Bindu Nâtha may be the same as the author of the Rasa-Paddhati, a medical work.
Kakacandîshvara authored several works on Yoga and the medical text Kakacandîshvara-Kalpa.
Allama Prabhudeva was a contemporary of Basava (1120-1168 C.E.) and the head of an order that included three hundred realized practitioners, sixty of whom are said to have been women. His life story is related in the Prabhulinga-Lila, a mid-sixteenth-century work, according to which Goraksha took initiation from Allama. As a result of the practices given to him, Goraksha acquired immunity from all weapons. He proudly demonstrated his newly won paranormal ability to his teacher. To teach Goraksha a lesson in humility, Allama asked his disciple to strike him with a sword. To his astonishment, Goraksha found that the sword passed through the great siddha as if he were made of empty space. Allama explained that all forms are but frozen shadows produced by illusion (mâyâ). When the knot at the heart is untied and the spell of mâyâ is lifted, then the body is realized to be nothing but the singular Reality, which is omnipresent. Allama dropped his shadow-body in 1196 C.E.
II. WALKING THE RAZOR’S EDGE— THE HATHA-YOGIC PATH
The body is the abode of God, O Goddess. The psyche (jîva) is God Sadâ-Shiva. One should abandon the offering-remains of ignorance; one should worship with the thought “I am He.”
This quote from the Kula-Arnava-Tantra (9.41) states the ultimate purpose of Hatha-Yoga, which is God-realization, or enlightenment, here and now, in a divinized or immortal body. This is often expressed as the state of balance or harmony (samarasa) in the body, when the ordinarily diffuse life energy is stabilized in the central channel. This idea is present in the term hatha-yoga itself, which is esoterically explained as the union (yoga) between “sun” and “moon,” the conjunction of the two great dynamic principles or aspects of the body-mind.
The life force (prâna) is polarized along the spinal axis, where the dynamic pole (represented by Shakti) is said to be at the base of the spine and the static pole (represented by Shiva) at the crown of the head. The hatha-yogin’s work consists in uniting Shakti with Shiva. For this marriage to come about, however, he must first stabilize the alternating life current animating the body. This dynamic flow (often referred to as hamsa) is polarized positively and negatively, rushing up and down on the left and the right side of the body 21,600 times in the span of a day.12 The positive current is experienced as heating, the negative as cooling. On the material level, they correspond to the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system respectively.
According to the Tantric model of the human body, the axial channel (called sushumnâ) is entwined by the helical idâ- and pingalâ-nâdîs. The idâ is the carrier or flow of the lunar force on the left of the bodily axis, and the pingalâ is the conduit or flow of the solar force on the right. The syllable ha in the word hatha also represents the solar force of the body, and the syllable tha represents the lunar force.13 The term yoga stands for their conjunction, which is the ecstatic state of identity between subject and object.
The hatha-yogin’s primary objective is to intercept the left and right current and draw the bipolar energy into the central channel, which commences at the anal center or mûlâdhâra-cakra, where the kundalinî is thought to be asleep. This persistent effort to redirect the life force acts upon the kundalinî, which is mobilized. This action can be compared to a hammer striking an anvil; hence, the regular exoteric meaning of the word hatha is “force.” Hatha-Yoga is traditionally depicted as a forceful enterprise in which the body’s innate life force is utilized for the transcendence of the self and the realization of the Self.
Purificatory Techniques
Breath control (prânâyâma), which is the most immediate way of effecting the life force, is at the heart of Hatha-Yoga practice. In their long experimentation with the breath, however, early yogins found that most aspirants should undergo more or less extensive purification prior to embarking on breath control. They thus invented a large array of cleansing techniques to prepare the body for the demands of the higher stages of practice. The Gheranda-Samhitâ has the following pertinent stanzas:
Purification, strengthening, stabilizing, calmness, lightness, perception [of the Self], and the untainted [condition of liberation] are the seven means of [the Yoga of] the pot (gatha) [i.e., the body], (1.9)
Purification [is accomplished] by the six acts; [the yogin] becomes strong through postures (âsanay, stability [is acquired] through the seals (mudrd) and calmness through sense- withdrawal (pratyâhâra). (1.10)
Lightness [results] from breath control (prânâyâma), perception of the Self from meditation (dhyâna), and the untainted [state] from ecstasy (samâdhi); [this last state] is undoubtedly liberation (mukti). (1.11)
Sage Gheranda continues to describe the “six acts” (shat-karman), which comprise the following six purificatory practices:
Dhauti (“cleansing”) consists of the following four techniques: Antar-dhauti (“inner cleansing”) is of four types: The first technique is performed by means of swallowing the breath and expelling it through the anus; the second by means of completely filling the stomach with water; the third by stimulating the “fire” in the abdomen through repeatedly pushing the navel back toward the spine; the fourth is executed by washing the prolapsed intestines (a risky undertaking). These are respectively known as vata-sara- (“relating to air”), vari-sara- (“relating to water”), vahni-sara- (“relating to fire”), and bahish-krita- (“externally performed”) antar-dhauti.
Danta-dhauti (“dental cleansing”) includes cleaning teeth, tongue, ears, and frontal sinus. The cleansing of the tongue involves rubbing butter on it and then milking and pulling it in preparation for the khecârî-mudrd, which requires that one insert the tip of the tongue into the nasal opening at the palate. Some yogins even use metal instruments to elongate the tongue.
Hrid-dhauti (“heart cleansing”) consists in the cleansing of the throat by means of a plantain stalk, turmeric, a cane, or a piece of cloth, or by self-induced vomiting, which is beneficial for those suffering from diseases of the chest (“heart”). Cleansing the throat and stomach by means of a long four- finger-wide cloth is called vaso- dhauti, which is said to cure tumors, an enlarged spleen, skin diseases, and various disorders of phlegm and bile.
Mûla-shodhana (“root purification”) is the cleansing of the anus (mûlâ) manually, with water, or with a turmeric stalk, which heals gastrointestinal diseases and increases bodily vigor.
Vasti or basti (“bladder”) consists in the contraction and dilation of the sphincter muscle to cure constipation, flatulence, and urinary ailments and can also be performed while standing in water. Sometimes a tube is inserted into the rectum while seated in the utkata-âsana, which is the yogic version of an enema.
Neti (untranslatable) refers to a thin thread of around nine inches that is inserted into one nostril at a time and passed through the mouth to remove phlegm and, because of its action upon the ajna-cakra, induce clairvoyance (divya-drishti).
Lauli or lauliki (“to-and-fro movement”), also called nauli or nauli-kriyä, consists in rolling the abdominal muscles sideways to massage the inner organs, which is thought to cure a variety of diseases.
Trâtaka (untranslatable) refers to the steady, relaxed gazing at a small object until tears begin to flow, which is said to cure diseases of the eye and also induce clairvoyance.
Kapâla-bhâti (“skull-luster”) comprises three practices that are held to remove phlegm, and the last is additionally said to make the yogin as attractive as the God of love, Kamadeva: The “left process” (vâma-krama) consists in breathing through the left nostril and expelling the air through the right, and vice versa.
The “inverted process” (vyut- krama) consists in drawing water up through the nostrils and expelling it through the mouth.
The “shit process” (shit-krama) consists in sucking water up through the mouth and expelling it through the nose. The phrase shit is onomatopoeic for the sou
nd produced by this practice.
Other texts occasionally give different definitions of the above practices, and some scriptures mention further techniques for purifying the body and preparing it for the advanced art of breath control. Noteworthy is the work Sat-Karma- Samgraha (also titled Karma-P addhati) of Cidghanânanda, which is a manual perhaps dating back to the eighteenth century and comprising 149 stanzas. It deals extensively with purificatory techniques and ailments resulting from faulty Yoga practice. According to the Hatha-Yoga- Pradîpikâ (2.21), only those who are flabby and phlegmatic need to resort to the “six actions” to purify the body.
Postures
Sage Gheranda treats Hatha-Yoga as having seven rather than eight limbs, whereby the postures (âsana) and the seals (mudrâ) are respectively the second limb and the third limb, while the moral rules (that is, yama and niya- ma) are not regarded as independent aspects. The Gheranda-Samhitâ (2.1) makes the point that there are as many âsanas as there are animal species. Gheranda claims that Shiva taught as many as 8,400,000 postures, of which eighty-four are considered important by yogins. According to the Hatha-Yoga-Pradîpikâ (1.33), however, Shiva taught only eighty-four postures. Of these postures, the following thirty-two are described in the Gheranda-Samhitâ: (1) Siddha-âsana (“adept posture”), (2) padma-âsana (“lotus posture”), (3) bhadra-âsana (“auspicious posture”), (4) mukta-âsana (“liberated posture”), (5) vajrâ- âsana (“diamond posture”), (6) svastika-âsana (“svastika posture”), (7) simha-âsana (“lion posture”), (8) go-mukha- âsana (“cow-face posture”), (9) vîra-âsana (“hero posture”), (10) dhanur-âsana (“bow posture”), (11) mrita- âsana (“corpse posture”), (12) gupta-dsana (“hidden posture”), (13) matsya-âsana (“fish posture”), (14) matsyen- dra-âsana (“Matsyendra’s posture”), (15) goraksha-âsana (“Goraksha’s posture”), (16) pashcimottana-âsana (“back-stretch posture”), (17) utkata-âsana (“extraordinary posture”), (18) samkata-âsana (“dangerous posture”), (19) mayûra-âsana (“peacock posture”), (20) kukkuta-âsana (“cock posture”), (21) kurma-âsana (“tortoise posture”), (22) uttâna-kurmaka-âsana (“extended tortoise posture”), (23) uttdna-manduka-âsana (“extended frog posture”), (24) vriksha-âsana (“tree posture”), (25) manduka-âsana (“frog posture”), (26) garuda-âsana (“eagle posture”), (27) vrisha-âsana (“bull posture”), (28) shalabha-âsana (“locust posture”), (29) makâra-âsana (“shark posture”), (30) ushtra-âsana (“camel posture”), (31) bhujanga-âsana (“serpent posture,” often called “cobra”), and (32) yoga-âsana (“Yoga posture”). In place of lengthy descriptions, which can be found in numerous books, the following illustrations depict some of these postures.
Contemporary manuals describe over a thousand postures. Some of these postures—like the adept and the lotus posture—are clearly intended for prolonged sitting in meditation. Most of them, however, are designed to regulate the life force in the body in order to balance, strengthen, and heal it. It appears from the outset that Hatha-Yoga has included a therapeutic dimension, which today is being professionalized as “Yoga therapy.”14
Even the meditation postures are said to have therapeutic value, and in some instances rather exaggerated claims are made in the Sanskrit texts. In both Eastern and Western Yoga circles, postural practice is often overemphasized, and the following observation found in the Kula-Arnava-Tantra is pertinent:
Yoga is not [attained] through the lotus posture and not by gazing at the tip of the nose. Yoga, say the experts of Yoga, is the identity of the psyche (jîva) with the [transcendental] Self. (9.30)
Seals and Locks
Related to the postures are the seals (mudrâ) and locks (bandha), which form the third limb of Hatha- Yoga. The seals represent more advanced techniques, which, as is clear from the last five techniques, even merge with meditative practices. “They are divine,” declares Svatmarama, the author of the Hatha-Yoga- Pradîpikâ (3.8), “and they bestow the eight [great paranormal] powers. They are favored by all the adepts and are difficult to obtain even by the deities.” Svatmarama further states that they should be kept secret, just as, in his words, one would not divulge one’s sexual intimacies with a well-bred woman. The locks (bandha) are special bodily maneuvers that are designed to confine the life force within the trunk and thereby stimulate it. In the Gheranda-Samhitâ (chapter 3), the following twen- ty-five mudrds, including the bandhas, are described in the order given:
mahâ-mudrâ (“great seal”), performed by pressing the left heel against the perineum and grasping the toes of the right outstretched leg while contracting the throat;
nabho-mudrâ (“sky seal”), which is executed by turning the tongue upward against the palate, and which can be done during any activity;
uddiyana-bandha (“upward-going lock”), performed by drawing back the abdomen;
jalandhâra-bandha (“Jalandhâra’s lock”), done by contracting the throat;
mûlâ-bandha (“root lock”), executed by contracting the anal sphincter muscle;
mahâ-bandha (“great lock”), performed by pressing the left ankle against the perineum while placing the right foot on top of the other foot and contracting the anal sphincter muscle;
mahâ-vedha (“great penetrator”), executed by engaging the uddiyana-bandha during the application of the great seal;
khecârî-mudrd (“space-walking seal”), a very important technique, which is performed by inserting the elongated tongue into the passage above the upper palate and by fixing the gaze on the spot between the eyebrows; this is said to release the “nectar of immortality” (amri- ta), which leads to health, longevity, and a host of paranormal powers; the am- rita is sweet-tasting saliva;
viparîta-kari- or viparîta- karani-mudrâ (“inverted action seal”), also known as the headstand or shoulder- stand, which prevents the ambrosia (amrita, soma) from dripping into the “fire” at the navel;
yoni-mudrâ (“womb seal”), performed by sitting in the adept posture and closing the eyes, ears, nostrils, and the mouth with the fingers, followed by breath retention and simultaneous contemplation of the six centers (cakra) this practice is also called shan-mukhi-mudrâ;
vajrolî-mudrâ (“thunderbolt seal”), executed by raising oneself off the ground while winding the legs around the neck; other texts, however, provide a completely different explanation of this practice, which involves drawing up liquids through the penis;
shakti-calani-mudrâ (“power-stirring seal”), performed by forcibly joining the life force in the chest with that in the abdomen while contracting the anal sphincter muscle by means of ashvini-mudrâ and while sitting in the adept’s posture;
tadagi-mudrâ (“pond seal”), performed by pulling back the abdomen while lying prone;
manduki-mudrâ (“frog seal”), done by moving the tongue until the “nectar” flows profusely, which is then swallowed;
shâmbhavî-mudrâ (“Shambhu’s seal”), a most important technique that consists in gazing at the spot between the eyebrows while inwardly contemplating the transcendental Self; Shambhu is another name for God Shiva, and the yogin who has mastered this technique is said to resemble the great God himself;
ashvini-mudrâ (“dawn-horse seal”), performed by repeatedly contracting the anal sphincter muscle;
pashini-mudrâ (“bird-catcher seal”), executed by crossing the legs behind the neck, though not raising the body off the ground, as in the vajrolî-mudrâ
kaki-mudrâ (“crow seal”), done by slowly inhaling through the mouth which is formed into a crow’s beak;
matangi-mudrâ (“elephant seal”), performed by standing neck-deep in water and sucking up water through the nose and expelling it through the mouth;
bhujangini- or bhujangi-mudrâ (“serpent seal”), executed by drawing in air through the mouth while making a slight rasping noise with the throat;
-25. the five concentrations (dhâranâ) upon the material elements, which involve focusing the life force and the mind on each respective element for two h
ours while imaging the various symbolic forms associated with each (such as the presiding deity of each element, its seed mantra, and so on). The five elements are earth, water, fire, air, and space/ether (âkâsha, kha). The inclusion of these concentration practices under the heading of mudrâs is curious, but illustrates the close relationship that exists in Yoga between physical practice and mental focus.
Sense-Withdrawal
According to Gheranda’s path, the fourth limb of Hatha-Yoga is sense-withdrawal (pratyâhâra), which he deals with only very cursorily. It simply consists in withdrawing attention from external, sensory objects. The fact that this practice is placed before breath control, the fifth limb, indicates that yogic breathing presupposes a great measure of mental discipline.
Breath Control
Breath control (prânâyâma) is the careful regulation of the life force (prâna) in its different forms. From the point of view of the hatha-yogin, the work of Yoga is impossible to accomplish without mastery of the breath/life force. As the Yoga-Bîja puts it:
He who desires union (yoga) without controlling the breath (pavana) is, to yogins, like someone who wants to cross the ocean in an unbaked [earthen] vessel. (77)
In the words of the Hatha-Yoga-Pradxpika:
When the breath moves, consciousness (icitta) [also] moves. When it is immobile, [consciousness is also] immobile, and the yog in attains stability. Therefore, one should restrain the breath.
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