Chanting the Third Eye
In the Achyutananda Tradition, each chakra is to be visualized as a lotus flower with petals.There is symbolism within each image of the chakra,and in each petal is a letter.There are 4 petals in the root chakra, 6 petals in the 2nd, 10 petals in the navel chakra, 12 petals in the heart chakra, 16 petals in the throat chakra and two petals in the third eye chakra. That gives us 4 + 6 + 10 + 12 + 16 + 2 = 50 petals.There are 50 letters in the Sanskrit language, each letter is represented in a petal. For example, there are 16 vowels in Sanskrit, which we find in the petals of the throat center. They are diagramed here in both Sanskrit and English for better understanding.
In Sanskrit, a dot above a letter means to add the sound M onto the end in order to make it chantable. So each of the vowels has the ṁ sound on the end, which is to give the letter power.
The whole universe is made of condensed sound. The sounds of the chakras affect everything in life, in you and around you. Sound changes how the molecules you are composed of relate to one another.
Each sound has a specific effect; we will focus on the Ajna (third eye chakra). It is located between the eyebrows and contains two petals. Sometimes these petals are shown with one on the right and one on the left, or one facing up and one facing down.
In the petal above your right eye (or the petal facing down) is the letter Ha with a dot over it so we add an ṁ onto it making it Haṁ. The petal over the left eye (facing upwards) is the letter Kṣha, which becomes Kṣhaṁ. It is two letters in English but one letter in Sanskrit; we find it in the word Mokṣha, which means liberation. Mantras have multiple syllables; these are letter-mantras because they only have one syllable. There are many ways these letter-sounds (akṣhara mantras) can be used. Each sound has its specific power, chanting a letter alone will give a particular benefit. Understanding mythology will reveal the deeper meanings of these two petals.
The letter mantra Kṣhaṁ is called Guruda bija (bija means seed sound) known as the poison destroying mantra. Mythology teaches that Guruda is the king or god of the birds. His food is snakes, which he hunts and destroys. Snakes have different connotations; in this situation they represent the slithery side of our nature, the crooked spiteful actions and darkness that lives in humans. Snakes are also connected to venom, poisonous substances and poisonous diseases such as cancer. Guruda is the archetypal energy that destroys venomous evil tendencies within us. He is the destroyer of poisonous diseases, cancers, and diseases caused by toxins. He is the remover of mental, emotional and physical toxins within us. Meditating with the mantra Kṣhaṁ does this for us. The sound can be focused on certain areas of the body where toxins/cancer need to be removed. It can be chanted in general to purify the whole body-mind.
The letter mantra Haṁ is called Ākāśha (space) bija. The mythology of Hanuman will give an understanding of this sound. Hanuman is the lord of monkeys, but has divine abilities because his mind is always focused on the Divine. He can jump large distances in a single bound, has super human strength and is known for saving the world from demons. The monkey mind is not able to focus, it always wonders here and there. The monkey mind is led by maya, the illusions of this world, and stays in darkness (tamas). It takes great strength to leave the attachments of the world, which prevent our spiritual life from unfolding. This bija gives us the strength to focus on our spiritual path. It creates lightness [1] and flexibility in the body by removing heaviness and depression. It allows us to keep our mind out of darkness to focus on the divine.
This is a simple mediation one can use to connect with the sounds of the chakra petals. First, sit in a comfortable meditation posture focusing your attention on the Ajna chakra. Visualize the lotus and its petals. Meditate on Auṁ in the center of the Ajna chakra. After some time, internally chant the mantra Kṣhaṁ for one mala (rosary) or 108 times keeping the awareness within the petal.
Then meditate on Auṁ again. Next, internally chant Haṁ for one mala or 108 times keeping the awareness within the petal. Then return to Auṁ in the center of the Chakra again. This practice will awaken these healing sounds in your system.
Achyuta Sharanam
Hatha Yoga Pradipika says:
In the middle of the eyebrows is the place of Siva,
there the mind is quiescent.
That state is known as turiya or the fourth dimension.
There, time is unknown. IV.48
Freedom Cole
Freedom lives half the year in India and abroad, the other half in the USA teaching classes and workshops on Yoga and Jyotisha. He is available for private instruction in Yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic diet and herbal consultations, and Vedic Astrology Readings. The information in this article is not meant to replace the advice and care by a licensed physician.
[1]Hanuman was the monkey god who jumped from India to Lanka and from Lanka to the Himalayas. The mantra HAM is said to give the siddhi of levitation.
| Samkhya Karika sayagjñānādhigamāddharmādināmakāraṇaprāptau| tiṣṭati saṁskāravaśāñcakramavaddhṛtaśarīraḥ ||67|| By attainment of perfect knowledge, virtue and the rest become causeless, yet soul remains a while invested with body, as the potter’s wheel continues whirling from the effect of the impulse previously given to it. |
Samkhya Karika prāpte śarīrabhede caritārthatvāt pradhānavinivṛttau| ekāntikamātyantikamubhayaṁ kaivalyamāproti||68|| When separation of the informed soul from its corpoireal frame at length takes place, and nature in respect of it cease, then is absolute and final deliverence accomplished. |