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The Bīja Mantra of Maṇipūra

The bīja mantra of the Maṇipūra Cakra is Raṃ, which is the sound of the universal Ātmā known as Rāma. Chanting from the navel utilizes the Parā level of sound. The union of prāṇa and apāna at this cakra allows pure consciousness to enter the central Suṣumṇā channel, ascending to the supreme door of the Sahasrāra. Through dedicated mantra and prāṇāyāma practice, the cakras purify and the Kuṇḍalinī awakens. The sound resonates from the navel, with the 'M' reaching the nasal space at the Ājñā Cakra, creating a flute-like resonance through the Amṛtandhra. Sit straight with aligned posture to facilitate this inner resonance.

"Brahma means the Supreme, the highest sovereign. It is the door to the supreme."

"The resonance of the Rāma Mantra, 'Rām,' comes from the Maṇipūra—'Ra' is in Maṇipūra, 'A' is coming up, and 'M' goes to the nasal space—it becomes such a beautiful resonance."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

The bīja mantra of the Maṇipūra Cakra is Raṃ. The incarnation of God Viṣṇu is called Rāma. "Rām" also means Ātmā. When you speak "Rām," you are speaking that universal Ātmā, that universal consciousness. As we spoke yesterday about Parā, Paśyantī, and Bhakrī—these levels of sound—Parā is the seat of sound at the navel. If someone is a singer and goes to study singing, their guru will tell them to sing deep from the abdomen, from the navel. You can experience many beautiful things during meditation and chanting if you concentrate and chant from the navel. It is said that the unity of the prāṇa and apāna śakti occurs in the Maṇipūra Cakra, and then the pure prāṇa, or consciousness, enters the Suṣumṇā Nāḍī. The Suṣumṇā is the central nerve. That guides the resonance to the Sahasrāra Cakra at the top of the head, which we call the Brahmarandhra. "Brahma" means the Supreme, the highest sovereign. It is the door to the supreme. Through the practice of your mantra, concentrating on its sound, and through the practice of prāṇāyāma and Kuṇḍalinī Yoga kriyās, you purify your cakras. This then enables you to enter into the suṣumṇā nāḍī. Many of you here in this Anuṣṭhān retreat are doing these practices. If you are doing them with concentration, devotion, and dedication, it leads to the awakening of the cakras and the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī. It is only the third day, and it will take one or two days more. The Parā sound at the Maṇipūra Cakra—we will come to that later when we discuss Kuṇḍalinī Yoga and the cakras. Paśyantī is in the throat at the Viśuddhi Cakra, the area of the vocal cords. From there, a little up toward the tonsil side, there is a small hole called the Amṛtandhra. This is the small hole through which you can taste or receive the nectar from the Bindu Cakra. When you constrict the throat, about 50% or 60% of the nāda, the sound, enters into that space, and that resonance goes into your head. Also, there is a hole here at the center of the eyebrows. We have sinuses here and also here at the forehead. So, the Amṛtandhra, the nasal space, and this is the Ājñā Cakra. These three become like a flute to resonate that power which comes from the Maṇipūra up to the Viśuddhi Cakra. Many people don’t have holes here; it is compact. A doctor was making an X-ray and said I don’t have the hole. I said, "Well, I’m compact." That’s a good sound. So when the resonance of the Rāma Mantra, "Rām," comes from the Maṇipūra—"Ra" is in Maṇipūra, "A" is coming up, and "M" goes to the nasal space—it becomes such a beautiful resonance. You can experience it yourself, and you can hear it from all of us as we chant. So, try to sit up straight. Put your chewing gum in your pocket or bag, because when we send the alarm, the chewing gum might go into another space. There is a story in Mahāprabhujī’s Līlā Amṛta about a merchant who got a chickpea in his nose, and it went into the sinus. So please, at this moment, do not use chewing gum or a cherry. Sit straight and relax your shoulders. Make your chest free so the lungs can have volumed air, and adopt chin mudrā. Keep your spine straight. The distance between your chin and your collarbone or chest should be about a hand's width, like this. You can't see because of my beard, but it's like this. If you are bored, then your chin is too high. If it's too low, then it's not correct. So, this is straight, exactly a hand's width. That means your head is aligned. Some say only four fingers, but the easy and best way is this side; that is the exact measure. We will chant twenty-one times all together, slowly and continuously. From time to time, you may inhale according to your requirement. So, sit straight again. Maintain your posture. If you would like to experience, close your eyes. The resonance begins from the navel. Close your eyes. So, the bīja mantra of the Maṇipūra is Raṃ. The bīja mantra of the Maṇipūra is Rām. It is the Ātmā, which is known as Rām. Ātmā is known as Rāma. And it is the Incarnation of God, Rāma. So, take what meaning you like. Relax, keep your body upright and straight. Close your eyes and feel your breath. You will begin to chant with me. Rām, rām, rām.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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