefore i was quite happy to see the explanation from the

perspective of a hatha yogi.(in terms of prana and apana )

 

but from the point of view of a bhakta, a severed head can also

represent a TOTAL SURRENDER OF the EGO-MIND! is not the ego most

difficult to conquer and the mind very hard to quiten with its

ceaseless chatter? so to me the severed head also represents a bhava

of total surrender - not just control of sexual desire for sex is

only one of the many desires...

 

in any case what is the whole purpose of creation? this is because

god wanted to enjoy the 'one as many' - is it not? that is why god

created maya.... so, the sex-energy also occupies an important part

in the cosmic energy cycle.

 

so, in my opinion worshipping chinnamasta can help us to conquer two

powerful desires one is the sex impulse and even more importantly the

ego-mind which is at the root of all misery and suffering...

 

so, we have to first cut the granthi (knot) of ego-mind before the

prana can flow through the nadis!

 

so, i am all for mastery of the senses ( the five jnanendriyas and

karmedriyas) but most importantly one must surrender the body, mind

and ego-self to the Divine eneergy! that is where bhakti takes

precedence over all other yogas....

 

maybe my interpretation is wide off the mark but i thougght i will

give it a try from a bhakta's persepective..

 

 

love

[Guest guest]

OM Adi Shakti

 

Surrendering the ego-mind, adopting an attitude of surrender (or

non-attachment), are indeed required for prana to flow

unimpeded through the nadis and for the chakras to be

balanced both individually and in relation to each other. So, we

agree once again.

 

I was mostly writing about the process or mechanics of

enlightenment, while you are emphasizing the necessary

conditions for that process to occur.

 

OM Namah Sivaya/Jaya Maa

 

Omprem

[Guest guest]

Re: Chinnamasta- the haed huntress

 

 

 

 

dear ompremji, thank you for the clarification. To me a 'head' always

represents a guna or a quality ( tamasic, rajasic, or even

satthwic) ' ... you know how we have all these phrases taht we keep

haering..

 

1) a swollen head (proud)

 

2) hot-headed (stubborn )

 

3) level-heade

etc etc...

 

so naturally whenver i hear about the slaying of the head i am

reminded ofthe demon king ravana and his ten heads.

 

ravana obtained his ten heads as a boon after worshipping his

isthadevata . the ten heads gave him intelligence , super strength

and of course arrogance and pride .

 

alternatively, the ten heads also represent

 

1) Kama (lust),

2)Krodha (anger),

3) Moha (delusion),

4) Lobha (Greed),

5)Mada (pride),

6)Maatsarya (Envy),

7) Manas (the mind),

8) Buddhi (intellect),

9)Chitta (Will)

10) and Ahamkara (the Ego)--these ten constitute the ten heads.

 

It is said that lord Ramachandra, inspite of all his best efforts s

couldn't kill Ravana as Goddess Kali was protecting him.

When one head of Ravana rolled down, it was replaced by new one! rama

was exhausted . he could not figure out how to slay the demon ravana.

at this point, he was advised by vibhisana, the younger brother of

Ravana, to propitiate the Mother Goddess durga for long seven days

with elaborate rituals and could please Her to withdraw support from

Ravana. When Her favour was withdrawn it became easy for Ramachandra

to kill Ravana through 'Brahmastra', the unfailing weapon.

 

Vibhishana remembered something about his brother -Ravana - that had

a great bearing on the outcome of war. He recalled how he once had

faintly overheard the weakness in the body of Ravana -- and that weak

spot was his umbilicus (middle abdominal region), not head, nor

heart, nor neck! If Rama could hit the arrowhead in that localized

spot, the life-sustaining nectar would spill and Ravana was sure to

die.Thus, armed with the special knowledge, Rama put an end to

Ravana's life with the arrow in his naval. (hitting below the belt) -

so even a sattwic purusha like lord rama had to employ a 'tamasic'

tatctic or technique to root out evil!

 

to cut a long story short, there is 'weakness' and strenth in any and

every part of the body- head, heart , hands , legs etc... it is up to

us how we use or abuse it!

 

jai ram sita ram!

 

love

[Guest guest]

"to tell you that I read your article about Hatha Yoga and Shaktism

yesterday."

 

Oh! No! No! No! That article was not written by me but by one of our

respected member : Omprem, who is a Hatha Yoga specialist.

 

 

Om ParaShaktiye Namaha