Mukteshwari
by Swami Muktananda
Kundalini Shakti is the prana of the universe.
By the power of this great Goddess
the universe exists.
Muktananda, know Her.
When Kundalini awakes
all doors are thrown open.
Rama reveals himself in the heart.
Muktananda, love Kundalini.
When Kundalini awakes,
the eyes are filled with light,
fragrances arise,
nectar bathes the tongue,
ecstasy plays in the heart....
Muktananda, worship Kundalini.
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In Hindu yogic metaphysics, the Divine can be seen as both masculine and feminine. The masculine aspect of God is pure transcendent spirit, while the feminine aspect of God is the vibratory, emanating, manifestation of that pure Essence. The God is the flame and the Goddess is the light and heat that emanate from it. The Masculine is the still potential, and the Feminine is manifestation of that potential. All of material creation is part of that manifestation, brought into being by the power of the Goddess. She receives the spiritual essence, gestates it, quickens it and gives it form, and then brings it to birth.
By the power of this great Goddess
the universe exists.
This is the fundamental power of being, and the Goddess is that power. "Shakti" means "power," but it is more than the ability to achieve some result. It isn't that the Goddess has power, the Goddess is power. This is why Muktananda sings his praises to Kundalini Shakti, not as an energy or psychological force, but as the full Goddess.
When Kundalini awakes
all doors are thrown open.
Kundalini Shakti is, in the language of yoga, the coiled power of the Goddess that usually sits dormant at the base of the spine within the individual. Through spiritual practice this coiled power can be awakened. It then rises as a fiery force up the spinal axis, through the spiritual-energetic centers known as the chakras, to the crown chakra.
In the process, the heart opens with the most profound sense of love, compassion, joy, and interconnectedness -- "Rama reveals himself in the heart." Often, there is an all-permeating sense of radiance and light ("the eyes are filled with light"), and a sensory sweetness seems to trickle down from above, as if you are tasting the most delightful honeyed wine ("nectar bathes the tongue").
This is the initiation all mystics seek. It is the beginning of illumination. And it is the sacred marriage. Why "marriage"?
As we said, Kundalini Shakti is the power of the Goddess within the individual. When this power fully and consciously rises to the crown, it reunites with the male aspect of the Divine. That union of divine polarities within the individual -- overwhelming and ecstatic -- is the sacred marriage. The mystic is made whole in ways that were unimaginable before. Not just the single individual, but all of creation is seen anew, realigned, re-envisioned as a vast living wholeness.
I hope it is obvious that this is a universal experience of mystical awakening, not just found among practitioners of yoga. Each great spiritual tradition has its own language to describe this. In esoteric Christianity, for example, one can draw a parallel between the Kundalini Shakti and the Holy Spirit, which is often described in feminine terms. The transcendent masculine aspect of God can be understood as the Heavenly Father. And the new, expanded sense of self that is (re)born from the sacred marriage might be identified as the Son, the individual's Christ-self. Similar descriptions are found in Islam, Judaism, shamanic traditions... This is a human-spiritual experience that reflects the basic relationship between the awakening soul and the divine reality. It is the heritage of every one of us.
Kundalini awakes. The heart opens, the mind opens, doorways open, and through Her power, the full self is born into the world.
Kundalini Shakti... know Her.
Have a beautiful day!
Recommended Books: Swami Muktananda
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| Resonate with Stillness: Daily Contemplations from the Words of Swami Muktananda and Swami Chidvilasananda | ||||
