What Are Chakras? What Is The Significance Of Chakras?

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There are seven Chakras, meaning seven points, through which the energy flows. They are the centres of energy which circulates through the body. The seven Chakras are located along the spine, through the neck and the crown of our head.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan, the Enlightened being, explains:

There are four kinds of Yog. Dehayog (union of the body) is one of them.

Within the body, in the back, there are chakras (the points of physical and spiritual energy). Concentrating on these chakras in the body is called dehayog.

What is the value of this yog?

It provides the remedy of concentration for the disease of mental agitation and confusion. So it is meant to cure the mind that is restless and entangled. One needs an appropriate remedy for whatever disease one has.

However, these remedies are simply temporary adjustments, which give only temporary relief. Now, if you make temporary relief your ultimate goal, then when will you ever find permanent relief?

If these practices of concentration bring an end to anger, pride, deceit and greed, then it is worth it; otherwise what is the point of twenty-five years of yoga practice when your anger, pride, deceit and greed have not gone? The true remedy is the one that helps you get rid of your anger, pride, deceit and greed.

How do we activate a Chakra?

According to ancient Yogic practices, it is said that chakra centres can be activated through chanting of mantras, doing meditation, doing specialized breathing exercises, doing physical exercises like yogasana, etc.

The Enlightened One explains:

There are two types of paths.

One is the Kramik marg, where you do Yog-sadhana to penetrate through the chakras. Chakras are in the body or the Soul? Chakras exist in the body. So that’s on the Kramik marg.

And the Akram marg is such that once one attains Self-Realization, all the chakras in this person get activated. One does not have to put in any effort to activate the chakras; they get activated on their own. It is the knowledge of Self-Realization that has to be attained.

Patanjali had advised that by practicing the yog sadhana of yam, niyam, pranayam, etc., slowly slowly one reaches upto the state of nirvikalp Samadhi. And in Akram, through grace (krupa), one directly reaches the eighth yog of the Ashtang marg i.e. the Nirvikalp Samadhi. One does not have to do the yam, niyam,… dharna, dhyay. It directly makes us dhyay-swarup – the Nirvikalp Samadhi! Thus, the Chakras get bypassed on this path. Where we want to reach, the Akram path makes us reach there directly; bypassing all the steps of Chakras in between. So the Akram Marg is a direct line, and therefore activating Chakras and the sort is not found here. One procures the end result directly!

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In mastering each yog of the Ashtang Marg, numerous lifetimes pass away. It’s quite a difficult path. Whereas here, just like with a lit lamp, the other lamp can be lightened on its own, one just needs to touch it; similarly, here with the grace of One who has attained the experience of the Soul, Self-Realization arises in us.

This is a level above that of the activation of chakras. The kundalini doesn’t need to be awakened, directly the Soul itself gets awakened. No matter how far we go in the awakening of kundalini, yet the awakening of the Soul remains pending, isn’t it? Therefore, awaken the Soul!

What is your name? <John>

Are you really John (please insert your name here)? <No>

Then who are you? <Existence?>

We all know that we exist. ‘I am’, but ‘who am I’ is what we ought to know. And to realize that is called Self-Realization!

There are different ways to realize the Self:

One of the ways is do penance (tapp),

Another is do renunciation (tyaag),

Yet another is do Yog Sadhana, wherein there is Manoyog, there is Dehayog, but still the Aatmayog remains.

So here (in Akram Vignan), we directly attain the Aatma-yog! We are liberated from the effort of vachan-yog, deha-yog and Mano-yog, it is directly the Aatma-yog! That is called Akram Marg!

The Kramik marg is where one climbs step-by-step, step-by-step. If we wish to go to the 9th step, we have to renounce the 8th step and will have to climb the 9th step. Next, renounce the 9th step and attain the 10th step.

Whereas here, the ignorance is renounced i.e. the false I and mine are renounced and the Soul is attained, after which the hassle of renunciation and acquisition is over forever!!