*Prana And Pranayama Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
*A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya Swami Satyananda Saraswati
the Hatha
Yoga Pradipika:
"The secretion of the moon (bindu), the
nectar
of immortality (amrit), is normally consumed
by the fire of the sun (manipura chakra). It
flows downwards and results in ageing of the
body. There is a wonderful technique which
can reverse this process; it should be learned
from a guru and can never be understood by
reading even a thousand scriptures. The
practice is called vipareeta karani mudra and
the positions of the bindu and sun (manipura)
are reversed (i.e. the body is inverted). The
sun is held upwards and the moon
downwards."
(v. 77-79)
Bindu
Bindu means 'point'. It is the point of creation where oneness first divides
into multiplicity, the ultimate point from which all things manifest and into
which all things return. Within bindu is contained the evolutionary potential
for the myriad objects of the universe, the blueprint for creation. Bindu is
the gateway to shoonya. It is located at the top back of the head, at
the point where Hindu brahmins keep a tuft of hair called shikha.
Bindu is represented by a crescent moon and a drop of
white nectar. The tantric texts describe a small depression or pit within the
higher centres of the brain which contains a minute secretion of fluid. In the
centre of that tiny secretion is a small point of elevation, like an island in
the middle of a lake. In the psycho-physiological framework, this tiny point is
considered to be bindu.
The moon at bindu produces amrita, the
life-giving nectar, and the sun at manipura consumes it. This means that during
the course of life, the drop of nectar produced at bindu falls down to
manipura, where it is consumed by the fire element. Due to this process one
suffers from the three ailments of vyadhi, disease, jara, old age; and mrityu,
death. Yoga and tantra employ techniques by which one is able to reverse
this process, so that the amrita is retained at vishuddhi, or sent back up from
manipura to vishuddhi, and then to bindu. In this way perfected yogis have
experienced immortality.
The first manifestation of creation was nada
or sound, and bindu is also the point where the original nada emanates.
Bindu is associated with anandamaya kosha. When bindu is awakened, the
transcendental sound of Om is heard. Bindu is very important in prana vidya and
in many higher yogas.
The most
subtle of the chakras is the ajna.
Beyond ajna
and even more subtle is bindu. It
is not a
chakra. The chakras are associated
with the
human psychic framework; bindu, on
the other
hand, is the subtle centre from which
the human
framework itself arises. Bindu is
therefore
the primary manifesting source of
the chakras
themselves. The chakras are within
the realms
and fetters of the mind; bindu is
bevond the
mind.
The subject
of bindu may seem very technical,
abstract
and incomprehensible, but it
implies an
elevated and profound part of
tantra-yoga
and other mystical systems.
Though it
may appear to have little significance
in terms of
practical yoga, it is the purpose of
all yoga
practices to induce awareness of the
bindu.
Actually it is completely inexplicable in
terms of
logic, for it unites the finite with the
infinite. l
i k e the six main chakras, it is completely
impossible
to understand bindu by
discussion,
reading or speculation.
