Friends, a friend started sending me online Geeta on WhatsApp a few days ago. One shloka is sent daily in the morning and one in the evening. I found a lot of material in it which was related to Kundalini and Advaita. There are some points about which there also seems to be confusion in the society. By the way, I have received the rites of Geeta from my childhood. My grandfather’s name used to start with Geeta, and he was very fond of Geeta. I too had read the detailed commentary on the Gita. But there is a lot of difference between reading and heeding.
Description of Tantric Kundalini Yoga in the 29th verse of fourth chapter of Gita
💐भागवत गीता अध्याय-4💐अपाने जुह्वति प्राणं प्राणेऽपानं तथापरे। प्राणापानगती रुद्ध्वा प्राणायामपरायणाः॥४-२९॥
Some offer prana (incoming breath) in apana (outgoing breath) and others apana in prana. Some others who practice Pranayama (restraint of breath) stop the flow of prana and apana – ॥29॥
The first line of this shloka literally means that some yogis perform havan or sacrifice of prana vayu in apana vayu or air, means they burn prana into apana. Prana Vayu prevails above the chest in the body. Apan Vayu pervades the areas of the Swadhisthana Chakra and Muladhara Chakra. When meditation is done together on the agya chakra, the swadisthana chakra and the mooladhara chakra, then the prana and the apana are gathered together on the swadhisthana chakra. This causes the Kundalini to shine on the Swadhisthana Chakra. In yoga, at place of Swadhisthan, Manipur Chakra is also kept. Then prana and apana are burned on the samana air. Even then, it is called a offering of prana in apana, because apana is closer to naval than prana. Samana air prevails in naval area. Many times meditation of the single chakra, sahasrara or ajna chakra is done. Then a slight meditation is turned to the Swadhisthana Chakra or Muladhara Chakra. This brings down the prana from these top two chakras, and it becomes the part of apana. In a way, apana eats prana, just as fire consumes wood or other ingredients of yajna. That is why the offering of prana in apana is written here. Rajyogi type people do this offering more to get well worldly grounding for they have plenty of energy in top chakras due to their thinking nature.
The second line of this verse literally means that some other people perform burning of apana into prana fire. When the Ajna Chakra, the Anahata Chakra and the Mooladhara or Swadhisthana Chakra are meditated together, then the prana (upper air) and the apana (lower air) gather on the Anahata Chakra. Because there is prana on the Anahata Chakra along with the ajna Chakra, that is why it is said that the apana is poured on to prana fire to burn it. In this too many times only two chakras are meditated. At first mooladhara or swadhisthana chakra is meditated upon. Then a slight meditation is diverted towards the Sahasrara or ajna cycle. With this, the apana climbs up from the bottom chakras through backbone channel and joins the prana. It is written as the offering of apana in prana. Keep in mind that it’s Kundalini that’s felt in the form of Prana or Apana. Tantric type well ground people do this type of offering more for they have plenty of energy at bottom chakras. They get mental energy necessary for kundalini activation and awakening with this.
The word by word meaning in the third and fourth line is that people who do pranayama or breathing exercises do this (havan or prana yajna) by stopping the movement of prana and apana, meaning stopping the inbreathing and out breathing respectively. It is most important in yoga. Actually, it’s the real or main Yoga. Prana-apana union is the heart of Yoga. Other activities are only its supportive means. While breathing in, the prana goes up through the spine. Kundalini also accompany it. Expiration or out breathing means that while exhaling, Prana descends through the front channel, which means that it reinforces apana. With this the Kundalini also comes down. Then again it rises up through the rear channel with inbreathing. This cycle goes on. Due to this, Kundalini is not able to remain stable at one place, due to which it is not properly meditated. We cannot stop prana, because it is a subtle energy flowing in the channels. Yes, we can stop pranavayu or breath, to which prana is connected. In this way, breath acts as a handle for prana. When the breath is stabilized by holding the breath, then we can give prana or kundalini a carefully controlled motion. While breathing, we cannot control prana or kundalini much with meditation, because the breath keeps making it dance here and there. Prana and Kundalini climb up through the channel of the back with the breath going in, and with the breath going out, they descend through the front channel. By stopping the breath, both prana and kundalini stop. When the Kundalini stops, the mind also becomes static, because Kundalini is an experimental part of the mind. We cannot control the whole mind together, that’s why an experimental piece or sample piece of it is taken in the form of Kundalini. For this reason, after Kundalini Yoga, one feels joy with stability and peace of mind. Prana is one and same everywhere in body. For the sake of explaining according to the place of activity, it has been divided into different parts, which is prana, apana etc. By holding the breath to interpose Prana and Apana on a Chakra, Imagine on Manipur Chakra, the main meditative focus is kept on the Manipur Chakra and also the Slant or minor Meditative mind is placed on the ajna Chakra and Muladhara chakra. Due to this, the life force or prana between ajna chakra and manipura chakra come down and the apana situated below the manipura chakra come up and both clash with each other on the Manipur Chakra. This exposes the Kundalini there. On each chakra, both of the prana and apana are drawn once by exhaling and holding breath there, and once by inhaling and holding breath there. It should be kept in mind that the breath should not be held for more than one’s easily tolerable point of time. Breaking one’s tolerance limit can cause brain damage.
Keeping hands on the middle chakra helps in focusing. Similarly, while sitting in Siddhasana, one feels a sense of pressure on the base chakra by the heel of one foot, and on the Swadhisthana Chakra with the other foot. This sensation also helps in meditation of the chakra. But remember that full Siddhasana sometimes causes knee pain, especially in the knee of the upper leg whose heels touch the swadisthana chakra. Therefore, Ardha or half Siddhasana should be applied in such condition. In this, only the heel of one leg touches the Muladhara Chakra. The second leg rests comfortably on the ground, not just above the first leg. Long-term neglect of knee pain also increases their chances of worsening.
Formulation of Raja Yoga in the 30th verse of the fourth chapter of the Gita
💐भागवत गीता अध्याय-4💐
अपरे नियताहाराः प्राणान्प्राणेषु जुह्वति। सर्वेऽप्येते यज्ञविदोयज्ञक्षपितकल्मषाः॥४-३०॥
taking regulated food, offer (vital airs) prana in prana. All these seekers are knowers of (Yagya) sacrifice and destroy their sins by performing it. ॥30॥
This shloka literally means that people with regular dieting habits offer or sacrifice pranas in to pranas. All these seekers are going to destroy sins and know yajnas of knowledge. Yogis with regular dieting habits and satvic lifestyle are Rajyogis. These are not having tantric and open lifestyle so these do not take shelter of the Panchamakaras or 5Ms. Therefore, the chakras located in the lower parts of their body are weak, due to lack of prana or apana. They meditate on the Kundalini in the chakras of the upper part of body, starting from the brain up to the heart chakra. They mainly form a triangle of meditation. One point of that triangle is the Sahasrara Chakra, the second point is the front ajna chakra, and the third point is the rear ajna chakra. This involves direct or main meditative focus on one point, especially on the front ajna, and slant or secondary meditation focus on the other two chakras. The points can also be interchanged. Similarly, triangle can also be formed by taking other chakras. The prana from all these three points of triangle gather at that point where main meditative focus is maintained and Kundalini starts glowing there. The point of the top in these triangles is mostly the Sahasrara Chakra. Actually, triangle is made to centralize or concentrate the prana on its lines from nearby areas all-around. One can’t meditate large area together. For further concentration of prana situated on triangle, its three conical points are chosen. Prana on these three points is further concentrated on to single point through keeping main meditative focus on it. In the last, we get highly concentrated prana on that single point along with Kundalini there. Similarly, the same happens with the straight line, imagine a line connecting Muladhara, Manipur and ajna chakra points. The prana of the body around line is centered on the line through little meditation. Then the prana of the line is centered on these three connected chakra points. Then the prana of all the three points is gathered on that chakra point, on which the main meditative focus is kept. Secondary or oblique meditative focus is put on both other points. It’s a wonderful spiritual psychology.
Prana-apana union in Christianity
The living Jesus answered and said : “Blessed is the man who has known these things. He has brought heaven down, he has lifted the earth and has sent it to heaven, and he has become the Midst for it is nothing.” I suppose the heaven is Prana that’s brought down as described above. Similarly, earth is Apana that’s lifted up. Midst is the union of both. Nothing produced there is kundalini produced along with mental stasis that comes accompanied with nonduality. Nonduality with mental stasis is equivalent to nothing. Prana is called heaven because it resides in the upper chakras of the body, and the upper chakras have the same nature as the heavenly realms, and are also depicted so in many places. Likewise, Earth is called Apana because apana pervades the lower chakras of the body, especially the base chakra. These lower chakras are also referred to as substandard or hellish realms. Muladhara is given the metaphor of the earth, because by its meditation man is well connected to the ground or physical dimension, that is, it provides man with a base. That is why its name is made by adding the words root (mool) and base (adhar). The earth also provides the greatest base for living and standing. Source of this codex can be accessed at following link-
Demystifying Kundalini 