Patanjali and Kundalini

Email Inquiry:

Sir, I have a question: 
do you have any reference that Maharishi Patanjali made or have made regarding 'Kundalini' of even alluded to .Kundalini. There seem to be no reference in Yoga Sutras regarding the same.
YDM

Reply:

Kundalini is not used in the Sanskrit of Maharshi Patanjali. There is little focus on kundalini there except for verses which discuss its influence on the nadis during meditation. If anything Patanjali mentions kundalini yoga under the term of pranayama.

It is important to understand that Patanjali’s focus was on samyama, which are the three highest stages of yoga as he defined it. Kundalini is the focus of the pranayama practice of yoga. Patanjali gives very little information about that.

However in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Swatmarama does mention kundalini directly as per the verses below which are from my translation and commentary of his work. This is published as Kundalini Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

See these verses:

 ~~~

Chapter 1 Verse 29

मत्स्येन्द्र–पीठं जठर–परदीप्तिं प्रचण्ड –रुग्मण्डल–खण्डनास्त्रम् | अभ्यासतः कुण्डलिनी–परबोधं चन्द्र– स्थिरत्त्वं च ददाति पुंसाम् || २९ ||

matsyendra–pīṭhaṁ jaṭhara–paradīptiṁ pracaṇḍa–rugmaṇḍala–khaṇḍanāstrama abhyāsataḥ kuṇḍalinī–parabodhaṁ candra–sthiratvaṁ ca dadāti puṁsām ||1 29 ||

matsyendra – Matsyendra, pīṭhaṁ – seated posture, jaṭhara – digestive power, paradīptiṁ – inflames, pracaṇḍa – terrible, rugmaṇḍala – range of disease, khaṇḍanāstrama = khaṇḍana (destroying) + astrama (weapon), abhyāsataḥ – practice, kuṇḍalinī – psychic lifeforce, parabodhaṁ – enlightening influence, candra – moon-charged energy, sthiratvaṁ – steadiness, ca – and, dadāti – it makes, puṁsām – humans

Matsyendra seated posture is the weapon which destroys the terrible range of diseases. It influences the digestive power. It activates the enlightening influence of the kundalini psychic lifeforce and makes the moon-charged energy steady in humans. (1.29)

Chapter 2 Verse 75 Verse 1

स–शैल–वन–धात्रीणां यथाधारो|अहि–नायकः | सर्वेषां योग–तन्त्राणां तथाधारो हि कुण्डली || १ ||

sa–śaila–vana–dhātrīṇāṁ yathādhāro|ahi–nāyakaḥ | sarveṣāṁ yoga–tantrāṇāṁ tathādhāro hi kuṇḍalī || 1 ||

sa – with, śaila – mountain, vana – forsest, dhātrīṇāṁ – of the earth, yathādhāro = yathā (as) + ādhāraḥ (supportive base), ahi – serpent, nāyakaḥ – king, sarveṣāṁ – of all, yoga – yoga, tantrāṇāṁ – of mystic proficiency practice, tathādhāro = tathā (as) + ādhāraḥ (foundation), hi – certainly, kuṇḍalī – kuṇḍalinī lifeforce

As the king of the serpents is the supportive base of the earth with its mountains and forests, so the mystic proficiency practice of yoga has the kundalini lifeforce as its foundation.

rāja–yoga–padaṁ cāpi labhate nātra saṁśayaḥ | kumbhakātkuṇḍalī–bodhaḥ kuṇḍalī–bodhato bhavet | anargalā suṣumṇā ca haṭha–siddhiśca jāyate ||2 75 ||

rāja–yoga–padaṁ = the accomplishment of remaining introverted while being externally occupied, cāpi – and also, labhate – obtain, nātra = not here, saṁśayaḥ – certainly, kumbhakāt – due to breath suspension with physio–psychic compression and internal focus on energy distribution, kuṇḍalī – kuṇḍalinī lifeforce, bodhaḥ – intellect psychic organ, kuṇḍalī – kuṇḍalinī lifeforce, bodhato = bodhataḥ = highest perceptive state of intellect psychic organ, bhavet – becomes, anargalā – without dense energy, suṣumṇā – sushumna central spinal passage, ca – and, haṭha – kundalini manipulation for psychic energy transformation, siddhiś = siddhiḥ = perfectional skill, ca – and, jāyate – manifesting

Without a doubt, that yogi achieves the accomplishment of remaining introverted while being externally occupied. Due to breath suspension with physio–psychic compression and internal focus on energy distribution, the kundalini lifeforce strikes the intellect psychic organ and through that infusement the highest perceptive state of the intellect psychic organ is experienced, the sushumna central spinal passage is cleared of dense energy and the kundalini manipulation for psychic energy transformation becomes a perfectional skill.

Chapter 3 Verse 1

स–शैल–वन–धात्रीणां यथाधारो|अहि–नायकः | सर्वेषां योग–तन्त्राणां तथाधारो हि कुण्डली || १ ||

sa–śaila–vana–dhātrīṇāṁ yathādhāro|ahi–nāyakaḥ | sarveṣāṁ yoga–tantrāṇāṁ tathādhāro hi kuṇḍalī ||3 1 ||

sa – with, śaila – mountain, vana – forsest, dhātrīṇāṁ – of the earth, yathādhāro = yathā (as) + ādhāraḥ (supportive base), ahi – serpent, nāyakaḥ – king, sarveṣāṁ – of all, yoga – yoga, tantrāṇāṁ – of mystic proficiency practice, tathādhāro = tathā (as) + ādhāraḥ (foundation), hi – certainly, kuṇḍalī – kuṇḍalinī lifeforce

As the king of the serpents is the supportive base of the earth with its mountains and forests, so the mystic proficiency practice of yoga has the kundalini lifeforce as its foundation.

Chapter 32 Verse 11-12

कण्ठे बन्धं समारोप्य धारयेद्वायुमूर्ध्वतः | यथा दण्ड–हतः सर्पो दण्डाकारः प्रजायते || ११ || ॠज्वीभूता तथा शक्तिः कुण्डली सहसा भवेत् | तदा सा मरणावस्था जायते द्विपुटाश्रया || १२ ||

kaṇṭhe bandhaṁ samāropya dhārayedvāyumūrdhvataḥ | yathā daṇḍa–hataḥ sarpo daṇḍākāraḥ prajāyate ||3 11 || ṝjvībhūtā tathā śaktiḥ kuṇḍalī sahasā bhavet | tadā sā maraṇāvasthā jāyate dvipuṭāśrayā ||3 12 ||

kaṇṭhe – by the throat, bandhaṁ – physio–psychic compression, samāropya – restricting, dhārayed = dhārayed = hold, vāyum – lifeforce, ūrdhvataḥ – upward, yathā – as, daṇḍa – stick, hataḥ – struck, sarpo = sarpaḥ = serpent, daṇḍākāraḥ = daṇḍa (stick) + ākāraḥ (adopts), prajāyate – becomes, ṝjvībhūtā – becomes straight, tathā – so, śaktiḥ – potency, kuṇḍalī – kuṇḍalinī psychic lifeforce, sahasā – once, bhavet – become, tadā – then, sā – that, maraṇāvasthā = maraṇa (death) + āvasthā (existential state), jāyate – occurs, dvi – two, puṭāśrayā = puṭa (channels) + āśrayā (relating)

By holding the throat under restriction in the physio–psychic compression, the lifeforce is channeled upwards. As a serpent when struck by a stick, adopts the form of a stick, so the kundalini psychic lifeforce potency becomes straightened. Then it assumes an existential state as if dead in relation to the two channels.

Chapter 3 Verse 68

तेन कुण्डलिनी सुप्ता सन्तप्ता सम्प्रबुध्यते | दण्डाहता भुजङ्गीव निश्वस्य ॠजुतां वरजेत् || ६८ ||

tena kuṇḍalinī suptā santaptā samprabudhyate | daṇḍāhatā bhujaṅgīva niśvasya ṝjutāṁ vrajet ||3 68 ||

tena – by this, kuṇḍalinī – kundalini lifeforce, suptā – sleeping, santaptā – very infused, samprabudhyate – perceptively aroused, daṇḍāhatā = struck with a stick, bhujaṅgīva = bhujaṅgi (snake) + iva (similarly), niśvasya – hissing, ṝjutāṁ – is subdued, vrajet = straighten

By this, the kundalini lifeforce which was sleeping, is infused and is perceptively aroused. It hisses, is subdued and straightens like a snake which is struck by a stick.

Chapter 3 Verse 104

अथ शक्ति–चालनम् कुटिलाङ्गी कुण्डलिनी भुजङ्गी शक्तिरीश्वरी | कुण्डल्यरुन्धती चैते शब्दाः पर्याय–वाचकाः || १०४ ||

atha śakti–cālanam kuṭilāṅgī kuṇḍalinī bhujaṅgī śaktirīśvarī | kuṇḍalyarundhatī caite śabdāḥ paryāya–vācakāḥ ||3 104 ||

atha – now to be described, śakti – subtle creative energy, cālanam – mobility, kuṭilāṅgī = all–penetrating energy, kuṇḍalinī – kundalini lifeforce which stays in the fire pit, bhujaṅgī – bhujaṅgī female serpent, śaktir = śaktiḥ = intelligence personified, īśvarī – supreme lady, kuṇḍaly = kundali = coiled potency, arundhatī – conjugal loyalty personified, caite = ca (and) + ete (these), śabdāḥ – term, paryāya – synonym, vācakāḥ – words

Now the shakti mobile and subtle creative energy is described:

It is known as all–penetrating energy, kundalini lifeforce which stays in the fire pit, female serpent, emotional intelligence personified, supreme lady, coiled potency, conjugal loyalty personified. These are synonyms of the same potency.

Chapter 3 Verse 118

तेन कुण्डलिनी तस्याः सुषुम्नाया मुखं धरुवम् | जहाति तस्मात्प्राणो|अयं सुषुम्नां वरजति स्वतः || ११८ ||

tena kuṇḍalinī tasyāḥ suṣumnāyā mukhaṁ dhruvam | jahāti tasmātprāṇo|ayaṁ suṣumnāṁ vrajati svataḥ ||3 118 ||

tena – by this, kuṇḍalinī – kundalini lifeforce, tasyāḥ – hers, suṣumnāyā – sushumna central spinal passage, mukhaṁ – opening, dhruvam – definite, jahāti – leaves, tasmāt – therefore, prāṇo = prāṇaḥ = subtle breath energy, ayaṁ – this, suṣumnāṁ – sushumna central spinal passage, vrajati – goes into, svataḥ – itself

By this, the kundalini lifeforce definitely leaves the mouth of the sushumna central spinal passage. Then subtle breath energy goes into the passage by itself.