Continued from the previous post, this post details cakras 6 through 10 of the 10-cakra system of the Sanskrit text called "A Jewel-mine of Music". Translation by Somadeva Vasudeva, with minor adjustments by myself. Additional comments translated from the Sanskrit commentary by Siṃhabhūpāla. Note that this cakra system was not "invented" for this text on musicianship, but was drawn from yogic materials now unavailable.
CAKRA #6. lalanā-cakra. "In the uvula[-region] is located the twelve petalled lalanā-cakra. In its petals are located the following fruits, beginning with the East (front): [1] intoxication, [2] arrogance, [3] affection, [4] grief, [5] distress [Siṃhabhūpāla: “suffering caused by unknown causes”], [6] greed, [7] disenchantment, [8] agitation, [9] the “wave” [Siṃhabhūpāla: “the six waves existing in the vital breath (prāṇa), the mind (buddhi) and the body (deha): hunger & thirst, grief & delusion, old age & death”] [10] faith, [11] contentment, and [12] respectfulness."
"In the lalanā-cakra the tenth [faith] and eleventh [contentment] petals confer mastery on the musician, the first [intoxication], fourth [grief] and fifth [distress] are considered destructive by the experts in yogic science."
CAKRA #7. ājñā-cakra. "[In the region] between the eyebrows is located the three-petalled ājñā-cakra. The rewards are the manifestations of [the three guṇas]: [1] sattva, [2] rajas, and [3] tamas."
CAKRA #8. manaś-cakra. "After that comes the six-petalled manaś-cakra, its fruits are [the mastery of]: [1] dream, [2] enjoyment of flavor, [3] olfactory perception, [4] visual perception, [5] the sensation of touch, [6] aural cognition."
CAKRA #9. soma-cakra. "Above is the sixteen-petalled soma-cakra. On its sixteen petals are located sixteen kalās (“powers, forces, digits, sixteenths, parts, aspects”). The soul attains [the following] rewards when it progresses to these petals beginning with the East (front): [1] compassion, [2] forbearance, [3] integrity, [4] fortitude, [5] dispassion, [6] constancy, [7] joy, [8] mirth, [9] thrills, [10] tears (of joy) in meditation, [11] stability, [12] gravitas, [13] effort, [14] clearmindedness, [15] generosity, [16] single-pointedness." Note that many of these are Yamas & Niyamas in the Śāradā-tilaka.
CAKRA #10. sahasrapatra-cakra. "In the cranial aperture is located a thousand-petalled, nectar-bearing lotus, it nourishes the body with streams of nectar. . . . The soul located in the cranial aperture, being flooded with nectar, is content, and can excel in music. "
Dr. Vasudeva, who translated this passage, adds:
"Musicians might well wonder why Śārṅgadeva goes to such lengths in describing esoteric physiology in a musicological work. The answer is given in the following verses: Only when the soul is located in certain of these petals/kalās can music be mastered. Some other petals/kalās are harmful to music, others are indifferent."
Source: The account of the cakras in found in the Saṃgīta-ratnākara of Śārṅgadeva, edited by Pandit S. Subrahmanya Sastri, revised by Smt. S. Sarada, Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, second edition 1992.
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