What is the Kundalini energy?


Kundalini is the basic energy of the human being, that is located at the base of the body, somewhere around the sacrum and genitals. Yoga teaches that on the path of spiritual growth yogis get the opportunity to use this energy to awaken many wonderful but dormant faculties. Moreover, some schools of yoga state that without engaging kundalini, it is impossible to achieve samadhi (the super-conscious state of a person, also called cosmic consciousness).

What is mantra yoga?


Mantra yoga is the science of spiritual vibrations that allows to awaken the kundalini energy, even in people who have recently stepped on the path of yoga, and thus greatly accelerating their spiritual growth. Mantra yoga offers a powerful tool for self-exploration; and changes both the inner world of a person and the surrounding universe to the better. Mantra yoga is considered to be one of the simplest in practice. However, explaining the principles and mechanisms how it woks is one of the most challenging tasks. Because of this, many yoga practitioners neglect mantra yoga, as insufficiently justified from the theoretical point of view.
From ancient times and to the present day, we find evidences of the magical power of human speech. Sometimes we learn it from the eyewitnesses who have visited the shamans of America, Africa and Siberia. Sometimes, from the legends about the priests of various religions and traditions. It can be a description of the miraculous powers of prayers, uttered by monks, anchorites or by ordinary truly faithful people. Various ethnic fairy tales and ancient myths tell us about the immense power of spells and about the might they give to people.
It seems that entire countries and states were established by the power of a truthful word. Moreover, the more primitive the nation we consider, the more echoes of this Science of Word we will find, and the more educated and civilized a nation is, there will be less understanding of this subject. Indeed, the human mind in its pride is bound to deny everything that it does not understand, as well as everything that does not have enough rigorous arguments. This is our payoff for the separation from nature and for a dissonant, unbalanced development. We must admit that we have less understanding of certain issues than our poorly educated neighbors on the planet. Fortunately for us, great knowledge of the powers of the Word has been preserved for us by the sages of the East. This knowledge is called mantra yoga.
The theory of mantra yoga is very difficult to explain, so here it is described in a simplified version. In the chapter "Practical Exercises" you will learn the practical exercises of this yoga. Once you master the science of mantra yoga, you will discover new horizons to change yourselves and the world for the better. Ancient yogis teach us that the entire darkness of the world will disappear in the light of mantra vidya.

Axiomatics of yoga (the world order) from the perspective of mantra yoga


In the beginning, there was only the beyond, inexpressible Absolute. There was no one nor anything else around Him. We can’t even say "in the beginning", because there was neither time nor space. Space and time were created by the Absolute later. We also cannot say that the Absolute existed, because there was no one else who could tell us about it. Even the notion that something can be in singular or plural form didn’t exist, because the concept of numbers didn’t exist. This immediately brings up a question, how do we know about it, if there was nothing and no one who could tell us about this moment. Jnana yoga gives the following answer to this question. We know that everything happened like that because the Absolute Itself told us. Inside each of us, there is a particle of the beyond-the-limits Absolute, and this particle contains all the knowledge about the creation of the world. But only sages can retrieve this knowledge from their inside through means of yogic methods of self-exploration. This particle of the Absolute inside a person is the immortal soul, or the person’s "Self", their Atman.

The Absolute in transpersonal state
Thus, in our modern understanding, in the beginning there was the inexpressible by words Absolute, which existed in a transpersonal state, and there was nothing but the Absolute. The transpersonal state of the Absolute means that there is no differentiation into "Self" and "not Self”, into "outside" and "inside", this state is higher and greater than all these concepts.

The Absolute manifested itself as a superpersonal God Brahman
Then the Absolute desired to manifest itself as individuality, this wish or expressed Will generated a vibration or oscillation, which is called paranada or ineffable vibration. This oscillation has created or manifested itself as Maya or illusion. Maya is an operator that makes one object seem to be something different than it is. Maya, or illusion, has separated the infinite part from the trans-individual Absolute, and this part became the super-individual, or super individual God Brahman. Since it manifested itself through the sound of vibration, it is also called Shabda-Brahman or "sounding Brahman." That was the beginning of creation of the whole universe. That was the time when the concept of numbers emerged, and the principles for time to begin were created. From this point, we can talk about a one, super individual and eternal God, or the super individual Absolute. This great, one, super individual Absolute appeared as an infinitely small point or sphere called parabindu. Parabindu then became the basis for all further creation.
Thus, the initial Will of the Absolute created the original vibration that generated Maya, the illusion, and Maya then gave the impulse to create the Universe. The question arises, what was this original vibration? The answer is, it was the first mantra, and in human articulation, it sounds as the syllable "OM", more precisely, as "AOUM", or the flow of vowels, that change from one to another. "M" at the end is not the letter "m" but the termination of the sounding vowels, when we close our lips after having pronounced the sound "u".

What is a vibration?
Another question arises, what is the relation between human speech and the original vibration of the Absolute? To understand this, we should recall what vibration is. A vibration is a fluctuation of certain environment or substance according to some periodic law, with certain characteristics, such as: frequency, duration and others. In the case of human speech, this is a vibration of air, when we speak aloud, or the vibration of thought, when we speak to ourselves. And in the case of universe’s creation, it is the vibration of the Absolute in the Absolute itself. In both cases, the characteristics of these two vibrations are similar, i.e. their frequency, sequence, etc. The only difference is that the original vibration of the Absolute in the Absolute is beyond time and space, moreover, time and space were created by this vibration. In the case of human speech, a vibration is the oscillation of air in space and time. But the law, on which both vibrations were built on is the same. So, the first mantra OM was the beginning of creation.
Then, the one, eternal, supreme Brahman wished to manifest itself in the form of many creatures. Meaning, the oneness wished to become many. To do this, the Absolute decided to split into two parts. Again, it was Maya that power that has divided the oneness and made this oneness appear as dual. Thus, the divine couple emerged, which in various traditions is known as the Energy and the Consciousness, Prakriti and Purusha, Shiva and Shakti, or the eternal couple of lovers. The couple appeared as infinitesimal circle, surrounded by a thin line of maya and divided into two halves by a line of maya. The underlying process was the following - the will of the One Brahman has modified the primordial vibration of mantra “OM”. This new vibration spawned a new maya, which has divided the oneness into two parts. According to some sources, this new vibration has an equivalent vibration in the human language, which sounds like the sanskrit syllable “HRIM”. Thus, this mantra, or the syllable “HRIM” is the mantra, that generates the great maya, or the illusion of duality, which made oneness appear as dualism.


The features of the original vibration
The original vibration that created maya had two features: the manifested feature of eternal impermanence and the hidden, unmanifested feature of eternal immutability. After separation, one part of the One Absolute merged with that part of the original vibration of maya, which had the feature of eternal impermanence, and the other part merged with the feature of the eternal immutability. That part of the One Brahman, which merged with maya of impermanence, began to display features of perpetual modifications of itself. Later this part became known as the energy and the matter of all kinds, and is called Shakti, the female principle of the universe. The second part, which has merged with the other aspect of maya, began to display features of the eternally unchanging, permanent principle, known as consciousness, that was named Parama Shiva, the masculine principle of the universe. Graphically it is represented by a white dot inside a red circle, where the white dot is Parama Shiva, the supreme consciousness of the universe, and the red circle is Shakti, the entire energy of the universe. Thus, the red circle is the Supreme Brahman, manifested in the form of vibration; it is called The Creating Absolute, or Shakti.

The emergence of the alphabet letters
After that, Shakti broke the red circle – which was the manifested part of the primordial vibration "OM" – into many pieces, that is, she broke the continuous vibration "OM" into multiple fragments. Each of these fragments further became a letter of the alphabet. Each of these vibrations became one or another manifestation of Shakti or the primordial energy of the universe. Together, these letters became the body of Shakti, which is called Kama Rupa, or “body of desire”. Graphically it is represented by a down-pointing triangle, consisting of the letters of the alphabet. In the center of this triangle, there is a dot, which is the symbol of Parama Shiva or the higher consciousness of the universe. According to many ancient sources, all other objects and phenomena in the universe were created from various combinations of these vibrations. Just as the letters of the alphabet can make any word, these numerous vibrations created all objects and phenomena in the universe.

Types of mantras
Thus, the manifested part of the original mantra "OM" has created the energy of the universe and the hidden part of that mantra gave birth to the consciousness of the universe. For this reason, in mantra yoga the mantras are classified as mantras of energy and mantras of consciousness. Such mantras as "OM" contain both the aspect of energy and the aspect of consciousness, so they are called mantras of names. The mantras of names are the most powerful mantras or vibrations. All the variety of manifestations of the Shakti energy in the universe is represented as a red colored area. The manifestation of the higher consciousness of the universe is represented as a white colored area. And the border that separates them has a sky-blue color. Thus, the red color is a symbol of the creative energy, it is the energy and matter of all kinds, and it is the maternal aspect of the world. The white color is the consciousness managing the universe. And the sky-blue color is a symbol of the inseparable, continuous connection between the consciousness and the energy, it is a symbol defining that there is no energy without consciousness and no consciousness without energy. The area of sky-blue color is the cosmic prana that connects the consciousness and the energy, thus, prana manifests itself as both the energy and the consciousness. Like the mantra "OM", prana contains simultaneously both manifested and hidden vibrations that created the whole world.

Creation of numerous Atmans
The next step was the creation of numerous Atmans or individual “Selves”. Every living "Self" was created in the image and likeness of the One Brahman. Meaning that in this universe the beyond, individual "Self" appears and creates through two inherent aspects: through the aspect of Energy and the aspect of Consciousness. The process of creation of each "Self" was realized by means of mantras of names. The mantra of the name is such a mantra in which both the manifested vibration of Energy and the hidden vibration of Consciousness are equally present. When mantras of names appeared in the universe, then each of them has separated a part of consciousness from the universal consciousness and a part of energy from the universal energy. Thus, each individual soul is a part of the Supreme One Indestructible Brahman, separated from the whole by maya, or illusion, that was generated by the vibration or the mantra of name.
Each individual soul, or Atma, has in its possession a small part of the Energy and a small part of the Consciousness of the Great Brahman. The evolutionary goal of each soul is to expand or grow to the size of the Supreme Brahman. To do this, each "Self" from one life to another increases its portion of Energy and its portion of Consciousness. The Energy and the Consciousness of every living being are connected to each other, if one increases, then the other increases as well. Each "Self" increases its Consciousness and Energy by expressing its Will. The Will is a property that every living being has inherited from the Supreme Creator the Brahman. By means of the Will the Brahman has created the whole world, through the Will every soul develops, grows and reaches the beyond Absolute. The individual soul can increase Energy and Consciousness by different methods. In mantra yoga, the energy of the Atman increases with the help of the mantras of energy and the power of the consciousness increases with the help of the mantras of consciousness. The mantras of name increase the Energy and the Consciousness simultaneously.

Manifestation of the individual “Self”
The manifestation of each individual soul in this universe is graphically presented by a small area, or a region that separates the portion of consciousness and the portion of energy from the universal Consciousness and Energy. The number of individual "Selves" in the universe is infinite. The portion of energy of every living being is identical to the higher Energy of the universe and is called kundalini energy. The essence of kundalini energy is the same as the entire energy of the universe. This is a manifested vibration of the original mantra that has created the whole world. Therefore, the body of the kundalini energy is mantra. Living beings do not have two energies, as well as they do not have two consciousness. Any energy that every living being manifests is just one of manifestations of the kundalini energy. Any word that a human being says aloud or mentally is a manifestation of the creative kundalini energy.

Creation of the elements of the universe
In the next stage of evolution, the energy and the consciousness began to create the basic elements that form the universe. Graphically it is presented by a process of divergence or separation of the Energy from the Consciousness. At this stage, the Consciousness is presented by a small white dot or circle, and the Energy is in the form of a red dot or circle, and the thread or the tube that connects them has a sky-blue color. This tube or channel is empty inside. The void means that there is no space and time inside the tube. This empty sky-blue tube that connects the Consciousness and the Energy, is called Sushumna or the central channel of any living being. Meaning, Sushumna is the path that connects the Consciousness and the Energy, and as it is beyond time and space, therefore it is straight. With distancing itself from the Consciousness, the Energy, or the kundalini energy, was creating one element of the universe after another. Each element was created from a particular vibration that was produced by the kundalini energy.
The first element that was created by the kundalini energy, was the element of mind. From that moment, we can speak about the universal or cosmic mind. The mind is an element that consists of the thinnest vibrations of the energy, and the light of consciousness shines through the mind to the greatest degree.
The next element that was created by the kundalini energy, was the element of space. Our usual or physical space is an instance of that original Space. Other manifestations of Space are known as space of dreams, space of imagination, space of memories and so on.
The next step was the establishment of the principle of air. Then the principle of fire was created, the principle of water and the principle of earth. The principle of earth was created from the vibrations that sound like the syllable “LAM”. The principle of earth is a principle that consists of the roughest vibrations of the Energy and the Consciousness shines through it to the least degree.
After creating the earth principle, the kundalini energy has created numerous channels or nadi. Two of most important and famous of them are the Ida Nadi and Pingala Nadi. After creating all the elements in the universe, the kundalini energy has locked on itself. It means that it started to absorb its own creative energy. In ancient texts, it is said that it “has fallen asleep”. Graphically in this state it is presented as a spiral or a snake, coiled in three and a half turns, and holding its tail in the mouth. It will be in this state in every living being. Only yogis can awaken it. This explains the many miraculous powers manifested by people that do yoga.
Any energy that a person shows, be that physical energy, energy of thoughts, energy of words, and so on, it is just the difference between the energy that kundalini creates, and the energy that it consumes every moment. According to the ancient sources, if a person has realized and fully awakened kundalini, their abilities become endless.

Kundalini energy and the sexual energy
One of the most powerful manifestations of kundalini energy in an average person is their sexual energy. If a person uses the sexual energy in the right way, then over time, they get the ability to awaken the kundalini energy. The art of the right usage of sexual energy is acquired through the study of one’s own sexuality, through the ability to control it, as well as through numerous physical and mental exercises of tantra yoga. Mantra yoga is one of the most powerful tools for managing the sexual energy. This is the reason why mantra yoga is the cornerstone of tantra yoga. There’s a saying that without mantra yoga there is no tantra yoga.


Speech process


Thus, any word we utter is a manifestation of our unified energy, the kundalini energy. This is how the speech process works – our Will orders the kundalini energy to create a vibration of a particular type, which corresponds to a particular word. The Kundalini Energy produces this vibration. Kundalini itself is a vibration, thus to create this new vibration it partially modifies itself. At this stage, the word is a subtle vibration of the kundalini energy. This is called the state of para, that is the future word is in the Para state or transcendent state. Then the vibration begins to rise to the navel center. Thus, the vibration moves from the finest plane, which constitutes the body of kundalini, to a denser area of the navel center. Although the medium of the vibration changes, the vibration itself remains the same. This new state of vibration in the navel center is called pashyanti. Further still the vibration rises above to the heart center, and again the vibration is the same, but its medium becomes denser. Finally, the vibration of the word rises from the heart center to the tongue and lips and begins to propagate in the air and is perceived as human speech. So again, the vibration moves from a finer medium to a denser one and appears as a physical vibration of air.

Creative power of speech


On the way from kundalini to the lips, this vibration will certainly weaken in an average person. This is also because we are burdened with karma and the vibrations of the word dampen and get distorted. But despite all this, any word still has a certain creative power. In pure and strong people, this power is greater than in everyone else. However, there are special words of power called mantras. These words, and sometimes entire sentences, carry gigantic power, and if we utter these words of mantra, we produce a tremendous impulse that affects the entire universe. In addition, there are mantras that clean us and burn all negative karma. There are mantras that fulfill our desires, and finally, there are mantras that give us all the four goals of life, for which we are born in this world. These goals are called dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Thus, a person who chants the mantras in a special way, completely destroys all negative karma, lives a happy life, and attains liberation at the end of life.
All sages and yogis of the ancient times were unanimous in assessing the power of mantra yoga. A large number of people have gained supernatural powers and reached exorbitant heights thanks to mysterious spiritual mantras of mantra yoga. The sages and yogis of antiquity revealed this knowledge, which was once hidden from the uninitiated, to all of those who are interested in the science of self-knowledge, to all those who act for the good of all living beings.

Last modified: Thursday, 6 June 2019, 8:35 PM