Yogashikha Upanishad (critical study)
by Sujatarani Giri | 2015 | 72,044 words
This page relates ‘Sahasrara cakra (crown or casional centre)’ of the English study on the Yogashikha Upanishad—a key text from the Krishna Yajurveda, focusing on the pinnacle of Yogic meditation. This essay presents Yoga as a crucial component of ancient Indian philosophy and spirituality and underscores its historical roots in Vedic literature—particularly the Upanishads and Vedant. The chapters of this study are devoted to the faculties of the mind and internal body mechanisms such as Chakras as well as the awakening of Kundalini.
Part 2.1g - Sahasrāra cakra (crown or casional centre)
Sahasrāra cakra is the abode of lord Śiva. This corresponds to Satya loka. This is situated at the crown of the head. When kuṇḍalinī is united with lord Śiva at the sahasrāra cakra, the yogī enjoys the supreme bliss, parama ānanda. When kuṇḍalinī is taken to this centre, the yogī attains the super conscious state and the highest knowledge. He becomes a Brahmavid Vaśiṣṭha or a full-blown jñāni.
The word sahasradala-padma denotes that this padma has 1000 petals. That is, one thousand yoga nāḍis emnante from this centre. There are different opinions about the exact number of petals. It is quite sufficient if you know that innumerable nāḍis proceed from this centre. As in the case of other cakras, the vibrations that are made by yoga nāḍis represented by the Sanskrit letters. All the 50 letters of the Sanskrit albhabet are repeated here again and again in all yoga nāḍis. This is sukṣma centre. The corresponding centre in the physical body is in the brain.
The term “ṣat-cakras” refers only to the chief six cakras, viz, mūlādhāra, svādhiṣṭhāna, maṇipura, anāhata, viśuddha and ājñā. Above all these we have sahasrāra cakra. This is the chief of all cakras. All the cakras have their intimate connections with this centre. Hence, this is not included as one among the ṣat-cakras. This is situated above all the cakras.
The cakras are mentioned in the Upaniṣads are the same. The difference slightly among themselves as to the number of petals. For some reason the Upaniṣads do not increde the centre at the top of the head, confining themselves to six cakras only and calling the centre the sahasrāra padma–the lotus of thousand petals.
The discrepancies as to the number of petals are not important; for example. The Yoga Kuṇḍalinī Upaniṣad speaks of sixteen petals in the heart cakra instead of twelve, and the Dhyānavindu Upaniṣad and the Śāṇḍilya Upaniṣad both mention twelve spokes instead of ten in the naval cakra. A number of works also refer to another cakra that is below the heart and several cenres between the brow cakra and the crown lotus, all as being of great importance.