kundalini.htm

Kundalini

The Energy of the Depths

A Comprehensive Study Based on the Scriptures
of Nondualistic Kasmir Saivism

LILIAN SILBURN

Honorary Research Director

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Translated by
Jacques Gontier

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

CONTENTS

FOREWORD....................... xiii

INTRODUCTION

KUNDALINI YOGA

RHYTHM AND VIBRATION

The Dance of Siva............................................. 5

Rhythm........................................................ 7

Stirring and Churning of the Energy............................. 7

Return to the Heart............................................ 9

PART ONE

AWAKENING AND UNFOLDING
OF KUNDALINI

Serpent of the Depths.......................................... 15

Chapter 1
Siva's Triple Emission and the Three Aspects of Kundalinl....... 19

Supreme Emission............................................. 21

Intermediate Emission.......................................... 21

Lower Emission................................................ 23

Para or Purnakundalini........................................ 24

Chapter 2
The "Coiled" Kundalini Within the Human Body................ 25

Centers (Cakra) and Nadi...................................... 25

Median Way, Wheels and Triangles.............................. 31

Illustrations.................................................... 34

CONTENTS

Chapter 3

Various Means of Unfolding the Median Way..................... 37

Destruction of Dualizing Thought (vikalpaksaya)............... 38

Means Associated with the Breath (prana)...................... 38

The Syllable OM and the Synchronization of the Breaths......... 46

Contemplation of the Intial and Final Extremities

(kotinibhalana)................................................ 49

Retraction and Expansion of the Energy......................... 50

Chapter 4

The Parabija SAUH and the Rod Practice........................ 55

Visarga, Unmana, and Kramamudra............................ 59

Chapter 5

Movements of Kundalini Related to a Yogin's Practice............ 63

Supreme Kundalini and the Kundalini of Consciousness......... 63

Pranakundalini................................................ 64

Adhahkundalim, Descending Energy............................ 65

Urdhvakundalini, Ascending Energy............................ 65

Slow and Gradual Way......................................... 66

Incomplete or Defective Ways................................... 68

Chapter 6

Various Reactions Occurring in a Yogin......................... 71

The Five Phases of Vibration or the Signs on the Path........... 71

Sixfold Upsurge of the Breath and Corresponding Forms of Bliss 75

Text in Transliterated Sanskrit.................................. 79

Chapter 7

Cosmic Kundalini or the Intimate Sacrifice....................... 81

PART TWO
PIERCING OF THE CENTERS AND STAGES OF THE ASCENT

Chapter 1

Vedhadiksa, Initiation Through Penetration...................... 87

The Plenary Oblation........................................... 88

Penetration of the Guru into the Disciple's Breaths............... 89

Initiations by Piercing of the Centers............................ 91

Mantravedha, Piercing of the Centers by Means of Mantra........ 93

Nadavedha, Piercing Through Mystic Resonance................ 94

Binduvedha, Piercing Through Virile Potency.................... 95

Saktavedha, the so-called Energy Piercing....................... 96

Bhujangavedha, the so-called Serpent Piercing.................. 97

Paraoedha, Supreme Piercing................................... 98

CONTENTS

Outer Initiations ...............................................

Abhiseka, Consecration........................................

Text in Transliterated Sanskrit...................................

Chapter 2
Somananda's Saktavijnana.....................................

Translation....................................................

Analysis.......................................................

Sanskrit Text in Devanagari.....................................

Chapter 3
Goraksanatha's Amaraughasasana..............................

The Natha.....................................................

Excerpts from the Text.........................................

Analysis.......................................................

Illustration.....................................................

PART THREE
THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE ESOTERIC PRACTICE

Chapter 1
The Androgyne ..........................................

Kundalini and Sexual Life......................................

Effervescence and Fervor.......................................

Chapter 2

Transfiguration of the Body and of the Universe...................

Translation and Gloss of an Excerpt from the Yogasamcara......

Chapter 3
The Mantra SAUH and KHA....................................

SAUH, the Mantra of Emanation................................

KHA, the Mantra of Resorption.................................

Chapter 4

Kulamarga, the Esoteric Way...................................

Qualifications Required for Kulaydga............................

Effects of the Carydkrama Practice.............................

Uncertainty and Fluctuation................................

Esoteric Gatherings, Yoginimelaka..............................

Quiescence and Emergence....................................

Caryakrama and Kramamudra.................................

Madhyacakra and Anucakra ....................................

yoginibhu .....................................................

Respective Roles, of Man and Woman...........................

99
100
102

105

105
111
117

121

121
124
129
133

137

138
139

143

151

151
153

157
157
160
163
165
168
170
172
174
175

XII

CONTENTS

Chapter 5

Kulayaga, Esoteric Sacrifice
Excerpts with Commentary from the Tantraloka, Chapter XXIX

Definition...................................................

Main Wheel and Secondary Wheels..........................

Description of Madhyacakra or Urdhvadhaman...............

Santodita. Quiescent and Emergent..........................

The Triple Visarga: Quiescence, Emergence, and Kaula.......

Union or Fusion.............................................

Mantravirya Peculiar to Duani, Sound Vibration...............

The Supreme Mystical Attitude. Khecarimudra.................

Definition of Omnipenetration (Mantravyapti)..................

Rahasyopanisad Krama, the Secret Process...................

Table: Eightfold Wheel and the Eight Bhairava.................

CONCLUSION................................................

INDEX.......................................................

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND WORKS................

177

177
182
186
187
193
195
197
198
202
203
205

207
215
221

FOREWORD

Kundalini, the upright axis at the innermost center of a per-
son and of the universe, is the very source of man's might, draw-
ing and unfolding all his energies. However, rather than dwelling
on the extraordinary powers acquired through her medium, the
followers of the Trika, Krama, and Kaula systems lay stress on the
peace and the living harmony she bestows.

Still, this mysterious energy aroused by Kundalini yoga man-
ifests with a violence beyond belief and cannot be manipulated
without incurring certain risks.1 Therefore, to probe into her se-
crets, one must seek the help of a master belonging to a special
lineage and endowed with unfailing knowledge.

It cannot be overemphasized that without such a guide, or
by following a powerless and ignorant teacher, the arousal of
Kundalini will have disastrous results. Very often, the serious
troubles observed in some Christian mystics attributed to hysteria
have no other cause than a defective ascent of Kundalini. Should
her course be diverted, such ailments as paralysis might vanish as
suddenly as they had appeared, but these could well be replaced
by others, such as blindness. When this is the case, one can bet-
ter understand why the Saiva masters have been so careful in this
matter and have kept all these practices shrouded in mystery.

Thus there are no treatises that would offer a systematic and
clear account of the practices known as esoteric (rahasya)—just

I. Sonic deviations of Kundalini are even termed "demoniac," as they
lead in depression and insanity (cf here p 95).

XIV

FOREWORD

hints and glimpses scattered in different works, like haystacks in a
field. All has been said, and yet only an initiated master having a
comprehensive view is able to penetrate the mystery and work ac-
cordingly upon the KundalinIienergy of a true and devoted disci-
ple. In this way, the tradition is kept alive, while its access is
denied to the layman.

I did not conform myself to this custom since I have col-
lected many of the works or sections from them dealing with
Kundalini and tried to bring out their deeper meaning. Neverthe-
less, 1 have left enough points unclarified so as not to incur the
wrath of the ancient masters.

But the cryptic nature of our subject is not only the result of a
deliberate will of secrecy. It is not possible to understand this
yoga, which covers the whole range of mystical experiences, if
one is not acquainted with the general Trika metaphysics dealing
with the breaths, the word and its phonemes, the syllable OM, the
mantra SAUH and various practices connected with it.

This obscurity, in fact, is derived from the very nature of the
Kundalini energy. Although she may be experienced with great in-
tensity and bring about remarkable effects, Kundalini cannot be
grasped nor described by the intellect. Whole volumes on the
subject fail to convey the slightest idea of what she really is; and
yet, to those who experience her, she is as simple as Life. Better
still, she is the very source of all life. But how to define life?

Although this publication brings together the Saiva texts
about Kundalini, by no means does it disclose all her secrets; she
remains as mysterious as ever. It may not be out of place to state
clearly, in view of the recent growing interest aroused by the
Kundalini process, that no writings, no recipes can grant the
verticality that is the sign and the fruit of an intense inner life,
through which the released and fully-controlled energy becomes
universalized.

Many of the ever-increasing accounts and studies on this
topic do not relate to the reality of experience; they describe phe-
nomena which, in most cases, are the products of psychic troub-
les, mental fantasies or of an overstrain resulting from long peri-
ods of concentration. There is a widespread but false belief that
Kundalini can be awakened through concentration on the space
between the eyebrows, on the tip of the nose or on the crown of
the head.

It is true that, in a few exceptional cases, a spontaneous in-
ner experience or a sustained practice may produce some man-

ifestations or symptoms somewhat similar to the desired experi-
ence; but at best they are only preliminary signs related to the
"lower" Kundalini: the breath goes from the back of the throat
down to the center located at the base of the spine. In fact, the
true Kundalini is an upward flow of energy passing through the
centers—therefore she is called "raised" Kundalini. This ascent is
a most uncommon achievement, even for the yogins who devote
their life to it.

To lead Kundalini upward successfully is not an easy task:
one should not engage in such a practice without the guidance of
an enlightened master and without having had access to a state of
absorption. For, while a profound mystical life does not require
for its development the knowledge or the practice of the ascent of
Kundalini, this practice cannot reach its complete fulfilment with-
out a genuine mystical life. The spontaneous awakening and ris-
ing of Kundalini becomes possible by maintaining an underlying
state of recollection which has nothing to do with concentration:
one should not concentrate mentally but be naturally "centered"
in the heart. Trying to make Kundalini ascend with the help of
thought would be a paradox indeed, for it happens that this awak-
ening occurs when mental activity has vanished. When the yogin
has withdrawn into the state of dhyana, Kundalini can rise up to
the throat; but if he wants to take her into the head, he must have
the ability to remain in a deep and continuous state of absorp-
tion.2

For the present work, I have collected excerpts about
Kundalini which are in line with the teachings of the Kaula, Trika
and Krama nondualistic schools in order to offer a coherent sur-
vey. This study consists of translations and explanatory commen-
taries; it draws mainly from the fundamental work of Abhinava-
gupta, the Tantraloka, "Light on the Tantra", and from Jayaratha's
gloss on the same. This is a selection which deals with the
highest inner initiations of a mystical nature. Other agama have
also been mentioned, such as the Vijnanabhairava, the Para-
trimsika, the Malinivijaya, all of them dear to the Kasmirians, and
dating back probably to the fourth to sixth centuries, as well as
the commentaries of Ksemaraja, a disciple of Abhinavagupta who
lived at the beginning of the eleventh century, and even verses
from the poetess Lalla, composed about the fourteenth
century.

2. Samadhi or Samavesa.

XVI

FOREWORD

It should be noted that this selection differs from the de-
scriptions of Hathayoga as well as from those numerous Saiva,
Buddhist or Vaisnava tantra that are more widely published and
better known.

Part one is devoted to the nature and the various manifesta-
tions of Kundalini, her physiology, the conditions for her awaken-
ing, rising and unfolding as experienced by the yogin, up to her
ultimate cosmic expansion. This part includes excerpts translated
from chapters 4 and 5 of the Tantraloka.

Excerpts from a few pages of the Tantraloka appear at the
beginning of the second part, describing initiations known as
vedhadlksa, through which the Guru, with the help of his own
Kundalini, enters the disciple's body in order to pierce its centers
and allow him to experience some of the effects of the ascent of
Kundalini. A translation and an analysis of two additional texts
follow:

The Saktavijnana, which is a short treatise attributed to one
Somananda, not to be confused in our opinion with the great
Somananda, master of Utpaladeva and author of the Sivadrsti.
This work, exclusively devoted to the different stages of Kunda-
linT's ascent, provides a wealth of details nowhere else to be
found.

The Amaraughasasana of Goraksanatha, though only mar-
ginally related to the Kaula and Trika schools, stands midway be-
tween those ancient schools and Hathayoga.

Part three, giving the translation of the essentials of chapter
XXIX of the Tantraloka, elucidates the true meaning of the eso-
teric path and its primordial sacrifice (adiydga), the ku/ayaga,
wherein caryakrama is a practice associated with the rising of
Kundalini.

I wish I could have dedicated this book to Swami Lakshman
Brahmacarin, from whom I received constant support while I was
exploring the texts, but since I did not get much encouragement
on his part for the publication of this work—to him a rather daring
undertaking—I dedicate it to the abyssal serpent, that for thou-
sands of years has been impatiently waiting for a sign of
recognition.

INTRODUCTION

KUNDALINI YOGA
Rhythm and Vibration

The awakening of Kundalini is, somehow, the awakening of
the latent cosmic energy lying in every human being, for such an
energy is the origin of all his powers, all his strength, all the forms
of life he may assume.

The yoga related to Kundalini is not a casual practice; it is
responsible for the awakening, the control and the unfolding of
this fundamental energy. And as such, it is part of a complete sys-
tem of energy whose whole range of manifestations is, in a con-
crete and living manner, covered by Kundalini under various
names.

As a conscious energy, Kundalini is at the source of the two
currents that govern life: prana, vital energy, and virya, virile po-
tency, in the broad sense of the word. The former term denotes
essentially the expanding aspect of energy, the latter its adaman-
tine intensity. They are the two manifestations of the inmost vital-
ity (ojas), from which they emerge until they blend into one en-
ergy of unique flavor (samarasya)—the bliss born from the
merging of instinctual life with the inner mystical life. Thus virya,
effective power, includes all forms of efficience and inspires every
kind of fervor, whether of lovers, of artists or of the mystic.

This Kundalini yoga, therefore, is the ultimate achievement
on the path of energy, a higher path, complete in itself, advocated

INTRODUCTION

by the Kula system; but since it involves the body, it is also related
to the lower path, known as the individual path.1

Since tantric practices aim at awakening and controlling
Kundalini, it is not possible to grasp the true meaning of Tantrism
without a real knowledge of Kundalini.

The Dance of Siva

"When Thou beginnest to stir, Thou

unfoldest the entire universe'' exclaims

Utpaladeva, in praise of the dance of Siva.

(Sivastotravali XIII. 15)

1. In his Tantraloka, Abhinavagupta describes three main paths. He
devotes Chapter 3 to the path of Siva, a divine path dealing essentially with
the effectiveness of the supreme mantra, the I, AHAM, born from the merging
of the phonemes A (Siva), H (energy), and M (individual). Kundalini is
viewed here as the universal, plenary energy (purnakundalini), not yet dis-
tinct from Siva. Chapter 4 deals with energy (sakti), that of discrimination
and mystical intuition, with the ascending Kundalini (urdhuakundalini),
along with the natural causes (love, fervor) likely to promote this ascent (cf.
here Part three ch. 2-3). Chapter 5 expounds the path of the individual where
the means is activity; it describes in minute detail the various aspects of a
yogin's experience related to the breath energy (pranakundalini), here Part 1,
ch. 2 to 6.

Siva, the sole essence of all that exists, is also the Lord of
dance (nataraja). With one of his many hands, he holds the
drum, the sound vibrations of which give rise to the universe as
they generate time and space; with another hand, he brandishes
the fire of resorption.' The movement of the dance conceals his
essence, as it whirls about him the flames of the manifestation,
while the fire of resorption, sweeping away everything, reveals it.
Standing still at the center of this twofold activity, as the seat of all
power, he unfolds, with impassibility, the fiercest energies, the
most antagonistic movements: emanation and resorption, con-
cealment and grace, retraction and expansion.

His energy, the great Kali, with whom he forms an indivisible
whole, propagates to the entire universe the rhythm of this cosmic
dance. Such is the essence of the Kundalini energy, the source of
all rhythms in life; what it generates is nothing but rhythm, and no
level escapes it. It is in the perspective of this divine pulsation—of

1. This fire consumes the I, for this free and spontaneous mystical
dance takes place in the human heart, which it fills with bliss. Many Indian
sculptures show Nataraja dancing on a lotus pedestal, while the demon of
forgetfulness, lying prostrate at his feet, gazes at him. Surrounded by a circle
of flames—a symbol of his all-pervading glory—the Lord of dancers, spin-
ning around, carries along in his whirl the entire universe. The immobility of
the vertical axis around which (he movement is performed stands in contrast
to the intensity of the gestures of the divine dancer. May we not recognize the
controlled Kundalini in the still and horizontal Serpent King that, in some
Sculptures, Siva is holding above his head?

6 INTRODUCTION

which it is a privileged expression and which it reproduces at ev-
ery stage—that this energy should be considered, in order to un-
derstand the role it plays within humans and in the universe.

Abhinavagupta states: "Siva, conscious, free, and of trans-
parent essence, is always vibrating, and this supreme energy
reaches to the tip of the sense organs;2 then he is nothing but bliss
and like him the entire universe vibrates. In truth, I do not see
where transmigration, a mere echo, could find a place."3

So the Kundalini energy is nothing but vibration—the vibrant
undulation of emanation, the more and more subtle vibration of
resorption—a high-frequency vibration.

Nowadays physicists are bringing to light the importance of
vibration and its fundamental role as the unifying principle; our
purpose is not, however, to explain the texts in the light of mod-
ern physics. Before the ninth century of the present era, the tradi-
tions in Kashmir make mention of the vibration; they know about
its power, its various forms, and seek to make its existence recog-
nized through accurate and concrete descriptions. They speak of
tremor (calatta), of the quivering of a fist when suddenly opened,
of the first undulation on the surface of still water, of a tingle
(pipilika). There is such a wealth of terms referring to vibration
that all their subtle shades of meaning cannot be translated.

From the root "spand-," to vibrate, stem the substantives
spanda, spandana, which are generic terms, parispanda, intense
and full subtle vibration, and also nihspanda, referring to the sum
total of vibrations within a given object, while sphuratta refers to
luminous vibrations, the flashing forth of consciousness, and
nada, dhvani, to the vibrant resonances.

All these forms of vibrations on different frequencies are the
manifestations of the Kundalini energy in its cosmic and individ-
ual form as well. For when it is awakened, it manifests in the body
in the aspect of powerful vibrations.

In a general sense, vibration corresponds to ardor and en-
thusiasm in all the manifestations of life: one speaks of a vibrant
heart "sahrdaya," whereas a lack of vibration leads to inertia as
well as doubt, which depletes the energy and makes one both
inefficient and dissipated.

2. Here cf. p. 152, 184 the tapered end of the sacrificial ladle out of
which flows the oblation to the fire, a nectar produced by the divinized or-
gans.

3. Quoted in M.M. si 8 Sk, p. 196 transl. p. 90.

THE DANCE OF SIVA 7

Rhythm

The dance of Siva4 suggests the primordial rhythm of the di-
vine Heart whose pulsation initiates each and every motion in the
universe.

The Paratrimsika defines the heart as the Essence of the
Self, of Bhairava, and of the supreme Goddess, who is identical
with him. In the center of the Heart is an etheric void, free from
duality, called vyoman or kha. It is identical to the initial vibra-
tion, spanda. According to Abhinavagupta, this eternal, peerless
heart is the still and vibrant center of Consciousness, a universal
receptacle wherein all the universes are born and withdrawn. He
states further: "From kha surges forth the nondual state of bliss
where one attains the vibration (spanda), and to attain the
spanda is to attain efficience." The Heart of Bhairava being undif-
ferentiated awareness and all-pervasive, subtle vibration (pari-
spanda) at the source of the ceaseless contraction and expansion
of the three principal divine energies—a realm of peacefulness
and supreme bliss-, heart, vibration, soaring, fervor and wave are
all synonymous, for the vibration dwells in Consciousness like a
wave in the ocean, and without the wave of awareness there
would be nothing but a crystal-like immobility, and not an ocean
of Consciousness.

Similarly, the still and ever-pure mystical heart, whose pulsa-
tion energizes all that is living, is also the resting place of Light
and of still-undifferentiated Self-awareness.

Stirring and Churning of the Energy
(ksobha and manthana)

The creative emission (visarga) takes place when the God-
dess energy, overflowing with supreme bliss, is churned by Bhai-
rava. This churning appears as the gross aspect of vibration, as
soon as Siva differentiates himself from his energy in order to con-
template her. This is a twofold movement: a separation of Siva
and sakti at the time of emission, and a return into unity at the
time of withdrawal.

4. The dance of Siva illustrates the fundamental conception of Sai-
vism, Siva being conscious light (prakasa) and self-awareness (vimarsa) as
the vibration of the divine Energy, Cf. M.M., Intro, p. 23-31.

INTRODUCTION

THE DANCE OF SIVA

As this churning produces an effervescence or an agitation
of the energy, the universe gradually emerges. The one Con-
sciousness spreads in a rhythm similar to waves unfolding one
from another.

Since all the aspects of the real are in fact nothing but
rhythms of the divine energy and its all-pervading vibration, the
Trika and Kaula systems do not oppose matter and spirit, body
and soul, microcosm and macrocosm, but recognize one original
rhythm propagating freely from level to level.

In his Pratyabhijnahrdaya (sutra 12-13), Ksemaraja draws a
grand epic picture of waves upon waves of energies cascading
through dynamic spaces according to a fivefold process. Starting
from the spatial infinity (1), they pass through the space of the
heart—the center of irradiation (2), and then through the subtle
space of the luminous firmament (3), through the various spatial
directions (4) reaching finally the earth space (5). It is described
as follows:

Citi, the divine energy, called vamesvari because she 'emits'
the universe, . . . reveals herself to the very edge of the emanation
in the form of the bound subject (pasu). When starting to veil the
Self, her highest Reality, the cidgaganacari energy 'who was mov-
ing in the infinite space of Consciousness' takes the form of the
slightly-limited knower; therefore she is named khecari, 'who
moves in kha,' the void within the heart. Then, concealing her es-
sence of undifferentiated certitude, she appears as gocari, 'who
moves in the rays [of cognition] : the inner organ, intelligence, etc.
which, as a result of a certitude of differentiation, identify the Self
with differentiated objects.

When she further conceals her real nature, this energy, who
consisted of the ascertainment of nondifference, becomes
dikcari, 'who moves in the spatial directions,' the exteriorized
sense organs fit to perceive the differentiated. Finally, completely
clouding her undifferentiated nature and appearing as bhucari,
'the one moving upon the earth,' she takes the form of the differ-
entiated objective existence.

In this way, concealing her essence of universal Self, she de-
ludes the heart of the pasu, the subject bound by his own ener-
gies; however, by turning inward, these same energies expand his
heart and gradually reduce the alternatives—the source of dual-
ity—while unveiling the noble realm of undifferentiation (avi-
kalpa), which gives access to the wonderful bhairavimudra5'.

5. Cf. here p. 210 and seq.

Then, devouring the totality of the differentiation, the one
moving in kha appears as a conscious and all-powerful universal
agent; the one moving in the sun-rays becomes established in
nondifference, the one moving in the spatial directions is immedi-
ate contemplation of nondifference, and finally the one moving
upon the earth manifests the objective universe as a nectar
spreading out undifferentiatedly as her own limbs (svanga). Even
with a body and breaths, one reaches the state of Lord (pati), the
agent of the fivefold activity: emanation, maintenance and with-
drawal of the universe, concealment, and grace.

Return to the Heart

Thus the yogin who, through the stirring of the energy,
dwells steadfastly at the junction of the twofold movement of ema-
nation and resorption, is returned to the primordial oneness, the
vibration of the universal heart.

In churning the energy6 on every level, starting from the
lowest one, Siva takes back the divided energy, turning it inward
by a series of withdrawals to the initial vibration of the peaceful
Center. When all the rhythms have merged into the great rhythm
of Consciousness united with Energy, the identity of Siva and En-
ergy is realized.

The awakening and the ascension of the most vibrant
Kundalini is therefore a gradual process of reintegration of the
various levels, withdrawing into one another somewhat like rods
sliding one within another or Russian dolls, one fitting into the
other.7 At every stage of the withdrawal, everything is reduced to a

p. 11.

6. Cf. churning of energy by Siva or of Kundalini by the bindu, here

7. Samputikarana. As to the encasing or the coincidence of the
rhythms pertaining to the vibration or the resonance of the energies, there is
no better example than the mantra AHAM. Within it the fifty phonemes of the
emanation and the corresponding twenty-five levels of reality—from the first
stage ( A) to the last one (HA), namely Siva and the manifested energy—finally
join at one single point, the bindu, to produce AHAM, the universal I. There
are other mantra laying the emphasis on the withdrawal, such as the sound
energies of OM (cf. here p. 49) or the reascending from bindu to bindu (here
p. 32), or else the cosmic Kundalini (p. 81). Some aspects of this coincidence
arc related to the rhythms of emanation and withdrawal, cf. here p. 21, cf. also
the live energies spreading by stages from vamesvari to bhucari, here p. 8.
finally Hie twelve energies called kali fit one into the other in twelve successive
stages, the highest one containing all the others in non difference. Cf. Hymnes
aux Kali, p. 80-82.

INTRODUCTION

point (bindu), from which radiate ever greater realities as Kunda-
lini rises from center to center through the median channel (su-
sumna). The Paratrimsika sings of it in a beautiful passage (pp.
270-71): "The Heart within which everything shines gloriously and
which is shining everywhere, is the one flashing light, the su-
preme Heart. . . . O awakened ones, adore this Heart—the univer-
sal emission—vibrating within the heart of the susumna in the
great bliss of union". The union of Siva and Sakti, of Rudra and
the yogini [on the human plane], this is "yamala," the source of
all our power.

Attuning all the discordant rhythms of the bound subject,
Kundalini finds anew the primordial rhythm of the spanda and
thus attains the whole, still-undifferentiated power that confers to
each of those rhythms its respective efficience, for efficience,
whatever its specification, is no other than virya, a balance be-
tween two opposite movements.

Hence, the practice of Kundalini consists in discovering the
junction point between two extremes and in becoming firmly es-
tablished there, at the very heart of the pulsation, a swift and sub-
tle move from one side to the other of a poised position without
which there can be no vibration.

We shall see. that, for the pranic energy, perfect equilibrium
between the inspiring and expiring breaths is achieved through
the "equinox"8 practice—and that the poised state of virya, which
draws its potency from the vibration, lies at the junction between
pure and impure, or also between excitation and relaxation of the
sexual rhythm in the heroic being (vira).9

Thus, behind all the rhythms of life is one and the same vi-
bration pervading the body and the universe, one and the same
power reverberating upon every level, from the highest mystical
power experienced in the form of spanda to ordinary virility.

The experience of Kundalini is a turning inward and an
attunement of all the energies in order to recapture the primordial
rhythm; it makes one aware that the passage from duality to unity,
from one rhythm to another, is realized through the growing fire of
effervescence caught in its first stirring, but without a break and
always according to the same process of emission and with-
drawal.

8. Visuvat and hamsa, cf. here p. 89.

9. Cf. here p. 157 and seq.

THE DANCE OF SIVA

Our study, then, observes the same scheme, recurring again
and again like a leitmotiv on every level of life; while it lends a
certain monotony to the exposition, it emphasizes the universal
significance of this process based on vibration.

At every stage, the balance of the two opposite movements
of a rhythm harmonizes the corresponding energy which be-
comes one and vibrant. The churned energy, beginning to trem-
ble, rises back to the place of its stirring, the peaceful center from
which appear the various aspects of a unifying friction, and simi-
larly Siva and Sakti, whose bond is indissoluble, part from each
other so as to unite once more and to become one: the heart
bindu.

Two extreme points (the points of the visarga) express this
twin movement of separation and return, whereas the bindu rep-
resents the single point from which they emerge and into which
they return—the place of unity and power, the place of adaman-
tine intensity, that of Consciousness.

As early as the Rg Veda, it is from the rubbing of two wooden
sticks, the arani, that the sacrificial fire springs forth. Later, with
the Saivagama, the great sacrifice is the offering of the Self, an ob-
lation poured into the fire of the supreme conscious Subject,
which consumes all limitations.

Serpent of the Depths

As such a name implies, the "curled one" with a sinuous
body, when lying coiled and dormant in the body, may be com-
pared to a snake. Just as the snake, an object of dread because of
its poison, stands as a symbol of all evil forces, as long as she lies
motionless within us, Kundalini is related to our obscure, uncon-
scious energies, both poisoned and poisonous. However, once
they are awakened and under control, these same energies be-
come effective and confer a true power.

Kundalini resembles a snake also in the way that she emits
her venom. When it wants to bite, the serpent swings around,
forming a circle with its tail for a support. Once it stands erect it is
no longer dangerous at all. In the same way, as soon as Kundalini
uncoils and rises—straight like a staff—to the top of the head, not
only does she become harmless, but as the evil nature of her
power is transformed, she proves to be a priceless treasure.

When all the effects of the poison have been eliminated,
glory and power begin to permeate the whole body, as expressed
by the term visa, with its double meaning: pervasive "poison"
bringing about death, and also "all-pervasiveness,"1 that of the
nectar of immortality (amrta).

How can the poison of mundane energies be made to serve
higher aims? Two solutions are offered: either to digest the poison
or to keep the nectar in store under one's control. Is this not the
underlying meaning of the myth of Siva who, out of mercy, drinks
the poison extracted from the ocean of milk—the wealth of which
he gave out to the gods—and keeps it in his throat which has

1.cf. here p. 52.

SERPENT OF THE DEPTHS

turned a dark blue. Similarly, the yogin with purified body holds in
store what has been transformed into divine nectar; in order to
pour it forth, he draws from this receptacle of ambrosia which,
like the ocean, never increases nor decreases.

Thus Kundalini appears as a reservoir of energy, either when
remaining concealed in the human body or when, regaining her
conscious essence, she vitalizes the tendencies and directs them
toward the universal. In this way she becomes a basis for the man-
ifold techniques of yoga and for the highest mystical experiences.

But as a serpent and guardian of the greatest of all trea-
sures—immortality—Kundalini calls to mind the ancient serpent
of the depths, Ahirbudhnya,2 celebrated in the Vedas. This serpent
is invoked for obtaining food and vigor, at the same time as the
earth, the heaven, the ocean, and the promoters of the cosmic
pattern (rta). Its cult is associated with the worship of the most
ancient divinities like Aditi ("loosening personified"), mother of
the aditya, as well as with the worship of the asura, guardians of
the treasures. Among these divinities, the mysterious serpent of
the abyss is very often invoked with Aja-ekapad, the one-footed
Unborn, from whom probably it does not differ.

The depths of its realm are those of the ocean, of the atmos-
phere with its clouds and mists, as well as the depths of the earth
out of which surge the beneficient sources; Ahirbudhnya then en-
circles the universe, enveloping it within itself.

During a vedic ritual the sacrificial seat of the brahmin
priest, endowed with "unfathomable knowledge," is thus ad-
dressed: "Thou art an all-encompassing ocean, thou art the one-
footed unborn, thou art the serpent of the oceanic depths."3

Poets and mystics (kavi and rsi) kept the science related to
these ancient divinities so secret that its key was lost, even at the
time of the Rg Veda. As early as that era, the warlike god, drinker
of soma, Indra, overthrows Asura and Aditya, robs them of the
treasure they were jealously guarding and gives it out to his wor-
shippers. At the same time, the serpent Ahi, guardian of the

2. Budhna, bottom, base and depth; according to the Nirukta, this
term refers also to the body. Budhnya, which dwells at the base or which
comes from the depths—depths of the atmosphere containing the waters,
just as the body (budhna) contains the breaths.

3. Yajur Veda, V.33. Cf. Hymn VI.50.14 of the Rg Veda, with the com-
mentary by the Nirukta, ch. XII.33, cf. also X.44.

SERPENT OF THE DEPTHS

sources, becomes a dragon and is defeated by Indra and his at-
tendants.4

Again may we not discern some allusion to Kundalini in cer-
tain myths of ancient India, where the naga, those mighty divini-
ties in the likeness of cobras, play an important role?

In the epic lore we see Visnu asleep in the midst of the pri-
mal waters, resting on the manifold coils of the cosmic serpent
Adisesa, also named Ananta, the infinite. It is he who encircles
and upholds the earth.

Let us also mention, in probably pre-Aryan India, and espe-
cially in Kashmir, the cult of the prestigious naga, both divine ser-
pents and mystic sages, in possession of an eminent science of
an occult nature, concealing a heavenly ambrosia.

The serpent divinities are also to be found in many Buddhist
legends narrated in the Pali Tripitaka; there one sees the Buddha
subduing dangerous naga, like the one of Uruvilva: both fight dur-
ing a whole night with the blazing fire (tejas) they are emitting as
their sole weapon; the naga, spitting out its flames, is finally over-
come by the fiery splendor of the Buddha. But usually, the naga is
won over by the word of the Awakened One and lends him his
support. Such is the king of the naga, Muchilinda, who is repre-
sented in numerous sculptures standing erect behind the Buddha
protecting his head from the elements by spreading his hood like
a canopy or sunshade.

However, what allows us to mention the mythic serpent in
relation to Kundalini is the adoption of this symbol within the
Saiva system itself. As we shall see, in the highest of the initiations
by piercing, that which is precisely called "of the serpent"
(bhujangavedha) ,5 the energy ascends with lightning speed to the
top of the head and blossoms into bliss in the form of a fivefold-
hooded cobra intensely vibrating with life. Thus outstretched
above the head, he symbolizes the cosmic dvadasanta; all of the
yogin's energies, at this stage, are all-pervading and spread out to
the entire universe.

4. In Hemachandra's Kosa, Ahirbudhnya is the name of Siva himself.

5. Cf. T.A. XXIX 248-251.Cf. here p. 97.

Chapter One

Siva's Triple Emission and the Three Aspects of
Kundalini

In the third chapter of the Tantraloka, Abhinavagupta de-
scribes the phases of the universal emission in relation to the
various aspects of Kundalini.

"The supreme energy of the Deity, the akula, is [the energy]
kauliki, through whom the supreme Consciousness, or kula, ex-
pands.

The Lord is inseparable from her" (67).

Jayaratha glosses: Kula, the supreme Consciousness
Whence arises the diversified universe and whither it withdraws,
is free of Siva and his energy. This is anuttara (A), the ineffable,
pure light and ultimate Reality, giving birth within itself to the es-
sence of the couple Siva-Sakti when, out of its absolute freedom,
it wishes to manifest the universe.

Akula, on the other hand, characterizes Siva as light (pra-
lulsa), transcendent, and unequalled (anuttara).

He becomes emitting through his kauliki energy, namely
"sell awareness (vimarsa)." That supreme subtle energy, Kun-
dalini, joins with Siva in a unifying friction of mutual delight, and

20 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

then rises and assumes the form of the energies of will, knowl-
edge and activity (p. 17).

"The merging, that of the couple (yamala) Siva and Sakti, is
the energy of bliss (anandasakti, A) wherefrom the entire universe
comes into being: a reality beyond the supreme and the nonsu-
preme, it is called Goddess, essence and (glorious) Heart: this is
the emission, the supreme Lord" (68-69).

According to the gloss, the unifying friction is a surging
forth, a vibration, a blissful energy originating the universal flow.
At this stage Siva and the energy appear to be distinct: Siva is tran-
scendent in relation to the universe, while the energy remains im-
manent, without her plenitude being diminished.

So kauliki is a wish to emit, an awareness, forever one with
the supreme conscious Subject. As the effervescence1 incites a
move outward, she starts emitting. Then bliss awakens gradually
as the surging forth of the Self is revealed and extends as far as the
energy of activity.2

The absolute energy, identical with eminent Consciousness
(parasamvit), is also called amakala, the seventeenth energy, su-
preme bliss, self-awareness, and complete freedom. Without her
nothing would exist. Identical with Siva, she manifests as Life and
universal glory.

Abhinavagupta quotes from the Trisirobhairava about this:
"The seventeenth kala has ambrosia (amrta) for her essence and
mode. Spreading through the movement of the point (bindu),
which becomes twofold as a supreme-non-supreme emission,
she constitutes the manifested effulgence of all things.

"When she does not emit, Kundalini assumes the form of
pure, quiescent energy, saktikundalika. Subsequently she be-
comes pranakundalini, vital or breath energy. Even when she has
reached the extreme point of emission, she remains supreme
Kundalini, called supreme Brahman, firmament of Siva and abode
of the Self. The alternate movements of emanation and resorption
are solely the emission of the Lord."3

In quoting from the same Tantra, Jayaratha glosses: the

abode of the Self transcending all the ways is called "energy,

kundali, supreme firmament of Consciousness"; undifferentiated,

unparalleled, it is beyond the scope of the criteria of knowledge.

In this supreme realm, at the peak of the firmament of Conscious-

1. Procchalanti sthiti.

2. Comm. of 51.136-137, p. 138 MO.

3. III. 41.137-141.

THE THREE ASPECTS OF KUNDALINI 21

ness, things or notions never arise. Let this highest peak be re-
garded as the firmament of Siva, the universal receptacle. As that
which grows and makes grow while turned inward, thus appears
the supreme Brahman, qualifying everything but not qualified by
anything.4

Sovereign Consciousness encompasses the movements of
emanation and of resorption of the universe in the aspects of
knower, knowledge and known, all this being nothing but the
Lord's emission.

The Triple Emission (visarga)

The term uisarga refers both to the creative emission (visrj)
and the two points, a mark of the alphabet indicating a slight aspi-
ration at the end of a vowel. Creative emission takes place
through a double movement: the unifying friction of Siva and the
energy. In humans also this same movement takes place, in the
friction of inhaled and exhaled breaths within the median channel
or, as well, in sexual union.

So, visarga is the origin and consummation of the flow of
virile capacity (virya) and of Kundalini's ascent.

Supreme Emission

Abhinavagupta defines the emitting state (vaisargiki sthiti),
which is bliss, as "the projection of the Self into the Self and by
the Self" (141).

According to Jayaratha, this pure emission of the Lord in
which everything proceeds from the Self is a dazzling unfoldment
(parisphurana) that assumes inner and outer aspects.

Intermediate Emission

Simultaneously supreme and nonsupreme, the emission pe-
CUllar to saktilmndalini pertains to the kula energy or saktivi-
sarga. It is Kundalini as consciousness (vimarsakundalini).

The initial movement prior to the actual emission is when

4. Comm. pp. 140-143.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

kulakundalini begins to stir; she is said to be "swollen"5 like a
seed about to germinate. Pure quiescent energy, saktikundalinl',
not turned outward yet, lies dormant and rests within herself in
the form of consciousness samvit). Although free from any
emitting flow, she is characterized as visarjaniya, because a sub-
tle tendency can be traced in her toward the emission of the uni-
verse. It appears as some stirring but still immersed in undivided
plenitude, that of perfect inferiority, the objective energy being ab-
sorbed in and merged with the subjective energy. The single
point, bindu6 or akula Siva, starts fissuring, which gives rise to the
two points of the visarga.

In saktikundalini these two points balance perfectly, but
should they start to become unbalanced, one predominating over
the other, a faint tendency to manifest appears. As soon as one of
the points withdraws, the other one becomes visible. If the energy
makes the universe arise, Siva remains unrevealed and without
equal; if she resorbs the universe, Siva shines forth in all his glory.
Still the immutable Siva is never subject to any alteration.

Because of this double point, saktikundalini is expressed as
the visarga, namely the phoneme H, free from manifestation and
transcribed in the form of two superposed dots representing the
twofold tendency peculiar to this energy:

A, bliss (ananda) and H, the expression of the act of emit-
ting which ends in vital rhythm or breath (prana).

Since saktikundalini participates in the level characterized
as both supreme and non-supreme, she is intermediate between
the two Kundalini described as follows: if her point is turned in-
ward (antarkoti), she merges into Siva and regains her essence as
the seventeenth kala, pure consciousness or supreme Kundalini.
If her point is turned outward and she begins to stir (ksobha), she
becomes, at the lower stage of emission, H, the energy of vital

5. Ucchunanti.

6. Anusvara, nasal resonance indicated by a point above a consonant
symbolizing the condensed energy of speech.

THE THREE ASPECTS OF KUNDALINI

breath, pranakundalini; and, this emission getting more dense,
the breath is called hamsa (swan), a consonant.7

Lower Emission and Pranakundalini

The Kundalini of vital breath precedes the emanation itself,
from which emerge the levels of reality (tattva).

Situated at the dawn of the cosmic unfoldment, she is still
only the first throb of the objective manifestation, a mere tendency
to exteriorize, hence the expression "adikoti"—point turned to-
ward the origin, namely, the manifestation of the universe.

Ksemaraja8 shows how Consciousness transforms itself into
vital energy. Although it is the innermost Reality and the universal
substratum, the supreme Consciousness, concealing its true es-
sence at the stage of illusion {maya), keeps on exteriorizing, and
when it reaches the point (the bindu in H), its movement comes
to an end; then it has unfolded itself into prana, as expressed by
the famous statement: "Initially Consciousness unfolded itself
into vital breath."9

Having made vital energy (pranasakti) its own during a grad-
ual descent, Consciousness rests at the stages of intelligence,
body, etc., following the course of thousands of channels nadi).
Then it assumes the aspect of the central channel10 when, taking
breath energy for support, it descends from the crown of the head
to the lower opening at the base of the spine." It is compared to
the central vein of the leaf of the dhaka or palasa tree, to which
the other ribs connect, for it is from this channel that all functions
spring forth, and also within it that they come to rest. This channel
is empty (sunya) and it is named hamsa, swan or central breath.12
In this way, it not only corresponds to the manifestation of the en-
crgy, but also to its return to the vital, phonic and cosmic source.

7. Cf.III p. 142 and si 142.

8. Cf. P.H. sutra 1, comm.

9. Prak samvit prana parinata. T.A. V1.8 quoting Kallata.

10. Susumna or madhyanadi.

11. From the brahmarandhra to the adhovaktra.

12. Cf. here p. 49, the enunciation of OM as spontaneous and eternal
movement. According to the. S.S.v. 111.27, simply breathing means continuous
repetition of the breath mantra, viz. hamsa.

24 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Para or Purnakundalini

However, in a move toward her origin, Kundalini, after hav-
ing become saktikundalini, then pranakundalini, spontaneously
returns to plenitude though not deprived of the emitting tendency
for, in such plenitude,13 there is nothing but act and movement;
the entire universe, inseparable from Siva, abides in the supreme
energy, parakundalini.

It is to be noted that this return is an enrichment in compari-
son to the point of departure, since Kundalini then encompasses
the whole world. For Siva to reveal himself as Paramasiva, the All,
beyond immanence and transcendence, Kundalini must emerge
from him and return to him.

Thus in the Kula system Kundalini is regarded as the
origin,the substance and the consummation of everything.

13. That of the absolute I (purnahanta) where Siva and Sakti are in-
separably united. Triple visarga: (l)Paravisarga: vaisarglka sthiti, Siva,
akula, bindu, prakasa = saktivimarsa; (2) Paraparavisarga: saktivisarga,
saktikundalini, H, vimarsakundalini. visarjaniya and kulalkundalini; (3)
Aparavisarga: pranakundalini, H, hamsa, vital breath.

Chapter Two

The "Coiled" Kundalini Within the Body

Centers and Nadi

Before describing the important stages of Kundalinl's as-
cent, it is essential to give some account of the "physiology" of
yoga.

Our texts do not elaborate on this matter and we are unwill-
ing to resort to the later treatises of hathayoga, where the term
cakra refers to stations or lotuses (pitha and padma), with varying
number of petals and respective letters, also described in the lat-
est tantra and Upanisad. 1

Rather than picturesque representations used as a basis for
Concentration, the cakra or wheels are, for the Saivites of Kash-.
mir, vibratory centers known to them through experience. During
the rising of Kundalini, since the yogin experiences a vigorous
whirling at the level of the centers located along the central axis,
the latter are called "whirling wheels." From there the divine ener-
gies spread out and become active in the body.' Each wheel has a
definite number of spokes; fifty in all have been listed for the
whole body. These spokes, symbols of a radiant and vibrating
energy, subsequently became, in the yogic and tantric systems,

1. cf. v.36.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

petals correlated with inscribed letters, with specific sounds,
forms, colors, and functions.

Instead of the seven wheels of those systems, the Trika ac-
knowledges only five main wheels, placed one above the other,
from the root center (muladhara) to the crown of the head
(brahmarandhra, the orifice of Brahman).

Between each center is a space the size of three hands'
breadth or three superimposed fists. The centers are intercon-
nected by nadi,2 subtle currents of vital energy (pranasakti).
These flux of energies, starting from the centers and permeating
the whole body, are said to be 72,000 in number, among which
three stand out as the most significant, namely ida, pingala, and
susumna. The former two are located respectively to the left and
to the right of the median channel, susumna, the royal, central
way, also called madhyanadi.

As delicate as the lotus fiber, this road is the divine fiery way
along which Kundalini ascends to the summit; being empty, it
does not offer any obstruction, for it is only in the void that the
breath vibrates and becomes conscious again, thus recovering its
universal essence.

All along this nadi there are centers, placed one above the
other, which the Kundalini has to pierce during her ascent.

In ordinary persons these wheels neither revolve nor vibrate,
they form inextricable tangles of coils, called accordingly "knots"
(granthi), because they "knot" spirit and matter, thus strengthen-
ing the sense of ego. Some of these knots of energy, muladha-
ra and bhru, are not easily loosened. Together they constitute
the unconscious complexes (samskara) woven by illusion, and
the weight and rigidity of the past offers a strong opposition to the
passage of the spiritual force. Each knot, being an obstruction,
must be loosened so that the energy released by the centers can
be absorbed by Kundalini and thus regain its universality.

These wheels are by no means physiological and static cen-
ters of the gross body, but centers of power belonging to the sub-
tle body, centers that the yogin alone, during the unfolding of
Kundalini, can locate with as much accuracy as if they belonged
to the body.

2. Strictly speaking, the nadi is not a static conduit for the circulation
of the energy, but a circuit of energetic flux, of vibrant force; nevertheless, we
cannot avoid using either the term way, conduit, channel or canal.

THE "COILED" KUNDALINI WITHIN THE BODY

Lower Center (muladhara or mulabhumi)

The root support (mula) is located at the junction of the
principal energy currents, at the base of the spine. It has two
openings which cannot function simultaneously: if one closes,
the other opens. Actually, there is only one opening which can be
reversed as it were, and it may be likened to a triangle. If its apex
is turned downward—hence its name adhovaktra (lower open-
ing)3—then the spiritual force is dissipated to the benefit of sexual
life, as breath and semen follow a downward course. On the con-
trary, if the yogin overturns the triangle, its apex is thereafter di-
rected upward4 and the opening called medhrakanda,5 at the base
of sexual organ, lets in the virile potency which enters the median
canal.

This triangle is the trikona, "triangular sanctuary," because
it is comprised of the three divine energies: will, knowledge, and
activity.

It is in the root center that lies, prior to its awakening, the
coiled one, inert and unconscious, resembling someone who has
absorbed poison. There she is coiled three and a half times round
the bindu, a point of power which symbolizes Siva, and the es-
sence of virility (virya). With her head she blocks access to the
median channel. Her sleep is the bondage of the ignorant, making
him blindly mistake his body for his true Self. She is then named
"receptacle energy" (adharasakti), for she contains all the ele-
ments of the universe. Although asleep, she is supporting the life
of man and of the world, both having fallen into slumber.6

Within her coils the sleeping Kundalini holds the poison
(visa) which destroys the vitality of human beings, as they dissi-
pate their energies in sexual agitation. But at the time of her
arousing, as soon as a pure, perfectly-focused energy reigns su-
preme, this poison transforms itself into an all-pervading power
(vis),7 thus opening access to universality.

3. It is also referred to by janmadhara, the base of generation,
janmagra and yonisthana.

4. Also named yoginivaktra, mouth of the yogin!, guhyasthana, se-
cret seat.

5. Kanda, a bulb, is situated five fingers' breadth below the navel
and two above the virile member.

6. Cf. S.S.v. 11.3 which quotes a long extract from an Agama.

7. Vis in the sense of eating, consuming and also of filling (vya-
pana). Cf, here p. 15).

28 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Navel Center (nabhicakra)

The second wheel, situated in the navel region, is an impor-
tant center of exchange. From its ten spokes spring forth the ten
chief currents (nadi)," ascending pathways having for their main
branch the median canal, or susumna.

The Heart Center (hrdayacakra)

Inside the third wheel, that of the heart (hrdaya), the energy
becomes very subtle. As soon as it is awakened, this center trans-
mits spontaneously its power to the others.9 Although Kundalini
may awaken from any of the centers since she is equally present
in all of them, it is from the heart that she usually chooses to stir,
for, according to Abhinavagupta, the mixing of the breaths and
their subsequent merging take place in the heart. When every-
thing has collected there, one enjoys bliss.

Kantha and Bhrumadhya Centers

The fourth center, kantha,10 as its name implies, has its seat
at the base of the neck or the back of the throat. The fifth center,
bhrumadhya, is located between the eyebrows.

There are also, in the upper region of the head, some impor-
tant points which are not included among the cakra: lalata, in the
middle of the forehead, talu and triveni on a level with bhruma-
dhya. Talu, at the back of the vault of the palate, is called as well
lambikd or lampikdsthana, uvula, and also catuspada11 because
it sits at the intersection of four ways: those of the ordinary breath,
one going down to the lungs and the other rising through the tra-
chea, and the two ways peculiar to the interiorized breath which,
blocked in ordinary persons, gives only the yogin access to the

8. They are ida, pingala, susumna, gandhari, hastijihva, yasasvini,
pusa, alambusa, kuhu and sankhini, as mentioned by Abhinavagupta.

9. When acting exclusively upon it one is safe from a number of acci-
dents and difficulties associated with the awakening of the muladhara and
the bhrumadhya.

10. The center of purification.

11. The air coagulates here, and as the respiration changes in nature,
becoming light, airy, it is a source of peace and pleasure

THE "COILED" KUNDALINI WITHIN THE BODY

susumna: one12 goes down to the root center and the other, rising
to the higher center, is followed by urdhvakundalini When the
energy reaches talu, she is said to generate one thousand rays
which radiate down to the shoulder blades

Triveni, a triangle,13 is found at the confluence of the whole
triplicity, fire, sun and moon: udana, prana, and apana. . . .

The subtle center, bhrumadhya, textually "between the eye-
brows," presents a particularly difficult passageway for the vital
energy. To pass beyond it, one must have mastery over samadhi
and receive the help of a very good Guru.

Verse 36 of the Vijnanabhairava deals with the practice
named bhruksepa or bhruvedha, the breaking of bhru, which re-
sults in the full expansion of the energy. If at that moment the
thought is free from duality, transcendence is achieved and one
becomes all-pervading. One starts by filling the various centers up
to the bhrumadhya with pranic energy, and then, when this center
is saturated with concentrated energy and when samadhi pre-
vents its dispersion into the outer world, one has only to slightly
contract the eyebrows and project this energy immediately upon
the narrow dam it has to cross in order to attain the brahmaran-
dhra. If one is unable to channel the vital force and send it up
toward the crown of the head, the breath dissipates through the
nostrils.

Setu is not only a dam holding in check the flow of the in-
haled and exhaled breath, but also a bridge linking the center be-
tween the eyebrows with the brahmarandhra. These two centers,
in the ignorant, are always unconnected, whereas in the yogin the
vital force, once sublimated, crosses the bridge and reaches
lalata, in the middle of the forehead. From this state—very rarely
attained by a yogin—arises a diffused blissfulness and an intense
heat. All functions stop as soon as bliss is enjoyed and the energy
spreads inside the head, up to the thousand-spoked center; and
since the ties with the samsara are broken, she changes into an
energy of pure consciousness.

If the term bindu is often used to designate the bhrumadhya
it is because, when this center is pierced, the pent-up energy that
has accumulated there is released, and a dot of dazzling light ap-
pears, "a subtle fire flashing forth as a flame." This is the "bindu,"
a dimensionless point—free therefore from duality—in which a
maximum of power is concentrated. If the attention is focused

12. Through it adhahkundalini moves to the muladhara.

13. About the triangles cf. here pp. 31,33.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

upon it at the moment when, having reached the middle of the
forehead, it dissolves, then one is absorbed in the splendor of
Consciousness. The three points—the heart bindu, the bindu be-
tween the eyebrows, and the brahmarandhra bindu—have then
merged into one, as they have been united by Kundalini on com-
pletion of her ascent.

It is from bhru, and from there only, that the progressive atti-
tude14 is established with its alternating phases: absorption with
closed eyes and absorption with open eyes. At the beginning,
when the energy rises to bhru, the breath goes out abruptly
through the nose; the eyes open and one inhales; then the eyes
close and Kundalini, fully erect, manifests as a tremendous flow
of powerful energy. When one opens the eyes, the world fills with
a new joy which produces intoxication (ghurni). When the univer-
sal Kundalini regains her spontaneous activity, one enjoys the tide
of the ocean of life, with its perpetual ebb and flow of emanations
and withdrawals. The yogin rests naturally in unmilanasama-
dhi—absorption-with-open-eyes—and enjoys the highest bliss,
jagadananda. To him everything is steeped in bliss, and is noth-
ing but bliss.

In lalata, the middle of the forehead, Kundalini discovers the
entrance of the brahmarandhra and her journey comes to an end.
From there on the energy becomes supreme and all-pervading.

The Brahmarandhra or Dvadasanta

The term dvadasanta, "end of twelve fingers' breadth," re-
fers to three different places. First, externally, it is the exact spot
where the ordinary breath dies away, three hands' breadth from
the nose. Second, internally, it is the brahmarandhra, "orifice or
slit of Brahman," at the crown of the skull, at the end of twelve
fingers' breadth from the bhrumadhya, following the curve of the
head. It belongs to the sole yogin in samadhi who has realized the
Self, but not Siva in the universe.15 The intensely vibrant state of
ghurni indicates this piercing. Third, above the skull, it is the su-
preme dvadasanta, twelve fingers breadth from the brahma-

14. Kramamudrd, with its two phases, nimilana and unmilana sama-
dhi. Cf. here pp. 64, 76.

15. That is to say atmavyapti and not yet sivavyapti. Cf. here pp. 59
seq. 167 seq.

THE "COILED" KUNDALINI WITHIN THE BODY

randhra, known only by one who has identified with the all-
pervading Siva. It is no longer related to the body; it is the cosmic
dvadasanta or sahasrara, a wheel with a thousand spokes, that
is to say innumerable energies, resplendent, eternally present,
which cannot be attained through any amount of self-effort, for it
is the very nature of things (svabhavika).

It is fluid and diffuses the divine nectar, and yet it is as stable
as the firmament.16 Situated above the skull, it consists of the fu-
sion of bindu and nada, of Siva and energy, two identical aspects
of the absolute Reality that are light on the one hand and the vi-
brant resonance on the other.

According to the tradition, the dvadasanta is likened to the
circle of the full moon shedding its rays in unbroken waves of be-
atitude. Inside, a triangle (trisula) of dazzling light represents the
triple energy of will, knowledge, and activity. There, the great Void
shines gloriously as a subtle bindu or hamsa," the very seat of
Siva, free from all illusion and wherein the Self is fully realized.

To lose its natural state of instability, one's thought must be
firmly established in this eminent void where all agitation is for-
ever appeased. Therefore, the person who makes the dvadasanta
his permanent abode and can lead his energy there at will, attains
to liberation while still living.18

Susumna, Cakra and Trikona
Median Way, Wheels and Triangles

The yogin's experiences are illustrated by wheels and trian-
gles. The cakra appear to be centers of power where the entire
energy first concentrates and then radiates. In this way, all the en-
ergies collected in the root center converge toward the navel
(nabhi) and from there spread, through ten currents, to the up-
per part of the body. Again the energies converge in the heart and
radiate up to the shoulder blades. Finally, gathering at the level

16. Cf. here p. 108.

17. Cf. here p. 23.

18. In the brahmarandhra dwells the highest energy in the form of a
cosmic wheel containing the levels of reality (tattva) extending from the earth
to Sadasiva. From the center of the wheel, where the energy transcending all
those levels is united with Siva, innumerable spokes radiate, and 360 of them
illuminate the world, as lire, sun, and moon.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

of the throat, they rise on both sides of the head to converge
between the eyebrows (bhru), and from there expand to the
brahmarandhra.

Each wheel includes three additional elements. First, at the
periphery, there are the kala, subtle energies to which corre-
spond, at the level of speech, the phonemes or letters (varna and
matrka) of the Sanskrit alphabet. Second, there are rays that are
the nada, vibrant resonances, radiating from the center to the pe-
riphery or from the periphery to the center, depending on whether
the energy is directed outward or, during the ascension of Kun-
dalini, directed inward. Third, at the center of each wheel, the
bindu, extensionless point, dwells in the susumna or median
way.

The Kundalini practice tends to reunite all the energies of
body, thought, and speech in order to blend them into a single
current of intense vibrations, which carries them to the center, the
bindu. Then, melting in the fire of Kundalini and becoming na-
ddnta (end of sound vibration), the nada converts into an upward
flow, the very flow of the susumna}9 The same is repeated in the
next center, whose bindu, awakened in its turn, joins the bindu of
the higher center; and this process of unification goes on until
there is but one unique bindu. The Self, endowed with all its ener-
gies harmoniously blended, identifies with Paramasiva. However,
if one of the energies is missing, the yogin, although existing in a
state of high spiritual attainment, remains "tied" (pasu), for he is
not master (pati) of all his energies.

Now one can understand how the first and the last letters of
the Sanskrit alphabet, A and HA, constitute the matrka and how
their merging into one single point, the bindu, produces aham, the I
endowed with plenitude, where Siva and Sakti, being identical, dis-
solve into the one Paramasiva. Hence the particular significance of
the great mantra aham, the key to the Trika system.

As for the triangle, it is symbolic, in the Trika system, for the
triplicity of the energies—fire, sun, and moon—each residing at
one of the triangle's summits. They denote respectively knower,
knowledge and known, or also the three canals, the three main
breaths, and so forth.

Ordinary persons spend their lives swinging between the ida

19. Such is the inner kumbhaka.

THE "COILED" KUNDALINI WITHIN THE BODY

and pingala channels, between knowledge and known, or the in-
haled and exhaled breaths.

In an initial stage surya and soma are merged into agni, the
fire of the knower, as well as into susumna, the median way, and
udana, the vertical breath.

Those three, awakened and blended, reach the bindu in the
center of the triangle, the vital essence that energizes them and
enables Kundalini to rise. A yogin enjoys the experience of
the triangle in muladhara, .in bhrumadhya, and in the brahma-
randhra.20

In the ordinary course of the breath, there being no samadhi
state, the lower and upper triangles never meet; nevertheless one
may experience a subtle enjoyment of sexual origin, when the
breath, going down to the lower center, lightly touches the lower
triangle. On the contrary, in a yogin in samdahi, whose
Kundalini is raised, the lower triangle moves up to meet the upper
triangle.

As we have seen, at the beginning, in muladhara, the point
of the lower triangle is naturally directed downward, but when the
yogin collects himself, it turns upward. This means that the flow
of the susumna carries the lower triangle up to bhru, where both
triangles turn over and unify. In the brahmarandhra they form a
six-pointed figure, the satkona, with the bindu as its center, the
unique spot for the spontaneous coincidence21 of Siva and his en-
ergy. This symbol shows how one shifts from one triangle to an-
other without leaving the satkona formed by their inseparable
union.

p.58.

20. Trikona, triveni, and trisulla, respectively.

21. Samputa "encasing," which produces giddiness (ghurni), cf. here

Chapter Three

Various Means of Unfolding the Median Way

To arouse the Kundalini, concealed within us in a coiled
form, some Kaula—worshippers of the energy—do not mind re-
sorting to concrete practices. Their practices, however, have noth-
ing in common with the techniques used by the followers of
hathayoga, for Kaula reject sustained effort, the strong exertion
of will-power and the sudden arresting of respiration or seminal
discharge.

The true import of the purely inner practices they advocate
cannot be grasped unless one knows that each of them puts into
play a specific mode of spiritual energy: speech, breath, thought,
vibration and various other manifestations of one and the same
cosmic power which, under the twofold aspect of the seed-letters
(matrka) and Kundalini, is at work within the human body just as
in the emanation and the resorption of the universe.

The Saiva mystics identify several means to penetrate into
the median way, such as the destruction of dichotomized thoughts,
the suspension of the inspired and expired breaths, the access to
the initial and final extremities of the currents (nadi), the retrac-
tion of the energy into the Self and her unfoldment when she
merges into the universe.

1. Abhinavagupta lists them, cf. T.A. 71, p. 377 of Jayaratha's gloss
and P.H., sutra 18 Cf. V.B. p. 37.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY

Vikalpaksaya, Destruction of Dualizing Thought

One essential condition, the only one really required and to
which all the others are subservient, i.e. the destruction of vi-
kalpa, is the way of annihilation of all mental duality, of its
alternatives and dilemmas. A simple way,2 it relieves one of such
limited disciplines as the internalized exercise of breath and the
various attitudes (mudra).

Abhinavagupta writes about this in his gloss to the Praty-
abhijnakarika of Utpaladeva (IV. 1-11):

"A yogin whose ordinary consciousness is
well collected in the heart and who has no other
care, through an awareness free from duality (avi-
kalpa) devotes himself entirely to the contempla-
tion of his own consciousness as a conscious
Subject liberated from the body and other limita-
tions. And so, ever vigilant, absorbing himself in
the Fourth state and in what lies beyond, he puts
an end to the dualizing thought and gradually ac-
quires sovereignty."

As soon as the mind calms down and the effervescence
ceases, all is appeased and he reaches the supreme state.

Means Associated with the Breath (prana)

Breath suspension can be produced by certain exercises,
which involve holding and lengthening of the respiration, de-
scribed in a number of Agama, some emphasizing the stirring up
of breaths, others the union of breath with the utterance of sounds
(uccara), or as we shall see, various forms of concentration.

To appreciate the full meaning of all these practices, one
has to examine the very nature of breath and the prominent place
given to it in India.

2. The highest way, known as divine, sambhavopaya.

The term prana or pranasakti cannot be translated by any
one of the following terms: consciousness, Life, energy, breath,
inspiration and expiration. These refer to very distinct concepts,
whereas prana appears as their common denominator, ranging
from conscious universal energy to the very life-force of the body.
Thus its nature changes according to the level considered. As
soon as it fixes itself in the twin movement of inspiration and ex-
piration, it becomes unconscious, and so do the organs of cogni-
tion and the! sense organs dependent on it. One is then wholly
under their alienating compulsion. And yet, even when uncon-
scious, the breath energy bathes in Consciousness: therefore it
can be freed from its automatisms and made more subtle, refined,
so that the unconsciousness associated with duality gradually re-
cedes and the life-breath recovers its nature of pure conscious-
ness.

Since prana partakes of the life of the body in general
(jiva), of breath, thought, sense-organs, gaining control over it
is to gain control over all of these.

The different practices to this end vary in degrees of subtlety.
Set into motion by these practices, the breaths depart from their
usual course, in which the exhaled breath (prana) starts from the
heart3 and ends twelve fingers' breadth from the nose, while the
inhaled breath (apana) moves from the outside to the heart.
Should a yogin become aware of these two points of repose and
suspend his respiration by maintaining both breaths at their point
of origin—the void where they are at rest—then these breaths,
interiorizing, become charged with energy and rush into the me-
dian way.4 At this moment, the inspired and expired breaths, usu-
ally out of balance,5 when stabilized at one point and pacified,
neutralize each other, balance and merge at the junction, namely
in the median way where they disappear in order to give place to
the single breath known as "equal" (samana). Within it gathers
the vital energy which fills the ten principal nadi. Having become

.'!. In fact it starts from the bulb but one is not aware of it.

4. "Let there be exerted an upward push (uccara) on the supreme
(energy) formed of two points: expired breath above, inspired breath below,
the situation of plenitude arises from their being maintained at the two
places of their origin" (V.B. 24).

5. The breath of ordinary humans resides only in ida and pingala
and penetrates Ihe susumna with difficulty.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

the vertical breath (udana),6 the energy rises, without deviating,
as Kundalini. When the breath rises spontaneously from the heart
to the highest center, it changes into the all-pervading breath
(vyana).

Such is the scheme to be kept in mind if one wishes to un-
derstand what follows.

Plenitude and vacuity blend into one single experience, for if
the yogin abides in undifferentiated plenitude at the junction of
the two poles that are the inspired and expired breaths, in the na-
kedness of the energy, it is because the spontaneous retention of
breath goes along with the experience of the void. Accordingly the
Vijnanabhairava, verse 25, recommends steady practice upon the
two voids, at the end of the ingoing and outgoing breaths, as this
leads to the discovery of the void in the median way7 through
which the divinized energy unites with Siva in the highest center,
where the wonderful essence reveals itself.

The next verse states:

If the energy in the form of breath can neither
enter nor depart, when it blossoms in the center
as free from duality, through it the absolute Es-
sence [is recovered].

For as soon as the fire of udana, internalized and subli-
mated, dissolves the duality of the vikalpa, it assumes the aspect
of vyana, cosmic Life, which gives access to the absolute Reality.

6. We will see on p. 139 n.5 that the Chandogya Upanisad establishes
a correspondance between udana and zenith. In 111,10, 2-4, the vibrant form
(ksobha) of the Sun is associated to the zenith and to the supreme science,
Brahman. And in 11, 1 and 3: "But after having risen in the zenith [the sun)
will never rise or set any more. It will sit alone in the center (madhya) ... It
neither rises nor sets and once for all it remains in the sky, to him who knows
the doctrine of Brahman."

7. In the chapter entitled "About the Middle" (Granthavali, 31), Kabir
shows the importance of the median void, as it is free of all support: "Kabir,
he who stands in the center {madhya) instantly crosses the ocean [of exis-
tence] wherein are drowned the worldly-minded attached to both extremes.

(1)

"Kabir, renounce duality and become attached to unity, the former is a
source of pain, the latter of comfort. Two means anguish! (2)

"The [fire-]bird builds its nest in the infinite space; it is ever dwelling
in the middle—equally remote from earth and sky. Its trust has no sup-
port."(3) Hence its tree soaring into the boundless Void.

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY

Let us also mention in passing other forms of breath suspen-
sion, brought about by the utterance of certain phonemes,
whether one concentrates exclusively on the initial instant—a
very brief emission of the vowel A, without nasal resonance or
breathing out—or fixes one's mind on the final moment, the
visarga—a slight aspiration culminating in the void—or else it-
ters a vowel-less consonant; in all those very different cases, a
sudden retention of breath may bring about the stilling of discur-
sive thought. As soon as duality comes to an end, what remains is
the plenitude of the absolute Sound, a torrent of knowledge, and
infinite peace.

Ksemaraja comments on this in his Pratyabhijnahrdaya, su-
tra 18 and quotes from the Jnana-garbha:

In one whose mind has been controlled,
whose two currents (nadi) extending on both
sides have been stilled by the utterance of a
vowel-less phoneme, K. . . , in the cave where the
heart lotus blooms, blinding darkness is dispelled
and the sprout of immaculate Knowledge arises:
through it, even in a bound creature, sovereignty
may be produced.

Manthana or Churning of the Breaths

Let us now consider how inspiration and expiration disinte-
grate in the fire of udana.

The yogin begins by filling his body with
breaths which he churns and then holds within;
drawing the prana naturally flowing upward out-
side the conduits where it\ordinarily moves, he
then makes it enter the median canal and brings
about the ascension of apana which naturally
flows downward. Finally prana and apana rise
through the central channel.

Abhinavagupta compares the churning of the breaths to that
of the sacrificial fire lit by means of two arani: a wooden stick
revolving inside another, hollow one.

42 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Let the well-collected yogin meditate in his
heart on the interplay of soma, surya, and agni.
Through the friction of the two sticks, from his
meditation blazes the fire of the great Bhairava in
the form of the vertical breath (udana) which
shoots forth in the sacrificial pit of the heart. With
this blazing fire, identical with the supreme Sub-
ject, he must meditate on knower, knowledge, and
known, that is, on the entire triplicity (T.A.V. 22).

Just as the inspired and expired breaths enter the median
way, the yogin must concentrate all his might on the fire of con-
sciousness, i.e. the subject full of energy. He interiorizes and then
blends the triad of the breaths with that of the energies, whether
supreme, nonsupreme, or intermediate.

The two sacrificial sticks correspond to the two points of the
visarga, which are the energy of bliss (anandasakti) and the en-
ergy of activity displayed in this world (kriyasakti) under its su-
preme form of vibration (sphuratta).

In his commentary on the Sivasutra (11,3), Ksemaraja men-
tions certain practices that aim at quickening Kundalini by means
of air and fire, and through appropriate attitudes. He then cites a
passage of the Tantrasadbhava describing in vivid images the
awakening of Kundalini when churned by the bindu, a concentra-
ted point of virile power, symbol of Siva:

The subtle and supreme energy sleeps,
coiled up in the manner of a snake; she encloses
within herself the bindu as well as the entire uni-
verse, sun, moon, stars, and the different worlds;
but she lies senseless, as if stupefied by a poison.

She gets awakened through a profound reso-
nance full of knowledge when she is churned by
the bindu, Siva, residing in her. This churning, go-
ing on inside the body of Sakti, must be performed
with a continuous whirling movement until there
appear dazzling sparks (bindu) just as the subtle
energy [Kundalini] rises . . .

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY

The heart bindu is Siva, vitality, power in general and that of
the mantra in particular. Kundalini is Sakti. From their unifying
friction spring forth the various aspects of the sound energy.

To recover her consciousness, the energy has to be, so the
text says, "churned with whirling force," bhramavega—vega*
denoting a swift and vibrant movement and bhrama a whirl; in
other words, a blinding force is necessary here to do away with
the dualizing thought and, in this way, recover the original
spanda freed from the vikalpa.

Such a vibration owes its efficiency to its extreme vivacity;
moreover it encompasses the totality of an ineffable and undiffer-
entiated energy above all distinction.

Thus the churning goes on impelled by an intense but blind
desire, that is, without image or feeling, without attachment to the
result, since even a fleeting doubt becomes an obstacle to the
awakening of the coiled one.

This churning, we are told, produces sparkles perceptible to
the yogin when Kundalini rises, with a throb (ninada) of pure
knowledge, as all distinction between sound and meaning has
vanished. The yogin feels life abounding within himself due to the
bindu, virile power which, present in the coiled up energy, stirs
her until she becomes fully erect, and begins her ascent.

Abhinavagupta associates the rising of Kundalini to a prac-
tice of prolonged respiration (T.A. VII. 3-22) which relies on outer
initiation, and yet the superiority of the Trika compared to the sim-
ilar practices of hathayoga will become evident. Whereas the lat-
ter recommends concentration on the wheels, the Trika advocates
concentration only on the breath, since the stimulation of the
wheels automatically follows the movement of the purified
breath. Just as a peasant watering his field with the help of a noria
is only concerned with the oxen that make the wheel rotate and
does not worry about the buckets being filled or emptied, in the
same way mere concentration on the breath is enough to induce a
spontaneous succession of experiences related to the centers, in
proportion to the conscious energy running through them. To this
end the yogin gradually reduces the number of his respirations by
lengthening their duration, and when his breath becomes very
subtle, he experiences various sensations in all his centers.

8. Vij found as early as the Rg Veda (X.18) is a trembling linked to a
violent movement, that of the wind for instance.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY

Although she lived at a later period than that of Abhinava-
gupta or of Jayaratha, the Kashmirian poetess Lalla praises in
vivid images some practices related to breath control and Kun-
dalini:9

With a rein did I hold back the steed of my
thought.

By ardent practice did I bring together the vi-
tal airs of my ten nadis.

Therefore did the digit of the moon melt and
descend unto me,

And a void became merged within the Void
(69).

The moon of the brahmarandhra distils the cool nectar
when Kundalini, reaching the summit of her ascent, attains the
void, the state free from all vikalpa.

Verse 37 adds that he who successfully controls inspiration
does not feel hunger or thirst any more.

Some obscure stanzas (56-57) allude to the heat experi-
enced by the yogin. Lalla wonders:

Two breathings are there, both taking their
rise in the City of the Bulb.

Why then is hah cold, and hah hot?

And she answers:

The region of the navel is by nature fiery hot.
Thence proceedeth thy vital air, rising to thy

throat, (and issueth from thy mouth as hah).
When it meeteth the river flowing from the

Brahma-randhra (it issueth from thy mouth as

hah),

And therefore hah is cold, and hah is hot.

9. Lalla's verses are given here in a very fine translation from the
Kashmiri: Lalla-Vakyani, or The Wise Sayings of Lal ded, a mystic poetess of
ancient Kashmir, edited with translation, notes and a vocabulary by Sir
George Grierson and Lionel D. Bamett, Published by The Royal Asiatic Sod
ety. London, 1920. Asiatic Society Monographs, vol XVII
"Vital air" in this translation corresponds to "breath"

Although both breaths, like various other currents, come
from the bulb, the exhaled breath is hot while the inhaled breath
(apana) is cold. When both breaths happen to meet suddenly, the
hot one is cooled, since the moon of the brahmarandhra is a
source of coolness.

Twice Lalla refers to the bellows handled and controlled by
the blacksmith. Like him, the yogin must fill the bellows of his
lungs with air while controlling his prana:

Give thou breath to the bellows,
Even as doth the blacksmith.
Then will thine iron turn to gold.
Now it is dawn. Seek thou for the Friend
(100).

In verse 4, the bellows is used to light the lamp of adoration
and knowledge, and its faint gleam, a purely inner one, fills her
whole being:

Slowly, slowly, did 1 stop my breath in the
bellows-pipe (of my throat).

Thereby did the lamp (of knowledge) blaze
up within me, and then was my true nature re-
vealed unto me.

I winnowed forth abroad my inner light,

So that, in the darkness itself, I could seize
(the truth) and hold it tight.

In other stanzas she likens daytime to the expired breath and
night to the inspired breath:

The day will be extinguished, and night will
come; \

The surface of the earth will become ex-
tended to the sky;

On the day of the new moon, the moon swal-
lowed up the demon of eclipse.

The illumination of the Self in the organ of
thought is the true worship of Siva (22).

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Rahu, the demon of the eclipse who swallows the sun and
the moon, stands for the limited subject, whereas the resplendent
moon is the supreme Subject who, staying at the junction of day
and night, devours Rahu there and then. The demon of ignorance
who swallowed the nectar of the moon is "eclipsed" in his turn by
the supreme Subject whom the moon of the brahmarandhra illu-
minates. Then, as all illusory distinctions and limitations have
vanished, heaven and earth become one.

Lalla proclaims in another stanza:

The steed of my thoughts speedeth over the
sky (of my heart).

A hundred thousand leagues traverseth he in
the twinkling of an eye.

The wise man knew how to block the wheels
(of the chariot) of his outward and inward vital
airs, as he seized the horse by the bridle of self-
realization (26).

Alternative reading of the last two lines:

If a man hath not known how to seize the
horse by the bridle, the wheels (of the chariot) of
his outward and inward vital airs have burst in
pieces.

The Syllable OM and the Synchronization of the Breaths

Lalla advocates a concentration on the center of the navel,
with the help of OM, associated with the rising of Kundalini. Dur-
ing the spontaneous breath suspension referred to by the term
sahajakumbhaka, thought becomes absorbed in Siva.

He from whose navel steadfastly proceedeth
in its upward course the syllable dm, and naught
but it,

And for whom the kumbhuku exercise form-
eth a bridge10 to the Brahma-randrha,

10. About this bridge cf. here p. 29 'bhruksepa'. And 'spell' in this
stanza translates as 'mantra'.

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY 47

He beareth in his mind the one and only mys-
tic spell,

And of what benefit to him are a thousand
spells? (34)

The pranava OM, in fact, is endowed with all the virtues
contained in the mantras taken as a whole. In stanza 76 Lalla says:

With the help of the pranava Lalla absorbed
herself

In union with the Soul-light, and so expelled
the fear of death.

She also sings of the supreme potency of OM upon the
breaths:"

I locked the doors and windows of my body.
I seized the thief of my vital airs, and con-
trolled my breath.

11. The latest of the early Upanisads, Maitri, defines the supreme yoga
as the union of everything with the breath and with the syllable OM (VI.25).
The allusion to Kundalini is still more evident in verse VI.21:

"The ascending conduit called susumna wherein the breath moves,
pierces through the vault of the palate (talu); when it combines with the
breath, with the syllable OM, and with the thought, one may rush upward
through it.

"If, curling back the tip of the tongue toward the palate and unifying
the sense organs, majesty contemplates Majesty, then there is no longer any
self. When there is no self, the Absolute stands revealed."

In its final section, the Upanisad condenses the essence of its esoteric
message, laying emphasis on what has been previously defined as "the
space within the heart, the treasure, the bliss and the supreme abode which
is our own Self and our yoga, and moreover the splendor of fire and sun"
(VI,27).

Thus, (in VII,II) we read: "Truly, the essential form of ether (kha) in the
space of the heart, is the supreme Splendor, with its threefold expression: in
fire, sun and breath. The syllable OM is the essential form of the ether within
the space of the heart. Only through it does this Splendor emerge from the
abyss, appear, rise, and breathe. In truth, herein lies the everlasting support
for meditation upon Brahman. This [Splendor] within the stirring up dwells.
in the light-radiating heat; it is in the stirring up just like smoke rising in the
sky as a great tree, branch after branch. It is like salt thrown into water, like
heat in clarified butter or like expansion in one who contemplates. And in
this regard it is said: Now, why is it called [like the) flash of lightning? Be-
cause, just as it flashes forth, it illuminates the whole body. This is why, with
the help of the syllable OM, this effulgent power should be worshipped."

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

In order to give an example of exercise on the initial extrem-
ity, the heart, whence the breath arises, Ksemaraja quotes from
the Vijnanabhairava:

If the senses are annihilated in the ether of
the heart and the mind is not attached to anything,
one gains access to the center of the well-closed
cup of the two lotuses, and acquires the supreme
happiness (49).

This verse likens the heart to the chalice of two lotuses with
interlaced petals, i.e. knowledge and known. In this innermost
space of the heart, ever pure and appeased, reposes the knower,
alone, free from knowledge and known.

The final extremity is the dvadasanta, or brahmarandhra,
upon which the author of the Vijnanabhairava recommends to fix
one's thought again and again, by all possible means and wher-
ever one might be so that, as restlessness gradually becomes ap-
peased, the Indescribable is attained within a few days (51).

These two extreme points also refer to the extremity of all
the bodily conduits which also have to be vitalized by the energy
and dilated through various means.

In fact, in its initial or final stage any state of consciousness
is free from duality, since it rests in the experience of undifferen-
tiated I-awareness. On the contrary, the intermediate state consti-
tutes the sphere of illusion (maya), within which the I is not ap-
prehended in its plenitude, because it is hidden by objectivity.14

4-5
Retraction and Expansion of Energy

Known as saktisamkocavikasa, this subtle practice immedi-
ately follows the suspension of the breaths and is used to achieve
the full opening of the median way in order to make Kundalini
enter the heart.

It consists of a twin movement of contraction (samkoca)
and expansion (vikasa) of the energy, which is but one aspect of

14. Cf. M.M. p. 27.

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY

spanda, a form assumed by the imperceptible vibration while be-
coming manifest as movement.

The retraction of energy into the Self is an interiorization due
to a sudden reflux of the energy which, in ordinary life, escapes
through the sense organs.

This surging back of all the energies to the center is com-
pared by Ksemaraja to a frightened tortoise contracting its limbs
and drawing them into its shell. He quotes a verse:

Withdrawn from the outside, one becomes
firmly rooted in the ever-present [Self].15

There are two kinds of retractions: the first implies some ex-
ertion in order to draw together all the subdued energies—breath,
speech, thought—and to make them converge one-pointedly in
the heart, without the organs ceasing to operate. The second kind
of retraction may happen spontaneously in everyday life, whether
the dualizing thought process sudddenly dissolves or the breath re-
mains suspended owing to a violent emotion such as astonish-
ment, surprise, rage, intense love, terror. . . His energy being thus
intensified, the yogin becomes perfectly still, with his conscious-
ness fully collected in a crucial moment, and then he loses the
usual awareness of his limited self and of his surroundings. So
states the Vijnanabhairava:

If one succeeds in immobilizing his intellect
while he is under the sway of desire, anger, greed,
illusion, infatuation, envy, then the Reality under-
lying these [states alone] subsists (101).

Such a retraction of energy is termed "fire," for it consumes
duality. It is related to the lower Kundalini (adhahkundalini): the
breath goes down from the uvula, and as it gradually begins to
penetrate into the median way, the yogin enters a samadhi-wtih-
closed-eyes.

The unfolding of the energy hidden within is related to
urdhvakundalini; it is due to the sudden opening of all the sense
organs, when the yogin projects simultaneously all of his sensory

15. P.H. Sutra 18, comm.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

energies toward their respective objects—smells, visions, sounds
... He remains unmoved at the Center, like the foundation of the
world, never losing contact with the inner Reality. Enjoying the
samadhi-with-open eyes, he unfolds the cosmos anew and the
latter reveals itself in its true essence. Filled with wonder, the yo-
gin recognizes the Self in its universal nature and identifies with
Siva.

The Vijnanabhairava shows how he becomes integrated
into the whole: fully convinced that he possesses the attributes of
the sovereign Siva—omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipo-
tence—he sings:

Just as waves arise from water, flames from
fire, rays from the sun, in this way the waves of the
universe have arisen in differentiated forms from
me, the Bhairava (110).

The glory of the manifestation becomes his when he recog-
nizes the identity of the Self, the universe, and Siva. Such an ex-
pansion of energy is called visa, because the ascending energy,
once at the brahmarandhra, is then but all-pervasiveness,16 as the
entire universe is permeated by divine energy.

"Visa," Abhinavagupta writes, "is an all-pervading energy
which clouds the luster of what is not all-pervading" (namely anu,
the subject limited by body and thought). And according to the
gloss, "visa is manifested in its reality when the plenitude is re-
vealed at the moment the subject-object division vanishes. Then,
from the unifying friction, arises the ambrosial Reality, the start-
ing-point of the unfolding" (T.A. III, 171).

One devotes oneself to retracting and unfolding the energy
by means of a practice performed on two different levels: first, ex-
pansion and rest concern the lower Kundalini, coiled in the root-
center: both movements intensify the energy until one feels its
penetration at the root, top, and middle of adhahkundalini. To vi-
talize the breath energy and succeed in realizing the penetration
requires a great effort. The second practice aims at contracting
and unfolding the higher and ascendant energy, urdhvakundalini,

p. 15.

16. In the manner of poison spreading through the body. Cf. here

VARIOUS MEANS OF UNFOLDING THE MEDIAN WAY

making the energy alternately expand and rest17 until she stands
erect and gradually rises, as soon as the subtle energy has pro-
duced the rupture of the center between the eyebrows. This en-
ergy appears as a flow of breath which makes the nostrils vi-
brate.18

The text of the Pratyabhijnahrdaya (sutra 18), from which 1
am drawing, is deliberately obscure. The expression "nasa-
putaspandana" textually denotes the quivering of the nostrils re-
lated to a flood of life (pranasamcara) which differs from pra-
nasakti since, at the stage of the raised Kundalini, the well-
awakened energy blossoms forth19 and unfolds in the manner of a
budding flower.

There are still other methods to intensify the energy and
awaken the wheels. All of them are based on vibration and tend to
set the subtle energies at work in a yogin's body vibrating. We will
not deal with the well-known eight limbs of yoga,20 but following
Ksemaraja we will mention realizations of a mystical nature,
"bhavana which aim at unfolding the median way and acquiring
the bliss of Consciousness. They are revelant only to those who
cannot penetrate into the divine essence made of grace" and who
must therefore devote themselves to absorption, samadhi, also
known as samavesa, penetration, fusion, or as samdpatti, harmo-
nizing with universal Consciousness.21

In this connection Abhinavagupta describes the very signifi-
cant method known as "the rod practice."

17. Prasara (extension, free play), on the one hand, and visranti (ap-
peasement, resting), on the other. Cf. P.H. Sutra 18, comm.

18. The nostrils vibrate when the bhru center breaks up. A similar vi-
bration may be experienced in the legs, due, however, to prabhusakti, which
is less powerful than pranakundalini.

19. Unmis-.

20. For a comparison of their definitions as given in the Yogasutra and
those far more profound in the Netratantra, cf. Les Voies de la Mystique ou
I'Acces an Sans acres, Hermes, nouvelle serie, n°l, Editions des Deux
Oceans, Paris 1981, p. 158 seq.

21. P.H. sutra 18, comm.

Chapter Four

The Parabija SAUH and the Rod Practice
(pranadandaprayoga)

SAUH is the heart mantra, the supreme I-ness, and it
should not be considered as a formula meant for recitation, but as
an energy to be activated in order to obtain the comprehension
full of potency (mantravirya) through which one goes back to the
source—the universal Heart and its rhythm. There the undifferen-
tiated and appeased universe is perceived in its reality as the vi-
brant heart. 1. S for Sat, which symbolizes the true existence or
objectivity (prameya), is identical to pure" Being.1 2. With AU, the
appeased universe (santa) rises to the stage of the trident of ener-
gies on the level of knowledge pramana). It awakens and thus
peace is followed by emergence (udita). 3. From this pure and
intense energy, the universe is emitted (srjate) within, in the con-
sciousness of Bhairava, the supreme Knower (pramatr), and
thence outwardly; it splits into two points, one above the other,
the internal and the external, the visarga being endowed with qui-
escence and emergence (santodita) as soon as the mantra is real-
ized (5 + AU + H).

1. Therefore this is not the empirical world.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Such is the supreme emitting seed (parabija), a symbol for
Bhairava's heart uniting peace and emergence, which unfolds as
the universe and allows an all-pervasiveness (mahavyapti) when,
at the moment of the original vibration, the energy, identified with
Bhairava's interiorized consciousness, is a mere enjoyment of su-
preme bliss ambrosia. This immutable bliss, free of space and
time limits, is one with the ever-present emission.2

In chapter V of the Tantraloka,3 Abhinavagupta describes
how the total fusion of the three processes related to breaths, to
phonemes—with the mantra SAUH—and to Kundalini's ascent is
achieved through the so-called rod-practice.

First, here is the literal translation of the text which I shall
seek to elucidate in following Jayaratha's commentary.

When, with the help of the rod practice, the
inspired and expired breaths become even, let the
wise one take refuge in the realm of nectar (S or
amrta)4 in lambika (uvula), which rests upon a lo-
tus [situated] at the crossroad of the four ways.
Having reached the trident stage, where the three
channels meet, let him enter the state of equality
in AU, the melting point of the energies of will,
knowledge, and activity.

There, at the stage of urdhvakundalini
(raised energy), is found the visarga, H, an emis-
sion made of two points adorned by the interio-
rized vibration.5 Let the wise one take his rest in
this [visarga] resembling the stomach of the
fish ...

Just as a she-ass or a mare rejoices in her
heart when she enters the sanctuary of pleasure—
her innermost dwelling—consisting of expansion
and contraction, so let the [yogin] reach the cou-

2. Cf. P.T.v. p. 35.

3. SI. 54-58. The uccara of the conscious Self is an intense awareness
of the mantra linked with the rising movement of Kundalini through the me-
dian canal.

4. In which the Whole is resplendent

5. Udara; this term is employed elsewhere in reference to the "slum
ach" of the fish.

THE PARABIJA SAUH AND THE ROD PRACTICE 57

ple made by Bhairava and Bhairavi devoted to
unfoldment and retraction, [a couple] from whom
overflows the totality of things, ceaselessly emerg-
ing from them and withdrawing into them.

In this supreme Heart (the bija SAUH), where
the great root support S, the trident AU, and the
emission H become one, let him attain rest
through universal plenitude (54-61).

This is the place where the supreme Subject enjoys quietude
while being filled with all the objects of the universe, whether
he resorbs them within himself or manifests them as differenti-
ated.

If vigilance and pure awareness are a great yogin's only req-
uisites for the spontaneous raising of Kundalini to occur, the prac-
tice utilizing the "rod" of the breaths suits the person who treads
the individual path or path of activity. It is named prana-
dandaprayoga because, within a few moments, the Kundalini
made of breath (prana) becomes rigid.

According to a verse quoted by Jayaratha:

When you strike a snake with a rod, it draws
itself up, as stiff as a rod. This is how you must
perceive [Kundalini] when she is aroused by the
Guru.6

To draw the vital breath up into the divine way {susumna or
visuvat) while avoiding any undulating movement when about to
breathe, the yogin turns away from what is internal and external
and brings to a stop the oblique (tiryak) course of the breath; tak-
ing care not to inhale or exhale, he performs in quick succession
retractions and expansions with the help of the muscles situated
at the mattagandha (anus).

The breath, unable to go in or out, stored for a few moments
in lambika or talu—a gateway to the median channel—and hav-
ing thus but a single movement, a single direction, at once be-
comes stiff. Talu appears as the seat of the life-bestowing nectar,

6 Chap V, p. 358

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

amrta, or the S of the supreme seed SAUH. Then, when Kundalini
reaches the sphere of the trident (trisulabhumi), which is the
meeting point of three nadi, the yogin experiences the energies of
will, knowledge, and activity as being balanced. This is AU of the
mantra, a symbol for the trident.

In other words, the three energies become harmonized in
the brahmarandhra by passing through the receptacle of the
channels—this meeting-point named trident—a blissful domain
where the yogin enjoys retraction and expansion of the energy in a
wholly spontaneous manner. This state is called "energy of activ-
ity in equality" (kriyasakti in samana). Such an activity, indepen-
dent of any temporal process, appears as the initial stirring of Self-
awareness. For the yogin resides at the source of the movements
of emanation and resorption of the universe, a state praised as
matsyadarimata7 because it is comparable to the stomach of the
fish, which continuously contracts and expands automatically.

This realm of bliss has some connection with sexual experi-
ence for, like the susumna, the organs are subjected to a similar
contraction and expansion conductive to an intimate union
which, in a yogin, involves the perfect coincidence of Siva and the
energy, of subject and object, of seed and womb. It is from this
coincidence that supreme Beatitude and Consciousness origi-
nate.

With AU, the yogin repeatedly takes possession of the
boundless Kundalini whose unfolding progresses in accord with
the stages reached by the subtle energies, from bhrumadhya to
samana. If at nadanta (the end of the resonance) one enters the
internal dvadasanta, at the crown of the head, then one experi-
ences ghurni,8 a state of dizziness or reeling, at the moment one
shifts from Self-consciousness to universal Consciousness, as the
pure energy which has been attained no longer belongs to the
centers, for the yogin has transcended the body.

Here three levels of energy are discerned according to
whether she is raised (urdhva), quiet (santa), or perfectly quiet
(prasanta). The latter is the original aspect of urdhvakundalini,
wherein the universe is still unevolved and in seed form.

The all-pervading energy (vyapini), neither veiled nor lim-
ited, manifests in the entire world and corresponds to the six-
teenth kala as well as to the great void (mahasunya). Although

7. Here we can recognize the attitude known as kramamudra, which

has become spontaneous. Above p. 30. n. 14.

8. Cf. here pp. 74 seq.

THE PARABIJA SAUH AND THE ROD PRACTICE

the yogin perceives in it all the worldly activities, he responds to
them like one who, absorbed in reading or talking, casually
brushes aside the ant which crawls over him, without even stop-
ping his reading or talking.9

While in possession of that energy, the yogin enjoys super-
natural powers; owing to Kundalini who, on completion of her as-
cent, appears as immanent in the universe, he penetrates into uni-
versal Consciousness. At this stage, which yields the fruit of equal
energy (samana),10 all is still, time is no more, for such an energy
is far beyond time and space. All the categories of the universe
(from the material elements up to the highest levels) have merged
into the Self, which is called atmavyapti, so that the entire uni-
verse abides within the Self of the yogin who himself rests in his
own Essence. There begins the process of equalization which will
culminate in the final stage.

Visarga, Unmana, and Kramamudra

Beyond description is the highest of the energies, unmana,
which transcends thought and its norms, Supreme Heart, Heart of
the yogini, enclosing the undifferentiated universe." As the seven-
teenth kala, it is related to the perfect equilibrium wherein Siva
does not create, although he retains his Creative power. There the
qualities of omniscience and omnipotence are acquired simulta-
neously. The final stage is called divine pervasion (sivavyapti):
the Self dissolves into Siva and the latter remains alone on com-
pletion of this total fusion termed mahdvyapti.

The visarga, as a "flow of bliss" or an emission of the two
movements inherent in the harmony between the three energies
of the trident, appears as the ever-active visarga of the supreme
dvadasanta; it contains the movements of retraction and expan-
sion in their entirety and in their simultaneity; without any effort
on his part, the yogin then experiences internally as well as exter-
nally the withdrawal and unfolding of the energy, thus regaining
the coincidence of two extremes; the energies equilibrate on the

9. T.A. XI, com. to sl 30-31.

10. Then the Guru can enter instantly the disciple's consciousness
and perform in him what he wishes: open his centers or bring about the
rising of Kundalini, as we shall see when dealing with vedhadiksa, here
p. 87 seq.

11. tav 113, p. 422. '

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

three levels: lower center, vault of the palate, and highest center,'2
wherein Kundalini completes her ascent.

Abhinavagupta further states in this regard that this emission
is embellished in the realm of the raised Kundalini when the re-
ceptacle of the vibration vibrates simultaneously with the universe
enclosed in it; retraction and expansion follow one another spon-
taneously during kramamudrd, and both interior and exterior vi-
brate together during all activities, so that the two points,
squeezed and united by the bindu, finally make one.

When this spontaneous movement of alternation has been
definitely established, the yogin can go out of or into samadhi in-
stantly. Such is the fruit of urdhvakundalini or visargakundalini,
as she is named as soon as she resides in all worldly activities.
The nectar of visarga is poured into the fire of consciousness and,
as the organs recover their full satisfactions, the bliss becomes
cosmic. Indeed the universe itself is filled with the nectar of Con-
sciousness which flows through it as well as through us. This is
how the parabija SAUH works, the union of its three phonemes
constituting the unveiled Heart. There the fusion is complete, as
the universe has penetrated into the Self and the Self into the uni-
verse. Within this Heart, indeed, ultimate and permanent repose
is attained.

Since the universe bathes in undifferentiated Conscious-
ness, the yogin experiences the supreme I-ness and discovers the
universal Heart as soon as everything is immersed in urdhva-
kundalinibhumi, nothing henceforward being separate from the
conscious light (prakasa).

Technically, as regards the awakening and unfolding of
Kundalini, there are two theories relative to SAUH.

First theory

S, the vital energy flows down from talu to the muladhara as
adhahkundalini.

AU, the energy as urdhvakundalini, rises to the brahmaran-
dhra.

H (visarga), Kundalini as visarga resides in all the activities
of the universe. This is the supreme dvadasanta.

12. Namely muladhara, talu, and brahmarandhra, where; the yogin
must discern at once sumala and trisula.

THE PARABIJA SAUH AND THE ROD PRACTICE 61

Second theory13

S, the descent and ascent of the energies, adhahkundalini
then urdhvakundalini, the latter containing the energies extend-
ing from nada to samana included.

AU, trisula, harmony of the three energies within the brah-
marandhra in samana.

The yogin realizes the Self, but not Siva in the universe.

H (visarga), is urdhvakundalinibhumi, the fruit of krama-
mudrdsamata, in unmana, the supreme dvadasanta. Atmavyapti
is followed by sivavydpti.

Urdhvagamini, the raised one, is the junction point of the
tendency toward creative emission—burst of the energy—on the
one hand, and the tendency toward resorption peculiar to Siva, on
the other; the yogin who partakes of it spontaneously gives him-
self to the divine play of emitting and withdrawing the world.

13. here pp. 34-35, the diagram.

Chapter Five

Movements of Kundalini Related to a Yogin's
Practice

The supreme Kundalini, being the very heart of Siva, cannot
be experienced and thus remains unknown. The great yogin gets
at best only a few glimpses of saktikundalini. Those forms of
Kundalini are experienced only after death.1

The Kundalini of consciousness (citkundalini) differs from
the supreme energy in that she is perceived by a perfectly disinter-
ested and ever-collected yogin.2 Firmly established at the junction,
he is free from all worldly desires: like lightning his vital energy
rushes down to the root support—the lower center. The yogin
then assumes the attitude of wonder (cakitamudra), with half-
open mouth and wide-open eyes. At once, with a single leap, the
fully-awakened Kundalini shoots up toward the brahmarandhra
through the median way. Since she passes quickly through the

1. The yogin is swallowed up by saktikundalini at the moment of
death.

2. This yogin has not followed any way; he is in anupaya.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

wheels, they do not vibrate. Although the yogin experiences an
intense bliss and is henceforth safe from any falling back into
samsara, he does not enjoy the bliss peculiar to each center.

Kundalini is now as mighty as a tree-trunk, without the help
of any practice, not even the one known as the rod. Perfect vigi-
lance alone is enough. The free energy (svatantrya), having
reached the crown of the head, abides in universal Conscious-
ness and radiates a boundless bliss through the whole being.

This direct rising occurs only in a very advanced yogin,
whose Kundalini pierces the thousand-spoked center exempt
from all movement, thus enabling him to gain access to what lies
beyond the fourth state (turyatita).

Such a yogin then is no other than Divine life, Bliss, and true
Love.

Pranakundalini, Breath Energy

Although the highest forms of Kundalini are beyond all de-
scription, this is not so for the breath Kundalini, about whom
much information is available and whom it is easier to experi-
ence.

She is the one we shall now discuss.

The breath energy rises spontaneously, gradually passing
through the various centers, and bestows the supernatural powers
related to her. For, while citkundalini may be said to be pure bliss,
pranakundalini is, for her part, pure efficience. As we have seen,
she manifests in two successive phases: first as lower Kundalini
(adhahkundalini), then as urdhvakundalini, known as "raised"
or ascendant. The first one is a descent of the energy from the
uvula to the root support; she consists in the retraction or interior-
ization of the energy, in fire and in absorption-with-closed eyes.3
The second is a rising of the energy through the median channel
which she causes to dilate; she corresponds to the unfolding of
the energy, to all-pervasiveness, and to absorption-with-open
eyes.4 While the first phase finishes at the threshold of the fourth
state (turya), the second reaches completion beyond, in turyatita.

These two forms of energy are situated at two different
stages of the void: lower Kundalini in the void of transition be-
tween known and knowledge, while raised Kundalini, who per

3. That is, samkoca, vahni, and nimilanasamadhi,
4. Vikasa, visa, and unmilanasamhadi.

MOVEMENTS OF KUNDALINI RELATED TO A YOGIN'S PRACTICE 65

meates the entire body, springs from the void of transition be-
tween knowledge and knower.5 The former is chiefly related to the
energy on the level of breathing and of sex, the latter belongs to
the cognitive energy, a liberated energy that, no longer bound by
thought, is now free to play and, in an open heart, spontaneously
ascends to the summit.

Thus it can be understood why such importance is given to
the void or emptiness achieved either by suspension of breath or
by the disappearance of discursive thought, this being not an inert
or unconscious emptiness, but one full of vibration, giving rise to
an intense self-awareness.

Adhahkundalini, Lower Energy

If a yogin merges at the junction of inhaled and exhaled
breaths, the breath stops going in or out for half a minute and col-
lects at the back of the throat,6 then a part of the breath goes out
through the nostrils, and another part, spiralling downwards,
pierces its way to the median channel into which it rushes,
straight down to the base without awakening the centers or mak-
ing them vibrate; this is why the Kundalini thus descending is
termed "lower" (adha); she is lower not only because of the di-
rection of her course, but owing to the rank she occupies among
the various forms of Kundalini.

Having become subtle, the energies of the inhaled and ex-
haled breaths start to operate at the individual level.

Very quiet at first, both breaths unite into an equal breath
(samana),7 central point of unification for the energies. As it
awakens the dormant energy within the root support, the equal
breath becomes udana, vertical breath, or urdhvakundalini, who
rises after having digested the poison, that is, the gross energy.

Urdhvakundalini, Ascending Energy

The udana breath, therefore, swallows up all duality. In the
course of its ascent from wheel to wheel, it is purified as it ap-

5. Cf, Hymnes Aux Kali, pp, 27 ff.

6. Which produces a shaking of the head

7. Samana, which, in the gross body, insures the general balance.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

proaches the highest center where it converts into a permeating
and all-pervading energy (vyana).8

"Udanasakti, surging forth into the median domain, is the
fourth state" says Ksemaraja.9 According to Abhinavagupta, the
rising movement of the vital breath activity "causes all duality to
melt away, just like melting butter, and generates a state of one-
ness. Such is the function of the vertical breath in those who have
overcome illusion (maya)."10

We have just described the ascent of our free energy (sva-
tantryasakti) under its aspect of raised Kundalini, in a great yogin
who longs only for the Absolute.

Slow and Gradual Way

However, as long as a yogin is not free from the sense of
self, the gradual progression demands a certain preparation:11 just
as one unties a loose and tangled rope before tightening it to
make it vibrate, here, one must as it were untie the knots—the
blocked centers—in order that Kundalini may be free to ascend.

During this ascent through the median way, which lasts
about half an hour, each one of the wheels awakens in turn and
starts vibrating.

The Vijnanabhairavatantra likens this vibration to a tingling
sensation as of a crawling ant (pipllaka) and also to an inner res-
onance:

When one keeps in check the entire flow [of
the sense activities] by means of the breath energy
which gradually rises, the moment one feels a
tingling sensation, supreme happiness spreads
(67).

Rising from the bulb,12 the vital energy becomes erect and
stiff. As the root support starts vibrating, the energy, after a few

8. Vyana, in the ordinary state, permeates the whole body.

9. P.H. p. 6 1. 6

10. I.P.v. II, p. 246 1. 9

11. The latter by no means includes breath exercises (pranayama),
for here vigilance and samadhi are the only requisites

12. This is an outgrowth of the subtle body which has nothing in com-
iiion with the rachidian bulb or any other bulb of the ordinary body.

MOVEMENTS OF KUNDALINI RELATED TO A YOGIN'S PRACTICE 67

minutes, reaches the navel wheel; the latter vibrates in its turn,
both cakras spinning" together. Then the wheel of the heart, as
soon as it is pierced, moves with the others and the wheel of the
throat spins at the same rate as the preceding ones, the whole
process generating great heat. It is in the center between the eye-
brows that the movement of Kundalini comes to an end.

As soon as bhru is pierced, one abides in citkundalini, con-
scious energy, where one enjoys the most eminent bliss. But if the
center is not pierced, one may at this stage, should a desire arise,
display supernatural powers after emerging from samadhi. When
adhahkundalini changes into urdhvakundalini, and the conflict
between subject and object ceases, one's entire being is over-
whelmed by the bliss peculiar to nonduality, the energy being
then acutely felt at the root, the middle and the top, as the three
are now unified.

The Vijnanabhairavatantra devotes several stanzas to
Kundalini's ascent: "The exhaled breath goes out and the inhaled
breath goes in, of their own accord. The one of sinuous form ex-
tends. She is the great Goddess, both lower and higher, the su-
preme Sanctuary." (154)

The breath energy, indeed, is doubly sinuous (kutilakrti):
when it lies dormant and coiled-up in the root center and also in
the inspiration and expiration of any living being, it follows an ob-
lique course, for in ordinary space every movement is oblique;
therefore the nasal breath progresses in a curve. But in the true
space, there is only verticality.14 Thus, under the stirring of the
breaths as they interiorize and operate in a spontaneous manner,
Kundalini awakens, stretches out, straightens, and stands erect;
when she reaches the highest point of her ascent, uniting with
Siva, she is known as supreme {para).

The great Goddess, then, appears at once as universal Life,
energizer of the living beings, and as absolute Consciousness.

The eminent sanctuary, that triangle wherein she dwells
bent in her lower aspect and from which she unfolds, is the recep-
tacle of birth, also called "mouth of the yogini." But in her higher
aspect, she reaches the triangle15 that contains the three principal
energies harmoniously blended: will, knowledge, and activity.

13. This spinning of the wheels is only to be found in the experiences
described by the Saiva systems of Kasmir.

14. Here it does not refer to akasa but to Kha, cf. p. 153.

15. Cf. here pp. 32-33, about these two triangles which ultimately be-
com one forming a six pointed figure, the satkona.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

As for the true sacrifice, it consists, according to the next
verse, in remaining firmly grounded in the rite of great bliss and in
carefully focusing on the rising of the energy: then, thanks to the
goddess Kundalini, into whom one merges deeply, the supreme
Bhairava is attained.

In other stanzas of the same tantra two different types of
gradual ascent are described, according to whether the energy ra-
diates like beams from the center of each wheel or whether it
flashes like lightning.

According to sloka 28, one should concentrate on the breath
energy, "resplendent with luminous rays and becoming more and
more subtle16 as she rises from the root center up to the highest
center, where, appeased, she dissolves. Such is the awakening,
the revelation of Bhairava."

This stanza may refer to the supreme Kundalini, who rushes
straight to the brain center without taking her rest at every step of
the progression, but it may also refer to the indirect way of the
breath energy as alleged by Jayaratha, who quotes this same verse
to illustrate the indirect ascent of Kundalini by successive steps.17

The energy becomes more and more subtle as she is interi-
orized in the course of her ascent. The practice consists of imag-
ining that luminous rays are resorbed into the center of each
wheel and penetrate the vertical axis up to the brahmarandhra,
where they fade into Conscious light (prakasa); the Kundalini en-
ergy is then fully unfolded and one with the Absolute, Bhairava.

In the next verse, the inner flow of energy no longer radiates
like beams, but flashes like lightning. One should then meditate
on the vital energy which surges to the crown of the skull, moving
"from center to center, step by step, until ultimately the great
Awakening [takes place]

"18

Incomplete or Defective Ways

There exist a number of incomplete courses frequently fol-
lowed by the Kundalini of a yogin who lacks vigilance or even by
that of a master when he is busy with worldly tasks.

In these cases, the vital energy moves from talu clown to the
root center: a part of the breath goes out through the nostrils, and

16. According to the reading of the Netratantra,

17. Cf. here p. 63.T.A.V. com. sl 88-89, p.397.

18. Cf. T.A comm. p. 401.

MOVEMENTS OF KUNDALINI RELATED TO A YOGIN'S PRACTICE 69

another part moves toward the susumna and effectuates a partial
ascent from the navel to the heart or from the heart to the throat.
While the yogin experiences some pleasure and a vivifying ar-
dor—any ascent, even partial, being a source of pleasure and
potency—such an ascent should not be regarded as perfect.

Truly defective is the way known as pisacavesa, demoniac
penetration. The breath accumulated in talu moves down to
muladhara without setting it in motion and goes to bhrumadhya
which it spins around; it comes back to talu, which begins to vi-
brate. Then it moves down to the throat, from there to the nabhi,
and from wheel to wheel down to muladhara. Even if the yogin is
in samadhi, the breath goes out through the nose and the yogin
comes back to the ordinary state without deriving any benefit from
this practice—neither power nor bliss—for all movement which
passes downward through the centers generates either depres-
sion, fatigue, or disgust.19

19. c.f. Vedhadiska, here p.87.

Chapter Six

Various Reactions Occurring in a Yogin

The Five Phases of Vibration or the Signs on the Path

To complete this survey of the various courses of Kundalini,
the distinctive signs of the different stages will now be described.
A vibration of the nostrils, for instance, is indicative of the move-
ment of the breath energy (pranakundalini); however, the pas-
sages dealing with all these symptoms are deliberately scattered,
and since they belong to different traditions, we cannot present all
of our information together. So here we deal exclusively with the
basic texts, leaving for subsequent chapters the descriptions
given by treatises such as the Saktauijnana or the Amaraughasa-
sana.

The Malinivijayatantra (XI.35) enumerates five major signs
of the stages of yoga and of their centers: bliss, giving a jump,
trembling, mystical sleep, and whirling (ghurni), associated re-
spectively with the lower triangle, the bulb, the heart, the vault of
the palate, and the brahmarandhra.

Mystical experiences and significant phenomena occur in

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

rapid succession as the corresponding centers are affected and
the Kundalini energy begins to spread through the entire being of
the yogin. When she saturates the whole body, absolute bliss pre-
vails, but as long as she remains confined to one center, the way
is not clear and certain phenomena occur. In fact, the yogin is
hardly able to cope with the vibration she generates and each of
the centers reacts in its own way. As Abhinavagupta1 further ex-
plains, these experiences are nothing but the reactions of a yogin
in contact with plenitude (purnatasparsa).

The reactions hereafter described cease as soon as one be-
comes identified with Reality.

Ananda, Bliss

If this contact affects the triangle (trikona) known as "mouth
of the yogin!" (yoginivaktra), a feeling of bliss is experienced by a
yogin who, in spite of his earnest desire to do so, fails to penetrate
into the way of the supreme Reality. He has already discovered
the interior essence of the Self, he dwells in the fourth state, but the bliss
flooding through him should not be mistaken for the bliss of the
fully-unfolded Kundalini, since it is still related to the lower
center—trikona, or muladhara. At this stage, there is only a
peaceful state, a self-awareness filled with wonder (camatkara),
free of dualizing thought (vikalpa). As long as the yogin does not
go beyond this modality, he has mastery only over this center and
remains there until he gains access to the modalities of the next
stage. And indeed the same holds true for the mastery over each
of the other centers.

1. Cf. T.A. V.101 ff. The gloss (p. 415) quotes stanzas enumerating
ten sucessive states called "trumpeting of the splendor (tejas) of the energy."
We can recognize there some of our experiences, but they are given in a de-
liberately erratic order, since enlightening the ignorant who would venture
on their own through the treatises must be carefully avoided. They are: trem-
bling (kampa), revolving (bhrama), whirling (ghurni), diving or flight (pla-
vana), stability (sthirata), the light of Consciousness (citprakasa), bliss
(ananda), celestial vision (diuyadrsti), wonder (camatkrti) and lastly, the
Indescribable (auacya). These ten modalities appear when the supreme cat-
egory, Siva tattoo, is attained. Once this contact has become perfect, there is
liberation from the ocean of rebirth.

VARIOUS REACTIONS OCCURRING IN A YOGIN
Udbhava or Pluti, Jump or Bound

If the plenitude comes in touch, even lightly and briefly, with
the bulb (kanda) situated just above the lower center, a certain
stirring is experienced and the yogin is startled:2 this is because,
in a flash, he breaks his earthly ties and forgets his body, his ego.
Such a jump is due to vibrations that start spreading throughout
the body. A yogin who is not yet perfectly interiorized and who
does not completely identify with his energy, makes a start. Again
he bounds when the energy is forced downward or when she be-
gins moving up by fits and starts.

If there is a continuous immersion in Reality and if one jump
is followed by another in quick succession, as Kundalini re
the heart there occurs a violent trembling.

Kampa, Trembling

The false sense of identity with the body, already greatly re-
duced at the previous stage, grows even fainter during this trem-
bling. The heart center suffers the shock. As soon as it is affected,
no objective support remains: the yogin recognizes Conscious-
ness as his own Self and its inherent potency as belonging to the
supreme I-ness. At this moment, he breaks the attachment which
binds him to the body.

But if, owing to the effect of past impressions accumulated
in the course of many births, he has not entirely rejected his sense
of identity with the body, he begins to tremble, just like dust on
the surface of water as long as it does not really mingle with it. As
the body is not pure enough to bear such a vibration, he is seized
by an uncontrollable trembling.3 However, thanks to the joyous
assault of the energy giving rise to the subtle trembling that
shakes off4 all limits, the single-pointed yogin loosens the ties by
which he was bound to body, thought and ego, as he gradually
loses his false impressions.

2. Cf. the Yogasutra's udgatha, when the yogin crosses the bound-
aries of the bodily sphere.

3. But should the trembling intensify beyond measure, the sense of
identification with the body becomes reinforced.

4. Just as one shakes his hands in order to remove a sticky sub-
stance that clings to them.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Nidra, Spiritual Sleep

At this stage the yogin loses consciousness of the objective
world. When Kundalini reaches the vault of the palate (talu), the
yogin feels a kind of drowsiness (nidra) that Saint Theresa of Avila
called "the sleep of the powers." Body, will, and knowledge are
benumbed but the heart keeps watch. By no means can such a
sleep be mistaken for ordinary sleep; the yogin neither sleeps nor
dreams, he stands in a special void,5 his mystical experience is
profound, but he is not clearly aware of the fact, for his thought is
not operative. The intermediate phase between waking and sleep-
ing should not be confounded with another, lower form of sleep,
yoganidra, for it is made up of recollection and subtle vigilance
and occurs at a highly-advanced stage in mystical life,6 when the
yogin begins to pour his subjectivity into the universal Conscious-
ness, although he is not yet fit to reside there permanently. Then
he stands at the threshold of the next stage into which he cannot
yet pass.

Ghurni, Vibrant Whirling

Ghurni is an untranslatable term, for the state it refers to
does not belong to ordinary experience: it consists of a specifi-
cally mystical whirling, a vibration moving in all directions so in-
tense as to defy the imagination. When its intensity increases to
infinity, it becomes one with the ever-active primordial vibration
and is none other than the fully-unfolded Kundalini in brahma-
randhra.

Staggering under the effect of his inebriation, the yogin is
lifted to universal Consciousness and recognizes his identity with
the entire world. Transcending spatio-temporal limits, now all-
knowing and all-powerful, he experiences the final pervasion.

On close examination, this whirling, ghurni, appears to refer
to an inner churning that mixes the two poles of the kramarnudra,
at the source of emission and resorption.

5. Cf. Hymnes aux Kali, p. 30 and p. 38 on the threefold void: lower
void, prior to the attainment of the fourth state; medium void, samadhi or
conscious yoganidra; and higher void, the sleep of the unrelated Siva. Such
a sleep resembles somewhat the attitude of surprise (caikitamudra): the
mouth half opens spontaneously and the breath stands still

6. Viz. in suddhavidya, pure Science, and in unrelated Siva. Cf. here
p, 108.

VARIOUS REACTIONS OCCURRING IN A YOGIN

The yogin whose wheels have been pierced one after the
other "forcibly" (hathat) acquires sovereignty over each of them,
and his body, under the influence of Knowledge, is able to ac-
complish whatever he desires. Prior to this, each wheel had its
own bliss over which the yogin had no mastery. But at the stage of
ghurni, as his energy has turned into the all-pervading urdhva-
kundalini, he is present everywhere simultaneously and the inde-
scribable felt in one wheel is now perceived in the others as well.
Thus does he deserve the title of "Lord of the wheels" (T.A.V.
108-109). Wherever he goes, all the cakra keep humming about
him like a swarm of bees surrounding their queen.7

Sixfold Upsurge of the Breath and Corresponding Forms of Bliss

Abhinavagupta shows in his Tantraloka8 how the breaths re-
cover their cosmic nature and he states the seven blisses attend-
ant on this transformation:

1. First, the breath is interiorized at the junction of two states
which we will characterize as being similar to twilight, for this is
where thought comes to a stop. Thus, between waking and sleep-
ing, or as one awakens and is still drowsy, the inspired and ex-
pired breaths rest in the heart and the yogin experiences the first
type of bliss which, since it concerns the knower, is called per-
sonal (nijananda). As long as the pranayama practice related to
the still uninteriorized breath was not relinquished, bliss was only
slightly touched upon. But if breath stops completely of its own
accord, bringing forth the void free of all objectivity, true bliss,
now intimate, is nijananda.

2. It is without any desire for it, without expecting anything,
without forming any mental picture that one should take rest in
the heart, at the junction of the inspired and expired breaths. This
rest lasts for one or two minutes and presently breath, having be-
come subtle, imperceptibly moves outward. Then, suspended
and stabilized in the void free of all objectivity, it produces inebri-
ation. Henceforward, bliss is known as complete (nirdnanda).
Motionless, with eyes closed, the yogin loses consciousness of
his surroundings.

3. Once outside, the breath, which no longer has anything in
common with ordinary breath, enters again in the form of apana

7. Text like vassals following a universal monarch (T.A. V.30-31).
8. T A V 43 ,53.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

VARIOUS REACTIONS OCCURRING IN A YOGIN

and penetrates talu, where it whirls continuously.9 When it comes
to a stop, the lungs being filled with air,10 one experiences the
bliss of inspired breath known as supreme (parananda). Drawn
from the objective world, it arises from the fusion of all subjective
and objective impressions which, once merged into the Self, vi-
brate into infinity. The yogin then, enjoying the essence of the Self
and free from all desire, stands on the threshold of the fourth
state.

4. When, within the median way, the prana and apana
breaths are balanced in samana, equal breath, the world appears
to the yogin as being bathed in equality, with all the forces in it
well appeased and in harmony. As breath is suspended, the yogin
again takes his rest within himself, in his heart, and identifies with
the bliss known as the bliss of Brahman (brahmananda).

The limits between knowledge and known collapse and the
breath moves down through the median channel to the root cen-
ter. Henceforth spontaneity reigns supreme. If the yogin tries to
imagine what is going to happen next, he will not go beyond this
bliss. Greater love and devotion make it possible to pass through
this stage where self-effort, mental concentration, and mantra rep-
etition prove to be utterly fruitless.

5. Breath then swiftly enters the lower center and is nothing
but upward soaring: this is the vertical breath (udana or urdhva-
kundalini), which rises inside the median way, swallowing the
whole duality: subject and object, inspiration and expiration, and
so on.

The yogin who becomes appeased in the huge flame of
udana experiences the great bliss (mahananda) or peace of the
pure Subject, where limits and contingencies no longer come to
pass.

6. When he rests permanently in this bliss, the fire of udana,
which had sprung up within the susumna to the brahmarandhra,
calms down and the diffused breath, Life itself (vyana), surges
forth. The yogin experiences the bliss of universal Consciousness
(cidananda) peculiar to citkundalini. And this state of great perva-
sion (mahavyapti) is resplendent everywhere, uninterruptedly.
No practice whatsoever can lead to this ever-present Conscious-
ness, still enhanced by the supreme ambrosia.11

9. Then yawnings and tears of love may occur spontaneously.

10. A phase called puraka.

11. Nimilanasamadhi has given place to unmilanasamadhi.

7. When the breath, with its glorious strength, again goes out
and blends with the free energy pervading the universe, the yogin,
having acquired the respiration of the liberated-in-life, experi-
ences the bliss known as universal (jagadananda): all-pervading,
it surpasses the bliss of Consciousness, for it is related to the total
energy at the source of all the breaths, pranasakti,12 which perme-
ates all the creative activities of the supreme conscious Subject.
Henceforth the actions performed by a yogin whose all-encom-
passing heart now pervades the entire universe are of a cosmic
nature; he acts upon the world just as an ordinary person acts
upon his own body.

12. This is then no longer a matter of breath.

Chapter Seven

Cosmic Kundalini or the Intimate Sacrifice

To evoke the supreme Kundalini, Abhinavagupta unfolds a
vast panorama that includes breath, intellect, void, energies, bodily
and universal elements: "Let the vital breath, the intellect, and the
void be revered," he says, "by perceiving first the identity between
them, then their identity with Siva."1

The awakening of the coiled-up energy, achieved through the
use of formulas, gives a glimpse into the main phases of its un-
folding. Hrim, the seed of illusion, awakens the coiled one, the
primal energy which lies dormant in the lower center, while other
mantra generate the four elements—earth, water, air, and fire—la-
tent therein.

If the awakening of Kundalini is thus associated with the ap-
pearance of the universal categories, this is because, essentially,
the individual body does not differ from the universal body. Thus
there is no need to go out of the body to perceive the universal
elements; one has only to set up the pillar of knowledge at the very
center of all activities to realize that the universe is pervaded by
Consciousness.

1. Here we give excerpts from the Tantraloka (XV, sl. 295 ff.) and the
Malinivijayatantra (VIII, 54-76). About this sacrifice performed through nyasa,
we refer the reader to Andre Padoux's doctoral dissertation: "Recherches sur
la symbolique de l'energie de la Parole," p. 358-61, and the diagram, p. 360.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

One then imagines a vertical axis called "infinite," ananta, ex-
tending up to the uvula and containing the levels of reality from
the subtle elements to the kala energies. In other words, from the
awakened Kundalini arises a stem, symbol for the royal road—
susumna—which goes from the center to lambika and terminates
in the brahmarandhra, the entire universe assuming the form of a
lotus.

At first there arises, through the action of the semivowels, four
aspects of the intellect giving birth to duty, knowledge, renuncia-
tion, and sovereignty. Then, at the opposite extreme, there arises,
through the action of the barren phonemes, four energies.

The intellect is engendered by the power of illusion; the eight
energies form a knot, an ocean of ties—the night of illusion. If one
fails to cut the knot, union with Siva2 is impossible.

Above this knot just below the trident, one should meditate
on the pure Science which, extending between lambika and the
brahmarandhra, contains most of the sense organs.

An upturned lotus, whose twenty-four stamens symbolize the
occlusives in identical number, corresponds to the stage of the en-
ergy known as equal (samana). The stamens are then turned
downward, for Siva is watching the universe which he rules. They
turn upward as soon as the supramental energy reigns supreme.
In the petals, the stamen and the center of the lotus, one should
meditate upon the divinities saturated with energy: Rudra, Visnu,
and Brahma, who govern respectively fire, moon and sun.

At the top, in the brahmarandhra, is an eight-petalled lotus,
the eight vowels being the eight divine energies; the ninth one, in
the center, constitutes Life.3

Beyond that, one should imagine the great Departed One, Sa-
dasiva, laughing and conscious, with resplendent body. From his
navel arises a trident (trisula) whose points, representing the lower,
intermediate, and higher energies,4 reach the cosmic dvadasanta.
Still higher one should meditate on three shining lotuses com-
posed of the supramental energy (unmani), the universal sover-
eign. Such is the throne formed by the thirty-seven levels of real-
ity—a worthy object of adoration.

On this throne let Sadasiva be worshipped as the great De-
parted One, and above him let there be an offering of flowers and

2. From the M.V. (sl. 57-59).

3. This is unmani, transcending though

4. The Sakti, vyapini and samana energies

COSMIC KUNDALINI OR THE INTIMATE SACRIFICE

perfumes to the supreme goddess, Matrsadbhava, whose mantra
is SAUH. This is Kalasamkarsini who, in an instant, swallows up
time. Moreover, this is Consciousness itself, ultimate substratum
and absolute freedom.

This vivid exposition means that Sadasiva has handed over
his functions to the Tripurasundari energy enthroned at the top of
the image. The eternal Siva, facing upward, flashing forth with in-
numerable rays, is characterized as the great Departed One (ma-
hdpreta), "parted beyond," because of his explosive laugh (atta-
hasa).6

The superiority of the Goddess over Sadasiva, lying motion-
less at her feet, unconscious of the universe but supremely happy,
is that she has perfect self-awareness (vimarsa) which is both free-
dom and power. For his part, Siva possesses the undifferentiated
Consciousness (prakasa) and, while he indeed transcends all the
levels of reality, the Goddess is still beyond immanence and tran-
scendence because she is the Whole. So at the ultimate stage of
indescribable energy (unmani), Kundalini is seated on Siva while
illuminating the universal Consciousness.

5. The one who squeezes time. Cf. Hymnes aux Kali, pp. 11 and 79.

6. M.V. VIII 68..

Part Two

PIERCING OF THE CENTERS AND STAGES
OF THE ASCENT

Chapter One

Vedhadiksa, Initiation through Penetration

The indescribable transmission from master to disciple takes
place from heart to heart, from body to body. Since in reality there
exists only one Consciousness—the infinite realm of illumination—
one can understand how the master's illumined consciousness is
able to penetrate the disciple's obscured consciousness in order
to enlighten it.

In two early Upanisad, the Brhadaranyaka and the Kausltaki,
there is already a description of sampratti, a sacrificial ceremony
during which a father, at the hour of death, identifies with his son
through all the different parts of his body:

"Now, the father-to-son transmission, as it is called. When
the father is on the verge of death, he sends for his son. After
scattering fresh grass all over the house, setting up the fire and
putting by his side a water jug with a cup, the father goes to his
bed, donned in a new suit. Then the son comes and lies down
on him, with his sense organs touching those [of his father]. Or
else [the latter] may perform the transmission when [the son] is
sitting in front of him."

Then he performs the transmission: 'I want my voice to be
placed in thee,' the father says. 'I receive thy voice in me,' says
the son. 'I want my breath to be placed in thee,' the father says.
'I receive thy breath in me,' says the son. [This goes on likewise
with sight, hearing, taste, actions, pleasure and pain, procrea-

88 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

tion, gait, intellect, and the son receives them all....1]

The Plenary Oblation

The transmission of breaths from guru to disciple calls to
mind the Vedic agnihotra performed by the householder who,
morning and evening, has to pour an oblation of milk and oil into
the sacrificial fire, ahavaniya, which consumes the ritual oblations
and carries them to the gods to appease their hunger. Later with
the Chandogya Upanisad, this offering to the divinities becomes
an offering dedicated to the five breaths, the organs, and their cor-
responding divinities—that is, the now-satisfied energies. Such a
gift should be offered in the mystic fire, the universal Self (atman
vaisvanara),2 for "he who, understanding this, offers the agnihotra,
it is in all the worlds, in all beings and in all selves that his offering
is made" (V 19-24).

Many years later, Abhinavagupta gives the Vedic offering a
specifically mystical interpretation. While he too calls it "plenary
oblation" (purnahuti), he acknowledges no other divine fire able to
consume the whole duality than Kundalini nor any other offering
to be poured into this fire than the master's penetration into the
breath of the disciple, within whom the divine fire awakens and the
flame of Kundalini rises.

On several occasions he deals with this theme, one he has
at heart. In his vivarana to the Paratrimsika, he shows in what
spirit one should perform the sacrifice. The oblation is offered into
the sacrificial fire which, fed by each and every thing, internally con-
sumes the seeds of latent impressions (vasana); it consists in for-
saking the limited I through self-surrender which alone gives ac-
cess to the supreme I-ness, an undivided mass of consciousness
and plenitude, namely Siva and his energy.

This sacrificial fire is no less than the great splendor of the su-
preme Bhairava, perpetually surging up amidst the arani of the
supreme energy when, stirred up by the profuse outpouring of clar-
ified butter [semen], she is "churned" by the effervescence of the
unversal and intense love [-embrace].

1. Kausitaki Upanisad, 11.15, translated into French by Louis Renou, p.
46, Ed. Adrien Maisonneuve, Paris 1948.

2. Agni's designation as "all-pervading" (vaisvanara) is henceforth
transferred to the Self (atman).

ABHISEKA, CONSECRATION

In his gloss to the Bhagavad Gita (IV. 24), Abhinavagupta
specifies that the offered substances, such as clarified butter, reach
the supreme brahman, as It Is the very essence of the sacrifice and,
by Itself, plenary oblation.

"Brahman is the offering, It is the clarified butter (havis), and
by brahman the oblation is poured into the fire which too is brah-
man. In truth brahman is to be attained by one who becomes ab-
sorbed in the brahman-in-act."

Abhinavagupta interprets this stanza as follows: arpana, the
gift, is the penetration into brahman of all that arose from it. Havis
is the whole universe, and the appeased fire is the supreme Con-
sciousness. As to brahman's oblation: whatever the activity per-
formed by such a sacrificer, the supreme Consciousness reveals it-
self, as his samadhi is a brahmakarman, a way leading to the Self
and yielding but one fruit, brahman, the Absolute.

Penetration of the Guru into the Disciple's Breaths

This purnahuti is of primary importance to Abhinavagupta
for, he says, "it is by becoming firmly established in this plenary
oblation that a master bestows the liberating initiation."3 This refers
to the yogic practice known as "hamsa,"4 "swan," adopted by a guru
in order to stir up and enlighten the initiate's consciousness. He
first unites his consciousness with the supreme Consciousness;
then, infusing his consciousness into the disciple's, he penetrates
therein by successive stations, one being known as the equinox
(visuvat), a perfect equality particular to the void where the in-
spired and expired breaths terminate.

But once again we must turn to his gloss of the Bhagavad
Gita, for here he discloses the secrets of the transmission through
breath, while giving a fresh interpretation to a verse dealing with
the great sacrifice, svadhydyayajna, "the one performed for one's
own sake."

"Others offer as sacrifice the expired breath in the inspired,
and the inspired breath in the expired; restraining the flow of the
expired and inspired breaths, they devote themselves solely to
breath control."5

3. P.T. v. p. 27.

4. Cf. here p. 10.

5. Apane juhvati pranam prane panam tathapare/pranapanagati
ruddhva pranayamaparayanah// IV.29.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Abhinavagupta explains that the sacrifice is not performed for
one's own sake alone, but for the sake of others as well. Thus it is
carried out in two steps: first, within one's own self (svadhyaya):
the expired breath (prana) being the resonance (nada) that arises
while extending from A to the equal energy (samana), namely the
pranava OM coupled with the rising of Kundalini.6

The guru offers this exhaled breath as an oblation in the in-
haled breath, penetrating to the core of his own bliss, and makes
this initial massive flow (pinda) of prana steady and firm, so as to
instill it next into his disciple. Such is the first "recitation" for one's
own sake or the firmness of the guru's apana.

Then the master enters the disciple's body and, through the
medium of the breath, he once again makes the twin offering of
prana in apana and vice versa.

And this consciousness which has entered his inhaled breath
is inserted into the disciple's sound vibration (nada) so that it be
purified.

When the exhaled breath is offered in the inhaled breath at
the time of internal plenitude (puraka), the guru becomes im-
mersed in his own bliss, then he takes in the disciple's impure
breath and purifies it. When the inspired breath is offered in the
expired breath, that is the external void (recaka), the guru enters
into his disciple, who takes back the breath thus purified. In this
way, the guru's puraka becomes the disciple's recaka and vice
versa, in a continuous back and forth movement. With puraka the
enjoyment of sense objects becomes interiorized; with recaka,
there is an outward movement to allow apprehension of objects.
And again, when the guru exhales the breath, from the pho-
neme A to the equal energy, the sisya takes it back as his inhaled
breath, but when it goes out of the disciple this breath is impure
and must be taken again by the guru to be purified. The guru con-
tinues thus until the disciple's breath reaches the brahmarandhra
and the consciousness of each is perfectly still. Then, in a single
instant, the guru manifests the pranava OM in his own essence
and, inhaling the breath, he becomes one with the disciple.
This is how the svadhyaya sacrifice is performed.

Several points need to be clarified: that exchange of breath is
by no means related to the ordinary prana and apana, but to their
subtle nature, once they have entered into the median way.

6. Cf. here p. 49.

Furthermore, there are two requirements for this sacrifice: the
master must be able to release his consciousness from his body
to infuse it into the disciple's consciousness; and the latter, for his
part, must be prepared to instantly take in the expired breath of
the master. Then, filled with the guru's consciousness, he gradually
comes to share the various aspects of his blissful state.7

The transmission of mantravirya or efficience of the perfectly-
controlled conscious energy is a long and difficult practice, espe-
cially in the case of the abhiseka8 of a disciple who is to become
a master himself; since it requires that the initiate be of unfailing
faith, steadfastness and dedication, few indeed are those on whom
it is bestowed.

According to the vivarana to the Paratrimsika (p. 27), the
guru inserts his consciousness into that of the disciple at a point
called "equinox" (visuvat), because there the inspired and ex-
pired breaths are in equilibrium, equal, and therefore appeased.
Abhinavagupta mentions two distinct types of oblation, one partial,
if the disciple intends to enjoy worldly pleasures during life and
obtain liberation at death, the other total, if he has but one single
desire, to unite with Siva.

Initiations by Piercing of the Centers

Various initiations, performed on a purely inner level by pierc-
ing the centers, bring the median breath energy (madhyaprana-
kundalini) into play. They are meant for masters and disciples
whose Kundalini is awakened. We shall see how the master, by
acting on his own Kundalini, raises that of the disciple by entering
his body through all or any one of the nine apertures, as he
chooses.

Abhinavagupta briefly describes these initiations in Chapter 29
(236-253) of the Tantraloka:

236. For the benefit of a disciple longing for im-
mediate experience, a guru practising a highly
efficient yoga can celebrate the initiation-through-

7. Cf. here p. 75.

8. This ceremony was, originally, the enthronement of a prince by a
Brahman priest. Here pp. 100 seq.

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

piercing that instantly grants him the longed-for
fruit.

To define the term vedha, penetration or piercing, Jayaratha
quotes a verse of unknown authorship according to which the
breath energy, acting as a drill, pierces the Self, viewed here as a
precious stone. "Such is the type of piercing by which the bonds
can be untied" (p. 148).

Due to his proficiency in the practice of Kundalini, such a guru
differs from a mere scholar; book knowledge remains fruitless if
not paralleled with extensive experience.

237-238. This initiation by penetration, de-
scribed here and there in the treatises, and in
many ways, should be performed by a master
well versed [in this field]. When duly performed,
it consists of penetrating higher and higher into
the disciple, who clearly and unmistakably feels
it through his centers. This is how he acquires
supernatural powers.... However, according to
the Ratnamalatantra, if he fails to bring about
the rising from wheel to wheel, the penetration
then goes downward and will be termed as de-
moniac.9

In a verse quoted by Jayaratha, those two antagonistic move-
ments are clearly indicated: the ascending course bestows liber-
ation and awareness, while the untoward descending course is re-
lated to penetration by a demon (p. 249).

Indeed, if instead of moving upward the flow of energy goes
down from wheel to wheel, no fruit is born; still worse, this flow
becomes an obstacle to spiritual life, leading to depression and a
dissipation of energy. Such a process endangers both master and
disciple, for the benefits as well as the risks involved in these ini-
tiations are shared by both. A failure is due either to the master
being not sufficiently experienced or to the disciple not sufficiently
prepared.

9. Pisacavesa, cf. here p. 69. Our analysis of the next stanzas draws
partly on Jayaratha's gloss.

ABHISEKA, CONSECRATION 93

239-240. In the Gahuaratantra, the Lord
mentions a sixfold initiation by penetration: [the
first four forms] resort to the mystic formula ["]"],
to the inner sound, to the bindu or virile potency,
and to the energy; [the last two], to the serpent
penetration and to the supreme penetration.

These penetrations yield much the same results, however,
some of them are more complete or more efficient than others.

In all of them the guru makes the breath enter into the lower
center of his own body and then performs the type of penetration
which he deems specially fit for the disciple.

Mantravedha. Piercing of the Centers by Means of Mantra

240-243. The [master] first meditates on the
eight-spoked center [that of the heart]..., daz-
zling with light. Then, through it, he penetrates
into the heart wheel of his disciple. Such is the
penetration by means of mantra ["I"]. Or else,
having established the letter A10 in [his own]
body in a ninefold way, the master sends it
through yogic projection into the disciple's body
where, fiery and ablaze, it loosens his bonds, en-
abling him to unite with the supreme Reality.
This method, expounded in the Diksottaratan-
tra, was revealed to me by my master Sambhu-
natha.

The spontaneous mantra, which springs out of the disciple's
eagerness to recognize the supreme I-ness, is by no means a
sound or a formula, but a realization of the "I" (aham) of such
overwhelming power that it pierces the heart cakra. Thus it appears
as a heart-to-heart initiation since through the power of the "I"
realized in his own heart, the master touches the heart of his dis-
ciple.

10. Or the wheel of Kundalini.

Kundalini begins to move from the root center. First, the guru
prepares the eight-spoked wheel11 in his own heart, then unfolds
it. For, as she moves up to the heart which starts vibrating, Kun-
dalini must be full of force and ardor, or else she would not be
able to pierce the disciple's heart. Sending her out through the nine
apertures of his body, the guru makes her enter the initiate's body
through the same apertures; then, in the form of the mantra "I,"
he makes her ascend through all of the centers to the brahma-
randhra. (

Nadavedha, Piercing through Mystic Resonance

243-244. Known as nadavedha12 is the
piercing brought about by the upward push of the
resonance according to the process of creation
[of the malini going from NA to PHA] ; through
this spontaneous resonance, let the master enter
the disciple's consciousness. This is what is
called piercing through mystic resonance.

This type of penetration, meant for a yogin wishing to work
for the welfare of the world, is performed through the help of a
sustained sound. It is called a creative process because it goes
from master to disciple.13 The inner sound, similar to the sound
perceived when the ears are stopped, first arises in the median way
of the guru, and moves up to his heart or his brahmarandhra—as
both have now become one. At the same moment it spontaneously
enters the body of the disciple, whose breath is converted into res-
onance, anacka.14 The latter then moves down from the heart to
the muladhara wheel, which starts spinning; thence it moves back
up to the brahmarandhra, piercing the wheels which vibrate one
after the other, and the disciple becomes aware of the course of
this mystic resonance.

11. And thus that of the heart, in preference to the twelve-spoked wheel
situated in the navel region (Jayaratha).

12. Here nada is synonymous with dhvani and anahata.

13. By contrast the process of resorption going from disciple to guru is
not appropriate in the present case.

14. Cf. here p. 41.

The descent of the Kundalini resonance from heart to root
center should not be confused with the descent of the demoniac
way, during which the energy, as it moves down from wheel to
wheel, activates them one by one; for here, the descent occurs at
the beginning of the practice and prior to the ascent of Kundalini
from center to center.

Jayaratha quotes three cryptic verses from the "profound"
Tantra (the Gahvara): "[Let the master], emitting first a sustained
sound, take hold of the sound within the sound itself; then, uttering
the phonemes from NA to PHA, let him purify the pathway of the
phonemes and perform the piercing by means of sound. That, 0
Goddess, is what is called 'piercing through sound.'"

Binduvedha. Piercing through Virile Potency

244-245. 0 Mahesani! Let [the master],
whose virile potency (bindu) shines forth like a
flame, illumine—through its help—the [disci-
ple's] consciousness fixed in the bindu's seat
[and already] firmly established on the pathway
between the eyebrows; or else, let him pierce the
target of his heart; this is what is praised as the
so-called penetration of the bindu [virile po-
tency] .

During this penetration the guru gathers into his heart all his
virile potency (bindu), brings it to its full force and, when it be-
comes a live flame capable of enlightening the disciple's conscious-
ness, he takes it up to the middle of his eyebrows; then he makes
it enter the consciousness of the disciple, who, likewise, focuses
on the bindu situated between the eyebrows. If the disciple's center
is pure and fully awakened, the master deposits the virile potency
there; if not, he places it in his heart, or if again impossible, in the
bulb. Then, as it touches the root center, the breath is transformed
into a very powerful seminal flow which, in both master and dis-
ciple, spreads throughout the body and rises to the brahmaran-
dhra; the initiate, then, becomes aware of the virile potency stream-
ing through his centers, and all attraction toward the pleasures of
this world vanishes.

Saktavedha. The So-called Energy Piercing

246-247. O Beautiful One! Through uccara15
of the lower muscles of the trunk [the master]
exerts an upward thrust upon the essence of the
energy up to the possessor of the energy [Siva];
then, spontaneously, without any effort of utter-
ance, he lifts the coiled serpentine energy dwell-
ing in the triangular seat. Let him, by her help,
pervade the entire universe. Such is the descrip-
tion of the piercing by means of the energy, in
which the penetration [resembles] that of the
bumble bee.

Without the help of the commentary, this stanza would be
incomprehensible; the term uccara, already difficult to translate,
here assumes numerous connotations. First, that of an upward
contraction by means of the muscles of the rectum (mattagandha),
with the purpose of making Kundalini ascend. Uccara also means
a conscious, powerful rising; finally, "uccara-without-uccara" refers
to the spontaneous rising of the sound vibration, which occurs
without any exertion of the will, which does not require any prac-
tice or effort; the energy moves up spontaneously, humming like a
bee—both in vibration and in sound.

This piercing, meant for a disciple who wishes to develop his
power, is characterized as complete because it goes from lower to
higher center while awakening all the wheels. Through a process
of contraction and dilatation exerted on the rectum, the guru pow-
erfully draws the breath up inside the median way in order to take
on the whole energy by seizing the "two feet of Siva" having a
unique savor, in other words, of Siva in full possession of his en-
ergy. In the course of this piercing, the master enters the disciple's
body and, while taking his own Kundalini upward, he awakens and
raises that of the disciple; the latter then feels permeated by a flood
of energy of such intensity that it rushes straight along the median
way from center to center and, reaching the top of the head, it joins

15. Cf.VB.s7. 24, here p. 39 n.4 Uccar, to rise, to emit, to utter; uccara,

release, subtle rising of the breath and the energy, accompanied by sound

vibration.

with Siva, the master of the energy, as perfect consciousness and
divine potency have now become inseparable. This is how the
uccara of Siva is achieved.

The distinctive feature of this piercing is its spontaneity, for
its attendant sound is like the continuous and natural humming of
the black bee. The energy awakens simultaneously in master and
disciple, so they have only to focus on this humming sound arising
within as the wheels begin to spin and vibrate.

When the ascent is completed, the universe, hitherto latent
in a subtle form within the triangle of the lower center (srngataka),
now bathes in the universal energy, making it impossible to detect
the slightest difference between the divine energy and the universe,
so perfect is their commingling.

The next piercing, where Kundalini rushes up at once straight
to the summit, is also a spontaneous one; for as soon as bliss
manifests, all process of penetration necessarily comes to an end,
since bliss and spontaneity go hand in hand.

Bhujangavedha. The So-called Serpent Piercing

248-251. This supreme energy blossoming
into bliss is adorned like a five-hooded cobra as
she rises from the inferior to the superior center.
Thus her fivefold aspects are witnessed in func-
tions, in the levels of reality, in lunar days, in cen-
ters, in energies (kula), in creative causes, in
gods [from Brahma to Sadasiva], and in organs.

When this energy endowed with five modal-
ties draws herself up from the brahman's [lower]
seat and enters the brahman's [higher] seat, she
flashes forth like lightning in the former and then
dissolves into the latter. Having thus penetrated,
let her pierce the body, let her discover the Self.
Such is the so-called serpent piercing, as de-
scribed in the Bhairauagama.

This piercing, although related to the previous one, yields a
higher type of awakening immediate and universal in nature. An

overflowing bliss replaces the mystic resonance (nada). The as-
cending movement, stalling from muladhara and ending its
course in the supreme dvadasanta, does not stop along the inter-
mediate centers; and using the same term "brahman" to refer to
both the starting and the finishing points only stresses the fact that,
during this flashing ascent, the two centers are but one.

The raised energy looks like a cobra whose five hoods, spread
out and intensely vibrant, symbolize the numerous facets of the
universe: the five kala or spheres of cosmic energies (santatita,
santa, vidya, pratistha, and nivrtti),16 the five tattva, from the earth
onward, the five nanda, or lunar days (tithi), the five vyoman, namely,
janma, heart, bhru, and so forth, the five kula [the aspects of en-
ergy], the five gods of creation [from Brahma to Sadasiva], and the
organs of cognition and action.

The yogin is endowed with an energy operative in this world
(kriyasakti), and his bliss, first permeating his body, now pervades
the universe, a universe made of consciousness and one with the
Self.

Paravedha. Supreme Piercing

252-253. "As long as thought is still re-
sorted to, and until it disappears [the penetration
is that of the serpent]; but once it has completely
vanished, O Sovereign of the gods! then bliss is
called supreme." Henceforth no sense organ, no
breath, no inner organ, no thought, no knower
and known, and no mental activity. The disap-
pearance of all the modalities of Consciousness,
that is regarded as the supreme piercing.

As long as there is penetration, as long as the universe is
apprehended by the consciousness endowed with vikalpa in the
five ways described above, one does not go beyond the so-called
serpent initiation. The ultimate stage is the fruit of the previous
ones. When the highest piercing takes place, in the absence of

16. Cf. Andre Padoux, Recherches sur la Symbolique et I'Energie de la
Parole dans certains textes Tantriques, p. 280-82.

ABHISEKA, CONSECRATION

mental dichotomy (vikalpa), how could a penetration be per-
ceived? If there were one, it would take place everywhere and not
in a specific center. When he has reached the one and only Center,
the yogin is omnipresent and as his median way is universal, the
centers are everywhere and contain everything.

The yogin is no longer aware of his body as being separate
from the universe; he does not know where he is; and his vikalpa
having vanished, he experiences only bliss and indescribable rap-
ture (nirvikalpacamatkara).

Outer Initiations17

In his Tantraloka, Abhinavagupta mentions other initiations
through piercing. Although of an outer type when compared to
those previously described, they do make use of the Kundalini en-
ergy. Here again, only masters initiated into the mystical secrets
(rahasya) are qualified to perform them (255).

First there is a piercing by means of mantra (mantravedha);
the guru visualizes the disciple as sitting within a triangular-
shaped mandala,18 and by means of the fire phoneme and the seed
of illusion, he pierces, with the help of this blazing fire, the knots
of the disciple; he then unites him with the supreme Reality (256).

In the next piercing, saktavedha, the guru uses the energy to-
enter into the disciple through one of the three conduits (nadi),
and focuses the whole consciousness in the bulb. Then, moving
around and with great impetus, he uses the five organs of action,
the eight organs of cognition, and the tuft of hair in order to unite
the selected center with this consciousness, now at the summit of
the trident of energy (257-258).

In the piercing by means of the form (rupavedha), the master
visualizes some image of a divinity shining brightly between the
eyebrows, in the bindu center; then he must at once identify the
disciple with this image. As soon as the disciple clearly perceives
this image, he communes with the divinity it represents and ulti-
mately becomes one with it (261-262).

During the piercing through supreme knowledge (vijnana-

17. These initiations are nine in number; however only a few of them
are of any relevance here.

18. With the subtle, all pervading and equal energies as its three cor-
ners. Cf. here p. 49.

100

ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

vedha), because master and disciple are convinced of their iden-
tity, the master transfers the eightfold knowledge to the disciple
through the subtle thread of his conduits (nadi), making the sun
of a divine knowledge instantly surge forth in the ether of his heart
(263-264).

When performing the piercing on certain points of the body
(sthanavedha), the master rests in each of his disciple's wheels
and gradually ignites them, starting from the root center (267).

While there are three chief conduits—susumna, ida, and pin-
gala—those to which they are connected are countless. Piercing
by means of the conduits (nadivedha) allows the adept to unite
with them all. And that is the goal.

The current running through the selected conduit passes
through the chief conduits located in the sense organs. This pierc-
ing by means of the nadi produces different forms of awakening
(268-269).

Like an animal with a powerful tail, a great yogin, by ex-
ploding someone else's conduit curled up in his own conduit, can
make even a siddha—an accomplished being endowed with su-
pernatural powers—fall to the ground (270).

With the supreme piercing (paravedha), the guru, bestower
of divine nature, reveals the supreme Siva to one who, in a state
free of all duality, becomes intensely aware of the highest piercing
involving all the centers (271).

Abhiseka, Consecration

We have yet to deal with the highest form of initiation, where
the master works on the disciple's energy after bestowing upon him
the grace by which he becomes a master (acarya) fit to initiate many
disciples in his turn.

The purpose of the ceremony described by Abhinavagupta19
is the identification of the disciple with the master "just as a torch
is kindled by another torch," the disciple emulating his master in
every possible way: mystical experiences, knowledge, behavior,
character traits, and so forth.

After the anointing, the guru infuses into this new master the
power of the mantra (mantravirya). To prepare for this, the latter
must spend six months meditating on all the formulas; and by

ABHISEKA, CONSECRATION

101

19. T. A. Ch. XXIII, sl. 1-39, a

condensed version of which is given here.

identifying with the mantra, he shares its power which is essential
to break his bonds. Then he returns to his master and sits in front
of him; at this point a heart to heart initiation takes place, not un-
like the piercing through resonance (nadavedha) previously de-
scribed.20

33-40. From the heart wheel of the guru, the
vital energy rises up like a straight line, being the
essence of sound, subtle and akin to a moon-
crystal [that is, to a beneficial nectar, clear and
pure]. Appeased, it passes through the succes-
sive centers, and inside the median way rushes
up to the superior center. [There, within the very
breath energy, the master fills the disciple's heart
with this mantric essence].

Then he emits the mantra, which shines like
a vivid flame and springs forth from all the aper-
tures of the body... At last satisfied, the point of
the flame subdues in the Heart21 center once the
butter it fed upon has completely melted away.

So, through the uccara of the breath energy, the guru instills
the sound essence of the new acarya into his chief centers, from
the root center to talu, following the main stages of the Om
energy22—the last of which gives him access to the supreme Siva.
Whatever center is Worked upon by the master, the mantra proves
efficient. When infused into the sadhaka, this mantra comes back
to the master's heart, and from there moves up to his brahma-
randhra, down again to his heart, and then returns to the disciple's
heart, in a continuous back and forth movement between guru and
initiate.

Through this consecration related to the pure Science (vi-
dya), the new master acquires the power of the mystical formulas,
so that any mantra he will give to his own disciples will itself prove
to be potent, pure, and capable of setting them free.

20. Cf. here p. 94.

21. Textually, "navel", glossed as "Heart."

22. Namely ardhendu, rodhika, nada, nadanta, Sakti, vyapini, samana
and unmana.

Chapter Two

Somananda's Saktavijnana

Discriminative knowledge related to the energy1

[The thirteen movements or stages of Kundalini are as fol-
lows:]

1-2. Seat, penetration, aspect, object [of
contemplation], symptoms, the act of raising
[Kundalini], awakening, rest in the centers, ac-
cess to the stages, final state [of the energy], rest,
radical change, and finally origin or return.

3. The highest discriminative knowledge re-
lated to the [Kundalini] energy thus comprises
thirteen stages. And in all the Trika scriptures
they are referred to by Siva himself.

1. Edited from a sharada manuscript together with the Paratrisikatat-
paryadlpika of unknown authorship, in the Kashmir Series of Texts and Stud-
ies, pp. 47-49, by Pandit Jagaddhar Zadoo, 1947, Srinagar.

106

Sthana. Seat or Station

4. Five fingers' breadth below the navel and
two above the sexual organ, there between these
two, is situated the bulb known as cakrasthana,
the seat of the lower center.

SOMANANDA'S SAKTAVIJNANA

Laksa. Object [of Contemplation]

8. Let the thought be focused in the middle
of this bulb, until it is firmly grounded there, and
as the breath, having been first relinquished,4 be-
comes still, the [pursued] goal stands revealed.

107

Pravesa. Penetration [of Kundalini]

V
Laksana. Symptom or Characteristic Sign

5. After the inspired and expired breaths
have been stilled, let the thought be focused on
this very spot.2 When the movement of the breath
is completely under control, to the point of it
being guided into the median way, this is what
is called "penetration."

III

Rupa. Aspect

6. Now I am going to describe the aspect
thereof. [It consists of two centers]: one looks
like the triangular water chestnut,3 and the other,
permanent, possesses six spokes.

7. The bulb (kanda) looks like the flower of
a pomegranate; it is red in type and [pure] con-
templation in essence. In the enumeration, its as-
pect is the third [stage].

2. The previous station.

3. Within the bulb both sexes reside: (hat of the adept, looking like
the srngataka—the fruit of the water chestnut, symbolic of the triangle [tri-
kona)—and that of the opposite sex, symbolized by a six spoked figure, the
seal of Solomon; thus it contains one's own sex and the complementary sex.
About the Satkona, cf. here pp. 33,199).

9. The energy made of unstruck sound (ana-
hata) stands in the middle, in the wheel of the
bulb, looking like a straight line with serpentine
undulations at both ends, above and below.

10. [This] state [of immobility] thus settles
below and above. Between those two [that are
sun and moon], the kala5 is indeed resplendent
with a brilliance equal to that of a thousand
suns.

11. This energy can be ascertained by
slightly restraining the breath [inside]. That is
what is referred to as "symptom."

And now the supreme ascent:

Utthapana. The Act of Raising

12. And, while engaged in the practice of ex-
piring [the inward breath], let one repeat the for-

4. Tyakta, forsaken, cast aside.

5. Kala is the divine energy, in the sense of a lunar portion, the six-
teenth, that shines brightly Cf. Hymnes aux Kali, pp. 41-42 and 188.

108 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

mula [Om, aksa, hrim] and concentrate upon the
fully awakened energy, the supreme Goddess,
[straight] like a staff.

13. Arising from the middle of the [root]
support, she rests in the susumna channel. This
is what is referred to as "utthapana," the act of
raising. And now the Awakening:

VII

Bodhana. Awakening

14. Now when she is in the bulb, she must
successively pierce her way through the navel,
then through Brahma situated in the heart, then
through Visnu, the unshakable, standing in the
throat, and with no delay let her enter Rudra
seated at the vault of the palate

15. Then let her enter Isvara, standing be-
tween the eyebrows, and penetrate into Sadasiva
through the gate of brahman. Once awakened, let
her quickly reach the realm of the unrelated Siva.

VIII
Cakravisramana. Repose in the Centers

16. That is what is called awakening. Now,
repose in the [various] centers. The energy
pierces the brahmarandhra, [lotus with a thou-
sand] petals,6 dazzling, innate, fluid and [yet]
similar to the immutable firmament.

17. This is the immortal diadem7 and also

6. Data, "lotus shoot," that which unfolds spontaneously, but also (lo-
tus) "petal," referring to the thousand petalled loins in the sahasrara.

7. The crown of the head

the energy, besides being brahman itself; this is
bindu and nada |Siva and the energy]. Such in-
deed is what is known as the twelve wheels.

18. When the energy has pierced the wheels
in succession, let this great Goddess take her rest
in each for a while.

With relation to the wheels, this is the best

repose.

IX
Bhumikagamana. Access to the Stages

19. At first the heart trembles: next the gate
of the palate itself, together with the head, starts
to spin. Then in this [yogin]8 appears the symp-
tom of having transcended ordinary vision.

20. He lets each part of his body oscillate,
his limbs at the joints too and his heart flutters
under the supernatural influence of the integral
Science.

21. Whatever the modifications produced by
such a state, let one not be afraid of them; this
is the Sovereign's play.

22. Intoxicated by the ambrosia, she brings
about those numerous modifications resulting
from actions performed through many births, ac-
cording to the modification of the three energies.

23. [The yogin] shakes the bonds related to
the impurity stirred up by the supreme energy.
Such is what is known as the access to the
stages. Now the final state will be explained:

Antavastha. Final State

24. When he reaches this final stage, various

8. Instead of satas (of this being), should we read yatas?

109

110

manifestations arise unexpectedly from the bulb:
horripilation, floods of tears, tendency to yawn,
stammering, bursting of the knots, divine joy of
touch, and vibrations in the bindu.9

Visrama. Perfect Repose

25-26. The final state has just been ex-
plained; now comes the description of repose:
when the energy arising from the navel center
fully awakes, at once10 all the outward-directed
organs are gone, while the supreme energy dis-
solves in the supreme abode.

27. When the subject no longer discovers
any other object to be known [apart from him-
self] and when his energy rests in Siva, that is
called "repose."

XII

Parinama. Radical Change

28. If, at the very place where the energy
found repose, absorption of thought is achieved,
then for those beings endowed with certitude, it
is in its nature of absolute Self that the Self must
be known.

29. When the Self is parama Siva himself,
that is precisely what is meant by radical change,
for it is he who continuously pours the celestial
ambrosia, the Life of human beings.

9. That is to say virya. Cf. my commentary
10. Read tadasu.

Agamana. Return

XIII

30. But consciousness should be held at this
place for this divine energy will penetrate there
again. Such is her final return.

Thus has been given the whole teaching
about the thirteen [stages].

Such is the full text of Discriminative Knowl-
edge Related to the [Kundalini] Energy by the
venerable Somananda.

May writers and readers be prosperous!

Analysis of the Saktavijnana

The Saktavijnana, without mentioning the breath accumu-
lation in talu, begins its description of Kundalini's ascent with the
penetration of the breath right into the root center or the median
way.

HI. To raise Kundalini one should engage in continuous con-
templation (cintana), for in her essence she is contemplation. Then
one visualizes the so-called "birth" triangle (janmadhara), whose
naturally downward-turned apex must be reversed just as the
breath enters it and Kundalini stretches up. If this triangle is not
used for concentration, it will gradually fade away; but if attention
is fixed upon it while the raising of Kundalini is attempted, it be-
comes solid, firm, and steady. Subsequently it changes into a six-
spoked wheel (sadara), when the energy and Siva become inse-
parably united.

III. Rupa, aspect: This center is red because red is indicative
of the awakening of Kundalini. The first stages take place in mu-
ladhara.

IV. Laksa, the Object of contemplation, is the still-unformu-
lated goal toward which one is groping"; it begins to discover itself
when the one-pointed thought is firmly fixed on the bulb and when
the breath subsides of its own accord. It becomes still even without
the least effort to be aware of it.

112

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Such is the meaning of tyakta, forsaken, cast aside in a nat-
ural way; one simply forgets to breathe. Indeed, if the breath is
stopped willfully before it has first been appeased, life will be en-
dangered.

V. Laksana, symptom: At the stage of penetration, the prana
or vital force shoots forth to the root center. Henceforth it remains
there, still, with no trace of inspiration or expiration, and Kundal-
ini, thus, lies motionless. Only a sound vibration moves through
the coiled one, from head to tail, the spontaneous anahata sound
springing up from within.

Kundalini is serpentine, coiled-up11 in the manner of a snake.
She has two extremities, which seems to mean that the yogin, from
head to foot, experiences nothing but Kundalini as she lies mo-
tionless between the two poles of sun and moon, encompassing
prana, apana, and all duality.

Thus appeased, Kundalini assumes a most wonderful brilli-
ance.12 The symptom of this state is the quiescence of the energy;
this perfect quiescence can be easily ascertained by a slight breath
retention,13 manak, "somewhat," that is, by keeping the air in the
lungs naturally and smoothly, without exerting any external pres-
sure or any effort whatsoever. And the same goes for the next stage:
VI. Utthapana, the act of raising. Kundalini draws herself up
to the entrance to the median way through spiritual energy alone
and not by means of breath exercises. A deep absorption (sama-
dhi) very naturally induces the straightening which cannot occur
but in the median way.

Expiration of the inner breath (antahrecaka)—the void at the
end of expiration—infuses the necessary power for Kundalini to
become as rigid as a staff. To this end, the yogin recites the for-
mula Om, aksa, hrim. Om is the well-known pranava, aksa con-
tains all the phonemes from A to KS, and is therefore the matrka,
the Life of the phonemes, while hrim is the Kundalini mantra.

At the same time, the yogin beholds both extremities of the
coiled one and concentrates on the act of raising seeing her uncoil
and stretch up.

Kundalini, it should be noted, moves no further up than the
root center and rests in the median channel. That is the stage of
bliss.

11. Kutila.

12. Cf. V.B. sl. 37.

13. Kumbhaka.

SOMANANDA'S SAKTAVIJNANA

[13

VII. Then, at the stage of awakening (bodhana), the energy
rises from the bulb to the superior center.

The Svacchandatantra14 describes the same stages as well as
the divinities or energies of the Lord which preside over them:
Brahma in the heart, Visnu in the throat, Rudra in the palate, Isvara
in the center between the eyebrows, and the eternal Siva (Sadasiva)
in the brahmarandhra. In addition to this, the Saktavijnana men-
tions the unrelated Siva (andsritasiva) situated in the Void beyond
all void.15

Those divinities preside over specific functions within the
body.

VIII. Next comes repose in the superior center, an innate, re-
splendent petal—now undulating, now immobile, and also both
at the same time since it is the All.

Here the twelve wheels are those six related to the subtle
body, muladhara, and so forth; as for the six cosmic wheels that
rise from earth up to Sadasiva, they are located at points that cor-
respond to those of the subtle body.

Having described the centers, the author now turns to the
various movements of Kundalini and the manifestations produced
during her ascent from wheel to wheel, which she quickens as she
passes through them.

IX. When access to the stages of yoga is gained, the powerful
energy pierces and penetrates16 each wheel, for as long as it does
not permeate the 72,000 subtle channels, the yogin is subject to
strange alterations, as the center is first touched, then opened, and
finally fully awakened.

If while freely moving up it stops for a few minutes at each
wheel and causes it to vibrate, during the long period of prepa-
ration, and when a center is pierced for the first time certain, often
spectacular, disturbances do occur; under the terrific pressure of
the ascending Kundalini and the extreme tension she generates,
the body can react in unpredictable ways. Thus a violent tremor
spreads from the heart; then the vault of the palate starts vibrating.
And just as the yogin becomes omnipresent, he feels dizzy17—a
stage indicating celestial sight (divyadrsti), which pierces through
everything unobstructed. And again, under the influence of the pure

14. IV- Sl 258 seq. Cf., T.A. VI. 187.

15. Sunyatisunya.

16. According to the double meaning of vyadh- .
17. Cf. here p. 74.

114

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

mystic Science, the limbs oscillate at the joints,18 the heart throbs
when the yogin shifts from the Individual l<> the universal state.19
All of these transformations affecting the yogin are not to be
feared; this is but Kundalini who, totally intoxicated by the nectar
of bliss, playfully assumes those varied forms. Having lost her com-
posure, she knocks forcefully at the doors of the centers, and finding
her way obstructed, arouses unexpected effects. The obstacles on
the path are the knots due to impurities accumulated from a distant
past. Consequently the reaction of each individual is dependent in
part upon the latent tendencies from past lives. After having shaken
the bonds until they break altogether, Kundalini finds access to the
final stage:

X. Final state. From certain symptoms it may be inferred that
the energy is rising: a flood of tears, horripilation, spontaneous half-
opening of the mouth as at the time of death. Also it may happen
that, while engaged in conversation, the yogin begins to stammer,
to utter inarticulate words, to speak in a voice broken with sobs of

joy.

The knots burst open in those centers that no longer resist
the penetration. How divine the sensation when Kundalini, per-
meating the 72,000 nadi, pours bliss into the entire body. Finally
sparks full of power (virya) spout from the bulb; this scintillation
occurs when vibrations (spanda) course through the centers. Bin-
duvirya also alludes to the inner practice of virile potency that rises
through the median way to the brahmarandhra.

XI. At the stage of rest (visrama), when Kundalini, leaving
the navel center, fully awakens, all the sense organs, no longer
turned outward, merge into the pure subjective energy, much like
the sun setting on the horizon. Once the energy subsides, all the
organs naturally calm down, outwardly-turned activity and dicho-
tomized thought no longer exist.

Upon reaching the supreme dvadasanta the energy is ab-
sorbed into Siva, while secondary wheels and centers merge and
flow as a single unit inside the median way. At this stage of oneness,
or pure consciousness (cit), the yogin experiences a peace hence-
forth indestructible.

XII. The stage next to last consists of a radical change (pari-

18. Also mentioned by Saint John of the Cross.

19. One feels as if a bird is flitting inside one's chest, but there are no
actual heart palpitations. Cf. here p. 58, where ghurni is related to the divine
and omnipresent Heart.

115

nama), when thought (mantis), absorbed in this state of rest, dis-
appears, and the yogin makes his final shift from the limited to the
unlimited, from the discovery of the Self (atman) to that of the
absolute Self (paramatman), realizing with full awareness his iden-
tity with Paramasiva, the universal Self. The Self then continuously
pours the celestial ambrosia.

What is the difference, then, between verse 28 and sloka 29-
30? The former deals with a state related to practice (sadhanava-
sthd), whereas the latter refers to an easy and spontaneous reali-
zation (siddhavastha).

XIII. Agamana. The double meaning of the root of this term,
agam-, return and origin, conveys accordingly the idea of an on-
coming, which is but the return to the origin. If thought is con-
centrated on this cosmic state, the divine energy once again per-
vades with full spontaneity all worldly activities (jantujivana of
verse 29), being their very Life. Thus, from a limited starting point
one gains access to the unlimited and, endowed with a divinized
Consciousness, comes back to the starting point, henceforth ap-
prehended as unlimited.

Chapter Three

Goraksanatha's Amaraughasasana

The Natha

What follows is but a brief account of the origins of the Kula
school—that of the Natha—and its founder, Matsyendranatha or
Macchandanatha, who revealed the sacred texts belonging to this
mystical school.1

Abhinavagupta's Tantraloka opens with a tribute to this great
"fisherman" who destroyed the net of illusion:

"May Macchandanatha be propitious to me," says he, "he
who tore apart the glowing net made of knots and holes, a batch
of bits and pieces unfolding and spreading everywhere" (1.7).

Matsyendra revived the Yoginikaula sect and preached his
doctrine in Assam. Is he the author of the Kaulajnananirnaya, the
carya and the doha of the Sahajlya cult? Is he that Minanatha who
wrote the Yogavisaya? His date cannot be ascertained; he may have
lived between the eighth and tenth centuries.

His disciple, Goraksanatha,2 was held in great reverence in
North India as an accomplished being (siddha). He wrote the Sid-
dhasiddhantapaddhati, the Amaraughaprabodha ("Awakening Re-

1. For further details, cf. Corps subtil et corps causal, Tara Michael,
Le Courrier du Livre, Paris, p. 41 ff.

2. Abhinavagupta does not mention his name in his list of siddha.
Does this mean that Abhinavagupta precedes Goraksa's time?

122

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

vealing Immortality"). We have no hesitation in also ascribing to
him the Amaraughasasana, "Immortal Plow," which keeps death
away and enables one to conquer time. It enables the yogin to be-
come aware of nonduality and quickly reach the efficience precisely
called amaraughasiddhi.

Since they apply the name sivagotra to themselves, the Natha
are Saivites. To them Siva, as pure Consciousness, enjoys quietude
and eternity, whereas Sakti, his energy, is the source of change and
of the varied experiences related to it.

The Natha have as their goal liberation in life. The steps taken
toward this end are simple. They advocate neither outer religious
practices nor scriptural knowledge. Their only emphasis is on a
direct path, as short as possible, a way which the mystic discovers
within himself, right in his own body—the privileged place for ex-
perience, whether of the Godhead, the energy, or the universe.

To this end the Natha resort to but one means: intuition and
sahajasamadhi, the spontaneous absorption. Therefore they are
called "Sahajiya" adepts of spontaneity. Simplicity of heart and
mind is their distinctive feature. Through sahajasamddhi thought
becomes absorbed in bliss, the false sense of objectivity and dual-
ity weakens and ultimately disappears.

When this type of samadhi prevails in all daily activities, the
yogin, whatever the circumstances, experiences one and the same
savor (samarasa) permeating the entire universe.

This is why it is necessary to sanctify, to transfigure the body,
for to acquire supernatural powers the body must be pure, refined,
and adamantine. But here again, there is no need of arduous ha-
thayoga practices. Breath control is achieved through the kum-
bhakamudrd, by infusing the breaths into the susumna channel
through the unifying friction of the ascendant and descendant
breaths, which no longer function within duality: this is an effort-
less practice; when thought becomes still, so do the senses. As for
sex control, it is achieved through inner repetition (ajapajapa);
indeed, once everything has merged into the median way, the yogin
perceives an inner spontaneous sound (anahatanada), and if he
keeps on listening to it, Kundalini awakens and rushes to the su-
perior center where she unites with Siva.

In this way he attains easily, naturally, innately (sahaja) the
unmani energy which is beyond thought, and he becomes a lib-
erated being, an avadhuta ("unattached").

But to obtain this state a guru belonging to the siddha lineage
is absolutely necessary: he must be revered as equal to Siva him-

123

self. He is the one who, without any exertion on his part, achieves
in his disciple holding of the breath, absorption of the mind and
the awakening of Kundalini.

Since such practices must be kept secret, the Natha use a
language known as "intentional," which is merely allusive and so
does not make sense but for a true, initiated disciple. Accordingly,
the texts are usually very terse, deliberately cryptic, and abstruse.

The Amaraughasasana does not follow a definite pattern; the
description of the centers is mixed with that of Kundalini's mo-
tions, while the quotations contribute to the overall obscureness.
It is true that, in a way, all that relates to a center should be stated
at one time, thus making it difficult to avoid apparent confusion.

124

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

125

Amaraughasasana
Excerpts

Summary of the first nine pages:

It is by assailing the ascending energy and
by means of the inferior or descending Kundal-
ini, as well as by awakening the median way en-
ergy that supreme bliss is generated.

When the ascending and descending breaths {prana and
apana) are forced toward the heart, the median energy expands
in the central way (susumna).

Next, Goraksa deals with generalities of little relevance here;
he enumerates the bodily elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether)
and their fivefold quality; the ten breaths (vata), namely: prana,
apana, samana, udana, vyana, and at a deeper level those related
to the mind and not to the body: naga, kurma, krkara, devadatta,

and dhananjaya.3

Of the 72,000 nadi Goraksa gives the names of the ten chief
ones: ida, pingala, susumna, gandhari, hastijihva, yasasvini,
pusa, alambusa, kuhu, and sankhini.4

3. According to the Yogavisaya (13-14), the first five are associated with
the five organs of action peculiar to the energy of activity; the other five, at a
deeper level, depend upon the five organs of cognition and are related to in-
tellectual energy (buddhi). In the Martandagrantha, Goraksa locates prana in
the heart, apana in the anus, samana in the navel, udana in the throat, and
vyana in the whole body. Naga might be "that which grasps," kurma manifests
in wonder and fear, Abhinavagupta relates it to contraction. Krkara produces
hunger, and devadatta yawning. Dhananjaya remains in the corpse until it is

burned.

4. About these various nadi, cf. Yogamandala grantha, p. 85 -87, ed-
ited with the Siddhasiddhantapaddthati and the Yogavisaya by Smt Kalyani
Mallik, and entitled Siddaa Siddhanta-Paddhati and other Works of Nath Yogis.
Poona, Oriental Book House, 1954

Then comes the enumeration <>l lies, of essences, of human
nature (desire, bliss, discrimination, horripilation, and so on), as
well as of humors and oilier bodily constituents, including hairs,
and lastly of ten apertures: nostrils, eyes, ears, throat, mouth, sex,
and anus.

But the tenth, a subtle aperture, is twofold:
kalamdrga,5 the way of time and the way of virya,
semen, characterized as the way of nectar or
bliss.

At the root of the brahmadanda [brahman's
staff], or madhyanadi in the center of sun and
moon, resides that which has a propitious form
(bhagdkara).

Next Goraksa deals with sexuality: the way of rajas for women
and the way of retas for men. In man and woman alike this way
has a threefold aspect: desire, poison, and the unconditioned,
which remains undefiled.6

At the end of page 9, Goraksa comes to the heart of the matter,
explaining the various characteristics of sankhini—that is, Kunda-
lini—as related to the activity of the root center.

Between the anus and the sexual organ sits
the trikona with three circles around it. And
there, in that triangle, are perceived one, two,
three knots of this root [basis]. In the middle of
the three knots sits a lotus with four downward-
turned petals. There, in the center of the peri-
carp, is found a conch of extreme subtlety, like
the fiber of a lotus stem, wherein rests the Kun-
dalinl energy, the coiled one, resembling a very
young shoot. The latter, in the form of two or
three conduits (nadi), after entering the seed of
consciousness, lies dormant."

5. Kalamarga both generates and squeezes time, for it is the cause
of breath, which in turn is the origin of time. Does it refer here to the vyana
breath, which, as it permeates the entire body, gives it life and flexibility?

6.. As for kama, visa and and niranjana associated with sexual practices,
cf. here p. 140, Goraksa seems to follow the Tantra on this point.

126 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Verses from Page 10

"There she dwells, in the middle of the triple
path [the root of the three conduits], as subtle
as a spider's thread: moving up a distance of four
fingers' breadth to the navel circle, she folds eight
times; then, from the navel center, she sends forth
numerous branches, chief and secondary.

In the middle of the navel, there is a wheel
resting upon ten conduits, including ida, pin-
gala, and susumna. These ascending branches
are supported by a main branch, the merudanda.
One of them, the alambusa, is also supported by
this branch."

So Kundalini, made up of innumerable conduits, is carried
away into the vortex of the brahman or whirling center.

(Text in Prose at the End of Page 10)

"Along the central channel, this path [of
Kundalini] extends up to the braincase; there, in
the moon circle, resides the supreme linga of the
skull. From above the seat of lampika (uvula),
this linga showers nectar. In the inner space, the
garbha situated in the middle of the forehead, is
found that very nectar. Having mastered it on the
surface of the brahmadanda, similar to an ivory
tusk (rajadanta), sankhini7 releases its flow (p.

11).

Inside the rajadanta there is but one orifice,
the mouth of sankhini, known as the tenth door.

From the circle of the root portion whence
the Kundalini energy flows out [in the center of
muladhara] spring up the moon conduit from
the left portion, and the sun conduit from the

7. Conch, namely, Kundalini.

GORAKSANATHA'S AMARAUGHASASANA

right portion. The moon fills up the left portion of
the body and the sun the right one. The moon is
said to be related to the cavity of the left nostril
and the sun to that of the right nostril. This is
how moon and sun are established.

From the root bulb arises breath, arises
thought, arises the sun, arises life (jiva), arise
sound and matrkaksara.

Within the mind lies the realm of mystic
sleep; the function of the indescribable supreme
Self is will (iccha)."

(Verses from Page 11)

"Ascending from the root bulb, the breath
moves up along the path of moon and sun. Sup-
ported by the energy, it finds access to the brah-
madanda (susumna) and pierces it. This breath
that spirals upward is called prana by the awak-
ened ones.

By means of the bulb staff, this unconscious
coiled one whirls around under the action of the
staff-bearers [the breaths]. Thus, impelled by
them, she recognizes Siva."

(Verses from Pages 10 and 11)

"The linga, situated below the seat of birth,
abides in the middle of the root bulb and above
the sexual organ. Above, is the seat of the lin-
ga, the svadhisthana, 'the pleasant one;' in the
navel region, in the upper part of the center full
of gems (manipura), resides the fire. This is why,
first of all, this fire, carrying the raised staff, blazes
up from all sides.

127

128 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

In the lower region of manipura, facing
south and north, is the anus8 area. And in its
middle, the navel bulb in the form of a lotus is
said to be the receptacle of all bodily currents
[the nadi].

In the heart lotus dwells the earth category,
yellow in color, and in the middle, red like a ka-
damba flower, sits the fire wheel, resting place for
the empirical consciousness. In the throat, the
seat of purification, is located the category of the
Self overrun by the wave of [lustral] water.

In the middle the vault of the palate (talu),
like the tapering flame of a candle, the category
of fiery effulgence (tejas) shines continuously.

Within the bud emerging from the cavity of
the cranial bulb resides the air category, and at
the tip of the nose, that of ether. Above, in bhru,
is the seat of command (ajna). In this seat,
within sixteen knots,9 is found the nectar of the
sixteenth lunar portion; and within this kala rests
the cognitive energy subtler than the hundredth
part of the tip of a hair. Above this energy dwells
the dot, bindu [or virile potency, virya].

When the bindu explodes and shatters, it ex-
pands immediately and forms the mastaka [that
is, the brahmarandhra], similar to the triangular
fruit of the water-chestnut.

Within it, the seat where the empirical con-
sciousness dissolves has the cognitive energy for
support. But as long as one identifies the bodily

8. Amedhya.

9. Probably the sixteen adhara mentioned by Goraksanatha in S.S.P.
ch. 2 si. 11 to 25: (1) padangustha (the big toe), (2) muladhara, (3) gudddha-
ra (with anus contraction and expansion), the place of apanavayus, (4) me-
dhradhdra, the sex organ, (5) bladder, (6) navel, (7) heart, (8) throat, (9)
uvula (ghantika), (10) talu, (11) the tongue, (12) bhrumadhya, (13) nasadhara,
where the mind becomes steady, (14) nasamula, root of the nose, (15) lalata,
forehead, and (l6) brahmarandhra, wherein the akasacakra resides,

129

tie with consciousness, one keeps on wandering
in the triple world.

So, adorned with the three energies, the su-
preme Self (paramatma) remains the same—
the mirror of absolute Consciousness wherein
the universe is reflected. Skilled in perceiving the
activities of becoming, it is endowed with man-
ifold modalities and energies when, assuming
the state of the sleep [of ignorance], it is per-
ceived as the moon reflected in water. And yet, this
is Mahesvara, all-pervading Lord, creator of the
fourteen species of beings—He, the supreme
Self."

Analysis

The purpose of this treatise is to show how the supreme Self,
adorned with the three major energies—will, knowledge, and ac-
tivity (iccha, jnana, and kriya)—lies dormant in the human body
in the form of Kundalini and how it reveals itself.

Goraksa's description of the centers is both cryptic and min-
ute, for he perceives in one complete overview all the effects of the
piercing; thus, instead of a single perspective, a new complexity is
offered at every stage. This pattern of the work probably reflects as
much the spontaneous and all-encompassing nature of the Natha's
experience as a deliberate esoteric intent.

The sense of the allusions can be explained and clarified, but
such an analysis cannot be free of linguistic technicalities.

Between the center that shuts and opens the anus and the
sex organ, a triangle, in the middle of the muladhara, is inscribed
within the three circles of this mandala. At each corner of the tri-
angle, there is a knot and in the center of those knots a lotus with
four petals, turned downward in one who is engaged in worldly
activities and upward in one who turns away from them.

In the lotus pericarp Kundalini lies coiled; she is called a
conch (sankhini) because of her being folded three and a half
times. Red like a young coral sprig, she appears in the form of two
or three currents, the seeds of which will develop as ida and pin-
gala, the third being susumna. Just like a sprout latent in its seed

130

Kundalini lies dormant, hence the expression "seed of conscious-
ness," as the latter, still obscured, has l<> be awakened.

From the bulb (kandu) spring the 72,000 currents, including
the two well-known ida and pingala nadi. Six pathways come out
of the navel (nabhi) as Kundalini rises: breath, thought, sun,10 life,
and also the fundamental sound from which the ten inner sounds
originate,11 finally the syllables of the matrka seated in the lotus cen-
ters.

Kundalini, as thin as a spider's thread, dwells in the middle
of a triple path at the base of the three chief currents, which are
released when she stretches up toward the navel.

How can she be made to leave the bulb and pierce the brah-
madanda, the median way? By means, we are told, of the bulb staff,
namely as a result of the anal contractions and under the action
of the breaths known as "bearers of the staff." When beaten by
them, the coiled-up energy starts spinning and whirls up from the
bulb to the navel. She is thus sinuous and endowed with eight coils
(kundala), whose names are already known to us: pranava, gu-
dandld (anus stem), nalini (lotus stem), sarpini (the serpentine),
vankanali (stem curling backward), ksaya (the one leading to de-
struction), sauri (pertaining to heroes), and kundali (the coiled

one).

This spiralling upward may generate troubles, depression and
cause jerking, all of which cease once the fully-awakened Kun-
dalini begins to move upward. Then she reaches the navel whence
spring the ten chief currents;12 ida or somanadi is on the left and
pingala or suryanadi on the right; the moon fills the left side of the
body and the sun the right side. Susumna, or fire, rises in the mid-
dle, between them. Sarasvati and kuhu are on either side of the
median way; gandhari and hastijihva on either side of ida, toward
the front. Between gandharl and sarasvati resides sankhini, filled
with nectar and extending from the throat to the forehead along a
curved line. All these ways have the median way as their main

branch.

Thus made up of numerous nadi, Kundalini abides in the
"vortex of brahman;" indeed, if she were not spinning she could
not perform the function of these various vital currents.

10. Tarpana, that which heats and burns, should not be confused with
surya, the sun, a symbol of pingala.

11. Cf. here p. 153.

12. Enumerated here p. 124.

131

The navel contains the bearer of the raised staff—the fire that
burns upward; through the Intense heat released, Kundalini be-
comes firm, erect, as straight as a staff.

Kundalini, lower as she is in muladhara (adhahkundalini),
converts into intermediate energy in the navel, then into subtle en-
ergy in the heart, in the anahata center, and in the throat (visud-
dhicakra), and finally into superior energy {urdhvakundalini) when
she reaches the brahmarandhra.

As the ascent progresses the centers light up: the breath (pa-
vana), now purified, illuminates the median way; the mind
(manas), now omniscient, reveals the effulgence of the supreme
Self; the sun (tapana) makes the navel and eyebrows' centers
shine; Life (jiva), at first illumined by the rays of Kundalini, in its
turn illuminates the heart; finally, sound (sabda) together with the
mother of the phonemes (matrka) cast their light on the brah-
marandhra.

The description of the various cakra from the navel up to the
center between the eyebrows, or center of command, does not re-
quire much elucidation. This is a clear and classic text. But such
is not the case with the superior center.

The bindu, a point of concentrated power representing virility
and situated above the center between the eyebrows, explodes and
expands, thus giving birth to the mastaka or brahmarandhra. The
orifice at the base of the linga, shaped like a small bell (ghantika),
is the rajadanta or elephant tusk; this is also the aperture of the
sankhininadi. If the brahmarandhra is compared to an, elephant
tusk, is this because of its ivory hue, or is it to suggest a powerful
piercing?

The braincase contains three circles: the fire, sun, and moon
mandala. In the middle of the latter, somamandala, a stream of
nectar, released by the rupture of the linga, starts to pour into the
cranium; then the sankhini, whose tenth door opens into the thou-
sand-petalled lotus (the sahasrara), draws this nectar from the
moon circle, and gaining control over it, infuses it into the median
way. Then the yogin assumes the khecarimudra attitude: his mouth
half opens of its own accord and he is swept up in full bliss.

Certain Natha texts give the following details about this atti-
tide: By contracting the throat, the flow of both nadi (ida and pin-
gala) is brought to a stop therein, and when pressing the tongue
[against the uvula], the sixteenth kala moves upward to the place

132 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

of the triangle (trikuta), the three-pointed thunderbolt, the syllable
OM.

Or again, according to the Siddhasiddhantapaddhati:13 "If the
yogin meditates on the kala, nectar drips from the moon. Then,
curling his tongue back in the khecarimudra attitude, he prevents
this nectar from falling into the destructive fire of the navel region.
Accordingly, he attains immortality."

The same treatise further states that what draws the sankhini
upward is the spontaneous bliss (56).

And in sloka 62: "Through which stem (mala) is the liquor
[Siva] extracted and how can the soul drink of it? The nectar col-
lects in the sankhini canal, and the individual soul dwelling in the
median way drinks the liquor (rasa) through this stem, once it
resides in the matrka, the whole set of mystic phonemes."

When Kundalini awakens, the empirical consciousness first
becomes appeased in the heart center; then, on reaching the brah-
marandhra, it dissolves therein completely (cittalaya), to give way
to the energy of knowledge (jnanasakti) which leads to absolute
Consciousness.

At the same time, the Self hitherto dormant in the lower center,
where it was engrossed in the sleep of ignorance and wandering
from birth to birth because of its total identification with the bodily
bond, now recognizes itself as the supreme Self.

Although it assumed the form of the three energies of will,
knowledge and activity, unfolding the latter in this world, and al-
though it has the capacity of discerning the modalities of becom-
ing, the Self remains the Self, and those same energies make it
resplendent. According to the traditional analogy, whether it reveals
itself as the ultimate Consciousness, a pure mirror wherein the
entire universe is reflected, or conversely shows itself as a reflection
on this mirror like the moon in water—many moons, distorted and
trembling, shimmer in disturbed water, while a single moon,
clearly visible and immobile, appears in still water—there is only
one and the same mirror, one and the same Self.

Part Three

THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE ESOTERIC

PRACTICE

Chapter One

The Androgyne, Ardhanarisvara

The representation of Siva as a hermaphrodite, ardhavira, is
a favorite one in Indian iconography, the right side of the body
being masculine and the left, feminine. Thereby is expressed in a
concrete form the free, independent divine energy, as the presence
of both sexes in a single body reconstitutes the original oneness
of the opposite principles dividing the universe: "Siva puts his seal
upon the whole world," says Utpaladeva, "dividing humanity into
male and female bodies"—fragmented parts of one Whole (S.st.
XIV12).

To the yogin and yogini who long to recover the fullness of
the primordial unity, the way of esoteric sexual union is offered. If
they are able to meet its requirements, this union will become a
means for them to regain their own wholeness, to inseparably fuse
the male and female polarities within themselves—such oneness
abiding in seed form in every human being1—and to move forever
beyond duality.

The sexual union hereafter described is called rudrayamala
or the inseparable couple formed by Siva and his energy. At the
time of sexual union, taking advantage of the impetus generated
thereby, the adept becomes absorbed in the power of its energy;

1. According to the Saktavijnana, the root center contains both sexes.
Cf. here p. 106.

138 119

since consciousness and energy are one, he gains access to the
cosmic level of Consciousness and merges, just like the divine
pair, into the undifferentiation of the primordial Whole, into Para-
masiva.

Tantrism thus shows how the supreme experience encom-
passes all the levels of reality, how oneness suddenly arises in
the very midst of duality. In Tantrism, indeed, unification must be
achieved in the course of ordinary life experiences, whatever
they may be; and through the purification brought about by Kun-
dalini, any energy may be converted into an energy of pure Con-
sciousness.

Kundalini and Sexual Life

Actually, the gap between the energy of pure Consciousness
and sexuality remains unbridgeable as long as the "sinuous-bod-
ied" Kundalini lies motionless in the ordinary human being. But
let the serpentine draw herself up, and the body, permeated with
power, becomes the place and privileged instrument for the attain-
ment of Bhairavian Consciousness, providing, it is true, that the
yogin joins mystical discrimination to renunciation, just as the
swan skillfully extracts from the cosmic waters the quintessential

juice of Consciousness.2

Any form of pleasure gives a glimpse of the bliss of the Self;
for when desire has been fulfilled one rests within oneself; but this
does not mean that the actual Self has been revealed in its fullness.

If, when Kundalini becomes erect and the energies are pur-
ified, pleasure is used as a stepping stone, it converts into the bliss
of pure Consciousness. So, the sexual rite through which access
to cosmic Consciousness is to be gained rests upon the specifics
of sexual union, such as touch, fervor and bodily satisfaction, and
it raises pleasure to its climax, transmuting it into a calm and un-
broken bliss, as the polarity of desire can give way to the delight
of the Self.

Touch

Among the five senses, touch, to which the sexual organs are
related, is given a special place; as it is of a more intimate nature

2. Cf. here p. 146.

139

than the other senses, it facilitates contact with the median way3
and thus awakens it; on the oilier hand, it is linked to an overall
emotion which brings about the quick unification of the naturally
dispersed tendencies and leads to the fulfillment of desire.

Abhinavagupta quotes a stanza from the Spandakarika (III.10)
to show how touch was highly regarded by his predecessors who
do not mention it among the obstacles to samadhi, such as strange
luminous dots, smells, savors and sounds arising unexpectedly as
a result of a deep absorption; he himself further states (T.A. XI 29-
33): "The organs of sight, hearing, taste and smell are subtly pres-
ent in earth and the other elements belonging to lower levels of
reality, the highest among them being still within the sphere of
illusion (mayatattva), whereas touch resides at the superior level
of energy as an indescribable, subtle sensation ceaselessly yearned
for by the yogin; for this contact leads to a consciousness4 identical
with the self-luminous, pure firmament."

Jayaratha compares this indescribable sensation (sparsa) to
a tingle (pipilika); we know it as an extremely subtle "touch" of
divine energy, the very touch of grace.5

Effervescence and Fervor

The importance of touch in kulayaga must be associated
with that of desire the intensity of which provides a valuable sup-
port. While sexual desire involves a redoubtable and vain attach-
ment, its intensity, though, remains necessary, nay, essential, be-
cause of the lively effervescence it stirs up. In esoteric union, in

3. Madhyamacakra, cf. here p. 172.

4. Here three terms refer to consciousness: samvitti, cit, and prakasa.

5. Some Upanisad had already established a correspondence between
touch, udana breath (or Kundalini), and zenith. The Chandogya, when deal-
ing with the five channels, sets the equivalence between the upward-flowing
channel or udana and the wind and the akasa; the latter is the inner space
in a human being, within the heart; and this akasa, which is plenitude and
immutability, is not different from the outer space identical with brahman
(III.13.5 and 12.7-9). And as for the zenith, which because of its overhead
position is suggestive of the ascendant breath, udana, it states again: "Brah-
man feeds on the brahman flower from which the Upanisad bee (the science
of mystical correspondences) gathers honey in the beehive of heaven, at the
zenith, where the sun -a symbol of brahman—is the honey of the gods,
while the combs are the zenith rays."

140

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

fact, bodily effervescence, when free from attachment,6 supplies a
basis for the unfoldment of mystical fervor.

If, disengaged from amorous possessiveness, kama, the god
of desire, consumed by Siva's third eye—the Kundalini energy—
gives way to amorous tenderness7 nourished by reverence, or if,
beyond knowledge and known, desire changes into a pure outflow
of impersonal love (iccha), its bare intensity energizes the body
and the latter, free from individual limitations, functions un-
impeded, so that the yogin can stand at the source of energy, in
the vivid impression of the first glimpse.

Avoiding the duality of choice and objectivity, the awakened
senses freely unfold their activity in an impersonal manner; as the
body is thus satisfied, the yogin gains access to cosmic bliss. This
is why the Vijnanabhairavatantra recommends: "Let the thought,
which is now mere delight, be fixed on the interval between fire and
poison.8 [Then] it becomes isolated or filled with breath and [one
merges] into the bliss of love" (sl.68).

It goes on to state: "The enjoyment of the Reality of brahman
[experienced] when absorption in the energy, vigorously stirred
through union with a consort [Sakti], comes to an end, that is
known as intimate enjoyment" (69).

When the bliss related to sensual pleasure permeates the en-
tire being and changes into intimate mystical enjoyment, it tran-
scends desire and purifies thought, which it calms down.

So, according to the great saying of the Tantra, that which is
a cause for bondage to ordinary humans proves to be, to the sid-
dha, a means of liberation. Even in the height of the agitation par-
ticular to sexual desire, one is carried, through the ascent of Kun-
dalini, to where the energy surges forth, to its vibrant source. That
is the secret behind profound Tantra such as the Paratrimsika, a
secret revealed by Abhinavagupta in his gloss thereon.9

So, as an instrument of realization, the body takes on a spe-
cial value, for once the energies have crossed the boundaries of
the individual, they pervade the universe and as such they are
called "divinities."10

6. Raga.

7. Rati.

8. Cf. here p. 52. The technical terms fire (vahni) and poison (visa)
refer respectively to the beginning and end of the sexual act, and on another
level, to the contraction and expansion of energy during the ascent of Kun-
dalini.

9. p. 50.

10. Devata, a term already used in the earliest upanisad.

THE ANDROGYNE, ARDHANARISVARA 141 141

Abhinavagupta says in this connection:

"All the things flung with great force into the
fire burning within our own consciousness lose
their differentiation while feeding its flame with
their own energy. As soon as the nature of things
has dissolved in this speedy burning process,
the divinities of consciousness—the rulers of
the sense organs—delight in the universe now
turned into nectar. Now satisfied, they identify
Bhairava to themselves, Bhairava, firmament of
Consciousness, God dwelling in the Heart, He,
perfect plenitude.""

According to the gloss, the divinities become aware of the
universe as a reflection within the supreme Consciousness. The
conscious subject and the object it revels in are likewise interre-
lated, for the divinities, although resting in the undifferentiated,
have varied functions and activities in connection with the different
sense organs turned toward their respective objects.

11. T.A. III 262-264.

Chapter Two

Transfiguration of the Body and of the Universe

So that one may better understand the nature of the contact
between subject and object, the Self and the other, Abhinavagupta
quotes an obscure passage from the Yogasamcara.1

Although it seems to stress sexual contact, since the latter is
the most intense of all, this text is also concerned with any rela-
tionship between an organ and its specific object.2

But rather than a mere contact, this is intimate union (mi-
thuna) with a background of joy, in one with an awakened heart.
The repeated friction between subject and object quickens the in-
terchange and ends in fusion. Without such a friction the object
remains limited and the subject does not gain access to the uni-
versal nectar. But through this friction, which induces the inten-
sification of joy and energy, the delineations of the object dissolve
and the subject/object duality ceases.

So through the unification of two poles, friction may be for the
yogin an opportunity to merge into the Whole, he enjoys cosmic
Consciousness, body and universe being transfigured.

1. T.A. IV 130-146, in the light of Jayaratha's commentary, p. 138 seq.
which also inspires my own analysis.

2. One who exerts an intense vigilance may experience subject-object
interpenetration during any type of union, such as between two waves of
knowledge, between two sounds, for instance. It is to this type of all-inclusive
experience that nondualistic Saivism owes its universality.

144

146. Consciousness, being free, reveals it-
self as both inner reality and outer reality, while
still being of the nature of Sell awareness.

130. It becomes manifest in three succes-
sive spheres: subject or fire, knowledge or sun,
and known or moon. In the intimate union (mi-
thuna) of fire and moon, a reciprocal exchange
takes place through contraction and expansion.3
From this unifying friction of subject and object
arises plenary Consciousness.

131. Just as, when joining, yoni and linga
emit ambrosia, in the same way, out of the union
of fire and moon flows ambrosia; there is no doubt
about this.

The part played by agni and soma in the Vedic rite may throw
some light on this excerpt. The sacrificial fire rises straight in the
firmament to carry to the gods all the offerings it has consumed.
Setting heaven and earth apart, it gives birth to a new dimension.
Likewise, the fire of Kundalini consumes all multiplicity and brings
it back to its essence of undifferentiated Consciousness when,
gaining access to the supreme firmament—the brahmarandhra—
it loses itself in its immensity.

As for the soma plant, squeezed between the sacrificial stones
and then purified, it yields its inebriating sap to the divinities. The
moon (soma) appears in the Agama as the symbol of the known
which, illumined by the sun of knowledge (surya) and squeezed
by the subject (agni), pours out its nectar enjoyed by the divinities
that are the transfigured organs.

Kundalini appears thus prefigured in the intense heat of agni,
the brilliance of the sun and the nectar of immortality (amrta).

132-133. In the depth of night [which are
the ordinary activities] steeped in illusion, both
wheels—subject and object—must be strongly
pressed so that their sap be extracted. From their
interpenetration flashes forth at once an eminent
splendor, that of the supreme Knower exceeding

3. Sammilana and unmilana.

TRANSFIGURATION OF THE BODY AND OF THE UNIVERSE 145

in brightness the sun and the moon [knowledge
and known].

As soon as [the yogin] knows this supreme
light—his own Self—then he knows Bhairava,
the universal cause, perfect light of Conscious-
ness or supreme Subject. Such is the Knowledge
of the ultimate Reality.

133. Indeed, beyond the two wheels of sub-
ject and object there is a thousand-spoked
wheel, the sahasrara,4 the universal Conscious-
ness from which the universe proceeds.

134-136. When the supreme Subject, or fire,
sets the object ablaze—the moon [that is to say
the energy at work in this world, kriyasakti] —
the latter releases the flow it contains and engen-
ders the world common to all humans, as well
as the varied world specific to each individual.

Then this energy,5 all ablaze, pours its su-
preme nectar on all sides, right into the wheel of
the subject, through the wheel of the object and
that of knowledge; and this nectar trickling from
wheel to wheel finally reaches the fivefold wheel
[namely the body and its subtle organs, intellect,
thought, etc.]

In other words, the objective energy streams from wheel to
wheel not, as might be inferred, from the superior wheel of the
Subject down to the inferior wheel of the objective world, but from
the latter up to the wheel of the Subject; and thence it flows back
to the outside—the body and its sense organs.

Once it has regained its true nature, soma melts into the uni-
versal center, then, in its turn, it emits the universe inwardly, when
the generic vibration arises.

The supreme Subject then discovers within himself the "se-
cret" wheel, so-called because it is related to sexual union. It orig-

4. cf. here p. 31.

5. Soma, the transfigured object, pours ambrosia as does the sixteenth
portion of the moon when the other portions merge one alter the other into
the sun, namely the ascendant breath (udana). Cf.. T.A. Vl.96-97.

146

inates from the eminently creative birthplace,8 the seat of bliss or
pleasure. Three levels can be distinguished there: the cosmic level
which, as it is related to the supreme Subject, brings forth and
withdraws the world in a joyful play; the individual level, which is
for each man the seat of the pleasure he is attached to; lastly, the
mystical level, the place of the so-called bliss of brahman, the spe-
cial attribute of the yogin known as brahmacarin who, discovering
this secret wheel in the very midst of samadhi, harmonizes bliss
in this world with rest in the Self.

With the wheel of resorption peculiar to the universal Subject,
everything once again becomes interiorized: the flow of the subli-
mated objective energy courses harmoniously and the Subject en-
joys the universe with discrimination, just as the swan skillfully
extracts from the cosmic waters the sap of Consciousness.

136. The swan7 of dazzling whiteness drinks
the world (idam) again and says with immense
joy: "I am That" (ham-sa).

Thus becoming aware of the Self as universal Subject, it re-
sorbs everything within itself and becomes thereby fully satisfied:

137. Only once does he have to realize his
identity with the world, and never again will he
be defiled by merits and demerits.

Then the Subject goes toward the world and as the flow pours
outside, the innermost essence spreads out as transfigured exteri-
ority during the sexual practice described in the next verses:

137-138. This omnipresent [swan]—the su-

6. Janmasthana.

7. Hamsa. These stanzas shed light on some other famous lines from
the Maitry Upanisad (V.34): "This golden bird which rests in the heart and in
the sun (aditya), the swan of unequalled splendor, in fire must it be honored."
Is not this bird the supreme Subject, the Self? Indeed, the Upanisad enjoins
one to meditate on this splendor of Savitr as the very splendor Of the medi-
tating subject. Then, reaching the haven of peace, one becomes firmly rooted
in the Self. Cf. here p. 88, an allusion to the sacrificial lire, agnihotra, which,
however, is conceived of in this Upanisad as an inner fire that should be ho-
nored for its purity.

TRANSFIGURATION OF THE BODY AND OF THE UNIVERSE 147

preme Self—that, out of mere freedom associ-
ates with changing modalities in the five-spoked
wheel—the field of the senses—by means of the
nectar flowing from the transfigured world (soma),
glides toward the secret wheels with their three-
fold spoke of savor. From there, the universe orig-
inates, as the expression of his free play, and
there also does it dissolve.8

139. Therein lies beatitude for all and
therein again the brahmacarin giving himself
with ardor to brahman9 achieves, owing to this
secret wheel, both efficience in this world and lib-
eration.

Brahmacarati, "he moves toward brahman," and accordingly
appears as identical with the? supreme brahman made of pure
bliss:

140. Then, beyond this secret wheel—the
wheel of birth—he finally gains access to the
realm of brahman, where subject and object,
being in harmony, are emitted within the Self and
by the Self.

"By the Self," "hamsa" the swan, and "within the Self,"
namely Paramesvara, this pure mirror wherein are reflected subjec-
tivity and objectivity, agni and soma.

So, as Kundalini rises, the yogin reaches, beyond the wheel
of birth, the superior center {brahmarandhra), and there does he
lay the creative seed; he enjoys the Brahmic state where inferiority
and exteriority are balanced and henceforth undifferentiated. And
in so doing he brings forth the universe, which would be impos-
sible should he plant this seed in objectivity alone.

The next stanzas describe the ebb and flow of the subjective
and objective energies as one predominates over the other. If the
outwardly-turned activity prevails, the world appears:

8. Not only on the individual level but also on the level of the appeased
Self.

9. About the bliss of brahman, cf. V.B. appendix p. 195.

148

141. Soma—divinized object—which in
this realm is in harmony with the subject, having
begotten the universe within, brings it into outer
manifestation, down to the earth, if, well-kindled
by fire (the Subject), it permeates in a two-fold way
as far as the legs.

But when the subject reigns supreme, the activity energized
by its flame reaches its climax and the pranakundalini energy10 is
clearly felt inside the body.

141-142. If the Subject predominates over
the object, ambrosia immediately begins to flow.
Then this energy in the form of activity, made of
soma [transfigured object] and illumined by the
sun [knowledge] of pranakundalini, manifests
clearly in the ankles, the knees, and the other
joints. She is the one who, further excited by fire
[the Subject], sends forth successively the five

sense rays.

143. Let this process be also witnessed in
the sense organs such as the ears, and the or-
gans of action down to the feet, in regard to the
body as composed of five elements,11 from the big
toe up to the vision of the egg of brahman [the
brahmarandhra or, according to the gloss, the
"world" enclosed therein].

144. He who is unaware of this is not a
yogin; he who knows it becomes the master of
the universe...

147. So Consciousness manifests as both
internal and external reality; and there, within its
own Self, due to its own freedom, it appears as

10. Kutila, glossed as pranakundalini on p. 127.

11. At the same time the body and the universe made up of the same
elements—earth, water, fire, air—manifest externally, for the supreme Con-
sciousness not only dwells in the sense organs and the organs of cognition,
but also in the constituent energies of the external world

the "other",12 in the aspect of subject and object.

149

From these stanzas, which Abhinavagupta deliberately made
obscure, their contents being, he says, too secret to be revealed
(146), it may be inferred that the outward-directed activities attain
a state of harmony—equality of subject and object—through Kun-
dalini alone and not without her. As we shall see, the purpose of
sexual practice is to infuse the interiorized state of samadhi into
the so-called outer sphere, and thence into the inner one again;
thereby, in any state perfect harmony is experienced. When infe-
riority invades the various domains, life and activity reach their ap-
ogee, Kundalini's ascent having made the purified energies of the
yogin converge toward the single center—thus revealing a reno-
vated world where his divinized energies13 unfold.

What other form of adoration can there be but that of a Heart
containing everything within itself?

12. "The other" is maya, the illusion, which nevertheless resides within
the conscious oneness.

13. The twelve kali of the Krama system. On this topic see Hymnes aux
kali, chapter III, p. 40 seq. and 153-190, and T.A. IV 148-173, p. 157-206.

Chapter Three

The Mantra SAUH and KHA

Abhinavagupta1 gives some illuminating comments on the
subject of divine nectar, that realm of happiness2 filled with the flow
of an emission won over by a yogin who remains carefully aware
of the vibration of the bliss conduits, that is, the nadi of the united
couple, and this means both the unifying friction of Siva and the
energy whence cosmic bliss surges, and the union of the siddha
and the yogini through which this state is revealed.

SAUH The Mantra of Emanation

Abhinavagupta associates this supreme nectar with the para-
bija SAUH, symbol of the nectar of immortality produced by the
cosmic sacrifice where the universe, in the form of a moon,3 serves
as an oblation thrown into the fire of Consciousness. A paradox in-
deed, it is by emitting in the fire (or supreme Subject) the conscious
nectar—Life-source or S—that the universe, even though it is ex-
terior, brings about increased interiority.

1. T.A. V sl 62 to 73, abridged.

2. Saudabhumi.

3. The universe is called moon, soma, when conceived as divine En-
ergy—the virgin Uma united to Siva (so + uma = soma).

152

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Then, this divine nectar, like clarified butter, on reaching the
tapered end of the sacrificial ladel—or AU—the trident of energies,
spreads as far as mundane activities, so that all the organs are
perfectly satisfied.

Finally the two points of the visarga (H)—external and in-
ternal—unified in a single point (the bindu) reveal the nectar of the
visarga, that is, the "release" of the supreme current flowing into
the fire of Consciousness. At that moment, there is no longer any
difference between the flowing of this nectar in our own essence
and its flowing in a universe pervaded by Consciousness. There, in
the Heart of the yogini, the fully aware being, now able to rest there
forever, attains glory itself.

Abhinavagupta finally declares that the working of SAUH in the
fire of consciousness, as related to the beatitude of emission, re-
mains in deep secrecy and should not be given any form of elu-
cidation.

Later on, however (sl 142-145), he again comments on the
meaning of SAUH in sexual practice, when dealing with the spon-
taneous sound—the self-existent, very subtle and omnipresent
dhvani, which must be realized through direct experience. Al-
though non-manifested, this pure resonance can be traced in the
amorous cry (sitkara), unintentional and unrelated to concentra-
tion, spontaneously arising from the throat of the woman absorbed
in the pleasure of love.4

This simple resonance (nadamatra) is "a desire whose real-
ity is plenary essence."5

One-pointed on this amorous cry, the man catches the initial
vibration, that of the first stirring of the supreme Consciousness.
Now let us deal with the meaning of the mantra SAUH in re-
lation to the rising of Kundalini.

S is a desire to join with the beloved, without the least per-
sonal attachment. It is also the commencement of the contact with
the supreme Consciousness, AU. Then, during sexual union, when
heart, throat, and lips take part in the unfoldment of the whole
being, Kundalini rises inside the median way through bulb, heart,
throat, upper palate, up to the dvadasanta, both lovers remaining
aware of the process going on in the median way as pure interiority.
Such is the access to the phoneme AU, the place of identification,

4. T.A. III 146-148.

5. Ibid., comm. p. 148.

153

once the lovers become firmly established in the undifferentiated
Self.

If the yogin evokes the creative seed SAUH, fully vibrant with
bliss, within the median canal, then he will reach the peerless
Consciousness in relation with the supreme dvadasanta.

H or: When the visarga—transcribed by two dots one above
the other—is operative in both the internal and external pathways
of the dvadasanta, the fully vigilant yogin unites those two dvada-
santa with the heart.6

Let us add that it is very difficult to obtain the interiorized
union during the sexual act particular to this emitting seed,7 where
both lovers are merged in each other; the man must forget about
his being a male, as the subjective realm enters the objective realm
and vice versa, a necessary condition for the sense of self to vanish.

At the same time, on the universal level, pure being, sat, sym-
bolized by S, penetrates into AU—the three, well-harmonized ener-
gies—then the emitting power of Siva (namely the visarga H of
the superior center) unites with the heart. Thus the universe (Sat)
will be emitted in the heart of Bhairava and attain repose.

KHA. The Mantra of Resorption

Another mantra, KHA, related not to creation this time but to
resorption, is associated with the rising of Kundalini; it too relates
to sexual practice and like SAUH implies a permanent absorption,
even in the midst of the world.

It consists of successive sojourns in ten inner spaces of ever-
greater peace. These are the ten KHA.8

First the yogin contemplates the awakening of Kundalini
dwelling in the lower center; he utters the mantra KHA, and by
concentrating on it, infuses it into the energy, while making the
power of the mantra rise in the median channel, up to the superior
center. Beyond the stages of the two energies—knowledge and ac-
tivity—as the subject/object duality has dissolved, he reaches the
energy of will and then he becomes conscious of the Self (svavi-
marsa). Finally, transcending the Fourth state wherein the dazzling

6. SI 142-147. Cf. here p. 30. -

7. Srstibija as spandanabija, vibrant seed.

8. V.145, while gagana means infinity, Kha or khe refers to the centered,
vibrant, and appeased space of the heart. Cf. here p. 8 gaganasakti and khe-

carisakti, kha being the hub of the wheel, Cf. P.T.v. p. 10.

154

MANTRA SAUH AND KHA

155

rays of pure Consciousness alone flash forth, the adept identifies with
the realm of mantra, the source of their power (V. 90-92).

Here is how Jayaratha (p. 400-402) throws some light—very
little, in fact—on Abhinavagupta's text:

By means of discriminative awareness the
yogin, becoming established in KHA—the
Self—begins by finding access to KHA—the glo-
rious freedom particular to sovereignty. And
while perceiving his own essence, he stands in
KHA—the individual (anu)—owing to his abid-
ing in KHA—love enjoyment (rati)—and if he
stays there with a vigilant heart, he penetrates in
KHA—the root of the breath energy, the womb,
the receptacle9 where pranakundalini takes
birth. Then, leaving aside this energy of the KHA
breath—peculiar to the median domain Qna-
dhyadhaman)—he raises kundalinisakti or
urdhvakundalini, which penetrates gradually
into the median way up to the brahmarandhra.

Then he gains access to KHA—the fully-un-
folded energy of activity (kriyasakti)—right to
the domain of the known. Abiding in KHA—the
cognitive energy (jnanasakti)—he passes be-
yond knowledge and known and realizes KHA—
the energy of will (icchasakti). Thereafter, in the
center of KHA—pure Self-awareness,10 free from
the limits of subject and object—he resides in
turiya, the Fourth state, the domain of all-pervad-
ing Consciousness. Beyond any state (turiyatita),
the organs perform their specific functions within
their own domain, the ultimate Reality.

According to verses 92 to 99, this ultimate KHA—conscious
ether—is the empty and appeased space of the heart,11 wherein

9. That is, muladhara, janmadhara, and kulamula,

10. Citi in its full dynamism.

11. Hrdvyoman.

Consciousness alone shines, its three energies losing themselves
in the free divine energy.12

There are ten sounds corresponding to the ten KHA: the on-
omatopoeia (cincini), the sounds made by a cricket, a conch, a
stringed instrument, the wind whistling through the bamboos,
cymbals, the rumble of thunder, the crackling of a forest fire.

By-passing those nine sounds and their attendant blisses, let
one become absorbed in the tenth, the sound of a powerful drum,
the only one through which liberation can be attained (p. 410).

12. Svatantryasakti.

Chapter Four

Kulamarga, The Esoteric Way

Qualifications Required for kulayaga

There is a profound wisdom in the background of this eso-
teric sacrifice, so profound indeed that few are those who under-
stand it, and still fewer those who experiment with it.

The sexual practice mentioned here is not a lewd activity, a
craving for enjoyment; it does not aim at pleasure or procreation,
but appears as a yoga, a discipline, a sacred act having for its goal
the realization of the essence of the Self, the identification with Siva;
as such it is essentially ascribable to heroic behavior.

In fact, you need only enumerate the qualifications required
for this practice to measure the difficulty of becoming worthy of it
and the degree of heroism it demands.

First of all one should be aware that the caryakrama practices
to which our texts allude are based of necessity on the awakening
of Kundalini and on her ascension. If she were not to rouse during
union, the practice would be utterly worthless; it would have noth-
ing to do with caryakrama, for the upward breath alone {udana),
as it rises in the median way, bestows the perfect equipoise indis-
pensable to this sacrifice.

A vira or a siddha is one who, controlling his senses and his
mind, has overcome doubts and limitations. Endowed with a pure

158

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

heart, having renounced everything, without the slightest attach-
ment to his partner, to desire or enjoyment, he is fully dedicated
to inner life, where he shows Ins daring and adventurous spirit.

Thus during banquets where wine and meat are in plenty,
where carnal union is permitted, he proves able to withdraw in a
single instant his thought and senses from the source of excitation;
oblivious of pleasure at the very climax of enjoyment, he is en-
gulfed in a bliss known as the bliss of brahman.

To become fit for the esoteric way the adept must be initiated
by a master belonging to a reliable tradition, Krama, Kula, Sakta,
or better still, by a yogini who appears to him in a dream or in
samadhi, or else by a woman initiate, herself also called yogini,
who will act as a master for him.

It is for the guru to select the right partner. This union being
a mystic one, the vira does not see in his partner a mere human
being but reveres her as divine, on a par with a yogini or a goddess,
without taking heed of her beauty or caste.

Thus, at the beginning of the caryavidhi ceremony, he pays
homage to the woman characterized as Sakti and considered as
divine consciousness. One of the Tantra's most original features is
this respect granted to woman, the embodiment of Sakti, and with-
out which the practice would be fruitless. The followers of Saktism,
Krama, and Kaula worship Mother Kali, and unlike ancient Buddh-
ism and orthodox Vedanta, they never consider woman as a cause
of degradation for man. According to them, rather, enjoyment rightly
understood can lead to liberation. So do they revere and glorify
woman in all her different aspects as mother, wife and daughter.
In a number of Tantra the divine Energy, Parvati, imparts the myst-
ical teaching to Siva, her disciple; and most of these masters ini-
tiate especially women in the caryakrama practice.1

Since all of the necessary qualifications demand of the sa-
dhaka that, to "inferiority", he adds fervor, boldness and intrepidity,
it is clear that an ordinary man cannot gain beneficial access to this
practice.

"For one's own benefit," says Abhinavagupta, "one
must be careful to avoid performing the kula sac-
rifice with those who do not know the supreme

1. Cf. here p. 163 T.A. sl.XXIX 122-123.

159

brahman2, who arc deprived of the free play [of
the breaths] and given over to greed, drunken-
ness, anger, attachment and illusion."3

Therefore this practice must be kept secret and is disclosed
only to a few exceptional beings who have overcome the pulls of
pure and impure and long to live fearlessly and intensely, with all
their capabilities fully unfolded. Such is the true spirit of the Tantra
which grasp life as a whole, without suppression or mutilation, and
thereby accord all the vital, emotional, and intellectual tendencies
their due place in the making of a free and complete being.

But let it not be misunderstood by the Westerner, he who is
not troubled by vain scruples in his pursuit of power. To break away
from all restraint is not enough to qualify for caryakrama. The ad-
venturer in search of an original life has neither the required purity
nor the humility which would allow his surrender to the master. He
is too easily deluded with a so-called experience of awakening of
his Kundalini and about the role that ordinary sexual union can
play in this respect. Thus he does not qualify for kulayaga because
of a double obstacle, one of a technical nature: lack of a master
and of knowledge, the other of an inner nature: lack of purity of
heart.

Nor is such a course of action suitable to those fond of piety,
Mike certain brahmin who are unable to overcome doubts and prej-
yudices, and pronounce a final condemnation of the esoteric prac-
tice.

Abhinavagupta points out the serious risks involved for those
who take to a practice not meant for them,4 as the follower of ku-
laydga easily falls a prey to hell if he enjoys forbidden things with-
out being a hero (vira).

But if he is worthy of performing such a rite, he takes part in
the meetings of yogini and siddha—initiated women and men; on
the spiritual plane, those meetings correspond to the union of the
vira's divinized energies (yogin!) with their sense objects (siddha),
in other words, the perfect, undifferentiated5 fusion of knower and
known.6

2. Namely the bliss derived from the three Ms. Cf. here p. 163.

3. T.A. sl.289-90, last stanzas of chap. XXIX.

4. T.A. XXIX, 99. Cf. here p. xiii.
5. Nirvikalpa.

6. Cf. here p. 167.

160

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Effects of the Caryakrama Practice

The heroic practice is focused entirely on the experience of
the identity of Siva and the energy at the completion of Kundalini's
ascent. But the verticality it brings into play involves a double
achievement. First it collects, gathers and unifies all the scattered
horizontality which characterizes ordinary existence. Then the
acme of this horizontal dimension—sexual life—is transmuted into
a pure vertical impetus.

The yogin discovers many benefits in such a unifying practice;
it purifies and intensifies the energy; it dissolves doubts and limita-
tions; it enables him to gauge the depth of his renunciation, the
true touchstone being that, in the height of union, the couple re-
mains in samadhi. Finally, the kulayaga is a means for the siddha
and the yogini to help each other, in that if one of the partners fails
to enjoy a permanent awakening, he or she may receive it through
the other.

Haven't we said that sexual practice is intended only for the
yogin whose heart has already been purified? True, but his thought,
body, and organs are not equally pure; and to purify them the en-
ergy must be activated, for through the unfolding of any spiritual
energy one may regain the purity of the heart impulse. However,
mystical excitation and fervor are not easy to achieve; they have
nothing to do with the physical, emotional, mental and sensory
excitations of ordinary life, among which sexual excitation ranks
first. For they are related to the profound fundamental vitality called
ojas. So, to increase the latter, one should develop a fervor capable
of grasping the energy in its first stirring, "just when a spark of the
spanda flies in the heart" (P.T.v. p.45).

In most of his works and commentaries, Abhinavagupta
stresses the intense life or the fervor which stands in contrast with
the indifference of those beings whom nothing can move; he does
so because Siva and Sakti—Consciousness and energy—are but
one: to awaken the energy is to awaken Consciousness.

The churning of the energy by Bhairava during the creative
emission corresponds to an effervescence which spreads as a nec-
tar of eternal bliss, a nectar that Abhinavagupta detects at every
level, and even in the union of sexes:

■4

"Let bliss be experienced," he says,
"through the unifying friction of the sexes at the
moment of mutual enjoyment; and by its means,

161

let the unparalleled, ever present essence be rec-
ognized. Indeed, all that enters through an inner
or outer organ abides in the form of conscious-
ness or breath in the domain of the median way;
the latter, related essentially to the universal
breath (anupranana), infuses life to all bodily
parts. That is what is called ojas, vitality, which
energizes the whole body" (P.T.v. p.46-47).

Ojas is the virility that does not flow out of the body, that of
the brahmacarin for example. Virya, efficience,7 is ojas manifested
through the many aspects of power, whether that of the great for-
mula, the mantra "I", or that of virility proper.

Everything, such as color or sound, may pro-
duce in one who is well provided with this power,
some effervescence, excitation or stir (ksobha)
of the energy, which rouses the fire of desire ...
however, this is only for a strong virile power, full
and rich, not for an incomplete or defective viril-
ity as that of a young boy or an old man. When
virya is thus agitated, a sense of freedom is ex-
perienced, which is both energy of bliss and
plenary Consciousness of Bhairava.

Abhinavagupta then points out that such efficience being iden-
tical with the Self, the flood of pleasure8 induced by freedom con-
verts into an "intense awareness whose vibrant act (spanda) is free
from time and space limitations." As to those "who have not in-
creased their virile efficacy within and do not leave any room to the
pleasure of the god of love, they remain like rocks when facing a
beautiful maid and hearing her melodious songs, deprived as they
are of inebriation and bliss." For virility and rapture go hand in
hand; rapture grows in proportion to virile potency: "Lack of vi-
rility," he says, "is lack of life, lack of the power of wonder."

7. Cf. notice at the end of the chapter, 176.

8. Not only does this occur in the course of various enjoyments, but
right in the midst of pain, provided the emotion is experienced in its true
essence and access to universal efficiency is found; then Reality reveals itself
in the form of a wonderful unfoldment of the energy.

162

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Sensitivity belongs to one "endowed with heart" (sahrdaya),
immersed in fervor, and whose virile potency is agitated, for only
the heart fortified by this force is capable of wonder (p.47-49).

Abhinavagupta goes on to show (p.50) how the agitation that
shakes the whole being converts into divine energy, when one pen-
etrates into the Rudra-Rudra couple, Siva and his energy, namely
into bliss and plenary emission:

If one succeeds in becoming one with the
efficience of one's own energy, at that very mo-
ment Bhairava stands revealed in the immovable
domain, provided all the breaths of the sense
channels reach their plenitude; then one be-
comes absorbed in the great domain of the Cen-
ter, susumna, while duality dissolves. So, to pen-
etrate into susumna is to penetrate into ru-
drayamala, to experience the rapture of the su-
preme interiority and become fully aware of one's
own overflowing energy.

Thus during the ascent of Kundalini, when the currents unite
and one becomes identified with the median way, as the moment of
trembling particular to sexual union arises, one can experience the
pleasure of an intimate contact consisting in the effervescence of
the whole virile potency about to burst forth. Then let one take hold
of this power as primordial vibration. Captured at its source, the
energy dissolves all limitations and brings about the shift from the
individual to the universal. This is why Abhinavagupta explains
that the subject matter here is not our limited body but the "I" in
the form of the great mantra AHAM. In fact, says he, Siva, the su-
preme Word, emits the efficience of the great mantra "I" by gener-
ating his higher energy through a great influx of his power; and
since there is identity between the efficience of word, awareness of
the Self, and virility, the power of this mantra makes it possible to
gain access to the immovable realm.

The divine emission, which is bliss and freedom, combines
the pure Consciousness of Siva and the efficience of energy.

KULAMARGA THE ESOTERIC WAY
Uncertainty and Fluctuation (kampa)

163

The most fearful enemies in mystical life are uncertainty, di-
lemma (vikalpa), scruple, doubt, which indicate two conflicting
forces and therefore depletion of energy, an obstacle to fervor.

Such is the basic impurity, the contraction of the heart, "a
massive bar that blocks the door of the prison known as trans-
migration." This is why, in the Bhargasikharatantra, the energies
of the organs are to be satisfied and propitiated with the help of
forbidden substances, and the heroes' vow should be enjoyed (T.A.
XII 18-21).

Indeed, for the uprooting of doubt there is nothing like dis-
regarding the three major prohibitions to which the orthodox brah-
macarin are subjected: meat, alcohol, and sexual union.9 Accord-
ing to the Tantra, a true brahmacarin is one who, on the contrary,
indulges in them; he enjoys the pleasures of life while not in bon-
dage to them; for to one who is beyond all desire, enjoyment not
pursued for its own sake never turns out to be an obstacle; better
still, it is a means of liberation since it can be transmuted, like
any manifestation of energy, into spiritual power.

The Kashmirian mystic, Lalla, is not afraid of reproval; she
sings:10

Arise, O Lady, set out to make thine offering,
Bearing in thy hand wine, flesh and cakes:
If thou know the syllable that is itself

the Supreme Place.

Thou [wilt also know that] if thou violate
the custom, it is all the same. What
loss is there therein? (10)

Far from being blameworthy, these practices even constitute
a worthy offering for the deity, provided that Lady Kundalini, united
with the pranava OM, starts to move and reaches, purified, the sum-
mit of her course in the "equal" energy (samana).

9. In Sanskrit these terms begin with an M.

10. Here, as in Part One, chap. III, Lalla's verses are given in Sir George
Grierson's translation. In his note to sl. 77, the translator observes: "The 'vi-
olation of custom' is literally 'the left-handed conduct'." The followers of the
right hand revere mainly Siva; the sectarians of the left hand (vamacarin)
place more importance on the divine energy (sakti) and are concerned mostly
with saktism.

164

The great sacrifice which aims at unfolding the whole con-
scious and unconscious personality, helps one to overcome social
prejudices, instinctive aversions, obscure and deep-rooted fears,
so that only the vibrant energy remains. Then as doubts are radi-
cally uprooted, along with the forces of limitation which inhibit the
impetus of the whole being, the mystic attains free Bhairava.

One who has been able to observe the countless restraints of
Indian life in religious, ritualistic and social matters, a legacy from
Vedic orthodoxy, will more easily understand how much a mystic
needs to break away from conventions and prohibitions, in partic-
ular from those laid down for brahmacarin. Intrepidity and virility
{virya) then take on their full meaning.

Living as he was in the midst of innumerable restrictions.
Abhinavagupta is all the more admirable for his boldness and in-
dependent thinking. He does not hesitate to ridicule the Vedic rsi,
for, says he, what they regard as degrading is held here as a rapid
means of attaining spiritual realizations. Thus it is knowingly, de-
liberately, so that one may be released from the bondage of ties,
that he recommends taking to the three Ms, the most despised
means. He shows no consideration for those brahmin who, caught
up in the dilemmas of pure and impure, are unable to perceive all
things in one and the same light.11

What is the point wondering about which ritual formulas
should or should not be recited? Are they not made up of letters,
and are these letters not identical with Siva, he who is untouched
by purity or impurity?

The same holds true as regards what should or should not
be drunk: Ganges water or wine, those are just liquids which in
themselves are neither pure nor impure. Purity and impurity do not
constitute the intrinsic nature of things, or else nature could never
be transformed or purified. All this should be considered as mere
opinions which, applied to things, are born through exercise of the
mind, and that mind, in its essence, is pure.

What is the criterion of purity? asks Abhi-
navagupta. That alone is pure which is identical
to Consciousness, everything else is impure. No
distinction between pure and impure exists for

II. T.A. IV. 240-246, XII. 18-21, XV. 170 -177

165

him who regards the entire universe as identical
with Consciousness.

The kula sacrifice can serve as a touchstone to ascertain
whether one has truly realized the identity between one's own self
and the other, and to measure one's own degree of detachment:
does the attraction toward woman, regarded as a desirable "ob-
ject," still subsist? While it is quite easy to seek refuge in oneself
in times of sorrow and worry, it is more difficult to abide in perfect
equality, without desire or shame during love enjoyment, the field of
the strongest attachment and the most overwhelming emotions. If
one succeeds therein, all is attained.

Esoteric Gatherings (yoginimelaka)

Through the kulayaga, moreover, one becomes eligible for
the yoginimelaka12 a source of samadhi and Knowledge; as this
Knowledge is related to the unfolding of consciousness, one can
understand why special significance is accorded to these great as-
semblies "where all the members of the same mystical lineage
(santana) commune" and from which those with contracted con-
sciousness are excluded.

Abhinavagupta writes in this regard:

"The plenary Consciousness which had be-
come contracted owing to differentiation in bod-
ies, etc., can expand again during these gath-
erings where all the participants reflect one
another (in harmonious union). The flow of their
activated organs is reflected in the consciousness
of each participant as if in so many mirrors; and
the organs, all aflame, attain without effort to uni-
versal unfoldment. This is why, at those great
gatherings, songs, dances, etc. are fully enjoyed
by all who attend when, being one and not dis-
tinct, they identify with the spectacle; even at the
individual level, their consciousness overflowing

12. Esoteric gatherings T.A. XXVIII, sl. 373 to 380. Cf. M.M. p.131 -136.

166

in joy reaches oneness when beholding the
dances ... and delights in universal bliss (371).

"When free from the causes of contraction
such as envy, jealousy... the unobstructedly ex-
panding Consciousness is known as 'the bliss of
the yogin!.'

"But if any among the audience does not
identify with the ceremony, his consciousness re-
maining alien and as if full of asperities ... let
him be carefully kept out of the cult circle, for
his consciousness, unfit for any identification, is at
the source of contraction."

As to the form of religious worship conducive to perfect ab-
sorption in this divine essence—Consciousness—the Paratrim-
sikatantra advises the yogin to worship the Goddess according to
his capacities, by offering her flowers and perfumes, to engage in
her cult with devotion, and to offer himself (by way of sacrifice) to
the Goddess (s7.32).

And Abhinavagupta further states in his gloss that, to carry
out the true sacrifice, the devotee must offer fragrant flowers which
can easily penetrate into his heart. All internal and external sub-
stances used for the cult deposit their essence in his heart. But if
his capacities are limited, his energies contracted, if the adept has
been unable to make the essence of energy his own and is there-
fore unfit for such a sacrifice, let him perform a complete worship,
with the help of the intimate energy capable of unfolding his own
essence, while having also recourse to an outer source of energy,
that which accompanies the bliss derived from baths, ointments,
incense, betel, wine, etc.

The many different means used for this outer sacrifice bring
about an intensification of all the energies and raise them to their
melting point, so that they may rush into the median way.

So a vira to whom is offered a variety of rare pleasures and
whose heart overflows with joy, experiences an energy at once ex-
panded and controlled where it is most perceptible—in the sexual
act; this enables him to return to the source of the free divine en-
ergy, as instinct converts into a conscious, self controlled energy.

We have seen that the enjoyment inherent in this surging forth
of energy does not belong to the ordinary body. But how can one

KULAMARGA, THE ESOTERIC WAY

167

speak about the intimate joy alluded to by the Vijnanabhairava
(s'/.69), characterized as bliss of brahman and experienced only
by one who is the master of Kundalini?

It may burst unexpectedly, without any contact whatsoever,
out of the depths of samadhi. This is not a joy pertaining to the
limited body; it is dimensionless, though including the body and
included in the body. All the sense energies are, as it were, caught
by the ascending Kundalini, then, in a flash, steeped into such in-
tense bliss that the body is unable to bear it more than a few sec-
onds.

The Kula system goes so far as to contend that identification
with Paramasiva and savoring of universal bliss are impossible as
long as the sense organs are not satisfied, for every suppressed de-
sire leaves latent residues not easily conquered. We have seen,
moreover, that if one becomes absorbed in bodily bliss, one may,
under certain conditions, experience the bliss of Self-Conscious-
ness (cidananda), the latter giving rise in its turn to cosmic bliss
(Jagadananda). These successive phases correspond to the three-
fold aspect of pervasion.

1. Individual at first, it appears as the fusion of man and wom-
an, partners in sexual union, as the fusion of inside and outside,
or else as that of the self and\the other. While this "other" is usually
conceived of as a privileged object of enjoyment, from now on in-
ner harmony culminates in/a perfect balance between the self and
the other.

2. Beyond bodily pervasion (dehavyapti), the yogin gains ac-
cess to Self-pervasion (atmavyapti), relating to the Fourth state and
the discovery of I-ness; however, a trace of enjoyment can still be
detected.

3. By means of the esoteric course, this Self-pervasion can
turn into divine pervasion (sivauyapti),13 all things fusing into Para-
masiva. This is turiyatita, beyond the Fourth state, where the divine
essence is perceived as all-pervading, in the impure and in bon-
dage as well as in the pure and in liberation: at the heart of this
one-savored unity,14 Self and universe merge into the Whole in per-
fect harmony.

The yogin then discovers a most wonderful freedom; both
partners disappear, and out of an unfathomable void, mysteriously

13. Or into mahavyapti, the great pervasion.
14. Samarasya.

168

169

connected with the energy, arises universal bliss in the free play

of spontaneity.

When the entire life becomes nothing but divine energy
(kula), the yogin takes his final rest in the great Heart of the yogini.
Such is the deep meaning and the finality of the yogini melaka.

We shall see next how this Heart and its bliss15 can be ex-
perienced, first at the beginning of union, when the current of the
breaths suddenly flows out, and at the end, when the samadhi un-
folds without the sense organs losing contact with their objects,
and again when the organs revert to pure inferiority.

Quiescence and Emergence

This practice is essentially based on the santodita process,
a double polarity of the energy symbolized by the two dots of the
visarga and keystone of the esoteric course.

Santa, quiescent state, is the inferiority of the Fourth state,
the perfect stillness of samadhi corresponding to withdrawal into
the appeased depths of the Self. Although this state belongs to the
individual, both partners must be united and very quiet; for if qui-
escence manifests when the couple separates, that is not the san-
todita practice.

Udita, emergent or awakened state, suggests a start, an im-
petus, a free act, free because, being devoid of ties, finality or mo-
tivation, it is not subject to any determinism. This term also means
awakening, as the yogin is apt to respond at once to the slightest
impression when he emerges from the depths of the Self and
springs forth so as to conquer the surrounding world. The quick
succession of santa-udita, of withdrawal into oneself and emer-
gence, follows the rhythm of the sexual act: the woman's state of
emergence corresponds to the man's appeased state and vice
versa; so when the man emerges with full consciousness and then
sinks back within himself, the woman goes deep inside and there-
after emerges, according to an opposing yet complementary move-
ment.

The moment union is achieved, there is no longer interior nor

exterior.

Then inferiority reigns supreme and the term udita assumes

15. Saudhabhumi.

the meaning of sadodita, an ever surging act, beyond duality and
nonduality, both quiescent and emergent.

Life is now but a pulsation, in the form of nimesa-unmesa,
slumber and awakening, or of santa-udita; this is how it flows along,
this is the visarga, whose two poles actually are one.

Union comprises several stages which, following alternating
appeasements and emergences, take one beyond, to kaula, the ul-
timate Reality.

1. The practice begins with the external emergent state; when
the couple unites, as a result of profuse caresses and kisses, a-
dhahkundalin! awakes, and the couple goes into samadhi. Myst-
ical union then begins to transfigure ordinary union.

2. The couple reaches the second stage, still comparatively
external santodita where the united man and woman, now im-
mersed and now emerging, act separately and each for oneself. If
one of the consorts perceives that the other has not reached the
emergent state, he must himself remain in this state until inducing
it in his partner. What matters is that there should not for a single
moment be a loss of contact, either physically or spiritually.

As excitation reaches its climax, there occurs, on the indi-
vidual level, an initial gathering of the energies, samputikarana,
along with vigilance and some kind of exertion. This confluence
enables one to enter the Central way, when all the secondary cen-
ters rush there and unite in urdhvakundalini.

3. Thence originates the third stage, the appeased state
(santa) or retirement within oneself, whose peace still remains in-
dividual as Kundalini has not completed her ascent. Once the cou-
ple experiences the appeased state and the revelation of the Self,
then, at the end of union arises the unifying friction.16

4. During the fourth phase known as santoditarupa, man and
woman act in conjunction, according to the alternate movement of
appeasement and emergence. As a result of the intense excitation
of all the organs, the energies once again rush from all sides to-
ward the central wheel, but here, unlike the first samputikarana,
the eyes are open and the organs, fully awake, remain vigilant in
the very midst of absorption (samadhi). During this new sponta-
neous fusion17 at a higher level than the previous one, the Self is
recognized in its universality. In other words, by means of the al-
ternate attitude (kramamudra), which mixes together interior and

17, Samputikarana, Textually "encasing." Cf. here p. 33, 185.

170

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

exterior,18 the samadhi peculiar to the appeased state permeates
the emergent state, leaving no trace of distinction between them.
5. Kaula, ultimate Reality. When union comes to an end and
kramamudrasamata is assumed spontaneously owing to an in-
tense mystical fervor (ucchalata), the couple, freed from the sense
of ego, lost in wonder, perceive in the emerging act appeased im-
mobility. They have reached what is called the "inner" emergence,
universal Consciousness, energy at its height.19 When unified qui-
escence and emergence are integrated and then transcended,
kaula manifests in all its glory as cosmic beatitude.

Caryakrama and Kramamudra

The fusion of both partners at the end of their harmonious
intercourse during caryakrama appears, because of its spontane-
ity, as the path of privileged access to the mystic attitude named

kramamudra.20

An equal progression (krama) leads in both cases to the per-
fect coincidence21 of the energy and Siva. Moreover, the alternate
phases, following a certain progression, are also similar: inner
withdrawal, outer expansion, and, in between, the supreme Reality
(parakaula) reveals itself as the source and place of their fusion.

At the pinnacle of the spontaneous movements of retraction
and expansion, the individual union of man and woman leads to
the mystical and universal union known as bhairavayamala, the
confluence of Bhairava and Bhairavi, of Consciousness and Energy.
Through union with Bhairava, the universe rests in Siva; then, the
next moment, through union with Bhairavi, the universe awakens.
This process goes on moment by moment, until the identification of
Bhairava and Bhairavi or of the siddha and his consort who then
reach the inner linga, through which Consciousness and bliss are
disclosed, while Kundalini completes her ascent.22

The inner linga23 (adhyatmika) is identical with the heart and

18. Samadhi and vyutthana, cf. here p. 187.

19. Urdhvakundalini.

20. Cf. here p. 56, where Abhinavagupta compares the two movements
of kramamudra to those of the stomach of a fish (T.A.v. 58).

21. Samapatti. Also referred to as samputtkarana, encasing, and ru-
drayamala.

22. Urdhvakundalini.

23. Linga means symbol or sign. Capable of discerning Consciousness,

171

the mouth of the yogini; made of vibrations, this is the linga of
energy and mantric efficacy. There, Reality assumes a wonderful sa-
vor because it is at once the place of the Self, the place of bliss,
the place of the transfigured universe, and the place whence pro-
ceeds the yoginibhu, a child predestined to an exceptional mystic
life..

This linga is characterized by the union of inferiority and ex-
teriority, even in bodily activity. The Tantraloka declares:

"Beautified by bliss owing to the perfect co-
incidence of seed and womb,24 this linga, heart
of the yogini, engenders an indescribable Con-
sciousness" (V121).

Related to this very heart is the interiorized sexual practice
leading to the ultimate Consciousness. Abhinavagupta draws a par-
allel between the two visarga (this word denoting an "outflow" of
felicity): an emission peculiar to sexual practice for one, and then
a cosmic emission exclusively related to the free divine energy,25
whose effervescence inside the median way accompanies the grad-
ual manifestation of bliss and finally blossoms into the fully ex-
panded and active energy.

Indeed, once the energy is suffused with bliss, it swells up
outwardly and engages in endless emanations and resorptions of
the universe, the two poles of the cosmic visarga.

And so it is with caryakrama: when in the supreme domain
the male and female organs (linga and yoni or vajra and padma)26
unite, as a result of enjoyment a flow of bliss27 is released that en-
genders the world of men and women.

Jayaratha quotes a stanza in this connection:

it assumes three aspects: the lower linga, pertaining to the individual, is man-
ifested; it is worshiped in temples in a concrete form. The intermediate linga,
wherein inferiority prevails, is that of the energy; the supreme, non-manifested
linga, that of Siva, wherein the universe dissolves, is the divine Heart en-
closing, undifferentiated, Siva, the energy, and the individual; beyond, in the
indescribable Reality, no "sign" is needed any more for Consciousness to be
apprehended; it is there, self-evident, fully unfolded.

24. Bija and yoni.

25. Kaulikisakti.

26. T.A.V. 123 124 and commentary.
27. As emission, visarga.

172 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

"That which is praised as the source of the
universal flow bestowing felicity is called genital
organ (upastha), but it has for its essence the
median way" (V p.430).

Abhinavagupta points out the eminent role played here by the
flow of bliss:

"In this domain full of bliss," says he, "that
of an ever-surging consciousness, the whole of
the divinized organs reside effortlessly" (122).

Resting in the Self, the yogin experiences utmost delight, even
in the midst of his worldly activities: "To live in the undifferentiated
even while the differentiated is unfolding, such is the sudden clap
of thunder, the roaring28 of a yogin."

This yogin immersed in the Self, enjoys the glory of his fully
expanded organs, fit to perform their varied activities, and which,
far from hindering the way of the intimate and immediate experi-
ence of the Self, are instrumental in the penetration into the ulti-
mate, all-pervading Self.

Madhyacakra and Anucakra

We have described the cakra of the body, centers of vibrant
energy, which form a dynamic, harmonious whole once they are
perfectly tuned, and energized by one and the same life current,

Kundalini.

In Tantraloka chapter XXIX (s7.106), Abhinavagupta deals
with other energy centers, the anucakra, which are sense organs
characterized as secondary when compared to the chief center,
madhyacakra. Through these anucakra, which open out to the ex-
ternal world, the consciousness of the ordinary human being keeps
on wandering. The central wheel, as it is not awakened in the or-
dinary human being, remains sealed to mystical inferiority. Now, if
for whatever reason it starts to open, this creates a conflict with the
secondary centers whose dispersion goes against its permanent
awakening. To make things clearer, let us take an example where

28. In the double meaning of visphurjita. Commentary to 126, p.435.

173

anucakra refers to the contact between the organ of taste and a
fruit; usually the pleasure derived from tasting a fruit is not of such
intensity as to give momentary access to the main Center. However,
if the yogin, while tasting the fruit, rests within himself in the Cen-
ter, he attains the union known as rudrayamala, for as his sec-
ondary centers are not shut off from the main Center, inner and
outer commingle, while the median center opens to infinity.

Through the transmission of the mystical lineage, called
"mouth of the yogini," we know how to draw into the chief center
not only the secondary centers, but also the multiplicity of external
objects. The scattered energies suddenly collect in the Center,
which expands and fills in its turn the now-divinized organs with
its powerful energy. Then, steeped in wonder, Self-Consciousness
illumines all things as identical with it.

During this unfolding of the Center, the three cakra of radiant
energy—heart, brahmarandhra, and yoginiuaktra—become one.

To understand why the unfolding of the Center is principally
related to those three cakra, we have to give a synopsis of the con-
nections between the various centers, starting from the origin.

At first, the wheel of universal Consciousness or infinite energy
of the boundless domain29 alone exists. This wheel then generates
a first center of energy called main Center, mouth of the yogini, su-
perior domain, or heart of the yogin!.30 From this wheel proceed
the heart and also the sexual apertures (mukha). Although the field
of action of this effulgence becomes more and more reduced, the
energy keeps radiating from the median Center. A return to the Cen-
ter is therefore possible by means of the unifying friction of the two
sexual organs, the friction between them first, and their friction with
the heart afterwards.

174

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

KULAMARGA, THE ESOTERIC WAY

175

The fusion of Siva and Sakti, of the yogini and the siddha, is
symbolized by two triangles" which meet on the completion of
Kundalini's ascent, when all centers merge in yoginivaktra, and
then in universal Consciousness.

The practice of union is therefore related to the domain of the
yogini, the universal womb from which everything springs up,
while it endlessly expands.32

The mouth of the yogini or central wheel affects the heart,
vitalizing and activating it, either by extracting from it or by causing

its expansion. And during a perfect union between man and
woman, it identifies with the heart, madhyasthana. The seat of the

heart becomes a universal Center and is no longer distinct from
janmasthana and brahmasthana. The brahmarandhra fills the

womb (yoni); and the latter, permeated by consciousness, gives

birth to a blessed being.

Such a union is no longer confined to the body, but takes place

in the universal domain of the Center (madhyadhdman), beyond

man-woman differentiation, and also beyond the bodily centers, in

the very energy of universal Consciousness, the source of cosmic

bliss.

Yoginibhu

For such a union, man and woman must be pure, have no
other desire than the divine desire: grace should pervade their
whole body; then through an interchange during union, the woman
takes in the seed and keeps it in store in the center, this yogini's
mouth, which governs the womb. In the woman there is a sub-
stance (sadbhdva) which is still purer than the man's virya, which
is the purest element in the human body; when combined with
virya, this substance forms maharasa, a noble and potent essence
that controls the development of the child in the mother's womb.
It is noteworthy that, while conception occurs at the level of the
lower Kundalini, it is urdhvakundalini who feeds the embryo.

Yoginibhu, "issued from the inwardly-turned energy,"33 is the

31. The satkona, cf. here p. 33.

32. Yoginivikasa, because of mahauyapti, cf. here p. 76.

33. According to Abhinavagupta (P.T. sl. 10), one must be born of the
yogini in order to achieve the ability of perfect absorption in the union of
Bhairava and Bhairavi (yamalasamavesa), and to enjoy the full evidence of
the divine Heart.

name given to the child born of a woman who has thus reached a
high mystical level. Such was the case, it is said, of Abhinavagupta,
conceived by parents who were both absorbed in samadhi.

Respective Role of Man and Woman: The Guru's Operation Con-
cerning Them

When a flow of divine energy passes from master to disciple,
the latter receives grace and peace effortlessly and sometimes un-
knowingly. But only a highly experienced guru can act upon the
heart of his disciple. This heart has two openings; the master, hav-
ing first closed the outwardly-turned opening, opens the inwardly-
turned opening; then from this heart surges forth a torrent which,
through the chief nadi, inundates everything, so that excitation,
fervor and the other forms of intensity immediately convert into di-
vine energy. Now the master opens the aperture towards the world
and the disciple, while bathing in the peace of the Self, pours it
outside. Gradually the disciple in his turn gains control over the
opening and closing processes.

Virya predominates in man and prana in woman. So the guru
acts upon man's virile efficacy, the essence of semen, to take it up
to the brahmarandhra; this cannot be achieved without much dif-
ficulty, for man's nadi are narrow, rigid, and not easy to expand;
when this essence reaches the superior center, the eyes sparkle like
those of a drunken man.

Since prana is more abundant in woman, the master uses the
breath to act upon her, and the rising of Kundalini takes place eas-
ily; for while man emits, woman absorbs, she is able to assimilate
great powers and may prove mightier than man. For what charac-
terizes woman is the expansion of the central way: in her, the en-
ergy of the center in susumnanadi or in madhyanadi, as well as
the womb, are in constant expansion.

At the end of the process, neither virya nor prana remain,
and instead there is a very pure essence, "maharasa." As his ma-
dhyacakra is turned upward, the male stores this essence in the
brahmarandhra and brings it down whenever he wants to use it.
A guru treasures up this essence as the most precious thing, the
best of all energies, never to be wasted and exclusively to be em-
ployed for spiritual purposes. Indeed, by means of this pure es-
sence, he progresses by leaps and bounds in mystical life. Once

176

he masters this power, which he holds in great respect, he no
longer loses it, even if the body is old or exhausted.

The woman does not keep this pure essence in the brahma-
randhra, but in madhyagarbha or in susumna which unfolds;
thence the essence spreads to madhyacakra, the central wheel,
which in her is steady.

As for union between a master and his female disciple, it re-
quires a master who is both qualified and perfect to bring down this
pure substance thus kept in store and infuse it into woman. When
a sanctified child is conceived, this transference occurs through
sexual union; but it may take place without this agency, if master
and disciple are united by a very pure love, a love which is free of
all desire.*

Chapter Five
Kulayaga, Esoteric Sacrifice

Excerpts from Tantraloka, Chapter XXIX

* Notice. If "efficience", an archaic term meaning "the exercise of effi-
cient power" (The Shorter English Dictionary on Historical Principles) has been
used in the present translation, it is to avoid the technical connotations of
"efficiency" and in the hope of suggesting more than "efficacy" does, though,
of course, even a rare word cannot convey the exceptional significance of virya
in those ancient lexis.

Definition

Abhinavagupta regards as of primary importance these kula
practices, revealed to him by his master Sambunatha and of which
he gives a lengthy account in Tantraloka, chapter XXIX, under the
denomination of rahasyacarcavidhi, secret rite.

1. Now is described the secret rite designed-
for master and disciple who have reached the
summit [of mystical life]; [resting in the nirvi-
kalpa state, beyond all duality, they are free of
attachment and limitation].

2-3. In the Kramapujatantra the Lord has
unveiled the essence thereof. That which is
achieved in one single month by the method of
the siddha—accomplished beings—cannot be
obtained in a thousand years through the me-
dium of ordinary ceremonies or of a flood of man-
tra...

4. Kula conveys the ideas of energy of the

178 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Lord, efficience, elevation, freedom, vitality, virile
potency, pinda,1 consciousness and body.

5. This sacrifice is meant only for one who
thus sees everything in the same light, freed from
all doubts.

6. Is called kula sacrifice whatever the hero
(vira) accomplishes in thought, word, or deed,
through any activity [requiring boldness and her-
oism] apt to reveal such essence.

7. Notwithstanding this variety of conditions,
the sacrifice may be performed in six different
ways: in worldly activities, in relation to a woman
[through a mere glance], in the couple's union,
as well as in body, breath,2 and thought.

8. It needs no sacrificial circle, fire-pit, ritual
purifications, baths ..., in short, none of the ob-
jects and instruments usually associated with
rites.

9. According to the Trisirobhairava: "... it is
nothing but knowledge and knowable."

10. Still, to the wise are prescribed practices
which are forbidden in other religious treatises:
[the use of meat, of alcoholic liquors, and sexual
union (maithuni].

The next verses describe the outer ritual and are of little in-
terest as far as Kundalini is concerned. Let us only mention the
reverence for the lineage of masters (natha) and for their energies
(yogini). The mudra specific to each of them are listed, as well as
the raised Kundalini and secret seats such as the dvadasanta,
bhru, the heart, the navel, and the bulb.

Which masters are qualified to perform this yaga? There are
three types of siddha, distinguished by how they use their virya,
this very pure essence that resides, unstirred, in the superior cen-
ter.

Some are urdhvareta, chaste men who keep it permanently

1. Pinda, a solid mass, a dense one-savored whole.

2. In madhyanadi.

KULAYAGA, ESOTERIC SACRIFICE

179

in this center,3 thus preserving their virility. Endowed with knowl-
edge and not with potency, they have few disciples and are neither
kaula masters nor brahmacarin suited for the kaula way.

To the contrary, when virility is stirred up in ordinary men
and in the kaula adepts, it goes down to the so-called 'generation
seat' (Janmasthdna). And while the former are not aware of the
process, the latter are fully conscious of it and have control over
their virya; thus they are simultaneously endowed with knowledge
and potency. Such kaula masters, votaries of brahman and of the
three prohibitions, are qualified to initiate a great number of dis-
ciples.

Then, according to the Kalikulatantra, another class of sid-
dha, solely through their subtle bodies, penetrate, during their
sports with yogini, into the bodies of very pure men and women
in order to arouse in them a mutual desire; it is from this union
that is born the exceptional child known as yoginibhu.4

Next comes the description of the great ceremony: selected
place, fragrant garlands, identification with Bhairava, contemplation
of the master, ascent of Kundalini in the median way, fire oblation,
etc. Then the duti is brought along: she and her partner engage in
mutual worship by identifying with Sakti and Siva.

Vidhi of the Duti or Adiyaga5

96. This secret ritual revealed by the Lord is
now described. Let it be performed in the com-
pany of an outer energy [a woman called duti].

"Just as the brahman's6 wife takes part in the Vedic ritual, so
does the duti participate in the kulacdrya practice," says a verse.

97-98. According to the Yogasamcaratan-
tra, the state of brahmacarin must be observed.
Brahman is supreme bliss and resides in the

3. They are, according to Mahesvarananda (MM. sl. 39), initiate
princes (rajaputra).

4. Sl. 40-45. Cf. here p. 174.

5. T.A, XXIX, sl 96-168.

6. Who presides over Vedic ceremonies.

180

body in three ways: the first two are used as
means, the third one, identical with bliss, is the
fruit thereof.

The former include meat and alcohol; the third one is sexual
union, through which one becomes aware of bliss. This is what is
referred to as the three Ms.

99-100. Enslaved beings who are deprived of the
three Ms [usually forbidden] are deprived of bliss
altogether. Those who perform the sacrifice with-
out the three Ms, sources of bliss, also go to a
dreadful hell.

Verse 99 and its gloss specify that only the heroic being7 may
resort to these means to achieve brahmic plenitude, for, in order
to be a brahmacarin, one must indeed avail oneself of the three
prohibited means, the supreme brahman being bliss and bliss
being revealed in the body through them. Here one should be very
careful: to enjoy or to dispense with those three Ms may lead to
unfortunate consequences; he who is not a hero and indulges in
them without performing kulayaga, and he who, having performed
the rite, refuses to further enjoy it, are equally in danger of falling
into hell.

100-101. The sole distinctive feature of the
energy—woman—is the faculty she has of iden-
tifying with the owner of the energy—man or
sadhaka. Her selection, therefore, should be
made irrespective of her beauty, caste, etc.

What sort of woman enables the sadhaka to realize his true

nature?

Her beauty, caste or birth are immaterial, for a bold, virile
(vira) mind, free of doubt and wavering, is enough to qualify the
duti for this sacrifice. And she must also have the same heart, the
same intention as the a Ira, in view of their identification during sa-
madhi.

7. Virasadhaka.

181

101-102. Since such identity is beyond all
worldly or supraworldly association [ties of blood
or of the mind], this energy is given three differ-
ent names in my master's tradition—cause, sub-
sequent effect and simultaneous birth8—and
again is threefold, directly or indirectly [that is,
cause of the cause, effect of the effect, etc.].

Noteworthy is the choice of terms referring to these three
types of partners; hetu is the "cause", and, though the term is
glossed as janika (that which brings forth), she is not the natural
mother—just as karya is not the daughter—but a divine duti who,
infusing boldness and power into her partner, acts as an initiator
to him.

Karya, textually "that which has to be done" and is a re-
sponse to an incentive or an effect, appears as a duti initiated by
a master or a more advanced sadhaka who "induces" in her a state
free of doubt and fear.

Sahotthd, "that which arises at the same time," acts as a spir-
itual sister (sahaja) toward a sadhaka. The potency (virata) which
she enjoys spontaneously becomes manifest in both of them at the
same time.

It is in this figurative sense that should be interpreted a number
of tantric passages alluding to union with mother, daughter, or sis-
ter, a wording which brings about the reprobation of all those who
stick to the letter.

Jayaratha quotes an unambiguous stanza in this connection:
"Neither wife, sister, mother, daughter, nor intimate friend are al-
lowed to take part in this ceremony."

If the wife is kept aside, this is because of attachment to her,
as union has no other purpose than a heroic course of action.9

Another verse further removes all ambiguity: "For this sacrifice,
let the duti be selected without any misleading by sexual desire."

Here union serves only to bring to the surface the latent abil-
ities of the adept. This sacrifice is not performed with the enjoyment
born of desire (kama) in view, but in order to probe into one's own
heart and ascertain the steadiness of one's own mind.

8. Here these terms refer to three levels of birth into spiritual life: an-
terior birth, posterior birth, and simultaneous birth.

9. Cf. M.M. sl 38, commentary pp. 133-135 but if there is no attachment
union is licit.

182

103. As succinctly asserted by the Sarvaca-
rahrdaya: "It is said that there are six energies
bestowing fructification"1 and liberation."

One stanza gives the list of these six energies: "Vegavati,
stimulus or impulse aroused in the sadhaka during union. Sam-
hdri, the energy of absorption, which takes one deep within. Trailo-
kyaksobhani, the energy that brings excitation to a climax, as re-
lated to the triad. Ardhavirdsana, the energy through which one is
firmly established in sexual intercourse. Vaktrakaula, the orgasm at
the end of the process. The sixth energy is the woman, duti.11

All these energies assist the sadhaka during the ceremony,
so that he becomes deeply absorbed in the internal organ hereafter
described:

104. Emission and resorption are engen-
dered by both [partners], for the best of rites is
the union [of Siva and Sakti].

How is it performed? Through physical union:

105. When the duti is present, both of them
engage in mutual worship, finding satisfaction in
the intimate organ [the heart]; they pay homage
to the main wheel. The intimate organ of con-
sciousness is the one wherefrom bliss flows out.12

The gloss further states that the intimate part or organ refers
either to the heart or to the sexual organs, according to whether
the rite is purely interior or completely exterior. Both aspects de-
velop in fact simultaneously: the inner sacrifice concerns the main
wheel, the outer sacrifice, the secondary wheels corresponding to
the sense organs.

Main Wheel and Secondary Wheels

106-107. Such is the main wheel; the sec-

10. The fruit and enjoyment in this world, the complement of liberation.

11. Within whom he loses himself.

12. Although suffused with the joy of love, here bliss is not that of or-

binary desire.

183

ondary wheels arc inferior to it. The term cakra
[wheel] is associated with some verbal roots
meaning: to expand [the essence] (kas); to be
satisfied [in this essence] (cak-); to break the
bonds (krt) and to act efficiently (kr-). So the
wheel expands, is satisfied, breaks, and has the
power to act.13

This etymology, in Indian fashion, accounts for the transfer-
ring from anucakra to madhyacakra, and thence to Siva.

That which generates bliss and that which
enraptures the heart indeed befit such worship.

How should the main wheel be honored? Through the outer
sacrifice, which satiates and expands consciousness:

107. And again, externally, the sacrifice is a
satisfaction hailed as a blooming out.

Satisfaction leads to the cessation of desire, and the blooming
out of consciousness appears as a great fervor.14

108-109. The vibrant fervor of consciousness
may be due to outer substances, flowers, per-
fumes and incense which act upon the breath;
also to food, wherefrom pleasure is derived. This
fervor again is aroused when the owner of the
energy (sadhaka) imagines the kisses, etc., and
so penetrates into the main wheel and the sec-
ondary wheels.

109-110. This is how [the sadhaka and his
partner] should, with the help of suitable sub-
stances, mutually satiate their secondary wheels
so that these become one with the main wheel.

13. We shall see what is meant by unfoldment and satisfaction of con-
sciousness. The broken bonds are those of sex, when man and woman, dur-
ing union, are oblivious of all duality.

14. Ucchalana.

184

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

Through all these sensations corresponding to their second-
ary centers, colors for the eyes, sounds for the ears, kisses for the
touch... the satisfaction is such that the secondary centers are
drawn back to the main Center and identify with the wheel of Con-
sciousness.

According to these verses, one should be satiated so that in-
tense fervor may surge. Ucchalana therefore plays a fundamental
part, first as vibration (spanda)—the prefix ut- denotes a rising, and
chal- an effervescence, a clash—hence the intensely vibrant ascent
of Kundalini, the sexual center becoming the chief instrument to
this vibrant and conscious unification, which has the heart for its

support.

Henceforth are met all the prerequisites to the kramamudra,
an attitude which is so difficult to attain and through which interior
and exterior worlds are equalized.

In a treatise where Siva is questioned by the Goddess, the
caryakrama is favorably substituted for the elements of the Vedic
rite:

"What is it that should be worshipped?
Women are worshipped.

Who is the worshipper? Man is the worship-
per.

Who invokes the deity? Their mutual love.

Which flower is offered? The scratches made
by the nails.

What are the incense and the oblation? Em-
brace and caresses.

What is the mantra? The beloved's flow of

words.

What is the recitation? The pleasure of the
lips.

What is the sacrificial pit? The womb.

What is the wood [of the sacrificial ladle]?

The linga.

What is the fire? The sprout in the womb.

What is the clarified butter? The seed (bija)
or virya (sperm), according to the Bhairava-

gama.

What is, O Master of the Gods, the sama-

185

dhi? And Siva answers: Sound, touch, form, savor
and odor, just as the flow of bliss is released, what
issues from these sensations in a fivefold way, that
is samadhi. Having realized this, let one obtain
Siva."

110-111. This is what is stated in the Trisi-
rastantra: "He whose abode is the very pure ab-
sorption [of union] in the midst of the six sense
activities, will penetrate to the seat of Rudra."15

During sexual union, although the yogin sees and feels, and
all his organs are at the height of their power, still he never ceases
keeping absorbed and he remains aware of his being pure Knower.
All the tendencies of the secondary centers rush toward the main
wheel when this samputikarana takes place for the first time, while
the yogin is immersed in the Self.16

111-112. In the intense realization of his own
essence, which fully blooms out with the exten-
sion of varied enjoyments [colors, sounds, etc.]
related to their respective secondary wheels, the
divine energies find access one after the other to
the central wheel of Consciousness.

Then flashes the wonder of Self-discovery, since the central
wheel is the resting place of universal Consciousness, the Reality
of the supreme Subject and its highest bliss.

But, it may be objected, is it not the same with anyone en-
gaging in ordinary union? Of what avail is such a union in mystical
life?

112-113. For the other beings attached to their
own ego and who, on account of their prejudices
concerning "I" and "you", are deprived of such
a realization, the energies of their secondary

15. About rudrayamala, cf. here p. 137.

16. This process which contracts all the organs together occurs a sec-
ond time during the immersion in Paramasiva, cf. here pp. 169.

186

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

wheels remain distinct; they are neither vibrating
nor endowed with plenitude.

As the unfolding of consciousness is essential for such a sac-
rifice, not everyone is entitled to it. Ordinary man cannot reach ful-
fillment thereby: as his desires have not disappeared, for him union
does not lead to Self-consciousness. As such, it is useless and even
blameworthy from the spiritual and mundane points of view. Thus,
two kinds of sexual union are to be distinguished: a worldly one,
leading to the inferior domain (adhodhaman), and a mystical one,
leading to the superior domain (urdhvadhaman), for, Kundalini
being awakened, the agitation of the couple passes from the sec-
ondary centers to the main Center, since anucakra and madhya-
cakra are no longer apart.

113-114. Ardently turning to each other, the
couple formed by the energy and the owner
thereof, filled with the rays radiating from the
energies of the secondary wheels, thus obtains
efficience.

All the organs of man and woman are, at this stage, per-
meated with power {virya).

Description of Madhyacakra or Urdhvadhaman

114-115. When the couple penetrates into the
superior domain, there occurs an intense agita-
tion (samksobha) owing to this contact; then
even the secondary wheels are stirred and iden-
tify with this domain [of consciousness] from
which they are no longer separate.

A feeling of plenitude arises in the yogin who loses the sense
of identification with his body. Such is the agitation induced by vi-
bration (spanda). Once man and woman thus stirred reach the
main center, their secondary centers participate in this agitation
owing to their being united to the superior center.

187

A second samputikarana follows after the first one. While the
agitation of the organs at first enables the penetration into the center
where they unite and identify the center afterward expands, vi-
brates, and the agitation is then transmitted from the center to the
fully awakened organs. The couple reaches the great bliss center
known as "mouth of the yogini" and, in the effervescence of
union, the enraptured discovery of the Self displaces the percep-
tion of the body.

Santodita. Quiescent and Emergent

115-116. Thus this union, wherein all differ-
rentiated knowledge gradually fades away as pen-
etration into the central wheel progresses, is
Consciousness itself, the unitive friction of the
two flows of emission.18 Such is the highest, per-
manent and most noble abode, universal bliss
having the two as its essence.'19 It is neither qui-
escence nor emergence, but their original cause;
this is the supreme secret of kula.

The union ends with the internal emission, an emission
which never occurs in ordinary union and leads to the krama-
mudra. The practice must be simultaneously performed by man
and woman, for its purpose is generating universal bliss rather than
pleasure; moreover, it enables one to gain access to samadhi ef-
fortlessly, even during the ordinary state.20

The commentator points out that at the time of the supreme
union of a mystical order, as consciousness becomes revealed, uni-
versal bliss is then suffused with the unique savor21 of Siva and
Sakti now one. Quiescence or rest within one's own essence is
thus transcendent with regard to the world, whereas emergence is

17. Or mukhavaktra, chief mouth equivalent to the center.

18. Visarga, emission, flow of virya, efficience, sperm or external
flow, then internal flow made of pure spiritual efficience.

19. Siva and Sakti on the cosmic plane, man and woman on the human
plane.

20. Vyutthana.
21. Samarasya.

188

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

immanent in it. Reality is kaula, true Consciousness, boundless,
the source of the quiescent state and of the emergent state, al-
though being neither.

Kula is the mystery beyond the quiescent and emergent
states. The external flow (udita) and the internal flow (santa) func-
tion by turn, and each only for a moment. In this way the unitive
friction of the two flows of emission occurs.

Fruit of This Activity

117. This Consciousness [identical with his
own essence ], he who wishes to reach this infinite
domain must make it his own again and again,
because the nature of divine Consciousness,
from the standpoint of the absolute, is bound-
less.

How does one enter this infinite domain?

118-119. Let the blissful one penetrate into
the boundless domain,22 [in the center] of the
[internal] emission, by watching how the quies-
cent and emergent modalities referred to as
"this" and "that" arise and subside.

This domain is beyond expression, for it is experienced only
for oneself when the external function ceases, and at the beginning
of the internal visarga; as all differentiation has vanished, the cou-
ple becomes immersed in the flow of the interior domain—a center
free from all the limitations of "this" and "that," namely of such
and such a quality; the means of penetration into the center must
disappear, as indicated in the Vijnanabhairava (sl. 62):

"After it has left one object aside, let not the

22. Here dhaman assumes its many meanings: divine abode, energy,
brightness, splendor, majesty; it is the anavacchinnapada and universal bliss
(jagadananda).

189

mind move toward any other; then, in and
through the middle, the Realization will entirely
unfold in all its Intensity."

What are man's and woman's reciprocal parts on entering the
infinite domain?

119-120. These quiescent and emergent as-
pects then arise simultaneously in the energy
and in the owner thereof. If both reach this do-
main at the same time and by way of reciprocity,
this is emergence; but if they reach it only within
themselves, this is the quiescent aspect. None-
theless both actually form a couple in quies-
cence as well as in emergence.

If, during the santa stage, yogini and siddha enjoy peace sim-
ilarly but each for himself, this rest, however does not take place
independently of their union, for the appeasement corresponds to
their simultaneously obtaining a samadhi with Self-awakening in-
duced by a unifying dive into the main and intimate center. The
emergent state concerns man and woman ardently turned toward
each other; since samadhi then spreads in vyutthana (in wake-
fulness and in sleep), the energy becomes divinized in its varied
aspects.

Differences between Man's and Woman's Parts During Identification.

121. Although both are equally possessed of
the awareness of the quiescent and emergent
states, the energy alone, and not the owner, is
capable of developing creation...

She alone has the capacity of bearing and nourishing the em-
bryo and of making the emission fruitful.

122-123. On the subject of woman, treatises

190

state that her median way23 fully expands. And
so to her alone should the guru impart the whole
of the secret doctrine (kulartha); and through
her, by the practice of union... it is imparted to
men.

Appeased in man, the susumnanadi is full-blown in woman.
A great master, therefore, is in possession of this function through
an initiated woman. Sivanandanatha, the founder of the Krama
school, did not impart his doctrine to a disciple but to three yogini
who, in their turn, initiated some men.

The commentary quotes a verse: "What is achieved by a sa-
dhaka after engaging in this practice for a whole year, a woman
obtains in a single day."

124. In short, the venerable Kallatanatha has
stated about woman that, as regards the body,
she is endowed with a pure, eminent substance.

124-125. The Lord calls this central wheel
"mouth of the yogini", for thereupon is based the
transmission of the spiritual lineage24 and there-
from is Knowledge obtained. This Knowledge be-
yond duality cannot be described and it is rightly
said to be transmitted from mouth to mouth.

126. And the mouth is the main wheel. How
could we possibly account for our own con-
sciousness?

Knowledge implies an absorption in the supreme Conscious-
ness.

A distinction should be drawn between the inferior mouth—
the aperture of the organs—and the chief mouth,25 identical with
Consciousness, the only one to be a divine womb.26 The latter
should therefore be full of consciousness. How could we possibly
depict such things which are a matter of experience? One cannot

23. Madhyamapada or susumnanadi.

24. Sampradaya.

25. Upavaktra and madhyauaktra or yoginluaktra respectively.

26. Yoni.

191

indeed go further back than Consciousness, the principle of uni-
versal explanation.

126-127. They gain access to the boundless
domain those who, during this double emis-
sion—the quiescent and emergent domains—
mightily grasp the reality of the emission pre-
ceding them.

This is parakaula, the source of emission. Those beings who
have but one longing, liberation, are fully aware that here every-
thing is but the unfoldment of the real visarga or of the union of
its poles.

Twice, but on different planes, do the same states manifest,
emergence at the beginning of union and quiescence at the end.

To obtain siddhi, one is advised to concentrate on the emer-
gent rather than on the quiescent phase, in order to avoid the ap-
peased self-absorption, which does not grant any power.

128-129. Those wishing to acquire efficience
must feed upon the emergent form. Through it,
let them worship [the wheel of energies] for, on
account of its being close to Consciousness, this
emergent form is extremely pure; it goes from the
chief mouth [that of the yogini] to [the adept's]
own mouth and vice versa. Bestower of immor-
tality and youth, it is named kula, supreme.

This mouth is "a ewer presented to the guest. It is through
its wonderful savor that all the gods are worshipped." And another
verse reads thus: "Having performed this sacrifice by the mouth-to-
mouth process, let one worship the Wheel associated with the ef-
ficience of the organs, that noble essence (mahdrasya). In this way
is Siva ever worshipped and death conquered."

This exchange from one mouth to another alludes to a cus-
tomary practice in Kashmirian marriage: the couple stands inside
a circle and the bridegroom's mother puts in her son's mouth a
morsel of food which he cuts into two; one piece he introduces
into the bride's mouth and she in her turn puts a morsel in the
mouth of the bridegroom. However, in the esoteric practice, woman

192

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

is the repository of the pure substance transferred to man and re-
turning to her during an unceasing interchange.

The process of breath and effieience going from the yogini's
mouth to the siddha and vice-versa is precisely samputikarana, a
prefiguration of kramamudra. Prana and virya are so intimately
mixed as to be transformed into each other and to become one
and the same. According to the tradition, the adept is rejuvenated;
white hair and wrinkles disappear. At this stage, the couple has
gained mastery over virya.

The practice heretofore described, concerning one endowed
with Knowledge (jnanin), goes without regulations. But those who
are devoid of Knowledge and engage in caryakrama must follow
the prescribed rules, progressing step by step in accordance with
the kramapuja: worship, union (udita), then appeasement (santa).
First they worship outside, in the energy circle, then within their
own bodies according to the worship described in chapter XV of
the Tantraloka.

129-132. As for those who have not reached
full discrimination, they too will obtain Knowl-
edge (vijnana) by taking part in the sacrifice
which attains completion in the state of emer-
gence,27 after they have worshipped the divine
energies of the main wheel evoked during this
sacrifice. And there, in the wheel of energy, they
worship these divinities in accordance with the
method mentioned, with the help [of the emer-
gent form] full of the very savor of bliss, starting
from the outside: Ganesa, with his attendants in
the four spatial directions, the couple of the Kula
masters [Siva and the energy] in the center; the
three goddesses28 at the three points of the tri-
dent and, externally, four goddesses at each
point. Let the muni also worship a twelve-spoked
wheel or one octad, or else eight octads...
133. Let the worship of those same divinities

27. That of sexual union.

28. The three goddesses are the supreme, intermediate, and non-

supreme energies.

193

be performed not only in the wheel of energy, but
also in the domain of one's own body.

Knowledge is obtained during unbroken concentration upon
the flow corresponding to the emergent form of union.

The Triple Visarga: Quiescence, Emergence, and Kaula

133-135. If, with the consciousness of the
Heart thus exercised by means of any practice
whatsoever, the quiescent form of Siva manifests,
one then gains access to the appeased state,
similar to an unruffled sea.29

When one becomes established in that
state, the whole host of the divine energies of the
[main] wheel stands still, free of fluctuation, sus-
pended in the void, in undivided beatitude.

According to one verse the void corresponds to the supreme,
unrelated Siva. Complete bliss (nirananda) accrues from repose in
Siva. The central wheel concerns only touch; as to the secondary
or minor wheels, with their qualities of sound, form, odor, and
taste, the author further states:

135-136. [The energies] of the secondary
wheels—sight, hearing—also participate in this
essence, for they depend on the energies of the
main wheel; immersed in bliss, they remain im-
mobile, yearning for bliss.

Objection: If the energies of the minor centers become ap-
peased in the very midst of bliss, why is it said that they long for
bliss?

136-137. Having no contact with the su-
preme essence, all the energies of the sense or-

29. From santarupabhyasa arises santasivapada.

194 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

gans remain immobile, deprived of their own es-
sences and craving for them.30

At first, owing to the peace that penetrates them, the sense
organs gradually dissolve in the central wheel where they rest in
the midst of the essence—the Consciousness of the supreme Sub-
ject—in a dense mass of bliss (nirananda), without enjoying their
respective pleasures, such as colors, sounds, tastes and smells.
Here two conditions are required: firstly, the central wheel cannot
be realized until the energies of the minor wheels gather in the
center—which sexual union helps to bring about. Secondly, these
wheels cannot be activated as long as the central wheel is not ac-
tivated.

When the organs, henceforth saturated with their own es-
sence, again long for the enjoyment of external things, even if they
derive some pleasure from them for a split second, they at once
offer this pleasure to the Self. All the sense energies begin to seek
whatever they find worthy of being offered to their own nature in
order to satiate the central wheel. They are compared to the buzz-
ing bee that gathers honey from flower to flower for the sole
benefit of the bee-hive.

137-139. [The whole of them], eager31 to en-
joy the sap of external things overflowing with
their own savor and having obtained such or
such appeased state owing to this satisfaction,
are poured out as an offering into the Self.

Through this offering of their respective ob-
jects—smells, sounds, tastes, shapes, touches
—there gushes a stream which causes Con-
sciousness to overflow and ... reach at once a vi-
brant fervor,32 the intense agitation of virile po-
tency being due to this plenitude. And, as already

30. On this topic, refer Hymnes de Abhinavagupta, pp. 87-90. In one
of those hymns, the goddesses of the organs turn eagerly to the heart wherein

dwells Bhairava.

31. Ranaranakara, the cry of the torment of love and the onomatopoeia

for the humming of the bee.

32. Ucchal-, on the inner spanda, extraordinary vibration associated
with the ascent of Kundalini, cf. here p, 76.

195

said, the Lord of the wheel also expands impet-
uously.

The overflowing of the secondary energies thus gathered to-
gether brings to ;> climax the intensity of consciousness, namely
that of the main wheel. At this moment the master of the conscious
energies, the supreme Knower, makes a sudden rush toward the
outer world.11

After describing emergence, Abhinavagupta treats the fusion
of the two poles of emission:

Union or Fusion

140-142. Consequently, threefold is the flow
{visarga): unitive, emergent and quiescent. If it
is named "sarga"34 this is because from it flows
the varied creation35 and into it the creation re-
turns; the Tattvaraksana, the Trisiromata and the
Nigamatantra declare: "The pit is the energy, the
linga is Siva, and [their] union the supreme
realm. From these two, creation and resorption
respectively proceed."

Such, according to the Gamasastra, is the
triple flow.

The commentary posits the following correspondences:

Sakti = udita=kunda=srsti (energy; emergence; pit; creative
mode).

Siva =santa = linga=samhara (Siva; quiescence; linga; re-
sorptive mode).

Melaka or samghatta = (fusion of Siva and Sakti, supreme do-
main.)

142-143. [After bestowing] awakening, rest,

33. Jayaratha, in order to shed some light on these stanzas, quotes here
verses 111-113.

34. Visarga, i.e. sarga, flow and vi-(citra), varied.
35. The flow of virya and the rising of Kundalini.

196 and absorption on the twin ascending and de-
scending current up to its culmination in the
central channel, after granting these likewise to
the channels, the motions of the wheels, the
junctions and joints, Siva,'6 who for ever dwells
in the Body endowed with 72,000 channels,
brings each consciousness freed37 from its
ceaseless back and forth movement to fuse with
the other.

144. Let one be eager to become ever more
firmly established in this fusion, the bhairavian
domain.

Siva (or the mystic having identified with him) pacifies the
breaths, awakens the centers, infuses the breaths into madhyanadi,
mixing them in an undifferentiated union. Then he must develop
a fervent yearning for the very essence of emergence and quies-
cence, that is, for their fusion into full consciousness, where they
lose themselves.

145. That is for both what clearly reveals this
"thing" free from parts and divisions, and char-
acterized by the full attainment of modeless Real-
ty

Here all functions come to an end. The distinction between
man and woman disappears; only union remains, wherein Siva
and Sakti, quiescence and emergence, become undistinguishable.
"Artha," one single, indefinite form, is called a "thing" because it is
grasped in an intimate and therefore inexpressible experience.

146-147. Let one thus turn away from the
[various] modes by extracting sun and moon
from the two ways of immersion and dispersion,

36. At that time the yogin experiences the seventy-two thousand nadi
which, issuing from the sahasrara, spread throughout his body.

37. Antara is one of the many difficulties of those stanzas; must it be
translated as "except" or "without," as construed by Jayaratha, or as "within"?
In this context indeed, "without back and forth movement" 01 "within the back
and forth movement" amounts much to the same idea.

197

and give oneself over to the Consciousness of
[bhairavian] Reality.38

Cultivating the contact with Reality, that of the supreme Sub-
ject who, inside the median domain, is permeated by all things,
one must maintain in the middle conduit the ascending and de-
scending breaths emanated from the left and right channels,
wherein they should neither dissolve nor disperse.

So that the nature of this Reality (bhava) may be better ap-
prehended, Abhinavagupta describes it from different angles, defin-
ing it in relation to dhvani, japa, and mudra. Dhvani is a sponta-
neous sound vibration, similar to that issuing from the Beloved's
lips.39 Japa is nada, an ever-surging resonance; it is practised by
unifying the secondary centers inside the main center.

Mantravirya Peculiar to Dhvani, Sound Vibration

147-148. Thus the sound vibration, which is
perfect Self-awareness, arises in the domain of
union during absorption in the consciousness of
the triple flow. Such is the power of the mantra.

The efficience is that of the mantra "aham", the supreme "I".
The vibrant resonance (dhvani) becomes manifest once the three
flows spontaneously coincide (samapatti) in perfect union.

148-149. He alone truly knows the emer-
gence of the mantra who, in this very resonance,
with a wish to obtain such fruits of emergence,
remains absorbed in his own mantra.

The moment he finds himself in the very midst of the vibrant,
wonder-struck awareness, that of dhvani, the sadhaka must unite

38. Here there is a play on the word bhava, meaning both spontaneous
Reality grasped through the heart during bhairavian union (kaula), and dif-
ferentiated realities. Since Jayaratha does not give any explanation, this stanza
may be translated in different ways.

39. Cf. here p. 152.

198

the mantra received from his master with the inner resonance and
through his vigilance he will come to understand what the perfor-
mance of the mantra truly means.

149-150. It is there again—in full aware-
ness—just as the secondary wheels rush all at
once [into the central wheel] of Consciousness
and identify with it, that, with the help of sound,
he should simultaneously perform japa in the
form of different laksa.

To shed some light on this stanza, Jayaratha quotes two
verses (p. 104): according to one, the energies gain access, one
after another, to the central wheel of Consciousness; the other fur-
ther states that japa recitation consists of three laksa (100,000 re-
citations) : one in the emergence (of the minor wheels), a second
in quiescence (when those wheels converge in consciousness),
and a third in the fusion (their identification) within the central
wheel.

Any power thus acquired by 300,000 recitations (japa) is
gained in a single moment through the simultaneity of emergence,
quiescence and fusion.

The Supreme Mystical Attitude. Khecarimudra

150-151. As stated in the Yogasamcara, such
a union is the supreme attitude, cherished by the
yogini. A [three-petalled] lotus sits hidden in an
ever-unfolding circle resting inside a triangle.

[In the middle] of this lotus and inseparable
from it, resides a stem whose strong root is
adorned with a sixteen-petalled40 lotus flower.

152-153. The shoot is emitted [on three con-
ditions]: 1. Owing to the successive frictions of
the two lotuses strung on the stem standing up-
right in the center. 2. Owing to the union of ovum

40. The sixteen kala or lunar portions.

199

and sperm41 In the three petalled lotus. 3. Owing
to the unitive friction in fire (the Subject) of the
energy waves of the fully resplendent rays of the
sun and the moon. And this shoot is creation it-
self.

The three petalled lotus stands for the ever-expanding womb.
Sexual bliss makes manifest the stem or median channel, the do-
main wherefrom arises the root of creative emission. On this stem
two triangles represent man and woman ardently turned toward
each other, thai is, Siva and Sakti in perfect union. These triangles
having a common center are interconnected by one single thread,
the median way. The friction of those two triangles arouses Kun-
dalini, and when her ascent is completed, the triangles meet and
fuse into a six-pointed figure, the Seal of Solomon.

In fire—the Knower—takes place the fusion of the gloriously-
shining rays of both sun and moon, namely: knowledge and
known, expired and inspired breaths, sperm and blood (rakta),
all those rays that radiate bliss.

A verse further states:

"When knowledge and known unite, the
knower appears."

Agni, fire or subject, becomes manifest in a twofold way: at the
general level, as supporting the seed of the universe which it raises
up to the Fourth state, and, at the individual level, as sustaining
the embryo in the three-petalled lotus—the womb—by means of
a flow of semen and blood.

So from the shoot proceeds the emission, that of the as-
cending Kundalini and that wherefrom the child will be born.

When ovum and sperm unite, the three main centers42 be-
come one: the mouth of the yogini identifies with the heart, and the
brahmarandhra fills the womb or yogimvaktra. Henceforth no other
place remains than the universal median domain, beyond male
and female bodies, beyond the centers. This practice is called yogi-
nibhu, for such a womb expands ad infinitum43 by virtue of the all-
pervasivehess of the mantra. -

41. Rajas and aruna in woman, virya and retas in man.

42. That is, yoginivaktra, hrdaya, and brahmarandhra.
43. Yoginivikasa.

200

Effect of this Mystical Attitude

153-154. He suddenly becomes rooted in
the Fourth state who, by means of this mudra
wherein moon, sun and fire coalesce, internally
takes hold of the processes of emission, resorp-
tion. ..

He is indeed as if "sealed" (mud); such a mudra is called
'khecari, "which roams in the ether of ultimate Consciousness
(kha)" and which, associated with Siva and the energy, assumes
the form of the eightfold wheel.

154-155. The power of the mantra consists
in an awareness which flashes in the energy and
the owner when, penetrating into this khecarl-
mudra, they embrace, rejoice, laugh and play the
game of love.

156. This awareness manifests through the
eight stages of Sound: non-manifested, sound-vi-
bration and humming sound [in sexual union or
udita], outburst of sound, murmur, resonance
and end of the resonance [revealing themselves
successively in the quiescence of santa]. As to
the unuttered and unbroken sound, it is related
to union.44

Kisses and other manifestations pertaining to the secondary
centers make it easier to enter the central wheel, this penetration
being precisely the khecarimudra. How could one give an idea of
this fundamental experience? The various enjoyments are part of
it, but similar to weightless clouds drifting in the infinite sky, hence

44. Respectively: avyakta, dhoani, rava, sphota, sruti, nada, nadanta
and anahata. There can be only an approximate rendering for those terms,
for our language lacks proper words to denote those subtle sounds of a myst-
ical order, which our civilization has neither experienced ..... known about.

Cf. table p. 205.

201

an all-encompassing and all magnifying liberty, Ultimate Con-
sciousness and the fully active manifested energy being one.

156-57. He who gains access to the eight-
fold wheel niters the spontaneous japa inside the
supreme domain and achieves the state of the
eight bhairava, itself dividing into eight energies.

Once he penetrates into the eightfold wheel, he recognizes
the eight bhairava or conscious subjects, the rulers of sounds
whose eight kala45 extend from the half-moon to the energy beyond
all thought.

157-158. [This octuple wheel46 unfolds],
during union, in the back and forth movement [of
the inspired and expired breaths], in the cer-
tainty [peculiar to the intellect], in hearing, sight,
the initial contact of both organs, in sexual union
and at the extremity of the body [superior center
or dvadasanta] and finally in the wheel of union
(yamalacakra) [formed by all this].

158-159. There is an undefined47 sound aris-
ing from the heart and which, moving through
the bosom [of the beloved], reaches the throat
and ends up on the lips. He who, just as agitation
subsides, hears it at the center of both wheels
[Siva and Sakti], enjoys the ultimate appease-
ment (nirvana).

159-160. The supreme Bhairava residing
there as supreme Sound, endowed with eight as-
pects, made of light, of sound vibrations and of
touch, is known as the very eminent omnipene-
tration [of the mantra aham, the absolute "I"].

Mantravyapti', owing to its endless extension and deepening,
is aptly called "very eminent." The spontaneously arising sound is

45. Cf. here p. 49, the sound-energies of the pranava OM.

Hi The wheel of union.

47 About sitkara, cf. here p. 152.

202

fully appeased. The supreme resonance of Bhairava, identical with
this complete pervasion,48 consists of becoming aware of the inner
wheel or yoginivaktra when sexual agitation comes to an end; the
light corresponds to the half-moon, the sound-vibration (dhvani)
to the resonance (nada), and touch to energy (sakti).

Definition of Omnipenetration (Mantravyapti)

160-161. The eight bhairava49 are given the
following names: Related to a Certain Meaning,50
Lord of the Undivided,51 Void,52 Pregnant with
Meaning, Adorned with Etheric Void, Destroyer,
the One Standing Within, and Guttural-labial.
Such is the omnipenetration extending from the
half-moon to unmana.

161-163. He who, in his every act [of union]
remains heedful of this pervasion, ever undefiled,
is one liberated-in-life, and he identifies with the
supreme Bhairava. The extraordinary being
whose body is begotten in the womb during such
a union is known as a "yogini's son"; he is
Rudra, the worthy recipient of the spontaneous
mystical Knowledge. Of him the Viravalisastra
says that while still an infant in the maternal
womb, he is truly Siva himself, [this, however,
cannot be clearly expounded].

164-166. This sacrifice is termed "original" or
primordial (adiydga) because through it the es-
sence is grasped (ada), and because it is the

48. Nadabhairava or paramantravyapti.

49. Jayaratha does not give any elucidation about these aspects of the
subjects characterized as bhairava. The corresponding energies extend from
ardhacandra to unmana. Cf. table p. 205.

50. Sakala, "endowed with parts", the initial stage of union, that is, a
differentiated contact with the sense organs.

51. Niskala, "undivided," refers to that which has no contact with them.

52. The Void, sunya, is more deeply appeased than the two former
bhairava.

203

original sacrifice (adi). It has been extolled by the
Lord in the Viravalitantra, the Hrdayabhattdraka,
the Khecarimata, and other tantra.

Rahasyopanisad Krama

In this "process of the mystical and secret doctrine," the body
is regarded as the supreme wheel.

166-168. By means of the couple of man and
woman and without resorting to vows, to yoga...
the guru, ever evoking the original sacrifice, en-
gages therein, and lays on the female body and
on his own body, science and efficience respec-
tively. He meditates on the lotus [woman] in the
form of the moon [knowable], and on himself in
the form of the sun [knowledge]. Then he inti-
mately merges together these two sanctuaries
made up of Science (vidya) and efficience (man-
tra).

169. Since this doctrine is a deep secret, I
am not delineating it clearly. He who is interested
therein may read the treatises.

171-173. The body itself is the supreme
wheel, the eminent, beneficent linga, the chosen
[place] of the divinized energies53 and the realm
of the highest worship (puja). It is indeed the
chief mandala composed of the triple trident, the
lotuses, the centers, and the etheric void (kha).

There, all the [divinized] energies are
ceaselessly worshipped, both externally and in-
ternally Then, in full awareness of the mantra,
let them, through a process of emission and re-
sorption, be put in contact with the blissful and

53. Textually, the wheel of the divinities.

204 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

manifold sap issuing from the main wheel of
energies.

174-175. Through this contact, the wheel of
consciousness suddenly awakens and he who
has sovereignty over it reaches the supreme do-
main, where all his bodily energies become sa-
tiated ... Let him satisfy them externally by
means of substances apt to unfold his heart, and
internally through appropriate awakenings.

Then the master offers a prayer to the divine energy, Kunda-
lini, whom he worships as the support of birth; and by way of pu-
rification he presses the triple universe—knower, knowledge, and
known—so as to extract its innumerable savors; the eminent nec-
tar produced thereby, destroyer of birth, old age and death, is used
as sacrificial butter fit to satisfy the supreme Goddess.

Here is the prayer that exemplifies the spirit of the kula prac-
tices and which Abhinavagupta cites on several occasions:

176-177. 0 vision of immortal and supreme
ambrosia, resplendent with conscious light
streaming from the absolute Reality, be my ref-
uge. Through it art thou worshipped by those
who know the mystical arcanum (rahasya).

Having purified the root support [the coiled-
up Kundalini] which I sprinkled with the savor
of the wonder-struck Self-consciousness, and by
offering the spiritual flowers of my own essence
exhaling an innate scent, I worship Thee night
and day, God united to the Goddess, in the divine
sanctuary of my heart overflowing with ambrosial
bliss.54

After the description of the ritual, Abhinavagupta concludes:

186-187. The master may thus initiate disci-
ples, but only one out of one hundred thousand
is worthy of such an initiation.

54. T.A. XXVI 63-64, X.350.

CONCLUSION

Even when seen together, these texts, as said in the intro-
duction, retain their mystery; they elude systematic or exhaustive
exposition precisely because they are too rich in immediate ex-
perience, too careful as well to keep it concealed under the guise
of revelation. This ever-present double aspect of mystery and rev-
elation (mahaguhya) gives the reader the fascinating impression
of a treasure which recedes the moment he is about to grasp it.

Yet the manifold aspects outlined here and the wide range of
images conveying them help one to understand how the privileged
experience of the yogin unfolds all the dimensions of life from the
starting-point of ordinary consciousness, which the Kundalini en-
ergy tears away from duality, unifies, universalizes and transfigures.
Such indeed is the distinctive feature of the Kundalini experience:
to bring together the scattered elements of ordinary consciousness
and merge them in the oneness of the original vibration and in the
simultaneity of the differentiated levels. This it acheives without
rupture or hiatus by simply bringing on the unfurling of all the
successive planes, until the conscious energy moves freely from
level to level, without imbalance or duality. This unfurling is neither
imaginary nor speculative, even though poetic language and the
arcane power of symbols are called upon for its expression.

With the ascent of Kundalini, one detects, as it were, the mys-
terious upstream course thanks to which worldly energy turns into
all-pervading consciousness. The stages of this transformation,
wrought in the very body, thought, and word, depend on the inter-
iorizing and unifying power of the Kundalini energy, that is referred

208

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

to any time a duality is resolved or the energy and Siva become
fused. On whatever level it was reigning supreme, duality dissolves
into a oneness which breeds plenitude and initiates the develop-
ment of the next stage. Thus complete oneness is achieved as in-
tensity grows from bindu to bindu, until all of them merge into a
single one, from bottom to top.

The unifying function of Kundalini, when considered as it
progresses from stage to stage, further reveals her power of per-
vasion, for she does not eradicate any plane or aspect but inter-
iorizes them one by one, so as to permeate them with pure con-
sciousness, once the latter has been reached.

Thus she operates in the great life centers that are the ingoing
and outgoing breaths, the heart throb, the vibration of sound ut-
terance and sexual potency. Through the interiorization of breath,
they become gradually energized, pacified and purified, until each
vibrates at the junction of its two distinctive poles. Once this junc-
tion is established, the attunement and harmonization of the cen-
ters that ensue, together with the bliss peculiar to each, bring about
the fusion of all the purified—though still individual—energies.
This phase corresponds to the Path of activity.

In this setting of well-balanced, appeased energies, the rising
Kundalini intensifies her work of unification. Under the pretext of an
overwhelming emotion, fright or enjoyment, the thought-free ener-
gies converge at once toward the single center, stretching the in-
dividual limits to the point where subject and object fuse together.
At this stage, the combination of sound, breaths, word, and intu-
itive knowledge results in knowledge of and mastery over the ener-
gies, and in a plenitude of union whose impetus merges together
minor and main centers, devotee and deity, Siva and Sakti. The
purified organs gain access to the universal and may henceforth be
used by way of a spring-board for the supreme passage into the
oneness of pure Consciousness, when the cognitive energy con-
verts into pure Self-awareness. Therein lies the consummation of
the Path of energy.

Indeed through this union one is propelled into the oneness
of the Divine Path; the universe unfolds again, but now transfigured
and beyond interiority and exteriority.

Henceforth Kundalini as impeller of energy is no more, nor
the perception of a vibration which can no longer be distinguished
from the immutable, spanda being melted in it. Individual, energy,
and Siva are but one; body and universe now appear .is distinct
on the background of supreme Consciousness wherein everything

CONCLUSION

209

is integrated. The cosmic energy expands freely through the great

centers of vibration, infusing into them the bliss of Consciousness.
The individual organs function in such an impersonal manner that
nothing more stands in the way of any form of oneness, and in
such dynamism that no longer can one speak of static coincidence,
of microcosm and macrocosm, The essential difference only lies
between the dormant, separate, exteriorized energies and the un-
ified, interiorized energies.

Thus the yogin, master of his energies through Kundalini,
shows that the human being holds within himself the source and
the inexhaustible storehouse of his sovereignty, bliss and efficience.
And it is precisely in mystical efficience that the great unifying
function of Kundalini culminates—the keystone of transmission.
Through the power and subtlety of his divinized energy, the guru
gradually interiorizes and activates the scattered energies of the
disciple, whose Kundalini he awakens just as, one might say, a
stringed instrument transmits its vibration all around.

Striking his own Kundalini like a tuning fork, the master gives
the keynote; he transmits the "right frequency."

As the register of his kundalinian energy covers all the har-
monic progression of the fundamental vibration, he empowers the
disciple to correctly tune in on the particular degree of the har-
monic scale that agrees with him; he imparts to him both the initial
impulse and the harmonized tonality.

Thus attuned to and by the master, the disciple's Kundalini
rises from wheel to wheel, moving up the scale toward the more
and more subtle harmonics of the spanda. Just as a tuned musical
instrument can make others vibrate in unison, through mere res-
onance, so the master now makes the awakened heart of the dis-
ciple resonate continuously, thus transforming his listening-in ap-
titude and the acuteness of his hearing.

The disciple experiences his capacity of resonance as in-
creasing, his harmonic register amplifying, and he receives with
an ever-expanding consciousness what is given him by the master
until complete fusion is achieved wherein all the notes merge into
one single note, master and disciple being now but one instrument,
one music, one consciousness.

We shall conclude with stanzas from the Cidgaganacandrika,
"resplendent moonlight in the firmament of Consciousness" cited
by Mahesvarananda1 and offered to the Mother—Kundalini.

1. MM, pp. 131-137 of my translation.

210

THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

A tribute to the various mudra, this hymn describes and ex-
tols five great mystical attitudes corresponding to five groups of sid-
dha. Having recognized the Self and become endowed with Knowl-
edge, they attain fusion in the Whole through an ascent of
Kundalini which starts from different cakra according to each
one's specific mudra. Only the last two groups, having reached per-
fect Knowledge, also enjoy power.

"0 Mother, the whole body with all its or-
gans, inside as well as outside, Thou dost bring
them all to the void of Consciousness. Such is to
us the karankini attitude."

The karankini attitude (the repose of death), consisting of
prolonged quietude and immobility, is that of the jnanasiddha
"given over to knowledge," who concentrate on the inferior cakra;
they resort to this attitude apt to interiorize the organs just as these
come into contact with their respective sense-objects, for they wish
their everyday activity to be pervaded by their appeased and illu-
mined Consciousness.

"O Mother, when Thou wantest to resorb all
the levels of reality, from earth to primordial na-
ture—in other words, the limited perception—
Thou assumest the form of mantra and Thou
standest with gaping mouth. Then Thou art the
Wrathful, Krodhani."

The krodhani attitude, that of wrath, pertains to the mantra-
siddha who, swallowing objects and notions, incorporate them in
their own undifferentiated essence and become "masters of the
formulas"; their Kundalini moves up from the navel.

"O Uma!... She is situated in the empty sky
of the Consciousness free of all veil. She con-
tains the whole differentiation in its form of vi-
bration, she mingles with the whole, and this
Bhairavi Thou art."

To define the bhairavimudra, Mahesvarananda adds a stanza
of his own:

CONCLUSION 211

The energies - attributes of the great
Union (mahamelapa) assume the form of the
awakening of Kundalini; residing in the realm
of the void of the Consciousness free of all veil,
they shine there eternally. Beyond being and
non-being, this energy, appearing in the glo-
rious effulgence of her unveiled form, is the
one called bhairavimudra, that pervades the
multiplicity of the differentiated objects born of
her intense power and protects the oneness en-
dowed with immutable flavor and undisturbed
expansion. Ever "sealed," belonging to the god-
desses who excel at union (melapa), this mu-
dra is twofold: internally or externally "sealed";
and here is described the external seal, the
Splendor attitude, which is no other than bhair-
avimudra.

The famous bhairauimudra is the mystical attitude of the me-
lapasiddha, who are given over to union—union of Siva and the
energy, union of the siddha and the yogini; they resorb everything
into a fully expanded and active Consciousness. In their case Kun-
dalini starts from the heart cakra.

"The collection of rays engaged in absorb-
ing the dross of the subtle body licks and con-
sumes differentiation in its flames; it is Thou, 0
Mother, who, licking with great force, experien-
cest the lelihanimudra'.'

The so-called lelihanlmudra attitude, "the one who licks," be-
longs to the saktasiddha, masters of the energy. By its means they
destroy the last remnants of the differentiated. Freed from all at-
tachment, they are autonomous in their sexual practice and may
unite with their own wives. They raise their Kundalini from the
throat cakra.

"0 Goddess, Thou art engaged in destroying
speech, which ranges from the Word down to or-

212 THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS

dinary speech. Free from all veil, Thou reachest
the abode of Siva and revealest Thyself as the one
roaming in the firmament of Consciousness (khe-
cart) and bringing about its unfolding. 0 Mother!
Thou art this Kundali who soarest up like a flash
of lightning and eagerly devourest the brilliance
of fire, sun, and moon. When Thou breakest Thy
path through the middle way, in KHA, up to the
sambhavasiddha bindu, Thou art known as Khe-
carl."

The sambhavasiddha, devoted to Siva, transcends the couple
Siva-Sakti; he does not accept any second, and in oneness he
blends knowledge and power. In his case, Kundalini rises from the
mid-eyebrows center (bhru) beyond the susumna, as the all-per-
vading cosmic Consciousness, freed from thought (unmana).

Compared to those previously described, his attitude, the
khecarimudra, is transcendental: the fully unfolded energy wanders
unimpeded in infinite Consciousness, in kha. As neither interiorized
nor exteriorized consciousness is any longer distinct, such a sid-
dha, outwardly, can no longer be distinguished from an ordinary
human being.

In order to show how the mudra which "seals" in Conscious-
ness performs its task without gradation and enables the siddha to
recover the Whole instantly, Mahesvarananda compares it to the
miraculous tree of love, which is identical to Siva and has no need
to grow:

"The celestial tree, with its strong branches of
awareness, is already fully grown in the realm of
the heart. Its blossom is the glowing rapture, its
fruit the exhilarating joy of unalloyed bliss."2

And from this heart—the bedrock of the universe—rises the
axis of Kundalini.

Thus the creeping, subterranean, obscure energy shoots up,
and like an immobile and vibrant pillar piercing its way through
space, it roots the sky in the earth. Then, as Khecari, it soars up

2. M.M. 52, p. 160.

CONCLUSION 213

and roams with total freedom in the Infinite firmament of Conscious-
ness.

Ahirbudhnya, the Invisible serpent of the depths, jealously
guarding the primal waters of Life, envelops the universe in its cir-
cles of mists and should he recognized and revered as this pri-
mordial, eternal cosmic axis, the one-footed UNBORN Aja-Eka-
pada.

KUNDALINI

Energy of the Depths

Lilian Silburn

TRANSLATED BY JACQUES GONTIER

Kundalini's power lies dormant in humans until it is awakened.
The awakened Kundalini expresses the primal divine impulse and
ultimately joins the individual with the divine. The development of
the book parallels the development of the Kundalini within. Part
One exposes the awakening and unfolding of the Kundalini; Part
Two describes the piercing of the energy centers and the stages of
ascent through the body; and Part Three examines Kundalini's re-
lation to sexual expression.

The book provides a deep understanding of Tantra and of the
underlying purpose of Tantracism. The author carefully considers
the Caryakrama practices of sexual expression as a means of
awakening and controlling Kundalini.

Silburn draws together passages from the Trika, Krama, and
Kaula systems ranging through Abhinavagupta and Lalla and pro-
vides both translation and commentary for them. Chapters on the
Chakas. the Nadis, and on mantras further elucidate the topic and
lead to a forceful conclusion: Kundalini is the source of ultimate
human knowledge and power.

Lilian Silburn is Director of Research at the Centre National
de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. For many years she has been
respected worldwide as a leader in studies of the Shaivism of Kash-
mir. She has published many books and articles on the subject.