Part 1.3 - The Human Body according to Yoga Śikhopaniṣad

The entire gamut of yogīc practice involves not only the mind but the body as well and that too intimately. It is therefore, necessary to be familiar with a few things about the body which are considered as relevant to the practice of Yoga.

In the human body there are six cakras (plexuses), sixteen bases (vital points) and five skies having a further three-fold classification of the external middle and internal. How can a person who does not know all this, hope to succeed in the Yoga effort?

i The Human Body as a Temple:

The Yoga Śikha Upaniṣad says–

“The body has been said to be a temple of God (abode of Śiva or Viṣṇu) which grants the attainment of objective to all human beings”.^[1]

Else where also–

“The body is the abode of God and the Soul (jīva) is Śiva only. One should cast away the withered flowers in the form of ignorance and worship God with a feeling of “I am That”.^[2]

ii The Size of Human body:

The size of human body has been stated to be ninety six aṅgulas (about 6’). This is an average figure on which the Upaniṣads are agree.

(a) The mid point of the body: The middle point of the human body is two aṅgulas (about 1 3/4) above the anus and two aṅgulas below the genital i.e. exactly in the mid-point between the anus and the genital.

In case of the quadruped animals, however the centre of the heart is the mid point. In case of others i.e. birds it is the middle of the bell, i.e. the cavity of the naval.

(b) Length of Prāṇa :-The length of human body is ninety-six aṅgulas and the prāṇa is twelve aṅgulas more than that i.e. one hundred and eight aṅgulas in all (about 6’.9”).

iii The body as a Cosmos

Our ancient seers claim that the human body is the entire cosmos in miniature. This body is the Brahmāṇḍa (Brahma’s creators egg), i.e. the universe.

iv The Moon and Sun:

In this body called the Brahmāṇḍa (microcosm) there is a semicircular moon at the top of the vertebral column. This moon with its mouth downwards rains nectar day and night. This flowing nectar gets divided into two channels. One of these called the water of the Gaṅgās, flows through the Iḍā (one of the three important nerves) for the purpose of nourishment. This part of the nectar which flows through the iḍā certainly nourishes the whole body.

This moon (literally the ray of the nectar) is situated in the left side. The other channel; which is like pure milk goes through the middle path (called suṣumnā) i.e. the central nerve for the purpose of procreation.

At the base of the vertebral column is the Sun having twelve kalās (parts). The Sun, with its rays flows by the right passage i.e (piṅgalā nāḍī). The Sun verify devours the out flow of Moon’s rectar as also the various minerals of the body. And it moves in the air region of the whole body.

The ultimate representation of the Sun and the emancipation it self flows in the right passage at a particular configuration of the starts and planets and is the creator as well as the destroyer.

iv The Element in the Body:

The five elements viz. ether, air, fire, water and earth (pancatatva) which are the constituents of prakṛti (nature) are also represented in the human body. Any one who desires to achieve Yoga should know that this body is constituted by the five elements.

(i) The part of the body beginning from the feet and upto the knees is said to be the seat of earth (pṛthivī);
(ii) The portion beginning from the knees and upto just above the anus is the seat of water;
(iii) The fire region occupies the portion from the anus to the heart;
(iv) The air region extends from the heart to the point in between the eye brows (ājñā cakra) and lastly
(v) The ether (space) region occupies the portion from the mid point between the eyebrows to the top of the head.

Ether is represented by heart (antaḥkaraṇa), mind, intellect, citta and ego.

Air by the five airs viz. samāna, udāna, vyāna, apāna and prāṇa.

vi Gross body and Subtle body:

This gross body is the abode of pleasure and pain generated by human activity. The attributes of the gross body are—

(i) it exists;
(ii) it is born;
(iii) it grows;
(iv) it matures;
(iv) it decays and lastly
(vi) it is destroyed.

So that which undergoes the above six changes is the gross body.

The subtle body is the instrument, the means through which the pleasure and pain are experienced. This subtle body consists of–

(i) Senses of knowledge (jñānendriya) -5
(ii) Senses of activity(karmendriya) -5
(iii) Airs (prāṇa) -5 the seventeen constitute.
(iv) The mind (mana) -1 the subtle body.
(v) The intellect (budhi) -1.

vii The Senses:

The Sāṃkhya Darśana of sage Kapila, says that the senses including the mind are eleven. Excluding the mind, the remaining ten fall into two categories viz.

(i) karmendriyas i.e. senses of action and
(ii) jñānendriyas i.e senses of knowledge.

The Manu Smṛti says–The wise of older times have said there are eleven senses–These are ears, skin, the eyes, tongue and nose–senses of knowledge.

The other five are (i) Anus, (ii) The genital (iii) The hands, (iv) The feet and (v) The speech-senses of action and mind is the eleventh.

Fire by ear, skin, eyes, tongue and nose–known by the term (jñānendriya the senses of knowledge).

Water by sound, touch, form, taste and smell (called tanmātrās) and earth by speech, hands, feet, aṇus and genital–the senses of activity–karmendriya.

viii The Vital Points of the Body:

These are those important places in the body, where the prāṇa (breath) is held or concentrated during the Yoga and prāṇāyāma practice. According to the Yoga Śikha Upaniṣad these points are–the toes, the ankles, mid point of jangha, the mid-point of thigh as also, its base root, aṇus, heart, genital, the middle of the body (mūlādhāra in between aṇus and genital, naval, adam’s apple, root of the pallet, root of the nose, region of the eyes; spot between the eyebrows, the fore head base as well as upper part, knees, base of the hands.

ix The Kānda (bulbous root):

These nāḍis emanate from the bulb i.e kāṇḍa. It is therefore, necessary to understand the location and size etc. of the kāṇḍa. The Varāha Upaniṣad says:-

(i) It is said that the bulbous root of nāḍīs is located nine aṅgulas (about 6¾) above the genital.
(ii) It has a thickness of four aṅgulas (about 3”) and a breath of four aṅgulas (about 3”)
(iii) It has the shape of an egg and lastly.
(iv) It is surrounded by fat, narrow, bone and blood.

If further says that there itself is located the wheel of nāḍīs, which has twelve spokes. It is there that the kuṇḍalinī is situated and this kuṇḍalinī is the sustainer the mainstay of the body.

x The Nāḍīs are the (vessels, veins, arteries etc.) Inside the Body:

The Śiva SaÞhitā says that there are as many as 3,50,000 (three hundred and fifty thousand) nāḍīs in the human body. With the exception of Śiva Saṃhitā however most of the other authorities like Dhyāna, Brahmavidyā, Yoga Cuḍāmaṇi Upaniṣads is also Gorakṣapaddhati and Bhutaśuddhi Tantra say that there are seventy two thousand nāḍīs in the human body.

Out of the above multitude, however not more than fourteen have been considered as important, although the Goraksapaddhati and Dhyānabindupaniṣad have also mentioned an intermediate figure of seventy two. While the Gorakṣapaddhati and Triśikhi, Dhyābindu, Yoga Cuḍāmaṇi Upaniṣads consider that there are only ten important nāḍis. The Śiva Saṃhitā the three Upaniṣads viz Sāṇḍily, Darśana, Yoga Śikha as also the Bhutaśuddhi Tantra consider that there are fourteen important nāḍīs.

The fourteen principal nāḍīs are:

1. suṣumnā,
2. iḍā,
3. piṅgalā,
4. gāndhāri,
5. hastijihvikā,
6. kuhu,
7. sarasvatī,
8. pūṣā,
9. śaṅkhinī,
10. pāyasvinī,
11. varuṇī,
12. alambusā,
13. viśvodārī and
14. yaśasvinī.

Even out of the above fourteen nāḍīs, the three viz iḍā, piṅgalā and suṣumnā is the crown jewel.

The authorities, which consider only ten nāḍīs as important by and large, leave out these four, viz. (i) saraswati (ii) pāyaśvinī (iii) vāruṇī and (iv) viśvodarī.

The Yoga Śikha Upaniṣad,^[3] however, says–

“The nāḍīs which is called vilambini is situated in the naval. It is there that the nāḍīs are born, spreading sideways, upwards and downwards. And it is there that the naval wheel, which is like the egg of a hen, is situated”.

From the above description it appears that the nābhicakra and the kāṇḍa are one and the same thing.

The ten nāḍīs basically cover the nine openings in the body plus the Brahma Randhra (the Brahma cavity in the body).

The nine openings are.—

1 & 2, the two eyes,
3 & 4 the two ears
5 & 6 two nostrils,
7 the mouth,
8 the genital and
9 the anus.

The tenth of course is the Brahma cavity in the head.

The three nāḍīs viz. iḍā, piṅgalā and suṣumnā are situated in the passage of the breath (prāṇa) and carry the breath continuously all the twenty four hours. Iḍās deity is the moon, piṅgalā lord is sun and that of suṣumnā is the fire. Suṣumnā is also called the Brahma nāḍī.

There is almost complete unanimity amongst the ancient authorities regarding the description of three nāḍīs viz. iḍā, piṅgalā and suṣumnā. But with regard to the remaining nāḍīs there are differences. This will be clear from the comparative chart given below.

Table-5

Nāḍī	Triśikhi	Yogaśikha[4]	Darśana	Śaṇḍilya
1. Gāndhāri	left eye	eye	right eye	left eye
2. Hastijihvā	right eye	eye	right toe
3. Pūṣā	right ear	ear	left eye	right eye
4. Yaśasvinī	left ear		left toe	toe, right ear
5. Alambuṣā	aṇus, carries faces			above aṇus
6. Kuhu		aṇus, carries faces	ear	genital
7. Śaṅkhinī		born out of the throat cavity, face downwards carries food to the head.[5]	right ear	left ear
8. Sarasvatī		tip of the tongue	tip of the tongue	tip of the tongue
9. Pāyaśvinī			right ear
10. Viśvodārī		abdomen	abdomen
11. Vāruṇi		urine, genital
2. Rākā		drinks water in a moment causes sneeze and gathers phlegm.[6]
3. Śura		in between the two eye brows
4. Citrā		discharge of semen.

Thus in the Yoga Śikha Upaniṣad, after an introductory vers (no.1) a brief and clear picture of the yogic meditation is first given (verses-2, 3). More meditation is first given (verses 2-3). More mystical is the following part (Verses 4-7) which takes for granted symbolically a sun situated in the body, be it in the head or probably more rightly in the heart (Nārāyaṇa), in its midst is a fire which projects into a pointed flame in which exists, to be seen, the highest being.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

‌dehaṃ śivālayaṃ proktaṃ siddhidaṃ sarvadehinaṃ. Ibid-I-68.

[2]:

‌deho devālayaḥ proktaḥ sa jīvaḥ kevalaḥ śivaḥ |
tyajejñānanirmālyaṃ soahaṃbhāvena pujayet || Ibid-V-4.

[3]:

‌vilamvinīti yā nāḍī vyaktā nāvau pratiṣṭhitā |
tatra nāḍyaḥ samutpanmāṣṭiryagūrdhvamadhomukhāḥ |
tannābhiścakramityuktaṃ kukuṭāṇḍamiva sthitaṃ || Ibid-V-20 & 21.

[4]:

‌Ibid-V-16-27.

[5]:

‌Ibid-V-24.

[6]:

kaṇṭhakūpodbhavā nāḍī Śaṅkhinyākhyā twadhamūkhī |
annasāram samādāya mūrdhni saṅcinūte sadā || Ibid-V-25.