सङ्गीतरत्नाकर: प्रथम भाग (शार्ङ्गदेव - स्वरगताध्याय सविस्तार व्याख्या व अनुवाद सहित)

Left Page (p. 88)

88 Treatment of Svara
(svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra).¹ The consequent fruits² of (concentration
on) the eastern and the other petals are respectively said to
be courtesy³, cruelty, freedom from pride⁴, stupor, disrespect
and distrust. This is the seat of passion.⁵ (122c-124b)
with the Śivaliṅga, i. e., the Para liṅga, the supreme one of the four
symbolic liṅga-s of this yoga. Then the word svādhiṣṭhāna would mean
abode of Śiva. But others interpret sva etymologically with reference
to the kuṇḍalinī power, implying this cycle to be the abode of its own
power. However, it would be rewarding if one were to have a look at
the result of meditating on this cakra as given in the Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa
(cf. verse 18 as translated by Sir John Woodroffe in his 'Serpent Power',
p. 364).
"He who meditates upon this stainless lotus, which is named
svādhiṣṭhāna, is freed immediately from all his enemies such as the fault
of ahaṁkāra (ego and so forth etc."
The enemies referred to are kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, ahaṁkāra,
i. e., desire, anger, greed, delusion and ego. It is these five that are
at the root of all self-centred activity, worldliness and sin, all that turns
man into a beast. Thus it is obvious that this cycle is the centre, the
abode of the illusive power of māyā, the kuṇḍalinī.
The six petals of the lotus bear the six letters from left to right
ba, bha, ma, ya, ra, and la, with a dot above (anusvāra).

1. Svādhiṣṭhāna literally means self-supporting. This centre
   corresponds to the sacral plexus in the physical body. The
   specific power developed through meditation on this centre is
   transcendence of the sex-consciousness.
2. The underlying idea seems to be that specific qualities are
   developed through concentration on different petals. These
   qualities are mental dispositions of various colours.
3. Courtesy is thus developed by meditating on the eastern petal
   and so on.
4. Lit. destruction of pride.
5. When kuṇḍalinī is released from this centre and is pushed up
   in the next higher one described subsequently, control with
   regard to sexual power is gained.

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Right Page (p. 89)

Section 2 : The Genesis of the Human Embodiment 89
3. मणिपूर-चक्रम्
नाभौ दशदलं चक्रं मणिपूरकसंज्ञितम् ॥१२४॥
सुषुप्तिरत्र तृष्णा स्यादीर्ष्या पिशुनता तथा ।
लज्जा भयं घृणा मोहः कषायो ऽथ विषादिता ॥१२५॥
क्रमात्पूर्वादिपत्रे तु स्याद्भानुभवनं च तत् ।
3. Maṇipūraka-cakra : 124c-126b
The ten-petalled lotus, the psychophysical centre called
the 'navel cycle'¹ (maṇipūraka cakra) is located around the
navel. The results flowing out of (meditation on) the eastern
and other petals respectively are: dreamless sleep², craving,
jealousy, fault-finding nature, bashfulness, fear, hatred,
stupidity³, impropriety and dejection. This centre is the
seat of a particular prāṇa called bhānu⁴. (124c-126b)
Maṇipūra or maṇipūraka-cakra is also called nābhi-padma, i. e., the
navel lotus as it is located around the region of the root of the navel.
That is why it has conveniently been named as the 'navel cycle'. The
name maṇipūra is explained in a round-about way. It is said in the
Gautamīya Tantra (cf. Serpent Power, p. 119) that owing to the presence
of the fiery tejas (brilliance) this centre is lustrous as a gem (maṇi) and
so it is called maṇipūra.
It is suggested by Sir John Woodroffe that the gross body is evolv-
ed out of the power involved in these three centres. The higher centres
are concerned with mental development, i. e., the subtle body or the
thought body etc. During the waking state attention is ordinarily
centred on either of these three centres (cf. Serpent Power, p. 120).
The ten petals of the lotus of this cycle bear the letters ḍa, ḍha, ṇa,
ta, tha, da, dha, na, pa and pha with a dot above (anusvāra).

1. Maṇipūraka of the text indicates the abdomen. This centre
   translated as the 'navel cycle' corresponds to the solar plexus
   which forms a centre of a great function of the right and the
   left sympathetic chains piṅgalā and iḍā; with cerebro-spinal
   axis connected to this is the lumbar plexus.
2. 'S' defines dreamless sleep as the cessation of all sensual and
   mental activity.
3. Moha is defined by 'S' as a state of mind in which, even while
   awake one is unaware with regard to an object in the field of
   his normal perception.
4. Bhānu literally means the sun.