Kundalini Awakening

‘Kundalini’ is considered as the feminine divine, ‘Shakti’, which, according to Vedic scriptures, is the very cosmic energy force responsible for the manifestation of the physical/material world. Since ‘Kundalini’ is the cosmic energy that originates from the Supramental Consciousness, it is an omniscient force, which enables the Yoga practitioner to realize his true self. Once this self-realization is achieved, the Yoga practitioner is led to Moksha, the final liberation from worldly existence and its attendant miseries.

Yogic philosophy recognizes the subtle link between the human body and the cosmic supramental consciousness, which is responsible for the body’s very creation. A potent force lies dormant at the base of the spinal column in every human body. Because it is coiled around the base of the spinal column in three and a half spirals, the ancient sages called it ‘Kundalini’, the coiled one (like a snake). Kundalini is considered the feminine divine, Shakti, which, according to Vedic scriptures, is the very cosmic energy force responsible for the manifestation of the physical/material world.

Since Kundalini is the cosmic energy that originates from the supramental consciousness, it is an omniscient force, which enables the Yoga practitioner to realize his true self. Once this self-realization is achieved, the Yoga practitioner is led to Moksha, the final liberation from worldly existence and its attendant miseries.

There is a close link between Kundalini and an intricate network of 72,000 ‘Nadis’, vein- like structures that exists in the whole of the human body. Three of these ‘Nadis’ are like arterial ways that spiral upwards from the base of the spinal column all the way to the roof the brain, called ‘Sahasrara’. The middle artery, also considered the major pathway, is known as Sushumna. The other two arteries on either side of Sushumna are called Ida and Pingala. Six Chakras and three Granthis - consciousness centers or cosmic energy hubs are located vertically at brief intervals in Sushumna

This entire network of Nadis, Chakras and Granthis exists, in another dimension not known to science, in so subtle a form that no high-tech laboratory gadgets can ever detect its presence. However, when Kundalini is awakened, it rises through Sushumna to reach Sahasrara, its final destination where its master Param Shiva, the eternal supramental consciousness resides. As it spirals upwards through Sushumna, Kundalini energizes the whole network of Nadis and pierces the Chakras one by one. The awakened Kundalini gets connected directly to the supramental consciousness through the Sushumna pathway. As a result of this, every pore and cell in the human body is purified and purged of its bodily and mental afflictions, making the Yoga practitioner energized and ready for the onward spiritual journey.

The outward manifestations of this cleansing process are Yogic Kriyas or involuntary body movements that occur during Siddha Yoga meditation. Swaying from side to side, wild rotation of head, clapping and uncoordinated movement of hands are some of the most typical of these Kriyas. To an untrained or uninitiated observer, these may look bizarre or even alarming. But they are neither abnormal nor do they cause any bodily harm. Kundalini, being an all-knowing energy force, is aware of which body part or organ is in acute need of healing or cleansing. So, the inner Shakti Kundalini makes the practitioner perform Kriyas that are specific to his needs. With this cleansing, the practitioner is cured of all kinds of chronic and terminal diseases such as AIDS, cancer, arthritis etc., and genetic disorders like hemophilia. Mental afflictions too are completely cured.

Also, the piercing of different consciousness centers equips the practitioner with Siddhis (powers) such as increasing intuition, the ability to see unlimited past and future and perceive the existence of worlds beyond the physical one in which one lives in a mortal body. When Kundalini reaches Sahasrara, the practitioner's spiritual journey is complete as it is here that he realizes his true self. This realization releases him from the bondage of Karmas, which is the root cause of all human miseries. It is also here that he realizes he himself is the Brahman, the eternal supramental consciousness, the state also known as Moksha.

The Vedic scriptures acknowledge the interplay of ‘Brahman’, the formless, limitless, eternal and never-changing supramental consciousness on one hand and its manifestation as the consciousness in the ever-changing material world. The consciousness in the material world, which impacts all animate and inanimate objects, is made up of a combination of three ‘Gunas’ (qualities)- ‘Satvic’ (lighted, pure, intelligent and positive), ‘Rajasic’ (passionate and energetic) and ‘Tamasic’ (negative, dark, dull and inert). Human behavior is therefore determined by preponderance of one of these three qualities. When ‘Satvic’ quality is dominant in a man, it propels him toward seeking greater consciousness so that he could free himself from Karmic bondage and return to the supramental consciousness to which he originally belongs. Domination by either – ‘Rajasic’ or ‘Tamasic’ quality leads the man onto an unending cycle of pleasure and pain and life and death. The practice of Siddha Yoga leads to the ascent of ‘Satvic’ qualities and eventual progress to Moksha, the final spiritual liberation.

Thousands of years ago, seers in the Vedic Age believed that human existence on Earth is marked by mega cycles each lasting for millions of years. Every cycle has four distinct periods called ‘Yugas’ with each of them having its own characteristic moral value. These follow in the order given here: ‘Sat Yuga’ (the age of truth), ‘Treta Yuga’ (in which only three fourths of truth remains), ‘Dwapara Yuga’ (here only half of the truth survives) and ‘Kali Yuga’ (in which all truth is annihilated).

The period or the Yuga in which we live now is ‘Kali Yuga’, which is also called the Dark Age because the ‘Satvic’ quality is dominated by ‘Tamasic’ and ‘Rajasic’ qualities, resulting in human conflict, misery and suffering around the world. This is the reason why the practice of Yoga is most acutely necessary in today's world.

The vast body of Yogic literature offers myriad ways in which Yoga can be practiced. Among these, Siddha Yoga, the path, which has been made effective by a Siddha Guru, an empowered spiritual master, is considered the quickest and safest highway to liberation. This is because the seeker’s progress is inspired, monitored and controlled by a Guru who himself has travelled the path successfully and is therefore eminently qualified to guide his disciple.

Under Siddha Yoga, a Guru initiates a seeker into the spiritual path as a disciple by awakening his Kundalini. This is done through a process called ‘Shaktipat’ (transmission of cosmic energy from guru to a spiritual seeker) in a ‘Diksha’ or initiation ceremony. During initiation, the Guru gives the seeker a divine mantra, which the practitioner is required to repeat silently (without moving his tongue just as one doesn't have to move the tongue while reading) all the time while carrying on his routine chores. The Mantra acts as a trigger that prods the sleeping Kundalini awake and then sends it surging upwards. The silent repetition of mantra is called Naam Jap. After a certain period of relentless chanting of mantra, the disciple doesn’t have to make an effort to chant; the chanting begins to happen on its own whether he is awake or sleeping. This state is known as ‘Ajapa Jap’. The Kundalini awakening, which eventually leads to realization of one's true self, is therefore also likened to one lamp lighting the other.

When chanting of mantra is accompanied by regular meditation on Guru’s image, preferably for 15 minutes each, early in the morning and evening, it slowly unleashes a wave of Ananda (bliss), which is so soothing that the disciple feels he is on a high, and doesn't want to come out of it. Indian saints have described this state of Ananda as intoxication without drugs. The Ananda brought on by the mantra and meditation is incomparable to the calming effect of any addictive drug because it (Ananda) doesn’t depend on any external inducement and lasts forever. This is the reason why a disciple initiated into Siddha Yoga by a Siddha guru is freed from drug-addiction completely and irrevocably.