Muladhara chakra is shown as having four petals, bearing the Sanskrit letters va, scha, sha, and sa. The seed sound in the center is lam. The tattwa of Earth is shown (here in outline) as a yellow square.
(Sanskrit: मूलाधार, Mūlādhāra), meaning "root place" is the first of the main seven
chakras according to
Tantrism. It may be represented as red, although its root square form is usually colored yellow. That 'lotus' of muladhara chakra has four petals, metaphorically referring to the four
vritties that find expression in this chakra:
dharma (psycho-spiritual longing),
artha (psychic longing),
kama (physical longing) and
moksha (longing for spiritual liberation).
Muladhara chakra is the metaphysical seat of Lord
Ganesha within the subtle bodies of man.
Description
Muladhara is said to be located at the base of the spine in the vicinity of the
coccygeal plexus beneath the
sacrum .
According to
Hinduism within this chakra resides/sleeps the
kundalini shakti, the great spiritual potential, waiting to be aroused and brought back up to the source from which it originated,
Brahman. It is also believed that Muladhar is a subtle abode of the Hindu God, Ganapati. And in the highest revered prayer for Ganapati, the
Ganapati Atharvashirsha, it is mentioned that 'one who worships Lord Ganapati would easily grasp the concept and realize Brahman.
Muladhara is the base from which the three main psychic channels or
nadis emerge: the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna .
Symbolism
It is associated with the following:
Practices
In
kundalini yoga, there are various yogic practices held to incite the energy in Muladhara including:
asanas (such as
Garudasana,
Shashankasana and
Siddhasana); specific
pranayama and importantly the practice of
mula bandha which is
endemic to appropriate
bodymind discipline.
Alternative names
- Tantra: Adhara, Brahma Padma, Bhumi Chakra, Chaturdala, Chatuhpatra, Muladhara, Mooladhara, Mula Chakra, Mula Padma
- Puranic: Adhara, Muladhara
See also
