1.3.3 lokas, 1.5.2.5 chakras/vrttis

Q: If the vrittis are mental propensities, how can the first 9 vrittis (the seven sounds of animals or the musical scale, the sound of kundalini and the om sound) of vishuddha cakra be identified as a form of mental expression? What practical examples can be given for expressions of these 9 vrittis?  

These 9 vrittis are not propensities in the sense you are thinking. Each cakra sustains the mind in a different way. They are not in the same stratum. Therefore, their expression and development differ. All the 5 cakras are within the cosmic citta however they span the lokas, except for the causal sphere, thus they differ in how they operate. The propensities emanating from the different chakras will have their roots or origin in different stratums of cosmic expression and therefore their root within the human mind will be different. So the root of vishuddha cakra lies in the realm of potentiality or maharloka. Therefore, it is an expression of the subtle potentialities of the human mind. It does not have its root in bhurloka though these subtle potentialities may in fact emanate through all the spheres and find expression in the physical world. But their root lies in maharloka. Do you understand? So the root is different, therefore the description is difficult. That is why animal sounds are attributed. When the root comes to its expressed form in the mundane world, it will take the sound similar to the animal voice. It will emanate that vibration and carry the essence or origin of that form of expression. But in the vishuddha cakra, it lies in the realm of expressed potentiality. It is neither fixed nor differentiated. So these sounds that will occur in the manifest world as expressions of the human mind, are the waves or potentiality of each of these creatures. Do you understand? The wave of potentiality of the expression of each of these creatures lies within the human mind. The sounds or the vibratory frequency of their essential origin is a characteristic of the human mind, and lies within the potentiality of human expression and takes manifestation often in the voice of lovely singers who may intonate these subtle vibrations of vishuddha cakra, for you must remember this is the sphere of potentiality. In this sphere, the human mind has its most subtle expression. It is a sequence of tonal waves resonating with great refinement and these tonal waves are the very expression of the human mind. When taken to the complete extroversion, they will vibrate the resonance of each of these creatures and the qualities and characteristics of each creature is a part of the human potential, a part of the human expression. That does not mean it is an animal mind but that it contains within it all of these expressions of the animal world or the essence of these creatures. And that essence is expressed in vishuddha cakra as tonal waves.  

When a person is gifted with access to these propensities, the voice becomes musical and the manifestations of the animal kingdom, that is to say the expressions into flesh of the subtle realm, become intonated in lovely tones, for the essence of all beings, the essential origin of all creatures is sweet and lovely beyond comparison. So you see, when this beauty becomes expressed in the voice of a great singer, you will feel this sweetness, you will feel the loveliness of each tonal origin and you will enjoy very much. These are the subtlest expressions of the human mind. When they are crudified and enter into the bhurloka, they take the form of the various animals or their mental equivalent. So the person who has for example given expression to the tonal potentiality known as sadaja in the mundane world, will have the pride of a peacock and the air of that animal. They will express it in their human body but it is a characteristic that one will recognize if one observes the peacock. Likewise, if the sadhaka or human being becomes dominated by the ray of rs'abha or the bull, they will have a very bullish nature. It will dominate their overall expression because it comes from the most subtle sphere. Do you see? Each of these creates an overall approach.  

If a person is dominated by one alone, they will have the very quality of that creature. So if you meet someone and they are bullish in nature, if you watch them and then you watch the bull, you will notice the similarity. Then you will know they are dominated by this propensity. In its pure form, it is a sweet and subtle tonal wave, a potentiality of the human spirit and sweet beyond comparison as the essence of all beings is sweet. But expressed in a dominant way, in a life of a human being, you will notice that all of the propensities of that mind fit into this bullish character. Like this they dominate the human mind, if they are in excess. The same may be had for gandahara or the tone of the goat. You will see the person who is dominated by this propensity. Observe them, they will be like the goat. In whatever they do, whatever they express, their expression will have a goat-like quality. They may like to climb rocks or to eat anything in sight. Then they may baa' at you if you say something. But in the subtle form, in the essence, this characteristic is also sweet for all beings are lovely in their essence. If there is a mix of these different potentialities of expression, if each of the propensities have some degree of activation but none is dominant, you will get a more complex expression and the person will not resemble a particular animal in their manifestation or overall development. But you will see hints of many creatures in them, of many influences on them.  

Now as to om and hum, I have said that vishuddha cakra lies in maharloka so that in vishuddha cakra the very roots of creation exist and are manifested in the om sound in vishuddha cakra. This is the realm of potentialities. In this realm time, place and person are indistinct and the creative energies of the universe find their first expression. This emanation of creation is manifest in the mind of the human being. It is one of the propensities of the human mind to create because it is the propensity of the cosmic progenitor and you are but His reflection, Her reflection. So the om sound manifests this propensity and if a person becomes established or dominated by the ray of this propensity or expression within the mind, thre will be all manner of creative expression.You will find such people are highly creative. They will become artists of note, they will become great scientists because they are immersed or dominated by the propensity for creativity. They will express great potential for the development of new activities, new ideas. They will be innovators, creators in whatever their mind is directed towards. Wherever their focus is placed, new ideas, new ways of doing will pop in their mind. They cannot help but create. These people have a dominance of this propensity and in the mundane world it takes such a form. But if they do sadhana, and they look to the subtle internal realms and come to the origins of this propensity in vishuddha cakra, they will discover that their little I' is not the creator and that all the universe is being created every moment within the mind of the cosmic progenitor. They will experience the bliss of his infinite creativity. So you see how this propensity manifests in the human mind and has its origin in the expression of Parama Purus'a in maharloka.  

Now the hum sound or vibratory wave expressed in vishuddha cakra is the manifestation of the expression or subtle waves of manifestation that vibrate and form in the vishuddha cakra. This is the acoustic root of this cakra. It is also a wave or emanation or propensity of the human mind. In that this wave, this subtle expression has scope in the human mind, in human expression, and that scope is expressed as an intense longing for the Supreme. That is the expression of this propensity. When it dominates the human mind, the person will be mad to know God. They will think of nothing else, day and night. They will long for Him, they will cry for Him, they will want nothing but Lord. One who is dominated by this propensity will not seek mundane knowledge, but knowledge of the great. They will feel the kula kundalini in vishuddha cakra and this cakra will open for them and all of the subtleties of this sphere will dominate their mind. In the mundane world they will be religious or a spiritually minded individual who will have a tendency to always seek holy places, to look at the sunset and think of God, to search for spiritual knowledge and to seem a bit otherworldly. You will notice such people. You see these propensities of vishuddha cakra, they give overall direction to the life of the person and all of the other propensities of the mind from the lower cakras below this stage will fall in line with these more subtle leanings. So if such a person, dominated by the wave or ray of hum should be in the world and experience fear, they will fear that they cannot find God. If the bullish person has a fear, it will be that they are not sufficiently powerful. So you see these propensities of vishuddha cakra direct the other propensities or those expressions below them. Many people will not be dominated by one ray alone but three or four will mix together and so it is often not so black and white to see what propensities dominate. 

 Q: Is there any particular wavelength that can be described for every chakra, i.e. alpha, beta and theta waves?  

You are speaking here of brain waves. Each cakra is dominate by tonal waves, the propensities are tonal waves not brain waves. It is more subtle. All of the manifest universe is composed of subtle sounds, not brain waves. But, the brain may express the propensities of the human mind. It is designed along with the nervous system of the human body to express the spectrum of frequencies available to the human mind. In this expression of the spectrum of frequency available to the human mind, and emanating through the cakras in the petals or rays of manifestation, the human brain will employ all of these brain waves. You see, if the person will gain the frequency or subtlety of the emanation of vishuddha cakra, they will have to manifest a like biochemical and electrical expression. The brain will produce certain chemicals and electrical responses and in the subtle manifestation there will be the dominance of theta and delta waves. But when the same propensities are expressed in the mundane world, the om dominates the mind of the inventor, they will use alpha and beta as well. The man may create in a deep alpha state but express that creation in words utilizing beta waves. Different biochemical processes will be initiated in the brain. So all of these electrical and biochemical processes of the human brain and human nervous system are designed to express each of these subtle propensities and crude propensities as well and depending in what sphere they are expressed, different biochemical and electrical responses will be there. Is it clear? It is not that the expressions of muladara cakra require beta and other cakras theta, no, no, no. It is not like this. It depends on if the root is involved or if it is expressed in the mundane world using the voice and words in the mind. Do you understand? This is not the association between body and subtle body. It works in a different way. The physical body will use all of its capacity to express the vrittis of the human mind. Alright?    

Q: Could you explain about some of the vrittiis which appear to be similar?  

(We looked up the vrittis and found that fear is one of the confusing ones, so we suggested that we start by asking about fear in the different cakras.  

Cinta' = anxiety, deep thinking in Anahata developed by  kha'.  Bhaya = fear, in manipura, pha' 

Prana'sha = fear of annihilation, ma', in manipura)  

You may find repetition of propensities that are dominant in the human mind at different stages of development so that a particular propensity may be present in one stage of psychic development, at one level or kosa, for example ana'hata cakra, and again it will be repeated in manipura and sva'dhis't'a'na and even in mu'la'dha'ra. So you see, the reverberation of the characteristic quality may penetrate through many spheres. Now, fear has its origin in the experience of separation or identification of individuality so its first resonance will be struck in the area of potentialities or at vishuddha cakra. But this resonance is yet subtle and sweet and has not turned as yet into a fearful quality. At this stage it is knowledge of duality. This is the first stage of fear and manifests as the propensity to acquire knowledge of the mundane. It is the first stage. 

In ana'hata cakra, this seeking for knowledge becomes more confirmed and knowledge of pleasure and pain more concrete. The realm of duality is more established and through the resonance or tonal frequency of kha', emanates the dual expression of hope and fear. In this resonance, you will find in one spectrum it is ka manifesting hope and in the other it is kha' manifesting worry. Knowledge has broken down to that which is pleasurable and painful. There is hope for pleasure and worry or anxiety that one may live in pain. So in this cakra, comes the propensity to worry about life. If hope is less, worry will be more. If worry is less, it is because hope is strengthened that all will be alright. So you see, the mind at this stage has developed a sense of duality which is cause for hope and cause for worry. Its original source is knowledge of duality. 

Then in manipura cakra, this mental tendency again manifests. There is not the concern for duality in this stage but the fear that all is lost.  So at this stage comes the fight or flight.  The person will either fight to gain pleasure or they will freeze in fear of pain. So now it is not merely duality but the struggle to avoid pain and to acquire pleasure that the propensities are directed towards. In sva'dhis't'a'na cakra again this fear manifests, but in this cakra it is more rudimentary in its expression. Pha' has become ma', it is preservation and annihilation and when annihilation comes to the human awareness, great fear is instilled in the human being. So in this cakra the human being struggles for survival and fears annihilation. They will also experience fear as the wave of ra', of helplessness as a manifestation of fear and also may come the lack of confidence in their capacity to overcome obstacles, in which case fear is also struck. So you see, from the sense of duality, knowledge of separation, comes a cascade of expressions based in fear. In the mu'la'dha'ra cakra, at the base of the kula kundalini, all of the potentialities of the mind are held in latent form and the psychic longings, physical longings for shelter, food, clothing, for psychic expansion, for spiritual knowledge, the yearning for the upward movement of the mental propensities are all held in potentiality. And what is it that holds them, that keeps the human mind and heart locked and closed away? It is fear, fear of achieving, fear of changing, fear of movement. Fear pervades and locks the human mind in association with animal desires so that it cannot move to the great. But at the same time, there is the ray of spiritual longing and psycho-spiritual longing. These counter this encapsulation, they pull the human mind towards the great. So in this cakra, there is both the fundamental characteristic of contraction and of expansion in each of the propensities. So you see there are many aspects to fear in its development within the human mind.  

The same may be said for hatred and anger for like fear, they stem from the experience of duality. When there is attraction there is repulsion, they go together and this natural tendency first finds expression in attraction and repulsion. Then, when the sense of duality is strengthened in the ana'hata cakra, the person will begin to worry and to find fault with things. They will become argumentative if this propensity is active because they will not want to succumb to pain. They are fighting, it is an extension of repulsion. They are fighting pain in their effort to achieve better, and that quality is t'a. When it is expressed in manipura cakra, it will become blind attachment. They will want what they want with a ferociousness and if they are thwarted, they will go into a rage. And again in sva'dhis't'a'na cakra it will take manifestation but its expression will be more static. There will be less active principle (or rajas) involved, and the person will become indifferent. They will become numb or in a psychic fog. Static expressions will dominate and they will no longer fight with mightiness for what they desire, the static principle is too dominant. They will succumb to lethargy, psychic fog and indifference. Such people become quite hopeless and feel helpless. They lack in confidence. Psychic inertia and tamaguna has caught them. Those dominated by manipura cakra will have more fire. They will rage against pain and struggle for pleasure. They may become quite cruel to others and they will envy what others have and they do not.  

Now, there is one other tendency of the human mind which must be considered in the expression of propensities and that is the tendency to succumb, to lose hope. If the positive aspects of ana'hata cakra, hope, love, and joy are not developed well in a human being, if the feeling is not there in the person that they are capable of attaining happiness, then they may succumb to psychic depression,  cha'. This ray of expression exists due to the feeling that "I cannot make my way to true happiness, it is beyond me, beyond my capacity." When a person comes to this thought, to this thinking, it means that the positive propensities of the ana'hata cakra are underdeveloped. So psychic depression comes in the mind.  

Now, in manipura cakra, this psychic depression becomes more static, the person loses all sight of the possibility of hope. It seems that their dreams are completely beyond them. In this case they will emanate tha, a sense of melancholia or remorseful depression. It is more static in nature than that which is expressed in ana'hata cakra. All of the mental potentials are shut down, closed off. The rajas is inwardly directed against the person themselves. They are their own worse enemy, such a person is their own worse enemy. In this propensity, the vitality of manipura cakra is inwardly directed, the person caves in, they cannot go on, they are poisonous to themselves. So this is the expression of tha, when all of the vitality and movement is inwardly directed in self defeat. You see, in ana'hata, in cha it is not the case. The psychic depression is due to a lack of hope, a depletion in hope, but the person is not self-destructive. But in manipura, in the case of tha', hope is so completely lost that they are not even trying to achieve success. They have directed themselves to self-destruction. They become completely melancholy, self-defeated in their thoughts and the mind takes on an inertia. So if tha is present, ta will often emanate inertia as well. When this mental tendency of self-defeat, not even making effort to acquire happiness, is expressed in sva'dhis't'a'na cakra, the person again comes in a psychic stupor and is indifferent. They are numb, they are no longer attempting to destroy themselves, they are just defeated and numb, indifferent, without any concept of hope. They do not even know the extent of their pain for they have numbed themselves beyond reach. 

So, in this way, the mental distortions which arise from the sense of duality, caused by the arousal of the individualized I' feeling, will play through the various stages of human expression, and will be given manifestation through the dominance of certain tonal rays. 

I think it is enough for today on this subject.