Kundalini Yoga: Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad, Part III

By Sri Swami Sivananda

The Khechari Vidya

1. Now, then, a description of the science called Khechari.

2. He who has duly mastered this science, is freed from old age and death, in this world.

3. Knowing this science, O Sage, one who is subject to the pains of death, disease and old age, should make his mind firm and practise Khechari.

4. He who has gained a knowledge of the Khechari from books, from the exposition of the meaning of the same, and who has by recourse to its practice, gained a mastery of this science, becomes the destroyer of old age, death and disease, in this world.

5. Such a master, one should approach for shelter. From all points of view, one should look upon him as his Guru.

6. The science of Khechari is not easily accessible. Its practice is not easily attainable. Its practice and Melana are not accomplished simultaneously. Literally, Melana is joining.

7. The key to this science of Khechari is kept a profound secret. The secret is revealed by adepts only at initiation.

8. They do not get Melana, who are bent only upon practice. O Brahman, only some get the practice after several births. But, even after hundred births, Melana is not obtained.

9. As a result of having undergone the practice for several births, some Yogis get the Melana in some future birth.

10. The Yogi attains the Siddhi mentioned in several books, when he gets this Melana from the mouth of the Guru.

11. The state of Siva freed from all rebirth, is achieved when the practitioner gets this Melana from the grasp of the significance presented in the books.

12. This science is, therefore, very difficult to master. Until he gets this science, the ascetic should wander over earth.

13. The ascetic has physical powers or Siddhis in his hand, the moment he obtains this science.

14. One should therefore regard as Achyuta or Vishnu, any person who imparts this Melana. He too should be regarded as Achyuta, who gives this science. He who teaches the practice, should be regarded as Siva.

15. You have got the science from me. You should not reveal it to others. One who knows this science, should practise it with all his efforts. Except to those who deserve it, he should give it to none.

16. One who is able to teach the Divine Yoga, is the Guru. To the place where he lives, one should go. Then, learn from him the science of Khechari.

17. Taught well by him, one should at first practise it carefully. A person will then attain the Siddhi of Khechari, by means of this science.

18. One becomes the Lord of Khecharas or the Devas, by joining with Khechari Shakti (viz., Kundalini Shakti) by means of this science of Khechari. He lives amongst them, always.

The Khechari Mantra

19. Khechari contains the Bija or the seed-letter. Khechari Bija is spoken of as Agni encircled with water. It is the abode of the Devas or the Khecharas. The mastery of the Siddhi is obtained by this Yoga.

20. The ninth letter or Bija of Somamsa or the Moon face, should be pronounced in the reverse order. Then consider it as the Supreme and its beginning as fifth. This is said to be Kuta (horns) of the several Bhinnas (or parts) of the moon.

21. Through the initiation of a Guru, this which tends to the accomplishment of all Yogas, should be learnt.

22. One who recites this twelve times everyday will not get even in sleep that Maya or illusion which is born in his body and is the source of all vicious deeds.

23. To the one who recites this five lakhs of times with very great care, the science of Khechari will reveal itself. For him, all obstacles vanish. The Devas are pleased. Without doubt, the destruction of the greyness of hair and wrinkles, Valipalita, will take place.

24. One who has acquired the great science, should practise it constantly. Otherwise, he will not get any Siddhi in the path of Khechari.

25. If in this practice, one does not get this nectar-like science, he should get it in the beginning of Melana and recite it always. Otherwise, one who is without it never gets Siddhi.

26. No sooner one gets this science, than one should practise it. It is then that one will soon get the Siddhi.

27. The seven syllables HRIM, BHAM, SAM, PAM, PHAM, SAM and KSHAM constitute the Khechari Mantra.

The Cutting Of Frenum Lingui

28. A knower of the Atman, having drawn out the tongue from the root of the palate, should in accordance with the advice of his Guru, clear the impurities of the tongue for seven days.

29. He should take a sharp, oiled and cleansed knife which resembles the leaf of the plant Snuhi, the milk-hedge plant, and should cut for the space of a hair, the frenum lingui. He should powder Saindhava or the rock-salt and Pathya or the sea-salt and apply it to that place.

30. On the seventh day, he should again cut for the space of a hair. Thus, with great care, he should continue it always, for the span of six months.

31. The root of the tongue, fixed with veins, ceases to be in six months. Then the Yogi who knows timely action should encircle with cloth the tip of the tongue, the abode of Vag-Ishvari or the deity presiding over speech, and should draw it up.

The Tongue Reaches The Brahmarandhra

32. O Sage, again by daily drawing it up for six months, it comes as far as the middle of the eyebrows and obliquely up to the opening of the ears. By gradual practice, it goes up to the root of the chin.

33. Then, with ease it goes up to the end of the hair (of the head) in three years. It goes up obliquely to Sakha (some part below the skull) and downwards to the well of the throat.

34. It occupies Brahmarandhra, in another three years. Without doubt, it stops there. Crosswise it goes up to the top of the head and downwards to the well of the throat. Gradually it opens the great adamantine door in the head.

35. One should perform the six Angas or parts of the Khechari Bija Mantra by pronouncing it in six different intonations. In order to attain all the Siddhis, one should do this.

36. Karanyasa or the motions of the fingers and hands in the pronunciation of the Mantras, should be done gradually. Karanyasa should never be done all at a time, because the body of one who does it all at once will soon decay. O best of the Sages, little by little it should be practised.

37. One should, when the tongue goes to the Brahmarandhra through the outer path, place the tongue after moving the bolt of Brahma. The bolt of Brahma cannot be mastered by the Devas.

38. On doing this with the point of the finger for three years, the Yogi should make the tongue enter within. It enters the Brahmadvara or hole. On entering the Brahmadvara, one should practise well Mathana or churning.

39. Even without Mathana, some wise Yogis attain Siddhi. He also accomplishes it without Mathana, who is versed in Khechari Mantra. One reaps the fruit soon by doing Japa and Mathana.

40. The Yogi should restrain his breath in his heart, by connecting a wire made of gold, silver or iron with the nostrils by means of a thread soaked in milk. Sitting in a convenient posture, with his eyes concentrated between his eyebrows, he should perform Mathana slowly.

41. The State of Mathana becomes natural like sleep in children, within six months. It is not advisable to do Mathana always. It should be done once only in every month.

The Urdhvakundalini Yoga

42. A Yogi should not revolve his tongue in the path. Twelve years of this practice, will surely give the Siddhi to the Yogi. Then the Yogi perceives the entire universe in his body as not being different from the Atman.

43. O Chief of Kings, this path of the Urdhva Kundalini or the higher Kundalini, conquers the macrocosm. Here ends the second chapter.

Melana Mantra

1. Melanamantra:-Hrim, Bham, Sam, Sham, Pham, Sam and Ksham.

2. The Lotus-born Brahma said: Among new moon, the first day of the lunar fortnight and full moon, O Shankara, which is spoken of as the Mantra's sign? In the first day of lunar fortnight and during new moon and full moon days, it should be made firm. There is no other way or time.

Sense-Objects, Manas And Bandhana

3. Through passion, a person longs for an object. He is infatuated with passion for objects. These two one should leave. The Niranjana or the Stainless should be sought after. All that one thinks is favourable to oneself should be abandoned.

4. The Yogin should keep the Manas in the midst of Shakti, and the Shakti in the midst of Manas. He should look into Manas by means of Manas. It is then that he leaves even the highest stage.

5. Manas alone is the Bindu. It is the cause of creation and preservation.

6. Like curd from milk, it is only through Manas that Bindu is produced. The organ of Manas is not that which is situated in the middle of Bandhana. Bandhana is there where Shakti is between the Sun and the Moon.

The Entry Into The Sukha-Mandala

7. The Yogi should stand in the seat of Bindu and close the nostrils, having known Sushumna and its Bheda or piercing and making the Vayu go in the middle.

8. After knowing Vayu, the above-mentioned Bindu and the Sattva-Prakriti as well as the six Chakras, one should enter the sphere of happiness, Sahasrara or the Sukha-Mandala.

The Six Chakras

9. There are six chakras. Muladhara is in the anus. Svadhishthana is near the genital organ. Manipuraka is in the navel. Anahata is in the heart.

10. The Vishuddhi Chakra is at the root of the neck. The sixth Chakra, the Ajna is in the head (between the two eyebrows).

11. After gaining a knowledge of these six Mandalas or spheres, one should enter the Sukhamandala, drawing up the Vayu and sending it upwards.

12. He becomes one with Brahmanda, the macrocosm, who practises thus the control of Vayu. Vayu, Bindu, Chitta, and Chakra should be mastered by him.

Abhyasa And Brahma Jnana

13. Through Samadhi alone, the Yogis attain the nectar of equality.

14. Without the practice of Yoga, the lamp of wisdom does not arise, even as the fire latent in the sacrificial wood does not appear without churning.

15. The fire in a vessel does not shed light outside. But, when the vessel is broken, its light appears without.

16. One's body is called the vessel. The seat of "That" is the light or the fire within. When, through the words of a Guru, the body is broken, the light of Brahmajnana becomes resplendent.

17. One crosses the subtle body and the ocean of Samsara, with the Guru as the helmsman, and through the affinities of Abhyasa.

The Four Kinds Of Vak

18. Sprouting in Para, Vak (power of speech) gives forth two leaves in Pasyanti, buds forth in Madhyama and blossoms in Vaikhari-that Vak, earlier described, reaches the stage of the absorption of sound, reversing the above order, viz., beginning with Vaikhari, etc.

19. Para, Pasyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari, are the four kinds of Vak. Para is the highest of sounds. Vaikhari is the lowest of sounds.

20. Vak begins from the highest of sounds to the lowest, in evolution.

21. In involution it takes a reverse order in order to merge in Para or the highest subtle sound.

22. Anyone who thinks that the One who is the great Lord of that Vak, the undifferentiated, the Illuminator of that Vak is the Self-such a person who thinks over thus, is never effected by words, high or low, good or bad.

The Absorption In Paramatman

23. Through the absorption of their respective Upadhis or vehicles all these in turn are absorbed in the Pratyagatma-the three aspects of consciousness, Visva, Taijasa, and Prajna in man, the three, Virat, Hiranyagarbha, and Ishvara in the universe, the egg of the universe, the egg of man and the seven worlds.

24. Heated by the fire of Jnana, the egg is absorbed with its Karana or cause, into Paramatman or the universal Self. It becomes one with Parabrahman.

25. It is then neither steadiness nor depth, neither light nor darkness, neither describable nor distinguishable. That alone remains which is the Be-ness or the Sat.

The Essential Nature Of Man

26. Like a light in a vessel, the Atman is within the body-thus one should think.

27. Atman is of the dimensions of a thumb. It is a light without smoke. It is without form. It is shining within the body. It is undifferentiable and immortal.

28. The first three aspects of consciousness refer to the gross, subtle and Karana bodies of man. The second three aspects of consciousness refer to the three bodies of the universe.

29. In his formation, man is and appears as an egg, even as the universe is and appears as an egg.

30. During the states of waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep, the Vijnana Atma which dwells in this body is deluded by Maya.

31. But, after many births, owing to the effect of good Karma, it wishes to attain its own essential state.

32. The enquiry sets in. Who am I? How has this stain of mundane existence come to me? In the dreamless sleep what becomes of me who am engaged in business during both the states, waking and dreaming?

33. The Chidabhasa is the result of non-wisdom. It is burnt by the wise thoughts, even as a bale of cotton is burnt by fire, and also by its own supreme illumination.

34. The burning of the outer body is no burning at all.

35. Pratyagatma is in the Dahara (Akasa or the ether of the heart). It obtains, when the worldly wisdom is destroyed, Vijnana, and diffuses itself everywhere and in an instant burns the two sheaths, Vijnanamaya and Manomaya. Then, it is He Himself that shines always within. It shines like a light within a vessel.

36. Till sleep and till death, the Muni who contemplates thus should be known as a Jivanmukta.

Videha Mukti

37. He has done what ought to be done. Therefore, he is a fortunate person.

38. Such a person attains Videhamukti, having given up even the state of Jivanmukti.

39. No sooner the body wears off, than he obtains the emancipation in a disembodied state, Videhamukti. The state, as if of moving in the air, he gains.

Non-Dual Brahman

40. After that, That alone remains. That is the soundless, the touchless, the formless and the deathless.

41. That is the Rasa or the Essence. It is eternal and odourless. It is greater than the great; it has neither beginning nor end. It is the permanent, the stainless and the decayless. Thus ends the Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad.

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda. See all articles here: Sivananda Kundalini Yoga