Sat-Cakra-Nirupana – 2

The Svadhisthana Cakra

Verse 14

Sindūra-pūrarucirāruņapadmamanyat
sauṣuṁņamadhyaghaṭitaṁ dhvajamūladeśe
Aṅgacchadaiḥ parivṛtaṁ taḍidābhavarņaiḥ
bādyaiḥ sabindu-lasitaiśca Puraṁdarāntaiḥ

There is another Lotus placed inside the Susumna at the root of the genitals, of a beautiful vermillion colour. On its six petals are the letters from Ba to Puramdara, with the Bindu superposed, of the shining colour of lightning.

Another lotus = the Svadhisthana-Cakra.
}Puramdara = the letter La
Bindu = The Anusvara

Verse 15

Tasyāntre pravilasadviśadaprakāśa-
mambhojamaņdalamatho varuņasya tasya
Ardhendurūpalasitaṁ saradinduśubhraṁ
vaṁkārabijamamalaṁ makarādhirūḍhaṁ.

Within it [Svadhisthana] is the white, shining, watery region of Varuna, of the shape of a half-moon, and therein, seated on a Makara, is the Bija Vam, stainless and white as the autumnal moon.

Makara = mythical animal somewhat like an alligator

Verse 16

Tasyānkadeśakalito harireva pāyāt
nīlaprākasaruciraśriyādadhānaḥ
Pītāmbaraḥ prathamayauvanagarvadhārī
śrīvatsakaustubhadharo dhṛtavedabāhuḥ.

May Hari who is within it, who is in the pride of early youth, whose body is of a luminous blue beautiful to behold, who is dressed in yellow raiment, is four armed, and wears the Sri-vatsa, and the Kaustubha, protect us!

Within it: Vishnu is within the lap of the Bindu of Vam.
Sri-vatsa = an auspicious curl on the breast of Visnu and his avatar, Krishna, which symbolizes Prakrti.
Kaustubha = a great gem worn by Vishnu.

Verse 17

Atraiva bhāti satataṁ khalu rākiņī sā
nīlāṁbujodarsahodarakāntiśobhā
Nānāyudhodyatakarairlasitāṅgalakṣmīṛ-
divyāṁbarābharaņabhūṣitaattacittā

It is here [in the Svadhisthana] that Rakini always dwells. She is of the colour of a blue lotus. The beauty of Her body is enhanced by Her uplifted arms holding various weapons. She is dressed in celestial raiment and ornaments, and Her mind is exalted with the drinking of ambrosia.

Dwells = bhati, lit., “shines”

Verse 18

Svādhiṣṭhānākhyametatsarasijamamalaṁ cintayedyomanusya
stasyāhaṁkāradoṣādiksakalarepuḥ kṣīyate tatkṣaņena
yogīśaḥsoऽpiṃohādbhutatimiracayebhānutulyaprakāśo
gadyaih padyaiḥ parabhandhairviracayati sudhāvākyasandoha lakṣmiḥ

He who meditates upon this stainless Lotus, which is named Svadhisthana, is freed immediately from all his enemies, such as the fault of Ahamkara and so forth. He becomes a Lord among Yogis, and is like the Sun illumining the dense darkness of ignorance. The wealth of his nectar-like words flows in prose and verse in well-reasoned discourse.

His enemies = the six passions, i.e., kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (pride), matsaryya (envy), which all arise from a sense of me-ness (ahamkara).

Ahamkara = egoism.

Ignorance = moha.

About Sunday morning
Contemplation

Sunday Morning Contemplation is informed by Eastern and Western contemplative traditions. The first, lectio divina has its origins in 6th century Europe. It unfolds in four steps or stages: reading (lectio), reflecting (meditatio), responding (oratio), and silent abiding (contemplatio). Our Eastern inspiration come from the Indian Upanishads (800-200 BCE), where contemplative practice consists of three steps or stages: listening (śravana), reflecting (manana), and meditating (nididhyāsana or dhyāna). Our contemplative practice on Sundays embraces both approaches, and each contemplation will be based on a reading from either tradition.

The texts and teachers I have chosen played a significant role in my life and I believe have much to offer. I will read presellected texts, slowly, with pauses between verses or quotes. The readings will be accompanied by soothing background music. To lessen distraction, I suggest participants close their eyes and listen. However, the screen will display the text so that people can choose to read along or mute the sound and read on their own. If there is time remaining after the contemplative period, participants can choose to either leave or stay for a short discussion.

As a preface to the reading, I will provide a 10-15 minute introduction to the text. When relevant, I’ll review facts about the author/teacher’s life. I will also present a brief explanation of the terms and language encountered in the reading.

Finally, when the contemplation is over, all texts read will be available online to read and/or download at any time on the website.

What I mean by
The Symbolic Life

This website makes liberal use of classical Indian visual art and refers mostly to traditional Indian texts (for example, the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras) in the courses, seminars, and discussions on offer. However, I am not presenting lessons in Hinduism; in fact, teaching mainstream Hinduism is neither my area of interest nor expertise. Rather, my interest in Yoga and Tantra is grounded in the concrete situation in which we find ourselves, in the places where we arrive and from which we depart. Beginning in the here and now, we will explore the underlying meaning of the symbols, stories, images, philosophies, and techniques found in Indian philosophical texts and practice, in light of our world and our current circumstance. We will excavate the meaning of the aphorisms and teaching stories; the symbolic figures of gods, people, and nature; and the sometimes terse, sometimes poetic, philosophy of the texts. Thus, in referring to the Symbolic Life of Yoga and Tantra, I mean not just the symbols themselves, but the rich explication of life that the symbols represent.

Our lived, concrete situation is wonderfully captured in the Sanskrit word loka, whose ancient meaning is “the world.”  The root meaning of both the Sanskrit loka and the English locate (and local, locale, and location) is identical. In the ancient Indian mind, the world is where we are located, in our current circumstance. Thus, the meaning of the symbols of Yoga and Tantra can occur only in the now, in the places where we find ourselves, and not in any imagined ancient and/or foreign world.

To emphasize our place of origin and return, I use the terms “archetypal” and “symbolic” quite frequently. Archetypal meaning is associated with the universal and collective aspects of human experience—what we intimately share with all others regardless of culture or era or epoch—while symbolic language forms a bridge between the realms of the universal with the culturally specific and local. Symbols are the scaffolding upon which human beings build a world and imbue it with meaning.

Think for a moment of pain and pleasure, sorrow and joy, hatred and love, and greed and generosity—universal experiences that ancient Indian thinkers called the dvandva-s. This Sanskrit term is a combination of two words, or rather, one word spoken twice: the word dva (meaning the same as the English “two”) duplicated. Dvandva is commonly translated as “the pair of opposites” or literally “the two-twos” (dvadva). The ancients who coined this compact symbol gave voice to an archetypal human experience that can be further unpacked to reveal deep insights into the human condition. Once we gain an understanding of the various symbols of Yoga and Tantra, we can further excavate their meaning and the archetypes they convey, and thus gain access to, in a practical and meaningful way, the vision of life experienced by the sages. These insights are available to us and are still relevant today, as are the resilient and adaptable techniques and forms of practice that can help us lead richer and more fulfilling lives