Dear Friends,
I want to kick off my new blog series with a quote I just love. Goddess Ānanda-Bhairavī (‘She Who is the Roar of Bliss’) teaches Shiva about the significance of Manipūra in Tantric Yoga practice:
“O Great Deva (Shiva) - This is how I am to be contemplated by yogins, when they engage my mantras within the great pathway (suṣumnā nāḍī):
I am the Goddess called ‘Highest Bliss.’ I am found in the maṇipura chakra as the Auspicious Power of Rudra, known as Lākinī. I am the flowing power of Sarasvatī who brings Rudra (the “Roar” of the Manipūra seed mantra) to life. She (Lākinī, as ‘hrūṃ’) is the śakti who ascends upward – her upward movement (as ‘hrūṃ’) grants all that is desired by the yogin; Ascending into the upper range of the central channel, She becomes the maternal power of Yogins known as the ‘Yoginī.’ Therefore, one should meditate on the gems [component letters] forming the great power this sound [her seed mantra] within the pure space of Manipūra chakra.
The Great Lover’ of the Goddess first attunes with her at Manipūra – so pleasing in one’s awareness; by engaging the sequence of ‘gems’ [letters – H + R + U + NNG] forming its seed mantra in an upward trajectory, the yogin discovers the universal source of love itself.”
-Goddess Ānanda-Bhairavī (translated by Christopher Tompkins from the Rudra-Yāmala Tantra)
Ānanda-Bhairavī - What's in a name?
This quote is one of many stellar utterances from Goddess Ānanda-Bhairavī teaching Bhairava (Shiva, i.e. Consciousness) how to access Her as the most potent 'force' or 'energy' (Shakti) accessible in the body when he becomes Human (i.e. you and I).
This occurs through the innovative 3 part prānāyāma (breath regulation) practice of the Tantriks, resulting with the fusion of the 5 prāna-vāyus n the navel center (manipūra; as depicted in our image, above) into a singular force (Shakti) of pure omnipotence that roars forth (i.e. '-Bhairavī') through the body as the ascending mantra (ucchāra) which inundates the awareness of the yogin with utter bliss ("Ānanda-").
We will unpack this quote and much more in my upcoming two part webinar, The Central Role of Manipūra Chakra in Tantric Yoga. I hope to see you there!
Yours truly,
Christopher Tompkins