Journey to the Divine: Thirumoolar’s Key to Kundalini Shakthi through ASHTANGA YOGAM | திருமூலர் திருமந்திரத்தில் "அஷ்டாங்கயோகம்" மூலமாக ஆத்ம நிலையை அடையும் வழியை விவரித்துள்ளார்!

In Sanskrit, Sage Patanjali, and in Tamil, Thirumoolar, have each outlined the eightfold path of Ashtanga Yoga in a systematic way. These eight limbs guide one from outer discipline to inner realization. The first four stages are considered external disciplines: 1.Yama refers to restraints — what we must avoid or give up. These are ethical rules about what not to do. 2. Niyama is about observances — what we must adopt or follow. 3. Asana, often thought of as a physical posture, actually points to something deeper. It represents the seat or position of the Kundalini energy within the body. While it’s true that an asana must be steady and comfortable, the purpose goes beyond just physical stability. Tradition says there are 840,000 asanas, aligning with the belief that there are 840,000 types of living beings — and that each posture corresponds to the way life-energy rests in each form. For human beings, asana helps us recognize the seat of this energy at the Mooladhara (root) chakra. Just as every person in an organization has a specific seat or role — be it a watchman, typist, or manager — each living being has a position or center where its life-force resides. The concept of asana brings awareness to this “seat” of the jeeva (life energy). 4. Pranayama is the regulation of breath — more precisely, the control and direction of prana shakti, the vital life energy that fills the universe. Though air has many components, it is uyiriyam, or vital essence, that sustains life. The practice of pranayama helps us channel this energy systematically. While these first four limbs deal with outward practices — discipline, posture, and breath — the remaining four limbs lead us inward, into the subtler dimensions of yoga and consciousness. 5. Pratyahara – The Turning Inward Thirumoolar speaks about Pratyahara as a crucial transitional stage for those progressing beyond external practices. He emphasizes a deep truth: the universal energy that permeates everything also dwells within every human being. To illustrate this, he draws a parallel from temple worship. When we visit a temple, we don’t worship directly at the Gopuram. There is a process. Devotees traditionally walk around the temple five times, symbolizing the journey through the five layers of human existence: •Annamaya kosha – the physical body •Pranamaya kosha – the energy or breath body •Manomaya kosha – the mind or emotional body •Vijnanamaya kosha – the intellect or wisdom body •Anandamaya kosha – the blissful body Only after symbolically crossing these layers can one reach the sanctum (Chitambalam) and experience the divine presence. Likewise, though blood circulates through the whole body, the soul (Atma) resides beyond the physical form. It transcends the gross, subtle, and causal bodies and lies beyond the three states of awareness—waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. This idea of Pratyahara points to a deeper energy that powers human life. Just as a fan or light needs electricity from a source beyond the switch, our brain, too, requires a subtle energy source to function. This invisible force is our fundamental life energy. Thirumoolar explains that this life energy is located at the very center of the human body—just as the Earth’s energy lies in its core, the Sun’s power in its center, the yolk in an egg, or the nucleus in an atom. The divine power we often seek outside actually resides within us. To locate this energy physically, one can measure from the tip of the thumb to the crown of the head in a standing person, take half of that distance from the feet, and find the central point—this is where the source energy lies. It is this energy that fuels both spiritual growth and everyday life. For most people, this is expressed as boga shakti—the energy used for worldly experiences. But for yogis and the spiritually awakened, it becomes yoga shakti, atma shakti, and jnana shakti—the powers of yoga, soul, an Send us Fan Mail Let Wisdom Flourish! Let Peace Prevail! Let us protect Mother earth! Let us protect the Universe! Santhosam https://universalpeacefoundation.org