“When the sleeping goddess Kundalini is awakened through the grace of the teacher, then all the subtle lotuses and worldly bonds are readily pierced through and through. Let the wise person forcibly and firmly draw up the goddess Kundalini, for She is the giver of all miraculous powers.” Shiva Samhita

Kundalini Shakti has been one of the most popular traditions of spiritual growth in India. Just as in most other traditions, its basic tenet is that Shakti resides within us, and spiritual evolution is achieved by proper utilization of this feminine principle. In the Kundalini tradition, Shakti is seen as residing at the base of the spine at the Muladhara Chakra, symbolized by a serpent coiled into three and a half circles around the central axis Svayambhu-linga at the bottom of the spine. The three and a half circles represent the three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) and the past, present and future, while the half-turn symbolizes the ascent of the Kundalini Shakti to the crown chakra.

Kundalini (coiled serpent) is a Sanskrit term that identifies the rising of energy and consciousness, which has been lying dormant at the base of the spine since birth.  This energy is the source of the life force, also known as prana.  While prana can be seen as the vital life force associated with maintaining the mind and body’s functioning, Kundalini can be seen as identical to prana. It can be understood as consciousness and as unifying cosmic energy.

Ananda.org answers the question: Is There a Difference Between Kundalini Energy and Prana?“The Kundalini energy is not different from the prana flowing in the spine. There are not two different pranas flowing in the spine, but only different manifestations and flows. Usually, our energy (prana) flows up and down in the ida/ pingala, inhaling as it rises in the ida and exhaling as it descends in pingala. Kundalini is powerful prana curled up at the base of the spine, which, when awakened, rises in the Sushumna, taking us ultimately to enlightenment. This is still the one prana, just a different manifestation.”

The classical texts of Kashmir Shaivism describe Kundalini as having three different manifestations:

• Para kundalini or the universal energy
• Prana kundalini or the energizing function of the mind-body complex
• Shakti kundalini, which subsumes and intermediates between the para and prana kundalini

Vedic texts suggest that this energy is triggered at the time of conception in the womb and then lies coiled three and a half times at the base of the spine to hold the energy field in stasis till we die when it uncoils and returns to its source.  The Kundalini can be awakened in various ways. Once awakened, it rises through the chakras and finds expression in spiritual knowledge and mystical visions, which eventually leads to enlightenment.

The goal of Kundalini practice is to open up all the chakras of the body, thereby allowing the ascent of the energy from the Muladhara to the Sahasrara, traversing through the various chakras. When the energy finally reaches the top of the head, it is said to bring about the liberation of the soul. Vedic texts explain that from the Muladhara chakra, ida and pingala alternate from the right to left sides at each chakra until they reach Ajna chakra, where they meet again in the sushumna. The rising of the Kundalini is seen as the process of the awakening of spiritual consciousness. It brings about liberation from illusion and ignorance, leading to the development of wisdom and ultimately a union with the Universal Consciousness.

Swami Vivekananda describes Kundalini in his book Raja Yoga as follows:

“According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingala and Ida, and a hollow canal called Sushumna, running through the spinal cord. At the lower end of the hollow canal is what the Yogis call the “Lotus of the Kundalini.” They describe it as triangular in a form in which there is a power called the Kundalini, coiled up. When that Kundalini awakes, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal. As it rises step by step, as it were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open, and all the different visions and extraordinary powers come to the Yogi. When it reaches the brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul finds itself free. We know that the spinal cord is composed in a peculiar manner. If we take the figure eight horizontally (∞), there are two parts that are connected in the middle. Suppose you add eight after eight, piled one on top of the other, that will represent the spinal cord. The left is the ida, the right pingala, and that hollow canal that runs through the center of the spinal cord is the sushumna. Where the spinal cord ends in some of the lumbar vertebrae, a fine fiber issues downwards, and the canal runs up even within that fiber, only much finer. The canal is closed at the lower end, situated near the sacral plexus, which, according to modern physiology, is triangular in form. The different plexuses with their centers in the spinal canal can very well stand for the different “lotuses” of the Yogi.”

Kundalini is an important concept in Shaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or energy associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the goddess. In the Shakta tradition, it is also associated with Adiparashakti, the Supreme Being. The concept of Kundalini is mentioned in the Upanishads. We later see it adopted in Hatha Yoga in the 15^th century and since then also has been seen in other forms of Hinduism and modern spirituality.

The Sanskrit adjective “kundalini” can also be understood as circular or annular and is mentioned as a noun for a coiled snake in the 12th century Rajatarangini Chronicle.  The 8th century Tantra Sadbhava Tantra uses the term “kundli”  to describe “She who is ring-shaped.”  According to the great Tantra scholar Abhinava Gupta, there are two primary forms of Kundalini-  an upward-moving kundalini called “urdhva” associated with expansion and downward moving Kundalini called “adha” associated with contraction.

Swami Sivananda states that “before awakening the Kundalini, you must have deha shuddhi (purity of body), nadi shuddhi (purity of the energy channels), manas shuddhi (purity of mind), and buddhi shuddhi (purity of the intellect).”

Kundalini awakening can happen upon:

1. Spiritual practice

• Spontaneous  self-awakening

• Shaktipath

The American scholar, Jana Dixon, writes in her book “The Biology of Kundalini”:

“It is often necessary to have self-initiating psychological conditions, such as devotion, excessive generosity, crisis, Shaktipat of a Guru or the encounter of great love, in order to provoke chemistry in a high degree of intensity. Shaktipat literally means the descent of grace. It is the yogic initiation in which the Siddha Guru transmits spiritual energy to the aspirant, thus awakening the aspirant’s sleeping kundalini shakti “.

The regular spiritual practice of mantra, yantra, tantra, meditation, asana, and pranayama can bring about awakening, but it may take many years to make progress. Spontaneous self-awakening can happen through study,  deep introspection and desire to evolve spiritually. However, it is very rare, and experts say it can only be as a result of the progress already made by the sadhaka in his previous lifetimes. Often psychedelic drugs (LSD, Ecstacy) and hallucinogenic plants (Ayahausca, Psilocybin, etc.) are said to bring about life-altering realizations. Those who have Near Death Experiences (NDE) also speak of similar awakening sensations.

Shaktipath (Shakti or energy and Pata, which means ‘to fall’) refers to the transmission of spiritual energy from one person to another, usually from a Guru to a deserving disciple. Shaktipath can be conferred through mere thought, look, touch (usually the guru touches the Ajna chakra of the disciple) or mantra. Shaktipat is an act of grace (anugraha) on the part of the guru and, therefore, cannot be forced or done under duress.

In Kashmir Shaivism, Shaktipath is classified into different levels:

• Tivra Tivra Shaktipath “Super Supreme Grace” which produces an immediate identification with The Ultimate Realityand brings about instant liberation
• Tivra Madhya Shaktipath “Supreme Medium Grace” is experienced when one becomes spiritually illuminated and liberated on his own, relying directly on grace and  not needing intervention, initiation or instruction from a guru
• Tivra Manda Shaktipath “Supreme Inferior Grace,” when a person has received grace, strongly desires to find the right guru but does not need his instruction. Just a mere touch, a look or being in the guru’s presence is enough to trigger in him to the state of illumination.
• Madhya Tivra Shaktipath, “Medium Supreme Grace,” is when a disciple who receives this grace desires to have the instruction and initiation of a perfect guru and becomes enlightened in time. However, he is not totally absorbed into this state during his lifetime. He receives a permanent state of fusion with the Universal Consciousnessonlyafter the end of his current life.
• Madhya Madhya Shaktipath, “Medium Middle Grace” is when a disciple receives initiation from a guru and also exhibits an intense desire to attain liberation but continues to harbor a passion for various enjoyments and pleasures of life. So, after the death of this form, he goes to a dimension where all his desires are fulfilled, and after that, he receives initiation again from his master to then attain and realize permanent union.
• Madhya Manda Shaktipath “Medium Inferior Grace”  is similar to “Medium Middle Grace” except that in this case, the aspirant desires worldly pleasures more than union with the eternal. So he will take birth again as a spiritual seeker to attain liberation.
• Manda Shaktipath “Inferior Grace”: for those who receive this level of grace, the aspiration to be united with the eternal is present only in times of distress and suffering; the grace, therefore, will need to work in them for many lifetimes before spiritual liberation occurs.

The well-known spiritual guru Swami Lakshman Joo describes that advanced yogis experience Kundalini in three states. The first is the tranquil state, which remains limited to the Muladhara chakra.  This state works in all creative beings. When the Kundalini gets awakened either by pranayama or in the classical way by constant practice or uninterrupted feeling of I-consciousness’s perfectness, it is called adhah Kundalini. After this state, when Kundalini rises in a sudden flash like a lightning bolt and rises through the path of the sushumna to the brahmarandhra, it is called urdhva Kundalini.

Ramana Maharshi, a renowned Hindu mystic, is said to have experienced a Kundalini awakening when he was just sixteen years old. He describes how he was overcome with a sudden, inexplicable fear of death and found himself paralyzed in mind and body for some time. This experience led him to ask, “who am I” and he began his journey of inward-looking contemplation.

Other famous spiritual gurus who have experienced Kundalini awakening include Adi Shankaracharya, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, and Swami Muktananda, Sadhguru, Yogi Gopikrishna (whose book led to the introduction of the concept of Kundalini to the West) and many other seekers. The topic of Kundalini Awakening has been of interest to great minds such as Aldous Huxley, who experienced awakening after ingesting Peyote (a plant-based psychedelic), Carl Jung, Alan Watts and in recent times, Russell Brand and Joe Rogan.

Udayabhaskar Bulusu writes that worshipping Lalitha Tripurasundari in the chakras of Kundalini beginning from the Muladhara chakra and culminating with the union of Shakti with Shiva in the Sahasrara Chakra is called Samaya Chara.  This is explained in the Rudrayamala, an ancient scripture in which Shiva reveals this truth to Shakti.

In the Lalitha Sahasranama, the 98th name given to Goddess Lalitatripura Sundari is “Samaya chara tatpara.”  This name points to the fact that the goddess approves of and is fond of the Samayachara worship, which is done only internally.

The prescribed procedure for this worship is that the Kundalini shakti is aroused from the perineum and moved to the Muladhara chakra, where the goddess is found in her subtle (mantra) form. From here, the Kundalini further rises up to the Swadishthana Chakra, where the goddess is located in an even more subtle form (kamakala). At this point, the worshiper imagines the goddess adorned with rich red clothes and beautiful ornaments made of rubies and moves up to the Manipura chakra, where the goddess is offered aargyam (washing of feet and hands).

She accepts the offerings and sits on the throne in her subtlest form  (Kundalini – from where kundalini energy gets its name).  From this chakra onwards, the goddess is seen as becoming very powerful as she moves towards the heart chakra where she is offered beetle leaves and then visualized at the Vishuddha chakra where she is worshipped with aarti. Aarti is an offering made with the lighting of lamps.  From the Vishuddha chakra she is pictured as moving to the Ajna chakra where karpur aarti is offered. Karpur aarti means a lamp lit with camphor. At this time, she is adorned with garlands and visualized as a bride. She is then seen as rising up to the Sahasrara chakra where Shiva is waiting for her. When she enters the Sahasrara chakra, a veil is placed around Shiva and Shakti, and the worshiper awaits the return of Devi to the Muladhara chakra. Srimadacharya writes that those who contemplate and worship the goddess in this manner of Samayachara are truly blessed as they attain infinite bliss.

The school of Kundalini yoga, in particular, is focused on the role of the chakras and especially the “knots” which arise in the various chakras, thereby restricting the flow of energy in these areas. Three knots are particularly important – the Brahma granthi, which limits energy at the base of the spine and is related to the Muladhara and Swadisthana chakra; the Vishnu granthi is related to the Manipura and Anahata chakra and restricts energy at the heart center and the Rudra granthi which is connected to the Vishudda and Ajna chakra and restricts the energy at the Ajna chakra. Classical yoga texts such as Hatha Yoga Pradipika and  Yoga Upanishads point out that there are four stages associated with clearing these knots:

1. Arambha is associated with overcoming the Brahma granthi and awakening the Kundalini.
2. Ghata is associated with the Vishnu granthi and deals with the internal absorption of energy.
3. Parichaya is associated with the absorption deepening and resulting in the final stage of complete Oneness.
4. Nishpatti is associated with piercing the Rudra granthi and allowing the Kundalini to ascend to the Sahasrara chakra.  It is at this stage that the practitioner becomes one with Universal Consciousness.

There is debate about whether Kundalini awakening is absolutely essential for enlightenment. Many schools of philosophy such as Tantra, Kashmir Shaivism, and Nath Sampradaya believe that it is necessary to have an awakened kundalini to be thought of as spiritually evolved.  Other philosophers and thinkers believe that enlightenment cannot come about as a result of an experience and that a cognitive transformation is required for it to occur. So while Kundalini may give rise to a certain range of experiences, it does not in itself promise enlightenment.  However, every spiritual guru belonging to all schools believes that Kundalini practices can be useful in bringing about an improvement of health and well-being, overcoming limiting self-belief systems, distancing oneself from negativity, attracting success, beauty and grace and potentially blossoming into one’s optimal self as the practice leads and opens up to the limitless potential of the individual self.

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