cakrāṇi vaktum upakramate 1

The account of the cakras in the Saṃgītaratnākara of Śārṅgadeva Edited by Pandit S. Subrahmanya Sastri, revised by Smt. S. Sarada, Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, second edition 1992. This is a dateable, significant passage for the history of the evolution of the system of seven cakras. Makoto Kitada has been working on this material for a while (and will hopefully continue), see: ‘Embryology, Ascetism and Music: Yājñavalkyasmṛti and Saṅgītaratnākara,’ in Traditional South Asian Medine, 7 (2003), Das, Rahul Peter (ed.). Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden pp. 111–113.

1. ādhāra

Between the anus and genitals is the ādhāracakra. It has four petals. In these four petals, arranged in the intermediate points of the compass, are located four blisses (ānanda): [1] “supreme bliss” in the north-east, [2] “innate bliss” in the south-east, [3] “hero bliss” in the south-west, [4] “union bliss” in the north-west. Kuṇḍalinī resides in this lotus structure. When she is raised to the cranial aperture she bestows liberation.

SaṃRa_2.120ab: gudaliṅgāntare cakram & ādhārākhyaṃ caturdalam /
SaṃRa_2.120cd: paramaḥ sahajas tadvad & ānando vīrapūrvakaḥ //
SaṃRa_2.121ab: yogānandaś ca tatra syād & aiśānādidale phalam /
SaṃRa_2.121cd: asti kuṇḍalinī brahma&śaktir ādhārapaṅkaje //
SaṃRa_2.122ab: ā brahmarandhram ṛjutāṃ & nīteyam amṛtapradā /

Kallinātha: gudaliṅgāntara iti / guḍaliṅgayor madhye sthitasyādhāracakrasyaiśānādidalacatuṣṭaye janmakāle jīvasthityā paramānandādayaḥ phalāni / ādhārapaṅkaje tasminn evādhāracakre / kuṇḍalinīty anvarthatayā sarparūpiṇī brahmaśaktiḥ, brahmaṇo 'saṅgodāsīnasya paramātmanaḥ kartṛtvādyupahitākārakāriṇy avidyāśaktiḥ / saiva mūrtimayī kuṭilākāratayā kuṇḍalinīty ucyate / ā brahmarandhraṃ, brahmarandhraṃ nāma suṣumnāyā agraṃ śirasi sahasradalacakramadhyagaṃ, tatparyantam / ṛjutāṃ nīteti / gurūpadiṣṭaprakāreṇa yamaniyamādikrameṇa vāyor iḍāpiṅgalayoḥ saṃcāraṃ nirudhya tena vāyunā savaninā brahmagranthau suṣumnāmūlarandhragranthīnāṃ kuṇḍalinīphaṇam apasārya tatra praveśitena tena brahmaviṣṇurudragranthīnāṃ kramād bhede sati kuṇḍalinī svārjavād brahmarandhravinirgatena svavālāgreṇa sudhādhāraṃ sahasradalacakraṃ vibhidya tato 'mṛtaṃ drāvayatīti tathoktā //

Siṃhabhūpāla: evam aṅgapratyaṅgāny uktvā cakrāṇi vaktum upakramate—gudaliṅgāntara iti / guḍaliṅgayor antare madhya ādhārasaṃjñakaṃ cakraṃ caturdalaṃ padmākāram āste / tasya catūrṇāṃ dalānāṃ phalaṃ kathayati—parama iti / aiśānadale paramānanda āgneyadale sahajānandaḥ, nairṛtadale vīrānandaḥ, vāyavyadale yogānandaḥ / tataś cādhārakamalasya vidiksthitāny eva catvāri dalānīti labhyate / astīti / kuṇḍalinīsaṃjñikā brahmaśaktiḥ, brahmaprāptikāraṇatvāt, ādhārapaṅkaje vidyate / seyam ābrahmarandhraṃ brahmarandhraparyantam ṛjutāṃ nītā satī amṛtapradā mokṣapradā //

2. svādhiṣṭhāna

At the “root” (base) of the genitals is located the six-petalled svādhiṣṭhānacakra (Kallinātha adds that it is six finger-breadths above the ādhāracakra). In its petals, beginning with the east (subjectively the front) are found: [1] modesty, [2] cruelty, [3] destruction of pride, [4] stupefaction, [5] disrespect [6] suspicion. [As Siṃhabhūpāla explains, this means that when the soul rests in these respective petals it takes on these respective states (tatrāvasthita ātmā praśrayavān bhavatītyarthaḥ)]. This cakra is the abode of the power of infatuation.

SaṃRa_2.122cd: svādhiṣṭhānaṃ liṅgamūle & ṣaṭpatraṃ cakram asya ca //
SaṃRa_2.123ab: pūrvādiṣu daleṣv āhuḥ & phalāny etāny anukramāt /
SaṃRa_2.123cd: praśrayaḥ krūratā garva&nāśo mūrcchā tataḥ param //
SaṃRa_2.124ab: avajñā syād aviśvāsaḥ & kāmaśakter idaṃ gṛham /

Kallinātha: svādhiṣṭhānam iti / ādhāracakrād ūrdhvaṃ liṅgamūle svādhiṣṭhānākhyaṃ ṣaḍaṅgulaṃ dvitīyaṃ cakram / tasya pūrvādidaleṣu kramāt praśrayādīni phalāny āha—asya ceti / avajñā syād iti / dharmaparo 'yaṃ nirdeśaḥ //

Siṃhabhūpāla: svādhiṣṭhānasaṃjñitaṃ cakraṃ kathayati—svādhiṣṭhānam iti / ṣaṭpatraṃ ṣaḍdalaṃ kamalākāram / etasya ṣaṇṇāṃ dalānāṃ phalāni kathayati—asya ceti / praśrayo vinayaḥ pūrvadigavasthitasya dalasya phalam / tatrāvasthita ātmā praśrayavān bhavatītyarthaḥ / krūratā duṣṭakarmābhiniveśaḥ / garva ātmotkarṣabhāvanam, tasya nāśaḥ / mūrcchā mohādhikyam / avajñāvagaṇānā / aviśvāsaḥ sarvatra saśaṅkatvam anāśvāso vā / idaṃ svādhiṣṭhānacakraṃ kāmotpattikāyāḥ śakter gṛham āśrayaḥ //