Ritual

life, for it is believed that only when the body is perfectly attuned
and strengthened can it experience and sustain the full intensity of
the cosmic state.
The forces governing the cosmos on the macro-level govern the
individual in the micro-level. According to tantra, the individual
being and universal being are one. All that exists in the universe
must also exist in the individual body. One of our major
limitations in discovering the essential unity between the
microcosm and the macrocosm is that we are accustomed to
analyse the world into its separate parts, with the result that we lose
sight of these parts' inter-relationship and their underlying unity.
The way to fulfilment is through recognition of the wholeness
linking man and the universe. In recognizing this unity, on the
other hand, this norm extends our ego-boundaries and liberates us
from a limited attitude towards the external world. As this feeling
develops, the external and internal are no longer polarized: they do
not exclude one another nor are they actually separate, but are
integrated into a cohesive whole. Thus, the tantrikas see the
universe as though it were within ourselves, and ourselves as
though we were within the universe. It is, however, difficult to
visualize the extent of our latent potentialities because we are
usually aware of a very small fragment of our being. The outer self
is only a small projection of the larger inner self. A vast reservoir of
latent force is waiting to be discovered. The human body, with its
psychological and biological functions, is a vehicle through which
the dormant psychic energy, Kundalini Sakti, can be awakened to
finally unite with the Cosmic Consciousness that is Siva.
The Kundalini Sakti, the coiled and dormant cosmic power,
is at the same time the supreme force in the human body.
According to tantra, this coiled-up energy remains unmanifest
within us and is said to be a latent reservoir of psychic power.
The Kundalini Sakti ('coiled-up energy') is the central pivot
upon which our psychophysical apparatus is based. A transformation
and reorientation of this dormant energy is only
possible through what is called the arousing of the Kundalini
through the psychic centres in the human body, by activizing its
ascent it transcends our limitations. When the Kundalini sleeps,
man is aware of his immediate earthly circumstances only. When
she awakes to a higher spiritual plane, the individual is not limited
to his own perception but instead participates in the source of light.
Thus in her ascent, the Kundalini absorbs within herself all the
kinetic energy with which the different psychic centres are
charged. By awakening the Kundalini's dormant force, otherwise
Purushakara Yantra. Painting
illustrating the drama of the
universe in the body of cosmic man.
Rajasthan, c. 18th century.
Gouache on cloth.
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