Misplaced Pages

#863136

101-422: Pundalik was one of the earliest Kundalini Yoga practitioners. As he was considered to be a master of Kundalini Yoga, people used to call him "Kundalik". Later, after several years, Kundalik was known as Pundalik, which was used to symbolize Kundalini energy in the form of Vitthala (also known as Panduranga ). Pandharpur 's Vitthala was an incarnation of Vishnu or Krishna . According to legends, it also depicts

202-526: A yogi -saint, has been posited at least as far back as circa 1600 CE when Nabhadas, a hagiographer, noted it in his Bhaktamal . Jñāneśvar, also known as Jñāndev, never referred to Namdev in his writings but perhaps had no cause to do so; Novetzke notes that "Jnandev's songs generally did not concern biography or autobiography; the historical truth of their friendship is beyond my ken to determine and has remained an unsettled subject in Marathi scholarship for over

303-552: A Brahmin). The close friendship between Namdev and the influential Jnanesvar, a Brahmin yogi -saint, is mentioned in Bhaktamal . The songs of Namdev, also called kirtans , use the term loka , which Novetzke states is a reference to "we the people" and the "human world" as a social force. Namdev is considered one of the five revered gurus in the Dadupanth tradition within Hinduism,

404-612: A High Court Judge in Calcutta , he studied Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy, particularly as it related to Hindu Tantra . He translated numerous original Sanskrit texts and lectured on Indian philosophy , Yoga and Tantra. His book, The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic Yoga became a major source for many modern Western adaptations of Kundalini yoga practice. It presents an academically and philosophically sophisticated translation of, and commentary on, two key Eastern texts: Shatchakranirūpana (Description and Investigation into

505-462: A banquet was prepared for him - he killed the merchant's son. O Pandit, I saw your Raam Chand coming too; he lost his wife, fighting a war against Raawan. The Hindu is sightless; the Muslim has only one eye. The spiritual teacher is wiser than both of them. The Hindu worships at the temple, the Muslim at the mosque. Naam Dayv serves that Lord, who is not limited to either the temple or the mosque. One stone

606-517: A basis. We have here a state of affairs that has no parallel in the West. Supreme Wisdom, which can be taken as basically nontheistic and as an independent wisdom tradition (not dependent on the Vedas), appears fused with highest level of bhakti and with highest level of God realization." Along with the works of sants such as Jnanesvar and Tukaram , the writings of Namdev are at the foundation of beliefs held by

707-717: A belief in Vithoba . Along with the Jñānēśvarī , a sacred work of Jñānēśvar, and of Bhakti movement teacher-writers such as Tukaram , the writings of Namdev form the basis of the beliefs held by the Varkari sect of Hinduism. He was thus among those responsible for disseminating the monotheistic Varkari faith that had emerged first in Karnataka in the mid-to-late 12th century and then spread to Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Namdev and Jñānēśvar used

808-478: A central role, and the structure resonates with the singing and music. The songs and music that went with Namdev's works were usually transmitted verbally across generations, in a guru-sisya-parampara (teacher-student tradition), within singing gharanas (family-like musical units). Callewaert and Lath state that, "each single song of Namdev is a musical and textual unit and this unit is the basis for textual considerations". The unit contained Antaras , which are

909-496: A century." Namdev is generally considered by Sikhs to be a holy man ( bhagat ), many of whom came from lower castes and so also attracted attention as social reformers. Such men, who comprised both Hindus and Muslims, traditionally wrote devotional poetry in a style that was acceptable to the Sikh belief system. A tradition in Maharashtra is that Namdev died at the age of eighty in 1350 CE. Sikh tradition maintains that his death place

1010-519: A half coils. Swami Vivekananda describes Kuṇḍalinī briefly in his book Raja Yoga as follows: According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingalâ and Idâ, and a hollow canal called Sushumnâ 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

1111-499: A latter-day scholar on Kuṇḍalinī and its physical basis, and a former member of the Theosophical Society . According to Carl Jung "the concept of Kundalini has for us only one use, that is, to describe our own experiences with the unconscious". Jung used the Kundalini system symbolically as a means of understanding the dynamic movement between conscious and unconscious processes. According to Shamdasani, Jung claimed that

SECTION 10

#1732849128864

1212-483: A master, the awakening of the kundalini cannot take anyone very far on the Path; and such indiscriminate or premature awakening is fraught with dangers of self-deception as well as the misuse of powers. The kundalini enables man to consciously cross the lower planes and it ultimately merges into the universal cosmic power of which it is a part, and which also is at times described as kundalini ... [but it] cannot dispense with

1313-496: A new form of comparative psychology opened up." The American writer William Buhlman began to conduct an international survey of out-of-body experiences in 1969 in order to gather information about symptoms: sounds, vibrations and other phenomena that commonly occur at the time of the OBE event. His primary interest was to compare the findings with reports made by yogis such as Gopi Krishna who have referred to similar phenomena, such as

1414-566: A rarely recounted variant version of Namdev's Tirthavli , a Marathi-language autobiographical piece. It is evident that the Guru Granth Sahib ji record is an accurate rendition of what Namdev wrote: the oral tradition probably accounts significantly for the changes and additions that appear to have been made by that time. The numerous subsequently produced manuscripts also show variant texts and additions that are attributed to him. Of around 2500 abhangs that were credited to him and written in

1515-496: A river, is first found in Mahipati's Bhaktavijay composed around 1762, and is absent in all earlier biographies of Namdev. Mahipati's biography of Namdev adds numerous other miracles, such as buildings rotating and sun rising in the west to show respect to Namdev. The earliest surviving Hindi and Rajasthani biographies from about 1600 only mention a few miracles performed by Namdev. In Namdev biographies published after 1600 through

1616-436: A secret astral passage, the coiled way of the kundalini in the coccygeal plexus, and upward through the sacral, the lumbar, and the higher dorsal, cervical, and medullary plexuses, and the spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, to reveal finally the soul's presence in the highest center (Sahasrara) in the brain. Krishnamacharya, often called the "father of modern yoga", described kuṇḍalinī differently. To him, Kuṇḍalinī

1717-520: A single critical edition . The state Government of Maharashtra made an effort and compiled Namdev's work from various manuscripts into the Sri Namdev Gatha in 1970. The Adi Granth of Sikhism includes a compilation of 61 songs of Namdev. However, of these only 25 are found in surviving Namdev-related manuscripts of Rajasthan. Winand Callewaert suggests that Namdev's poems in the Adi Granth and

1818-460: A spiritual message. They built on one among the many ancient Indian traditions for making music and singing. Namdev's bhajans, note Callewaert and Lath, deployed particular species of Raag , used Bhanita (or Chhap , a stamp of the composer's name inside the poem, in his case Nama ), applied a Tek (or dhruva , repeated refrain) and a meter than helps harmonise the wording with the musical instrument, all according to Sangita manuals refined from

1919-414: A variety of methods. Many systems of yoga focus on awakening kuṇḍalinī through: meditation , pranayama , the practice of asana , and chanting of mantras . Kundalini yoga is influenced by Shaktism and Tantra schools of Hinduism. It derives its name from its focus upon the awakening of kundalini energy through regular practice of mantra , Tantra , yantra , asanas or meditation . When kundalini

2020-463: Is shaktipat where one individual's Kuṇḍalinī is awakened by another who already has the experience. Shaktipat only raises Kuṇḍalinī temporarily but gives the student an experience to use as a basis. The twentieth century yogi and mystic Gopi Krishna , who helped to bring the concept of Kuṇḍalinī to the Western world, stated that As the ancient writers have said, it is the vital force or prana which

2121-474: Is "the innate intelligence of embodied Consciousness". The first possible mention of the term is in the Tantrasadbhāva-tantra (eighth century), though other earlier tantras mention the visualization of Shakti in the central channel and the upward movement of prana or vital force (which is often associated with Kuṇḍalinī in later works). According to David Gordon White, this feminine spiritual force

SECTION 20

#1732849128864

2222-481: Is a form of divine feminine energy (or Shakti ) believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the muladhara . It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra , where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess. This energy in the body, when cultivated and awakened through tantric practice, is believed to lead to spiritual liberation . Kuṇḍalinī

2323-503: Is a power called the Kundalini, coiled up. When that Kundalini awakens, it tries to force a passage through this hollow canal, and as it rises step by step, as it were, layer after layer of the mind becomes open... When it reaches the brain, the Yogi is perfectly detached from the body and mind; the soul finds itself free. ... The left is the Ida, the right Pingala, and that hollow canal which runs through

2424-462: Is a type of religious experience within the Hindu tradition, within which it is held to be a kind of "cosmic energy" that accumulates at the base of the spine . When awakened, kuṇḍalinī is described as rising up from the muladhara chakra , through the central nadi (called sushumna ) inside or alongside the spine reaching the top of the head. The progress of kuṇḍalinī through the different chakras

2525-404: Is advised to follow the path in an open-hearted manner. Kuṇḍalinī is considered to occur in the chakra and nadis of the subtle body . Each chakra is said to contain special characteristics and with proper training, moving Kuṇḍalinī through these chakras can help express or open these characteristics. Kuṇḍalinī is described as a sleeping, dormant potential force in the human organism. It

2626-436: Is also termed bhogavati, which has a double meaning of "enjoyment" and "coiled" and signifies her strong connection to bliss and pleasure, both mundane physical pleasure and the bliss of spiritual liberation ( moksha ), which is the enjoyment of Shiva's creative activity and ultimate union with the Goddess. In the influential Shakta tradition called Kaula, Kuṇḍalinī is seen as a "latent innate spiritual power", associated with

2727-457: Is associated with the goddess Parvati or Adi Parashakti , the supreme being in Shaktism , and with the goddesses Bhairavi and Kubjika . The term, along with practices associated with it, was adopted into Hatha Yoga in the 9th century. It has since then been adopted into other forms of Hinduism as well as modern spirituality and New Age thought. Kuṇḍalinī awakenings are said to occur by

2828-494: Is awakened spontaneously or without guidance it can lead to kundalini syndrome which sometimes presents as psychosis . The concept of Kuṇḍalinī is mentioned in the Upanishads (9th – 7th centuries BCE). The Sanskrit adjective kuṇḍalin means "circular, annular". It is mentioned as a noun for "snake" (in the sense of "coiled") in the 12th-century Rajatarangini chronicle (I.2). Kuṇḍa (a noun meaning "bowl, water-pot"

2929-524: Is believed to achieve different levels of awakening and a mystical experience , until Kundalini finally reaches the top of the head, Sahasrara or crown chakra , producing a profound transformation of consciousness. Swami Sivananda Saraswati of the Divine Life Society stated in his book Kundalini Yoga that "Supersensual visions appear before the mental eye of the aspirant, new worlds with indescribable wonders and charms unfold themselves before

3030-477: Is either prepared or unprepared. According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand. Yoga and Tantra propose that Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic austerities, such as pranayama , or breath control, physical exercises, visualization, and chanting. The student

3131-584: Is found as the name of a Nāga (serpent deity) in Mahabharata 1.4828). The 8th-century Tantrasadbhava Tantra uses the term kundalī , glossed by David Gordon White as "she who is ring-shaped". The use of kuṇḍalī as a name for Goddess Durga (a form of Shakti ) appears often in Tantrism and Shaktism from as early as the 11th century in the Śaradatilaka . It was adopted as a technical term in Hatha yoga during

Pundalik - Misplaced Pages Continue

3232-506: Is lovingly decorated, while another stone is walked upon. If one is a god, then the other must also be a god. Says Naam Dayv, I serve the Lord. Indian traditions attribute varying theosophical views to Namdev. In north India, Namdev is considered as a nirguna bhakta , in Marathi culture he is considered a saguna bhakta . In Namdev literature, devotion as the path to liberation is considered superior to alternative paths. Novetzke states that

3333-525: Is not an energy that rises: it is a blockage that prevents prāṇa vāyu (breath) from entering the suṣumnā and rising. This interpretation came partly from his own experience and partly from teachings of two sects of Vishnu-worshiping temple priests. Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936) – also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon – was a British Orientalist whose published works stimulated a far-reaching interest in Hindu philosophy and Yogic practices. While serving as

3434-432: Is one of the components of an esoteric description of the " subtle body ", which consists of nadis (energy channels), chakras (psychic centres), prana (subtle energy), and bindu (drops of essence). Kuṇḍalinī is described as being coiled up at the base of the spine. The description of the location can vary slightly, from the rectum to the navel. Kuṇḍalinī is said to reside in the triangular sacrum bone in three and

3535-874: Is one of the revered holy men in Sikhism as well. He is mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib, where Novetzke notes, "Namdev is remembered as having been summoned to confront a Sultan." There is a controversy among scholars if the Namdev hymns recorded in the Guru Granth of Sikhs were composed by the Marathi Namdev, or a different sant whose name was also Namdev. Namdev's legacy continues through the biannual pilgrimage to Pandharpur , near Bhima river, in Maharashtra. His paduka (footprints) are among those of revered sants that Varkari communities from various parts of Maharashtra carry with

3636-589: Is remembered in modern times in the Varkari tradition, along with those of other gurus , with masses of people walking together in biannual pilgrimages to Pandharpur in Maharashtra. He is also recognised in the North Indian traditions of the Dadu Panthis, Kabir Panthis and Sikhs. Some hymns of Namdev are included in the Guru Granth Sahib . Traditional Details of the life of Namdev are vague. His family name

3737-512: Is situated on the banks of the Chandrabhaga. The description of Krishna resembles the characteristics of the Pandharpur image of Vithoba. The second version of the legend depicts Vithoba appearing before Pundalik as the five-year-old Bala Krishna (infant Krishna). This version is found in manuscripts of both Puranas, Prahlada Maharaj, and the poet-saints, notably Tukaram. The remaining version of

3838-549: Is spread over both the macrocosm, the entire Universe, and the microcosm, the human body... The atom is contained in both of these. Prana is life-energy responsible for the phenomena of terrestrial life and for life on other planets in the universe. Prana in its universal aspect is immaterial. But in the human body, ...The brain is alive only because of Prana... an enlightened person ... [becomes] compassionate and more detached. There would be less ego, without any tendency toward violence or aggression or falsehood. The awakened life energy

3939-406: Is the mother of morality, because all morality springs from this awakened energy. Since the very beginning, it has been this evolutionary energy that has created the concept of morals in human beings. The American comparative religions scholar Joseph Campbell describes the concept of Kuṇḍalinī as "the figure of a coiled female serpent—a serpent goddess not of "gross" but "subtle" substance—which

4040-424: Is to be thought of as residing in a torpid, slumbering state in a subtle center, the first of the seven, near the base of the spine: the aim of the yoga then being to rouse this serpent, lift her head, and bring her up a subtle nerve or channel of the spine to the so-called "thousand-petaled lotus" ( Sahasrara ) at the crown of the head...She, rising from the lowest to the highest lotus center will pass through and wake

4141-475: The Khecarīvidyā , states that khechari mudra enables one to raise Kundalini and access the stores of amrita in the head, which subsequently flood the body. The spiritual teacher Meher Baba emphasized the need for a master when actively trying to awaken Kuṇḍalinī: Kundalini is a latent power in the higher body. When awakened, it pierces through six chakras or functional centers and activates them. Without

Pundalik - Misplaced Pages Continue

4242-458: The Marathi language to convey their beliefs. Namdev's style was to compose simply worded praise for Vithoba and to use a melodic device called samkirtana , both of which were accessible to common people. Shima Iwao says that "He taught that all can be saved equally, without regard to caste, through devotion ( bhakti ) to Vithoba" and that he greatly influenced groups of people who were forbidden by

4343-674: The Padma Purana (consisting of 1,200 verses); Bhima-Mahatmya , also from the Padma Purana; and a third devotional work, yet again called Panduranga-Mahatmya , which is found in the Vishnu Purana . The "third tradition" is found in two works: Panduranga-Mahatmya by the Brahmin Sridhara (consisting of 750 verses), and another work of the same name written by Prahlada Maharaj (consisting of 181 verses). There are three versions of

4444-426: The srivatsa mark, a head-dress of peacock feathers, resting his hands on his hips and keeping his cow-stick between his thighs. Pundarika asks Krishna to remain in this form on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga. He believes that Krishna's presence will make the site a tirtha (a holy place near a water body) and a kshetra (a holy place near a temple). The location is identified with modern-day Pandharpur, which

4545-407: The "vibrational state" as components of their kundalini-related spiritual experience . He explains: There are numerous reports of full Kundalini experiences culminating with a transcendental out-of-body state of consciousness. In fact, many people consider this experience to be the ultimate path to enlightenment. The basic premise is to encourage the flow of Kundalini energy up the spine and toward

4646-660: The 14th to 18th centuries, a period described in Maharashtra culture as the dark age. This was a period of Muslim conquest and repression of Hindus under the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire . The literary works not composed by Namdev, but attributed to Namdev were partly a product of this historical suffering and political situation in Deccan region of India. Some of the poetries of another Poet named Vishnudas Namadev who lived in 15th century are also attributed to this Namadev,

4747-572: The 15th century, and became widely used in the Yoga Upanishads by the 16th century. Eknath Easwaran has paraphrased the term as "the coiled power", a force which ordinarily rests at the base of the spine, described as being "coiled there like a serpent". Kuṇḍalinī arose as a central concept in Shaiva Tantra , especially among the Śākta sects like the Kaula . In these Tantric traditions, Kuṇḍalinī

4848-427: The 18th century, Namdev's parents were Damashet and Gonai, a childless elderly couple whose prayers for parenthood were answered and involved him being found floating down a river. As with various other details of his life, elements such as this may have been invented to sidestep issues that might have caused controversy. In this instance, the potential controversy was that of caste or, more specifically, his position in

4949-399: The 8th to 13th centuries. The musical genre of Namdev's literary works was a form of Prabandha – itself a very large and rich genre that includes dhrupad , thumri , tappa , geet , bhajan and other species. In some species of Indian music, it is the music that dominates while words and their meaning are secondary. In contrast, in Namdev's bhajan the spiritual message in the words has

5050-614: The Brahmin elite from studying the Vedas , such as women and members of the Shudra and untouchable communities. The earliest anthological record of Namdev's works occurs in the Guru Granth Sahib , the Sikh scriptures compiled in 1604, although Novetzke notes that while the manuscript records of Namdev mostly date from the 17th and 18th centuries, there exists a manuscript from 1581 that presents

5151-549: The Brahmin texts in Sanskrit , and the "third tradition" are Marathi texts written by Brahmins. The Varkari texts are: Bhaktalilamrita and Bhaktavijaya by Mahipati , Pundalika-Mahatmya by Bahinabai , and a long abhanga by Namdev . All these texts describe the legend of Pundalik. The Brahmin texts include: two versions of Panduranga-Mahatmya from the Skanda Purana (consisting of 900 verses); Panduranga-Mahatmya from

SECTION 50

#1732849128864

5252-516: The Goddess Kubjika (lit. "the crooked one"), who is the supreme Goddess ( Paradevi ). She is also pure bliss and power (Shakti), the source of all mantras, and resides in the six chakras along the central channel. In Shaiva Tantra, various practices like pranayama , bandhas , mantra recitation and tantric ritual were used in order to awaken this spiritual power and create a state of bliss and spiritual liberation. According to Abhinavagupta ,

5353-526: The Hindu varna system of ritual ranking. He was born into what is generally recognised as a Kshatriya (क्षत्रिय) caste, variously recorded as shimpi (tailor) in the Marathi language and as Chhipa , Chhimpa , Chhimba , shimpi , chimpi ( calico -printer) in northern India. His followers in Maharashtra and northern India who are from those communities prefer to consider their place, and thus his, as Kshatriya . There are contrary traditions concerning his birthplace, with some people believing that he

5454-541: The Islamic Mughal empire, inspired by their Nath yogi heritage and five revered gurus . Like Dadupanth, another north Indian warrior ascetic group, the Niranjani Sampraday tradition within Hinduism reveres Namdev as a holy person. The Niranjani Vani , which is their scripture just like the scriptures of Dadu Panthi and Sikhs, includes poetry of Namdev, and is dated to be from the 17th and 18th centuries. Namdev

5555-434: The Marathi language, perhaps only 600 - 700 are authentic. The surviving manuscripts are geographically dispersed and of uncertain provenance. Namdev's padas are not mere poems, according to Callewaert and Lath. Like other Bhakti movement sants, Namdev composed bhajans , that is songs meant to be sung to music. A Bhajan literally means "a thing enjoyed or shared". Namdev's songs were composed to be melodious and carry

5656-560: The Pundalik legend appears in Sridhara and as a variant in the Padma Purana. Pundalik, a Brahmin madly in love with his wife, neglected his aged parents as a result. Later, on meeting sage Kukkuta, Pundalik underwent a transformation and devoted his life to the service of his aged parents. Meanwhile, one day, Krishna comes to the forest Dandivana, near Pundalik's house, in search of his angry wife Rukmini , who has left him. After some coaxing, Rukmini

5757-500: The Pundalik legend, two of which are attested as textual variants of the Skanda Purana (1.34–67). According to the first, the ascetic Pundarika (Pundalik) is described as a devotee of god Vishnu and dedicated to the service of his parents. The god Gopala -Krishna, a form of Vishnu, comes from Govardhana as a cowherd, accompanied by his grazing cows, to meet Pundarika. Krishna is described as in digambar form, wearing makara-kundala ,

5858-527: The Saint. This includes the popular Marathi Aartis of Vithoba "Yuge Atthavis" & "Yei O Vitthale" Namdev was influenced by Vaishnavite philosophy. His poems sometimes invoked Vithoba, sometimes Vishnu - Krishna as Govind-Hari, but in the larger context of Rama, which states Ronald McGregor , was not referring to the hero described in the Hindu epic Ramayana , but to a pantheistic Ultimate Being. Namdev's view of Rama can be visualised, adds McGregor, "only as

5959-614: The Six Bodily Centers) written by Tantrik Pūrnānanda Svāmī (1526) and the Paduka-Pancakā from the Sanskrit of a commentary by Kālīcharana (Five-fold Footstool of the Guru). The Sanskrit term "Kundali Shakti" translates as "Serpent Power". Kundalini is thought to be an energy released within an individual using specific meditation techniques. It is represented symbolically as a serpent coiled at

6060-478: The Varkari sect of Hinduism. He was among those responsible for disseminating the Vithoba faith that had emerged first in the 12th century Namdev used the Marathi language to compose his poetry, which made it accessible to the wider public. Namdev's simple words of devotion and his use melody appealed to common people. This helped spread his message and songs widely. Namdev thus played a role, states McGregor, in shaping

6161-667: The Yogi, planes after planes reveal their existence and grandeur to the practitioner and the Yogi gets divine knowledge, power and bliss, in increasing degrees, when Kuṇḍalinī passes through Chakra after Chakra, making them to bloom in all their glory..." Yoga gurus consider that Kuṇḍalinī can be awakened by shaktipat (spiritual transmission by a Guru or teacher), or by spiritual practices such as yoga or meditation. There are two broad approaches to Kuṇḍalinī awakening: active and passive. The active approach involves systematic physical exercises and techniques of concentration, visualization, pranayama (breath practice) and meditation under

SECTION 60

#1732849128864

6262-457: The base of the spine. When Woodroffe later commented upon the reception of his work he clarified his objective, "All the world (I speak of course of those interested in such subjects) is beginning to speak of Kundalinî Shakti." He described his intention as follows: "We, who are foreigners, must place ourselves in the skin of the Hindu, and must look at their doctrine and ritual through their eyes and not our own." Western awareness of Kuṇḍalinī

6363-683: The center of the spinal cord is the Sushumna. ... The canal is closed at the lower end, ... near what is called the sacral plexus... The different plexuses that have their centers in the spinal canal can very well stand for the different "lotuses" of the Yogi. When Kuṇḍalinī Shakti is conceived as a goddess, then, when it rises to the head, it unites itself with the Supreme Being of ( Lord Shiva ). The aspirant then becomes engrossed in deep meditation and infinite bliss. Paramahansa Yogananda in his book God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita states: At

6464-449: The command of the yogi in deep meditation, this creative force turns inward and flows back to its source in the thousand-petaled lotus, revealing the resplendent inner world of the divine forces and consciousness of the soul and spirit. Yoga refers to this power flowing from the coccyx to spirit as the awakened kundalini. Paramahansa Yogananda also states: The yogi reverses the searchlights of intelligence, mind and life force inward through

6565-685: The end of the 20th century, new life details and more miracles increasingly appear with the passage of time. The earliest biographies never mention the caste of Namdev, and his caste appears for the first time in manuscripts with statements from Ravidas and Dhana in early 17th century. Namdev's Immaculate Conception miracle mentioned in later era manuscripts, adds Novetzke, is a story found regularly for other sants in India. The Namdev biographies in medieval manuscripts are inconsistent and contradictory, feeding questions of their reliability. The literary works of Namdev were influenced by Vaishnava philosophy and

6666-429: The envisioned devotion is not one way from the devotee to Vishnu, but it is bidirectional, such that "Krishna (Vishnu) is Namdev's slave, and Namdev is Vishnu's slave". To Namdev, mechanical rituals are futile, pilgrimage to holy places is pointless, deep meditation and loving mutual devotion is what matters. Namdev and other sant poets of India "were influenced by the monist view of the ultimate being ( Brahman )", which

6767-457: The five between, and with each waking, the psychology and personality of the practitioner will be altogether and fundamentally transformed." According to the Gorakṣaśataka , or "Hundred Verses of Goraksa", hatha yoga practices such as the mudras mula bandha , uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha , and the pranayama practice of kumbhaka can awaken Kundalini. Another hatha yoga text,

6868-506: The force inseparable from consciousness, who animates creation and who, in her particularised form in the body, causes liberation through her upward, illusion-shattering movement. Despite mostly being associated with Shaiva and Shakta traditions, the concept of Kundalini Shakti is not at all alien to Vaishnavism . Narada Pancharatra, A popular Vaishnava text gives a detailed, although somewhat different description of Chakras and Kundalini Shakti. According to William F. Williams, kuṇḍalinī

6969-535: The founder of the Varkari sect and the one who promulgated the sect in Maratha country. Frazer, Edwards and P.R. Bhandarkar (1922) suggest that Pundalik tried to unify Shiva and Vishnu, and that this culture originated in Karnataka. Ranade (1933) thinks that Pundalik, a Kannada saint, was not only the founder of the Varkari culture but also the first great devotee or first high priest of the Pandharpur temple. Upadhyaya supports

7070-572: The great tantric scholar and master of the Kaula and Trika lineages, there are two main forms of Kuṇḍalinī, an upward moving Kuṇḍalinī ( urdhva ) associated with expansion, and a downward moving Kuṇḍalinī ( adha ) associated with contraction. According to the scholar of comparative religion Gavin Flood , Abhinavagupta links Kuṇḍalinī with "the power that brings into manifestation the body, breath, and experiences of pleasure and pain", with "the power of sexuality as

7171-403: The guidance of a competent teacher. These techniques come from any of the main branches of yoga, and some forms of yoga, such as Kriya yoga and Kundalini yoga , which emphasize Kuṇḍalinī techniques. The passive approach is instead a path of surrender where one lets go of all the impediments to the awakening rather than trying to actively awaken Kuṇḍalinī. A chief part of the passive approach

7272-401: The historical study of Maharashtrian Sant figures". His well-known and first miracle is that, in childhood, he got an idol of Lord Vitthal to drink milk. Namdev was married to Rajai and had a son, Vitha, both of whom wrote about him, as did his mother, Gonai. Contemporary references to him by a disciple, a potter, a guru and other close associates also exist. There are no references to him in

7373-399: The historicity of Pundalik altogether, and dismissed him as a mythical figure. In his analysis of the text Panduranga mahatmya by Sridhar (discussed in "Legend" section ahead), Raeside says that the legend of devotee Pundalik could have been nothing more a derivative of Puranic legend. Dhanpalvar strongly agreed with this possibility. Vaudeville found the legend of the Pundalik of Pandharpur

7474-425: The hypothesis is that the memorial shrine of Pundalik is a Shaiva shrine, rather than a Vaishnava one, compromising of a Shiva- linga , the symbol of god Shiva. Texts, that narrate the legend of Pundalik and Vithoba, can be categorised into the Varkari tradition, the Brahmin tradition and what Raeside calls a "third tradition", that includes both Varkari and Brahmin elements. The Varkari texts are written in Marathi ,

7575-432: The mantra, I noticed that my breathing was getting heavier. Suddenly, I felt a great impact of a rising force within me. The intensity of this rising kundalini force was so tremendous that my body lifted up a little and fell flat into the aisle; my eyeglasses flew off. As I lay there with my eyes closed, I could see a continuous fountain of dazzling white lights erupting within me. In brilliance, these lights were brighter than

7676-507: The need for the grace of a Perfect Master. In his book, Building a Noble World , Shiv R. Jhawar describes his Shaktipat experience at Muktananda's public program at Lake Point Tower in Chicago on 16 September 1974 as follows: Baba [Swami Muktananda] had just begun delivering his discourse with his opening statement: 'Today's subject is meditation. ... 'Kundalini starts dancing when one repeats Om Namah Shivaya.' Hearing this, I mentally repeated

7777-443: The next within singing families, and memory was the only recording method in the centuries that followed Namdev's death. The repertoires grew, because the artists added new songs to their repertoire. The earliest surviving manuscripts of songs attributed to Namdev, from these singing families, are traceable to the 17th century. A diverse collection of these manuscripts exist, which have been neither compiled nor archived successfully in

7878-406: The one true, or real Teacher of man ( satguru )". However, this is an observation based on hymns for which Namdev is not definitively known to the author, and might well be interpolated. For example, the following hymn talks about worshipping One Omnipresent God rather than Hindu deities Rama or Shiva O Pandit , I saw your great god Shiva, riding along on a white bull. In the merchant's house,

7979-451: The other four being Dadu , Kabir , Ravidas and Hardas . Dadupanthi Hindus thrived in Rajasthan , creating and compiling Bhakti poems including one of the largest collection of Namdev's songs. They were also among the warrior-ascetics of Rajput heritage who became a widespread phenomena in the 17th- and 18th-century North India, and were sannyasis who participated in armed resistance to

8080-545: The priest theory but declines the Kannada origin theory. Tulpule also accepted the theory that Pundalik was the historical founder of the Varkari sect, though declines to fix a date for him due to "lack of authentic evidence". According to M. S. Mate, Pundalik was instrumental in coaxing the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana to build the Pandharpur temple to Vishnu, placing him in the early 12th century. Deleury (1960) believes Pundalik

8181-445: The process of individuation, with sensitivity towards a new generation's interest in alternative religions and psychological exploration." In the introduction to Jung's book The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga , Sonu Shamdasani puts forth: "The emergence of depth psychology was historically paralleled by the translation and widespread dissemination of the texts of yoga... for the depth psychologies sought to liberate themselves from

8282-458: The records and inscriptions of the then-ruling family and the first non-Varkari noting of him appears possibly to be in the Leela Charitra , a Mahanubhava -sect biography dating from 1278. Smrtisthala , a later Mahanubhava text from around 1310, may also possibly refer to him; after that, there are no references until a bakhar of around 1538. According to Mahipati , a hagiographer of

8383-427: The religious base for the "premodern and modern culture of north India". Namdev attracted individuals from diverse classes and castes during community-driven bhajan singing sessions. His companions during worship sessions included Kanhopatra (a dancing girl), Sena (a barber), Savata (a gardener), Chokhamela (an untouchable), Janabai (a maid), Gora (a potter), Narahari (a goldsmith) and Jñāneśvar (also known as Dnyandev,

8484-413: The smallest independent unit within that can be shifted around, dropped or added, without affecting the harmony or meaning, when a bhajan is being sung with music. In Namdev's songs, the dominant pattern is Caturasra , or an avarta with the 4x4 square pattern of musical matras (beat). Namdev's work is known for abhangs , a genre of hymn poetry in India. His poems were transmitted from one generation to

8585-427: The source of reproduction" and with: the force of the syllable ha in the mantra and the concept of aham , the supreme subjectivity as the source of all, with a as the initial movement of consciousness and m its final withdrawal. Thus we have an elaborate series of associations, all conveying the central conception of the cosmos as a manifestation of consciousness, of pure subjectivity, with Kuṇḍalinī understood as

8686-482: The stultifying limitations of Western thought to develop maps of inner experience grounded in the transformative potential of therapeutic practices. A similar alignment of "theory" and "practice" seemed to be embodied in the yogic texts that moreover had developed independently of the bindings of Western thought. Further, the initiatory structure adopted by institutions of psychotherapy brought its social organization into proximity with that of yoga. Hence, an opportunity for

8787-468: The sun but possessed no heat at all. I was experiencing the thought-free state of "I am", realizing that "I" have always been, and will continue to be, eternal. I was fully conscious and completely aware while I was experiencing the pure "I am", a state of supreme bliss. Outwardly, at that precise moment, Baba delightfully shouted from his platform, ‘I didn't do anything. The Energy has caught someone.' ' The experience of Kuṇḍalinī awakening can happen when one

8888-442: The surviving Rajasthani manuscripts are considerably different musically and morphologically, but likely to have evolved from a very early common source. Of thousands of Abhang poems credited to Namdev, 600 - 700 are probably authentic. The other poems are attributed to Namdev, in a phenomenon Novetzke calls, "anamnetic authorship". The later compositions and their authors hid the true authorship purposefully and collectively over

8989-525: The symbol of the Kundalini energy, although in Hinduism, the same energy is believed to spiritually dwell in all. The brick on which Vitthala is standing is the chakra of Kundalini energy known as the Muladhara Chakra. Both hands, like bows, represents Ida and Pingla nadis , which cross over at the central body of Sushumna or Brahma nadi . The body represents purusha, meaning Vishnu or Krishna , and

9090-663: The symbolism of Kuṇḍalinī yoga suggested that the bizarre symptomatology that patients at times presented, actually resulted from the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī. He argued that knowledge of such symbolism enabled much that would otherwise be seen as the meaningless by-products of a disease process to be understood as meaningful symbolic processes, and explicated the often peculiar physical localizations of symptoms. Namdev Namdev (Pronunciation: [naːmdeʋ] ), also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, (traditionally, c.  26 October 1270  – c.  3 July 1350 )

9191-560: The tilaka, or the mark on his head, represents Ajna Chakra (also known as the guru chakra or third-eye chakra), a subtle center of energy that is believed to be located between the eyebrows and along the spinal column, as said by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita . Pundalik is a historical figure, connected with the establishment and propagation of the Vithoba-centric Varkari sect. Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar considers Pundalik to be

9292-420: The top of the head—the crown chakra —thus projecting your awareness into the higher heavenly dimensions of the universe. The result is an indescribable expansion of consciousness into spiritual realms beyond form and thought. Sri Aurobindo was the other great scholarly authority on Kuṇḍalinī, with a viewpoint parallel to that of Woodroffe but of a somewhat different slant - this according to Mary Scott, herself

9393-451: Was a Marathi Vaishnava saint from Narsi , Hingoli , Maharashtra , Medieval India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He was as a devotee of the deity Vithoba of Pandharpur . Namdev was influenced by Vaishnavism and became widely known in India for his devotional songs set to music ( bhajan-kirtans ). His philosophy contains both nirguna brahman and saguna brahman elements, with Vedanta themes. Namdev's legacy

9494-499: Was a mystic, influenced by the Vaishnava Haridasa sect of Karnataka , who brought a drastic change in the worship of Vithoba. Pundalik not only founded the Varkari sect, but also was the first to identify Vithoba with the god Vishnu . Pundalik's fame also led to naming of Pandharpur to Paundrika-kshetra - the sacred place of Pundalik. Other scholars like Raeside (1965), Dhanpalvar (1972), and Vaudeville (1974) have questioned

9595-453: Was believed to be as Relekar which is common in Bhavsar and Namdev shimpi caste. He is traditionally believed to have lived between 1270 and 1350 but S. B. Kulkarni has suggested that 1207-1287 is more likely, based on textual analysis. Some scholars date him to around 1425 and another, R. Bharadvaj, proposes 1309-1372. He is, according to Christian Novetzke, "one of the most prominent voices in

9696-604: Was born at Narsi Bahmani , on the Krishna River in Marathwada and others preferring somewhere near to Pandharpur on the Bhima river. that he was himself a calico-printer or tailor and that he spent much of his life in Punjab. The Lilacaritra suggests, however, that Namdev was a cattle-thief who was devoted to and assisted Vithoba . A friendship between Namdev and Jñāneśvar ,

9797-428: Was expressed, in vernacular language, as the loving devotion not of a specific deity but to this ultimate, according to McGregor. Namdev's songs suggested the divine is within oneself, its non-duality , its presence and oneness in everyone and everything. In Namdev's literary works, summarises Klaus Witz, as with virtually every Bhakti movement poet, the "Upanishadic teachings form an all-pervasive substratum, if not

9898-813: Was pacified. Then Krishna visited Pundalik and found Pundalik serving his parents. Pundalik threw a brick outside for Krishna to stand on. Krishna stood on the brick and waited for Pundalik. After completing his services, Pundalik asked that his deity, in the Vithoba form - waiting arms-akimbo on the brick, remain on the brick with Rukmini, in Rakhumai form, and bless his devotees forever. Bhandarkar, Ramakrishna Gopal (1995) [1913]. Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism, and Minor Religious Systems . Asian Educational Services. pp. 124–27. ISBN   81-206-0122-X . Kundalini In Hinduism , kundalini ( Sanskrit : कुण्डलिनी , romanized :  kuṇḍalinī , lit.   'coiled snake', pronunciation )

9999-584: Was strengthened by the interest of Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung (1875–1961). "Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932 was widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought and of the symbolic transformations of inner experience. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the developmental phases of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of

10100-459: Was the Punjabi village of Ghuman , although this is not universally accepted. Aside from a shrine there that marks his death, there are monuments at the other claimant places, being Pandharpur and the nearby Narsi Bahmani . Scholars note that many miracles and specifics about Namdev's life appear only in manuscripts written centuries after Namdev's death. The birth theory with Namdev floating down

10201-580: Was very similar to the legend of Pundarika, the devotee of Vishnu, in the Hindu epic Mahabharata . The religious historian R.C. Dhere , winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Sri Vitthal: Ek Mahasamanvaya , opines that identification of Vithoba with Vishnu led to conversion of the Shaiva (related to god Shiva ) Pundarika shrine to the Vaishnava shrine of the devotee Pundalik. The main argument of

#863136