THE TRUTH ABOUT KUNDALINI: “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life

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THE TRUTH ABOUT KUNDALINI

Dr. Udo Szekulics

Mala Rao-Szekulics

 

" And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. "

Revelation of John 22, 17

 

The traditions of India and its neighbouring countries offer more

spiritual knowledge than any other region of the world. At home and

at school we hardly learn anything about the historical and

spiritual background of these areas. As a result, we incur the

danger of giving a wrong interpretation to this region's

spiritual tradition by extracting a part of the whole, if we are

interested in Eastern wisdom.

 

On the subcontinent of India we see a variety of spiritual

traditions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Lamaism and other teachings confuse

the Western seeker with thousands of gods, deities and different

perceptions about life after dead and destiny. But even in the large

variety of tinges and facets of Hinduism and its pantheon of deities

there is the idea of a final unity. This one is the Brahma, or

Sadashiva. Through his power Mahamaya (the Great Illusion) he

creates all divine, human and material aspects of the universe. At

the end, he reabsorbs everything. Yoga, the real meaning of which

is " Union with God " , embraces all the efforts of mankind in

the spiritual domain. The final aim is not some blurred

" enlightenment " , also not to jump in the air a little bit or

wear clothes of a certain colour, the aim is the connection with an

higher awareness. Yoga, " connection " , is only good when this

perception of a higher awareness can be achieved. This Yoga is not

one single technique or a determined exercise, it is a way of life

once the connection was established. All the asanas, breathing

techniques et cetera are helpful tools for those who are connected

and know how to apply these techniques, because the same asana may

be helpful to one, but harmful to the other – depending on

individual constitution. Doing physical exercise without being

connected may calm you down a little bit, however, basically it is

as if you try to swim without water.

 

As we have received so much from the East and still are to receive

much more, we would like to look closer at the basis of Indian

Knowledge. This basis is the classical scriptures of old, for

example the Vedas or Upanishads, as well as the teachings of

venerated Indian saints and masters such as Markendeya or Tukaram.

Simultaneously, we shall try to integrate important scriptures of

other cultures - also of the west.

 

Looking at most of the modern publications1 on Kundalini, it seems

obvious that nothing is known of the roots of religious knowledge.

According to the quoted ancient sources, Kundalini is the most

subtle, the holiest and mightiest force of the universe, which, only

under certain circumstances, is accessible to mortals. These

superlatives are meant literally. Even the " Rishis " , the

saints/sages, who communicated with the Gods themselves were not

allowed to awaken the Kundalini in human beings. Bearing this in

mind, one should consider carefully advertisements for " Kundalini-

Seminars " or similar offers. Kundalini is not a discovery of our

times, she has been described thousands of years before Jesus

Christ; and the knowledge we have got has come through old Indian

scriptures.

 

Let us try to understand this tremendous power as far as we can with

our minds. Numerous names of her are at the same time names of the

Goddess Parvati as a virgin ( " Uma " , " Gauri " ). The

name Parvati has only been given at her marriage with Shiva. In her

aspect as a mother the spouse of Shiva becomes the " Devi " ,

the Mother Goddess of the created universe. As Devi she incarnates

in times of great difficulty, when all the negative forces rise up

and challenge the righteous and religious. She destroys all the

demons ruthlessly and without pity, because, as mother, she protects

her children - the seekers of truth. This power has also been

attributed to the Kundalini, when she acts in a cleansing way in

human beings and removes the " individual demons " within. And

there exists a link between the primordial power Adi Shakti2 and

Kundalini.

 

In the few sources3 that refer to Shri Adi Shakti, it is usually

said that she is the primordial and highest power. She is the one

who created the first manifestation; the bridge between the formless

non-manifested God and the whole formed creation. Kundalini also

builds a connection with the divine, connecting the individual to a

collective, higher awareness. – Shri Adi Shakti is described as so

powerful that Shiva, Vishnu and Brahmadeva were extremely impressed,

when they were once granted the permission to visit her sphere (Devi

Bhagawatam, III book, cp. FN 3). Only after some time did they

realize that they were in their mother's house. Apart from the

tremendous power that lies in the Kundalini as part of the

primordial force, the protective, motherly aspect clearly appears.

 

Before considering any detailed parts of ancient scriptures - in

particular the " Jnaneshwari " - we shall discuss the function

of the Kundalini. At this point we must introduce the greatest

authority in this matter; Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, the Avatara of

our times, proven by the awakening of the Kundalini in hundreds of

thousands of people all over the world. She can indeed transmit a

practical experience of the Kundalini-Power, as well as the

corresponding knowledge. Thousands and thousands of people in India,

thousands throughout the west, and also in Russia, who have been so

fortunate to meet Her, can confirm this. All other Saints, who might

have power over Kundalini, lead a withdrawn and hidden life in the

Himalayas and its foothills, and they cannot give Kundalini-awakening

en masse.

 

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi explains that the Kundalini resides in

every living being as the divine desire to become one with God.

Since the beginning of the creation this force has been acting and

pushing the evolution forward. In our western tradition Kundalini

could be understood as the Holy Spirit. In Hebraic scriptures she is

called " Ruach " .

 

If a human being is perfectly pure in his inner, subtle system

(which practically means that he has become a saint) he receives his

total liberation, " Moksha " , at the moment of the Kundalini

awakening. This perfect liberation took place for Buddha after he

had renounced all his attachments and temptations. If Kundalini

awakening takes place in " non-perfect " human beings, she

starts cleansing different energy centers, the " Chakras " . The

effect of the desire to become one with the cause of all creation

manifests in the healing of the chakras and is a first step on our

way to the final goal. The significance of the Kundalini being the

reflection of the divine primordial desire is, that it corresponds

with the classical representation of Adi Shakti, who at the very

moment of creation has given shape first to the desire (Iccha-

Shakti) and then to the act (Saraswati).

 

The last, complete liberation is the union of the soul, the Atma

(Shri Shiva) with the Kundalini (Shakti) in order to make the Atma

aware or conscious in us. That means, the truth, the all-pervading

awareness and the pure joy become reality in us. The Sahasrara

chakra above the fontanel bone at the top of the skull opens up and

replaces the biggest part of our ego and our conditionings. This

process has often been described poetically in old scriptures:

 

" I had been impressed and dragged far away,

with a burden on my head; now I have

escaped from the burden, for you have accepted me.

How many times I cried to you in time past!

Tuka says, Today my service has borne fruit. "

 

Tukaram, " The Poems of Tukaram " , Chap. XII,593, Delhi, 1983.

 

" Thou art diverting Thyself, in secrecy with

Thy Lord, in the thousand-petalled lotus,

having pierced through the Earth situated in

the Muladhara, the Water in the Manipura, the

Fire abiding in the Swadhisthana, the Air in

the Heart (Anahata), the Ether above (the

Vishuddhi), and Manas between the eyebrows

(Ajna) and thus broken through the entire

Kula path (central channel - Sushumna). "

 

Shankaracharya, " Saundarya-Lahari "

(The Ocean of Beauty), 9 thpoem, Adya, 1977.

 

Where have these modern descriptions of so-called Kundalini-

experience come from, which are contradictory and which often report

very unpleasant experiences? Most probably these descriptions are

partly due to wrong translations of the Jnaneshwari and partly to

misunderstandings. Misunderstandings in the sense of mental concepts

instead of a practical experience.

 

For a long time the teachings about Kundalini have been kept as a

secret knowledge that has only been bestowed simultaneously with

self-realisation, the awakening of the Kundalini. This was the

real heritage of the masters, the saints or gurus, who did not

perform a hollow, symbolic act, but a living process.

 

In the Bagavadgita the subject of Kundalini has been very briefly

referred to. The Upanishads have only treated parts of it.

Markandeya was the first one to break with the taboo (thousands of

years ago), and talked openly about it. What these classical

scriptures have in common is that they are difficult to understand

and that the effects of Kundalini have not been described in detail.

 

This changed in the 13th century A.D. Around 1275 in the central

part of India, Maharashtra, Jnanadeva (also called Jnaneshwar or

Dyaneshwar) was born. Although he left this world at a very

young age, he is one of Indias greatest saints. As the Bagavadgita

had been written in Sanskrit the masses did not have direct access

to this most popular religious scripture of the Hindus. Thus

Jnanadeva was convinced by his brother to write a commentary on the

Bagavadgita in Marathi (the common language of the people in

Maharashtra). This work, the " Jnaneshwari " , contains many more

details than the Bagavadgita. It is said that the

" Jnaneshwari " can be read like a comment of God himself, who

acts in the Bagavadgita. - Marathi has been and is still spoken in

Maharashtra. Apart from the changes of a living language through 700

years, Marathi is ideal for beautiful poetry and religious works,

but also can be misunderstood if taken literally, as every single

word has various meanings, often a material as well as a subtle or a

poetic one. The use of images is an important method of poetic

expression. This country of Maharastra and its language have a

special significance in the spiritual development of India. Shri

Sita and Shri Rama (Ramayana: the incarnation of the God Vishnu and

his spouse Laxmi) trod on this soil, Ekanath, Tukaram and many other

important rishis and saints have left behind their works in the

Marathi language.

 

In the 6th chapter of the Jnaneshwari the Kundalini and its effects

are described. This text again is not easy to understand. The

learned and scholars have tried to avoid this very difficult chapter

for 700 years, as all written knowledge of the world cannot replace

the holy experience. Thus the academics never understood it; and

there is one essential point for us: The translations, mainly in

English, available in the West, are not correct. They certainly all

relate to one original translation, as the mistakes are apparently

similar. These errors of translation are probably responsible for the

incomprehensible descriptions of Kundalini that we have in the west.

For example one of the main mistakes is to suppose that the seat of

the Kundalini is in the region of the stomach. This mistake is to

be found in the book of Avalon (see FN 1). In the original

scriptures nothing of the kind is mentioned. Shankaracharya (8th

century AD) says in the Saundarya Lahari (see above) in the 10

th verse: " ..Thyself assuming the form of a serpent of

three-and-a-half coil, sleepest Thou in the hollow of the

Kulakunda4 " . The description refers to the triangular bone, to

which we will come back later. Finally, the Devi Bhagawatam should

be quoted, book XII, chapter 5, where the Mother of the Worlds (Shri

Adi Shakti) is again described as the " Kundalini in the

Mooladhar " .

 

Besides these wrong translations, there is a lack of understanding

which we mentioned before: In the Jnaneshwari, at the end of the 10

th sub-chapter of chapter 6, Shri Krishna explains clearly the

way of a real yogi and says explicitly, that it is the EXPERIENCE of

self-realisation, and there is no doubt about the fact that this

experience has to come from God5. As Arjuna is urging for this

knowledge, Krishna says: (11th sub-chapter, first sentence): " I

explain it to you in more detail now, but only through the

experience it will bear fruit " . So it is clear that a purely

mental understanding of the description of the Kundalini is

meaningless if the actual happening of self-realisation is lacking.

The mediocre translations of the Jnaneshwari unfortunately confirm

these words.

 

This introduction is followed by the description of the

" asana " (sitting position), which is favourable to the

awakening of the Kundalini. The awakening itself can only be

performed by a person who is authorized. The asana is described

several times as " the steady seat " , which corresponds to the

lowest chakra (Mooladhara chakra). It lies at the root of our body

and guards the sleeping Kundalini in the sacrum (Mooladhar). Any

weakness of this chakra, which is the throne of innocence and

wisdom, causes permanent difficulties, as it is the support of the

Kundalini. Certain sitting positions should just enable our

attention to detach from physical processes. Later in the 13 th sub-

chapter it is mentioned that the palms of the hands should be kept

upwards, in order to feel the Kundalini-energy.

 

There is a considerable difference between the Mooladhara-chakra and

the Mooladhar which lies above it (sacrum), the triangular bone at

the end of the spine. At the awakening of the Kundalini, her

pulsations can often be seen with the naked eye at the sacrum. This

perception is the best proof of its real position; all other

conclusions do not correspond with the reality. Lying at the basis

of the spine, she rises through the middle channel (Sushumna), which

corresponds with the canalis centralis in the grey matter of the

backbone. The medical term is " Os Sacrum, " holy bone " ,

taken over directly from the Greek by the Romans: Its special

position was known also in the West, in ancient times. We know that

the Egyptians attributed this " Os Sacrum " to the God Osiris.

In an article of the " Journal of the American Medical

Association " (JAMA " of 1987 it is written: " … the idea

that the sacrum is the last bone in the body to disintegrate after

death and, therefore, necessary for resurrection could qualify it as

sacred. The first Biblical intimation that a single bone might be

the bone needed for resurrection is in Psalms 34, 21: He watches

over all the bones; one of them shall not be broken… " 6 - The

idea of resurrection or second birth mentioned here is, in various

forms, present in all religions.

 

To all those, who really can feel the effects of the awakened

Kundalini, the 14th sub-chapter of Jnanadevas work proves to be an

absolute disaster in translation - knowledge without experience

is useless. We have chosen a few important aspects to illustrate

this.

 

The translation of the Marathi word " Tap " as " heat "

caused by the awakening of Kundalini is wrong in this context.

Here " Tap " means " force " . The force, resulting from

the exercise of asanas and giving the possibility of the awakening,

but not the awakening itself. The activating of the Kundalini is a

process beyond human willpower and beyond the force of human action.

Thus in the translations, by a misunderstanding of nuances, the

mother Kundalini becomes a monster, that devours the intestines

voraciously - Whereas in a subtle, beautiful language the power is

praised who is eager to give the second birth, to permeate the whole

body and to renew it.7

 

The body and its organs, each cell is being touched and purified by

Kundalini. This process has been described in detail right up to the

roots of the hair by Jnanadeva. Certainly there is no one, who ever

before was able to observe and understand the Kundalini in his body

and subtle system as precisely as this great Saint. The effect of

the different breathing forces in connection with Kundalini is

explained as well as the effects on the elements.

 

The Janeshwari continues with the procedure after the purification

of the subtle centres: The Kundalini stays in the centre-channel

(Sushumna) of three subtle channels and pours out " of her mouth

water, that becomes nectar " . This nectar in its turn brings forth

a " vital wind, …. that gives a cooling sensation in and on

the body " .

 

The perception of the cool breeze is the best on the palms of the

hands and at the top of our head (Sahasrara Chakra). This coolness

is also described in the Koran - Sura 36, 65: " One day we will

seal their mouths, but their hands will speak... " . This Sura,

called " the Heart of the Koran " has the title " JS " .

These are the initials of " Joga Sahadsch " as it would be

spelled in Arabic. " Sahaj " means " born with " or

" spontaneous " , Sahaja Yoga is the yoga of the spontaneous

unity with God. The hands " speak " in such a way that each

finger, root of the hand and palm correspond with a chakra and the

various sensations of the part of the hand inform about the

condition of the chakras. There are further hints to the perception

of Kundalini in the Koran, as in Sura 24, 24 or 41, 21 and

following. "

 

This cooling energy does not only exist after the awakening of the

Kundalini, it is one with the divine force, who awakens Kundalini in

the individual human being and permeates the whole cosmos. In the

Gospel of John, 4, Jesus describes the process of awakening to a

Samaritan woman next to a well: " If you knew the gift of God, and

who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him,

and he would have given you water of life. The woman said to him,

Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: Where can

you get that water of life? … Jesus answered, Everyone who drinks

this water will be thirsty again: but whoever drinks the water that

I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will

become in him a spring of water welling up into eternal life. " As

Janeshwar uses the image of the " water " or " wind of

life " , we can find the Kundalini and its effects described by

Jesus Christ in the same way. - The completion of the Kundalini's

task is depicted by Jnanadeva in most beautiful Marathi poetry. The

skin is only an envelope, in which the radiant being of the 17th

phase of the moon is covered. The full moon, the 16th phase, has the

meaning of fulfillment, completion. Only Sadashiva, God beyond all

perception, is beyond that, in the illuminated Sahasrara.

 

Through the ancient Scriptures9 a structure of the inner system

takes shape, which is still very common in India. At the bottom we

find the four-petalled lotus of the Mooladhara Chakra. In it

resides the guardian of Kundalini, who represents wisdom and

innocence. The Kundalini is situated above this center in the sacrum

bone and therefore, at her awakening, cannot pass through the chakra

placed underneath. If one tries to raise the Kundalini without

authorization, then the guardian of the Kundalini sends waves of

heat through the body in his temper. Sometimes these waves of heat

are misunderstood as the awakening of the Kundalini, but it is just

the opposite10. Jnanadeva says very clearly, that coolness is the

sign of the rising Kundalini. Each unauthorized practice to get in

touch with Kundalini leads to a damage that makes an awakening more

difficult. Only if the process is triggered by an authorized person,

does it lead to its fulfillment. The Kundalini, an intelligent and

motherly energy, can never do any harm. Even when she heals physical

diseases, it is always in a gentle manner.

 

In relation to the above mentioned Mooladhara Chakra we must stress

that there is no connection at all between sexual activities and the

Kundalini or her awakening. Unnatural and exaggerated attention on

sexuality weakens and damages this lower chakra. Then the Kundalini

has a weak basis and cannot rise for long. In the same way other

unnatural behaviour may disturb other Chakras or energy-centers, the

same is true for bad intentions or desires even. Thus greed or hatred

for example block the ascend of the Kundalini at different levels.

 

As described in the poetry of Shankaracharya and as known in India

in general, the ascending Kundalini passes through the Nabhi-,

Swadisthana-, Anahata-, Visshuddhi-, and Agnya-Chakra. As soon as

the Agnya Chakra at the forehead gets pierced through,

" Nirvichara Samadhi " , thoughtlessness, is achieved. Only at

that very moment one can talk about an experience which allows a

deeper understanding of the " Jnaneshwari " for instance.

Nirvichara Samadhi is spontaneous, like every movement of the

Kundalini. Samadhi cannot be achieved through human willpower, that

is why the concept, that through efforts of concentration real

spiritual progress could be achieved, is wrong.

 

After the Sushumna, which is the central channel, the subtle

channels on the left and the right are enlightened. The left (Ida-

Nadi) represents the emotions, conditionings and the past, the right

(Pingala-Nadi) activity, planning and the future.

 

The whole process physically relates with the parasympathetic system

and therefore cannot be controlled consciously. The real awakening

of Kundalini does not cause any spectacular process or sensation out

of control. " Only " a kind of profound peace and joy can be

felt, and coolness on top of the head and on the palms of the hands.

If the subtle centres, the chakras, are damaged, the perception of

Kundalini is reduced in accordance.

 

Only the one who is able to awaken the Kundalini, so that the

effects, as described by Jnanadeva and other masters, can be felt,

so that the water of life is flowing, can be called a real Guru

in the best tradition of the Great Indian Teachers.

 

THE TRUTH ABOUT KUNDALINI

Dr. Udo Szekulics

Mala Rao-Szekulics

 

 

 

-----------------------------

 

1

E.g. Gopi Krishna, Kundalini, Lustig-Verlag, 1983; Arthur Avalon,

Die Schlangenkraft (The Serpent-Power), Bern 1982; Shivananda,

Kundalini Yoga, Munich-Planegg, 1953; just to mention the first

ones, hundreds followed, without any basis in the ancient

scriptures, and without genuine experience.

 

2The above-mentioned " Mahamaya " , " The Great

Illusion " , is just one

aspect of the Adi Shakti

 

3E.g. Devi Bhagawatam, as " The Srimad Devi Bhagawatam " ,

Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 1977, cp. Especially book III, ch.3, 4

and 5.

 

4

The three-and-half coils of Kundalini relate to the three

" moods " (basic principles) of the creation and - the half

coil - to the primordial power, neither manifest nor non-manifest.

These moods are Mahakali, Mahasaraswati and Mahalaxmi: Desire, also

destruction of evil; action, creation; and finally the power of the

central channel, of evolution. As said before, Kundalini is a

motherly energy and it is not incidentially, that the deepest mights

of the universe are female in all the world's cultures ( " The

Mothers " in Goethe's " Faust " ). We meet those basic

principles in antique Rome as " Parcae " (The Fates), in

classical Greece as " Moires " : Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos.

At the

foot of the Germanic world-ashtree Yggdrasil the " Nornes "

Urd,

Werdandi and Skuld are resting - spinning, measuring and cutting the

" thread of life " .

 

5

Cp. Vedas, Samaveda, book III, ch. 2, decade V, 10, " …God, the

Bestower of Dharma, Arth, Kama and Moksha. " Moksha means complete

liberation, enlightenment.

 

6

JAMA, 1987, Vol. 257, 2061 a. fw. P., Oscar Sugar, PhD, MD.

University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago.

 

7

See the Gospel of John, 3.3 f. Jesus talks to Nikodemus about this

second birth and Nikodemus asks, if he would have to return into his

mother's womb. Jesus tells him that he must be born again of the

spirit, " of water and of the Spirit " . - The importance of

being " born again " is also stressed by the genuine saints of

todays India, e.g. Ramana Maharshi.

 

8

Also in the western literature references to this unique perception

can be found: " Mild creative breeze,

A vital breeze which travelled gently on

O'er things which it had made "

Wordsworth, Prelude I, 43-45

" Still the Breath Divine does move,

And the Breath Divine is love. "

W. Blake, The Everlasting Gospel, 41-42

 

9

Essentially the quoted: Bagavadgita, Upanishads, Devi Bhagawatam,

Scriptures of: Shankaracharya, Markandeya, Tukaram and of course

Jnanadeva.

 

10

Inner tensions, unusual forms of perception and specially waves of

heat through the body are mentioned by Gopi Krishna (cp. FN1)

falsely as effects of Kundalini; however these sensations are

warnings, not to misuse this holy power.