The anatomy of the Tantras
Theosophist, 1899, 9:370-373.
FOR the first time one of the most popular and widely known Tantras has been translated into English.[1] Being considered as mystical works, the Tantras have not received that attention at the hands of Oriental scholars which their contents undoubtedly deserve. Though it is an undeniable fact that the magic and black arts form the chief topics in a Tantric work, yet valuable information regarding the customs, manners, sciences, etc., of the Hindus during the Middle Ages, when groaning under the tyrannies of the Mohamedan rule, can be gathered from them when read between the lines.
All credit is due therefore to Baboo Sris Chandra Basu for being the first to translate a Tantra, into English, and thus enabling the English-knowing public to become acquainted with the contents of these mystical books. It would have been an invaluable help to the readers of the Tantras, had the learned translator added some notes to his excellent translation, explained some of the mystic rituals of the Tantrists, and tried to show what scientific truths are contained in them. In the elaborate introduction to his translation, Baboo Sris Chandra has, in a masterly manner, handled the subject of Yoga. But unfortunately this introduction even does not contain any explanation of the Tantric rituals and technical words.
The Tantras throw a flood of light upon the anatomical know- ledge of the Hindus—especially they give a more clear description of the nervous system of man than is to be found in the Hindu medical works. Trying to explain the mysteries of man—to understand the relation he bears to God, the Almighty Creator,—the Yogis and the Tantrists had made a special study of the nervous system. And undoubtedly this knowledge they had gained by dissection.[2]
The language of the Tantras being too allegorical and too mystical to be understood by the uninitiated, it is very difficult to identify the Nāḍīs, the Cakras, and the Padmas described in them.
However, some of the spots are easily identifiable from their simple and lucid description. Thus it is apparent that the “nectar-rayed moon” (vide Śiva saṃhitā, Ch. II, verse 6) is the underpart of the brain ; that “Suṣumnā” is the spinal cord; “Iḍā” and “Piṅgalā” are the left and right sympathetic cord respectively.[3]
We shall try now to identify some of the nervous structures described in the Tantras:—
“Citra.”—From the description of this Nāḍī in the Tantras (Śiva saṃhitā 2:18-19), it may be identified with the grey matter of the spinal cord. For “in it is the subtlest” of all hollows called “Brahmarandhra,” which is nothing else save the central canal of the spinal cord—a structure whose functions remain as yet to be discovered by the physiologists. The Tantrists appear to have traced its connection with the lateral ventricles of the brain. It has been considered by them to be the seat of the human soul. Even in these days, when it is no exaggeration to say that the Hindus have quite forgotten the scientific truths discovered by their ancestors, they point to the hollow space in the crown of the head (known as the anterior fontanelle) of the new born child as the Brahmarandhra.
Every tyro in anatomy knows that this space contains the lateral ventricles of the brain.[4]
The “Sacred Triveṇī” (Śiva saṃhitā 5:132) is the spot in the medulla oblongata where the sympathetic cords join together or whence they take their Origin. (Vide Ashby’s Notes on Physiology,—Article Medulla Oblongata). The mystic Mount Kailās (Śiva saṃhitā 5:50) is certainly the brain.
Padmas and Cakras.—Great difficulty arises in identifying these Padmas and Cakras. What are these structures one is tempted to ask? Are they real or do they only exist in the imagination of the Tantrists? Though we are unable to satisfactorily identify them, we nevertheless believe that the Tantrists obtained their knowledge about them by dissection. These terms have been indefinitely used to designate two different nervous structures, viz.:—nervous plexuses and ganglia. But it may be questioned, how are we authorized to identify the Tantric Padmas and Cakras with either the ganglia or plexuses of the modern anatomists? Our reasons for doing so are the following.
1st.—The position of some of these Padmas and Cakras corresponds with that of the plexus or ganglion of the modern anatomists.
2nd.—These Cakras are said to be composed of petals designated by certain letters, which clearly point to either the nerves that go to form a ganglion or plexus, or the nerves distributed from such ganglion or plexus.
3rd.—Certain forces are said to be concentrated in these Cakras, thus identifying them with the plexuses or ganglia which the modern physiologists have proved to be “separate and independent nervous centers.”[5]
This Nāḍī Suṣumṇā has six Padmas (Śiva saṃhitā 2:27) evidently signifying the six nervous plexuses formed by the spinal cord.
The description of the thousand-petalled lotus (Śiva saṃhitā 5:151) shows it to be the medulla oblongata.
We proceed next to the identification of the famous six Cakras of the Tantras:
I. Mūlādhāra Cakra (Śiva saṃhitā 5:56-74) is the sacral plexus.
II. Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra (Śiva saṃhitā 5:75-78). There can hardly be two opinions as to its being the prostatic plexus of the modern anatomists.
III. Maṇipūra Cakra (Śiva saṃhitā 5:79-82) appears to be the epigastric plexus.
IV. Anāhata Cakra (Śiva saṃhitā 5:83-89) is the cardiac plexus.
V. Viśuddha Cakra (Śiva saṃhitā 5:90-95) is either the laryngeal or pharyngeal plexus.
VI. Ājñā Cakra (Śiva saṃhitā 5:96-101) is the cavernous plexus.
We have very briefly hastened over the six Tantric Cakras.
We see that these Cakras are the vital and important sympathetic plexuses and preside over all the functions of organic life.
There can be little doubt that by the “contemplation” on these Cakras, one obtains psychic powers.
“Contemplation” leads to control over the functions of these Cakras or plexuses.” The intimate connection between the sympathetic nerves and the great viscera renders it highly probable that the sympathetic system has mainly to do with the organic functions.* * * The sympathetic is the system of organic life.” When one gets control over the sympathetic nervous system, he is the master of his body, he can die at will. The heart beats at his will. The lungs, the intestines, nay, all the different viscera of the body, carry on their allotted duties at the command of such a Yogi. Verily, verily, that is the stage of Samādhi.
The learned translator has treated only of the five externalities of Yoga in his elaborate introduction. He has not dwelt on the Dhyāna, Dhāraṇā, and Samādhi. As “Pratyāhāra is not a distinct method in itself, but is a result of Prāṇāyāma,” so Samādhi is the stage brought about by the processes of Dhyāna and Dhāraṇā. As “by Pratyāhāra, the subjective world overcomes the objective,” so by Samādhi, the spiritual nature of man stands predominant over the gross physical one. Pratyāhāra must be clearly distinguished from Samādhi. No more serious mistakes, we think, can be committed than considering the hibernation of the reptiles and other animals as illustrating the Samādhi stage of the Yogis. The hibernation corresponds with the Pratyāhāra and not the Samādhi stage of Yoga. The learned translator has happily compared the Pratyāhāra stage with the stage of insensibility produced by the administration of anesthesia, e.g., chloroform (Introduction to the Śiva saṃhitā, ‘Pratyāhāra and Anesthetics’.). But it is a well-known fact that the inhalation of chloroform has little perceptible effect upon the sympathetic nerves. The spiritual consciousness of man is intensified only when the functions of the organic life are brought under his control, and when he can modify and regulate the functions of the different viscera. We repeat that that is the stage of Samādhi.
It behooves all students of Yoga and occultism then to gain a clear knowledge of these six Cakras from the contemplation of which he can aspire to attain to the stage of Samādhi.
This is an humble attempt on our part to identify these Cakras, and how far we have succeeded in our task, it remains for those who are abler and more learned than ourselves to decide. It is passing strange indeed, that the three famous Nāḍīs of the Tantras, viz., Suṣumṇā, Iḍā, and Piṅgalā, which, there cannot be the slightest doubt, form the spinal cord, right and left sympathetic cords respectively, have not as yet been identified by any Orientalist. But we believe that as a Tantric work has been rendered into English, greater attention will be bestowed by Oriental scholars in illumining the dark recesses of the Tantric literature, and it is to be expected that within a not very distant date the Cakras, Vāyu, &c., of the Tantras will be more correctly identified.
B. B.
[1] Shiva Samhita, translated by Sris Chandra Basu. B. A., F. T. S., Vakil, High Court, N. W P. Published by Heera Lal Dhole, 127, Musjid Bari Street, Calcutta, 1887.
[2] In ancient India, dissection was compulsory for two classes of people, viz.:—the Yogis and the physicians. Thus the great medical author of the Hindus, Suśruta, says that “a Yogi (holy man) should dissect in order that he may know the different parts of the human body.” Wise’s Commentary on Hindu Medicine, p. 48.
[3] The Uttara Gītā [उत्तर गीता] has thus described the relations of these structures (Ch. II. verses 14 and 15): |”The bony column that extends (from the coccyx) to the occiput is called the brahmadaṇḍa [ब्रह्मदण्ड] (i.e., the vertebral column). Within this is the thin cord Suṣumṇā, which is also called brahmanāḍī [ब्रह्मनाडी] by the wise. This Suṣumṇā, is midway between the Iḍā and Piṅgalā.”
Another Tantric work named Ṣaṭ Cakra Nirūpaṇa [Exposition on the Six Cakras] has thus described the position of these three Nāḍīs:—
“Outside the spinal canal, on the left is the Iḍā and on the right is the Piṅgalā, while within the canal and midway between the above two Nāḍīs is the Suṣumṇā, whose structure is like a rope.”
Prof. Cowell identifies Suṣumṇā with the coronal artery (vide his translation of the Maitrāyaṇīya Upaniṣad, p. 270, foot-note. Published by Asiatic Society of Bengal.)
While Pandit Rama Prasad Kasyapa, M. A., F. T. S., identifies Suṣumṇā with trachea, and Iḍā and Piṅgalā with left and right bronchi (Occult Science, the Science of Breath. Published at Lahore, 1884). But it is clear from the above description that these three famous Nāḍīs are the spinal cord and the two sympathetic cords.
[4] Prof. Sir Monier Williams has defined Brahmarandhra to be “a suture or aperture in the crown of the head and through which the soul is said to escape on death.” (Sanskrit-English Dictionary). Now the learned professor’s definition explains nothing. Had he consulted the Tantras and known the space called the Brahmarandhra by the modern Hindus, we doubt not his conclusion would have been the same as ours (i.e., he would have identified the Brahmarandhra with the central canal.)
2. A Hindu renegade thus delivered his verdict on the anatomy of the Tantras, &c.:
“It would indeed excite the surprise of our readers to hear that the Hindus, who would not even touch a dead body, much less dissect it, should possess any anatomical knowledge at all ... It is the Tantras that furnish us with some extraordinary pieces of information, concerning the human body ... But of all the Hindu Śāstras extant, the Tantras lie in the greatest obscurity ... The Tantric theory on which the well-known Yoga called Ṣaṭ-Cakra-Bheda [Piercing the Six Cakras] is founded, supposes the existence of six main internal organs, called Cakras or Padmas, all bearing a special resemblance to that famous flower the lotus. These are placed one above the other, and connected by three imaginary chains, the emblems of the Ganga, the Yamunā and the Sarasvatī ... “Such is the obstinacy with which the Hindus adhere to these erroneous notions, that even when we show them by actual dissection the non-existence of the imaginary Cakras in the human body, they will rather have recourse to excuses revolting to common sense, than acknowledge the evidence of their own eyes. They say with a shamelessness unparalleled, that these Padmas exist as long as a man lives, but disappear the moment he dies.”—Physical Errors of Hinduism, Calcutta Review, Vol. XI, pp. 436-440.
A Daniel has come to Judgment. Did the Hindu renegade take the trouble to compare the Cakras with the Plexuses of modern Anatomy? Had he done so, he would not have talked such nonsense. His paper contains two diagrams, one of the six Cakras and the other of the different viscera as represented by the modern Tantrists.
[5] Gray’s Anatomy, 10th Edition.