Who discovered Chakras and How?
The key personalities behind the discoveries of the chakras are Lord Shiva, Sri Amit Ray, Purnananda Swami, and Shri Gorakhnath.
The word Chakra was first mentioned in the oldest text Rigveda around 1500 BCE, as a symbol of the wheel of time. The word chakra was also used as the symbol of transformation and movement in the ancient Indian literatures. However, according to the legends, Lord Shiva discovered the chakras and he discovered it in deep meditations.
Chakras and the Indus Valley Civilization
The seals recovered from Indus valley civilization sites tell fascinating stories about meditation and the chakras. The image of the chakras are found in the coins of many ancient tribes in India. In the image below, the person is in deep meditation. He has a great deal of commotion all around him.
Here, in the image his chakras are so active and balanced that when he is surrounded by wild animals, they are doing no harm to him.
The crown chakra in the image is showing the doorway into this cosmic web. Think of this energy center as a thousand-petaled lotus flower constantly unfolding to reveal magic and mysteries of all life.
Chakras as Psychic Energy in Human Body
The chakras as psychic centers of consciousness were first mentioned in the Yoga Upanishads around 600 BC. The Yoga Upanishads are the collections of minor Upanishads includes s Shandilya Upanishad, and Teja Bindu Upanishad.
Everything is energy. We are all connected to a cosmic web where our thoughts are the basis of manifestation. Our chakras create thoughts, vibrations and actions moves like vibrational currents, and like a magnet, they attract or repel people and events at a similar vibrational level.
The Seven Chakra System
The seven chakra system was first comprehensively described by Purnananda Swami in 1577 in his famous book Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, which Sir John George Woodroffe translated in English and published in his book, “The Serpent Power” in 1919. After that many famous personalities popularized the seven chakra system in the West.
There is also another 10th century text, called the Goraksh-ashatakam, which gives instructions for meditating on the chakra.
The seven chakras are: Root chakra, Sacral chakra, Solar plexus chakra, Heart chakra, Throat chakra, Third eye chakra, and the Crown chakra.
They are located from the base of the spine to the top of the head. They are associated with the mental, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
The 114 Chakra system
The seven chakra system is the simplified version of the whole chakra system. Sri Amit Ray rediscovered the 114 chakras in the human body based on his profound meditation experiences and the oral traditions.
According to Sri Amit Ray, there are as many as 114 all over the body. There are 7 major chakras, 21 minor chakras and 84 micro chakras.
Ray explained the mysteries of the 114 chakras in many books. From 2005, many of his students learnt about the 114 chakras meditations from him. Ray identified the names, locations and functions of all the 114 chakras for the first time[1]. These chakras are associated with our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual total wellbeing.
Summary
The discovery and the origin of chakras are very deep and it may not be possible who actually discovered it first.
However, from the history and the legends it is clear that the key personalities associated with the discoveries of different chakra systems are Lord Shiva, Lord Shiva, Sri Amit Ray, Purnananda Swami, Shri Gorakhanath. However many other personalities helped to spread the knowledge of the chakras across the world..
The modern behavioral science and the social science are studying the effect and the benefits of the chakra meditations and chakra balancing to solve different physical, emotional and spiritual issues.
Both the traditional 7 chakra system and the Ray 114 chakra meditation techniques are useful for healing and emotional stability. However, balancing all the 114 chakras are more effective and total.
Chakra yoga should be always undertaken under the guidance of an able and experienced master, who is conversant with the total system.
Thank you!
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