Anahata


Anahata is the fourth primary chakra described in Hindu yogic, Shakta, and Buddhist tantric traditions. It is traditionally associated with the heart region and is linked to concepts of balance, emotional regulation, compassion, and relational awareness in classical yoga and tantra literature.

Etymology

In Sanskrit Anahata means "sound produced without touching two parts" and at the same time it means "pure" or "clean, stainless". The name of this chakra signifies the state of freshness that appears when we are able to become detached and to look at the different and apparently contradictory experiences of life with a state of openness. Normally, we are not used to the effect produced by the confrontation of the two opposite forces. At the level of the Anahata chakra appears the possibility to integrate the two opposite forces and obtain the effect, without the two forces being confronted. This energy is specific to cooperation and integration, which brings peace and a new perspective in a world which, up to this level was made only of a more or less conscious confrontation between opposite forces. The name Anahata suggests, in fact, the synergetic effect of the interaction of energies at this level.

Role of Love

In yogic traditions, the Anahata, or heart chakra, is associated with compassion, emotional openness, and the capacity for unconditional love. This chakra is described as the energetic center that integrates emotional experience and relational connection. Writers such as Anodea Judith note that practices cultivating empathy, forgiveness, and loving awareness are believed to help regulate or balance this chakra.

Description

Location

The heart chakra is located in the central channel of the spine near the heart.

Appearance

Anahata is represented by a lotus flower with twelve petals. Inside there is a smoky region at the intersection of two triangles, creating a shatkona. The shatkona is a symbol used in Hindu Yantra, representing the union of male and female. Specifically, it is meant to represent Purusha and Prakriti. The deity of this area is Vayu, who is smoke-like and four-armed, holding a kusha and riding an antelope. A "fourth chakra person" has innocent eyes, like those of a deer. The song, Todi Raja, was used by traditional hunters to trap a deer who would "die for pure sound." The hexagram, associated with this chakra, represents the air, which moves upwards, downwards, and in all four directions.

Seed mantra

The seed syllable is the dark-grey mantra "yam". In the bindu above the syllable is the deity Isha. Isha is bright white or blue in color. He has either one or five faces, with three eyes on each face. He may have two, four or ten arms. He is clad in a tiger skin, holds a trident and drum, grants blessings, and dispels fear. His shakti is Kakini, who is shining yellow or rose-coloured. She has a number of variations: one, three or six faces; two or four arms; and holds a variety of implements. She is seated on a red lotus. Another deity ascribed to the seed syllable “yam” is Vayu, the god of wind and prana. Hrim is also another bija associated with the anahata center as it is the bija of the heart.

Petals

The twelve petals are inscribed with the following Sanskrit syllables.
  1. kam
  2. kham
  3. gam
  4. gham
  5. ngam
  6. cham
  7. chham
  8. jam
  9. jham
  10. nyam
  11. tam
  12. tham
The syllables may be thought as matching twelve vrittis or divine qualities of the heart as follows.
  1. bliss
  2. peace
  3. harmony
  4. love
  5. understanding
  6. empathy
  7. clarity
  8. purity
  9. unity
  10. compassion
  11. kindness
  12. forgiveness
Even more commonly, systems of understanding identify these vrittis as corresponding with various reflexive modifications away from the indifferentiated divine mind, each one considered as arising from spiritual ignorance, as below.
  1. asha: wish, desire, hope
  2. cinta: thoughtfulness, anxiety
  3. cesta: effort
  4. mamta: possessiveness, fondness
  5. dhamba: arrogance, vanity
  6. viveka: discrimination
  7. vikalata: languor
  8. ahamkara: conceit, egoism, pride
  9. lolata: covetousness, avarice
  10. kapatata: duplicity, hypocrisy
  11. vitarka: indecision, argumentativeness
  12. anutapa: regret, burning misery
William Enckhausen defines half of these vrittis as spiritual ignorances and half spiritual developments. "Half the 12 vrttis of the Anahata are 'positive', growth promoting vrttis and the other half are 'negative' or at most neutral, self-justifying defense tendencies that perpetuate the ego's limited boundaries instead of expanding and refining them. There is still a limited and bounded sense of self, but with the potential to discriminate between vice and virtue. There is also still the boundary of self and not self to be overcome, although not as marked as in the Manipura and Svadhistana. Harmony, balance, and proportion are key elements in this fulcrum that is the Anahata to help determine what is growth-promoting and virtuous and what is vice, or inappropriate for spiritual self-growth." Enckhausen's translations follow.
  1. hope
  2. worry
  3. endeavor
  4. affection
  5. vanity
  6. discernment
  7. depression
  8. self-identity
  9. selfishness
  10. duplicity
  11. contention
  12. compunction

Function

Anahata is considered to be the seat of the Jivatman and Parashakti. In the Upanishads, this is described as a tiny flame inside the heart. Anahata is named as such because sages were believed to hear the sound. It is associated with air, touch and the actions of the hands.
Anahata is associated with the ability to make decisions outside the realm of karma. In Manipura and below, man is bound by the laws of karma and fate. In Anahata one makes decisions based on one's higher self, not the unfulfilled emotions and desires of lower nature. As such, it is known as the heart chakra. It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to others and psychic healing. Meditation on this chakra is said to bring about the following siddhis : they become a master of speech, they are dear to the gender they are attracted to, their presence controls the senses of others, and they can leave and enter the body at will.

Hrit (Hridaya, Surya) chakra

Immediately below Anahata is a minor chakra known as Hrit, with eight petals. It has three regions: a vermilion sun region, within which is a white moon region, within which is a deep-red fire region. Within this is the red wish-fulfilling tree, kalpavriksha, which symbolises the ability to manifest what one wishes to happen in the world.
Hrit chakra is sometimes known as the Surya chakra, which is located slightly to the left below the heart. Its role is to absorb energy from the sun and provide heat to the body and the other chakras.

Practices

In Yogic practices, anahata is awakened and balanced by asanas, pranayamas and the practice of ajapa japa and purified by bhakti.
There are also concentration practices for awakening the Anāhata chakra.

Comparisons with other systems

Tibetan Buddhism

The heart wheel in Tibetan Buddhism is the location of the indestructible red-and-white drop. At death, the winds of the body dissolve and enter this drop, which then leads the body into Bardo and rebirth. The heart wheel in this model is circular, white and has eight petals reaching downwards. These channels divide into three wheels and go to 24 places in the body. They again divide into three and then into 1,000, producing 72,000 channels throughout the body.
The heart wheel is important in meditation; in the lower tantras, the mantra is recited from the heart. It is recited verbally and then mentally; then, in the heart, a tiny moon disc and flame are imagined from which the mantra rings. In the higher tantras or the Inner Tantras of the Nyingma school, the practitioner attempts to dissolve the winds and drops into the central channel at the level of the heart to experience the Yoga of Clear Light; this is a practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa. In Tibetan Buddhism there is a chakra, the Fire Wheel, above the heart and below the throat.

Sufism

Sufis have a system of Lataif-e-sitta at a number of points on the body; at the heart, there are three positioned horizontally. On the left side of the chest is the Qalb ; the Ruḥ is on the right side of the chest, and the Sirr is between them.
The Qalb is called the heart of the mystic; it is caught between the downward pull of the lower nafs, and the upward pull of the spirit of Allah and may be blackened by sin. It may be purified by reciting the names of God. The Ruḥ is the centre of the spirit, the breath of Allah; when awakened, it counteracts the negative pull of the nafs. The Sirr is the innermost heart, where Allah manifests his mystery to himself.

Works cited

  • Johari, Harish. Chakras Energy Centers of Transformation. Revised and Expanded Edition of the Bestselling Classic ed. Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-59477-909-1.