Anahata

For other uses, see Anahata (disambiguation).

Anahata (Sanskrit: , IAST: Anhata, En-

Supreme Being) and Prakriti (Mother Nature) and is often represented by Shiva and Shakti. The deity of this
area is Vayu, who is smoke-coloured and four-armed,
holding a kusha and riding an antelope (the chakras animal).

1.3 Seed mantra

The seed syllable is the dark-grey mantra yam. In the
bindu (or dot) above the syllable is the deity Isha. Isha
is bright white or blue in color. He has one or ve faces,
with three eyes on each face and he has two, four or ten
arms. He is clad in a tiger skin, holds a trident and drum,
grants blessings, and dispels fear. His shakti is Kakini,
who is shining yellow or rose-coloured. She has a number
of variations: one, three or six faces; two or four arms;
and holds a variety of implements (occasionally a sword,
shield, skull or trident). She is seated on a red lotus.
Anahata symbolises love, empathy, selessness and devotion.
The center of force inspires humans to love, be compassionate,
altruistic and devoted and to accept divine actions.[1]

1.4 Petals
The twelve red petals are inscribed with the syllables
kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham,
nyam, tam and tham in Sanskrit. They match the vrittis
of lust, fraud, indecision, repentance, hope, anxiety,
longing, impartiality, arrogance, competence, discrimination and deance.

glish: unstruck) or heart chakra is the fourth primary

chakra, according to Hindu Yogic, Shakta and Buddhist
Tantric traditions. In Sanskrit, anahata means unhurt,
unstruck and unbeaten. Anahata Nad refers to the Vedic
concept of unstruck sound (the sound of the celestial
realm). Ananhata is associated with balance, calm and
serenity.

2 Function
1

Description

Anahata is considered to be the seat of the Jivatman and

Parashakti. In the Upanishads, this is described as a tiny
ame inside the heart. Anahata is named as such be1.1 Location
cause sages were believed to hear the sound (Anahata
The Anahata chakra is in the central channel of the spine Shabda), which comes with the striking of two things
[3]
at the heart, with its kshetram (supercial activation site) together. It is associated with air, touch and the actions
of the hands.
between the breasts.[2]

1.2

Anahata is associated with the ability to make decisions

outside the realm of karma. In Manipura and below, man
is bound by the laws of karma and fate. In Anahata one
makes decisions (follows ones heart) based on ones
higher self, not the unfullled emotions and desires of
lower nature. As such, it is known as the heart chakra.[4]
It is also associated with love and compassion, charity to
others and psychic healing. Meditation on this chakra is
said to bring about the following siddhis: he becomes a
lord of speech, he is dear to women, his presence controls

Appearance

Anahata is represented by a lotus ower with twelve

petals. Inside there is a smoke-coloured region made
from the intersection of two triangles, creating a
shatkona. The shatkona is a symbol used in Hindu
Yantra, representing the union of the masculine and feminine. Specically, it is meant to represent Purusha (the
1

COMPARISONS WITH OTHER SYSTEMS

the senses of others, and he can leave and enter the body without the mental eort normally needed to repeat the
at will.
mantra) and puried by bhakti (devotion).

Hrit (Hridaya, Surya) chakra

6 Comparisons with other systems

6.1 Tibetan Buddhism
The heart wheel in Tibetan Buddhism is the location of
the indestructible red-and-white drop. At death the winds
of the body dissolve and enter this drop, which then
leaves the body into Bardo (the intermediate stage) and
rebirth. The heart wheel in this model is circular, white
and has eight petals (or channels) reaching downwards.
These channels divide into three wheels (mind, speech
and body) and go to 24 places in the body. They again
divide into three and then into 1,000, producing 72,000
channels (known as Nadi) throughout the body.[6]

The heart wheel is important in meditation; in the lower

tantras, the mantra is recited from the heart. It is recited verbally and then mentally; then, in the heart, a tiny
moon disc and ame are imagined from which the mantra
rings. In the higher tantras (the Anuttarayoga Tantra of
the Sarma schools) or the Inner Tantras of the Nyingma
The Hrit chakra (just below Anahata) is the seat of the wish- school, the practitioner attempts to dissolve the winds and
fullling tree.
drops into the central channel at the level of the heart to
experience the Yoga of Clear Light; this is a practice of
Immediately below Anahata (at the solar plexus or, some- the Six Yogas of Naropa. In Tibetan Buddhism there is
times, on the near left side of the body) is a minor chakra a chakra, the Fire Wheel, above the heart and below the
known as Hrit (or Hridaya, heart), with eight petals. It throat.
has three regions: a vermilion sun region, within which
is a white moon region, within which is a deep-red re
region. Within this is the red wish-fullling tree, kalpa
taru, which symbolises the ability to manifest what one 6.2 Kabbalah
wishes to happen in the world.
On the tree of life, the central sephirah (Tiphereth) is asHrit chakra is sometimes known as the Surya (sun) sociated with the heart.[7] Christian kabbalists, in particchakra,[5] which is located slightly to the left below the ular, associate this sephirah with love, healing and Jesus
heart. Its role is to absorb energy from the sun and pro- Christ.
vide heat to the body and the other chakras (to Manipura
in particular, to which it provides Agni' (re).

6.3 Susm

Associations with the body

Sus have a system of Lataif-e-sitta at a number of points

on the body; at the heart, there are three positioned horAnahata is said to be near the heart. Because of its con- izontally. On the left side of the chest is the Qalb (the
nection to touch it is associated with the skin, and because heart); the Ruh is on the right side of the chest, and the
of its connection to actions of the hands it is associated Sirr (innermost heart) is between them.[8]
with the hands. In the endocrine system, Anahata is said
The Qalb is called the heart of the mystic; it is caught
to be associated with the thymus.
between the downward pull of the lower nafs, and the upward pull of the spirit of Allah and may be blackened
by sin. It may be puried by reciting the names of God.
5 Practices
The Ruh is the centre of the spirit, the breath of Allah;
when awakened, it counteracts the negative pull of the
In Kundalini yoga, anahata is awakened and balanced by nafs. The Sirr is the innermost heart, where Allah maniasanas, pranayamas and the practice of ajapa japa (japa, fests his mystery.

6.4

Qigong

In Qigong, the middle Dantian (one of the three furnaces

that transform energy in the body) is in this region. The
middle Dantian transforms qi energy into shen (spiritual
energy).

See also
Chakra
Soul
Atma
Jiva
Heart
Consciousness
Hexagram

References

[1] The 7 Points of Chakra. InnerOpen. Retrieved 27

September 2013.
[2] Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Kundalini Tantra
[3] Woodroe, J. The Serpent Power Dover Publications,
New York, 1974 p. 120
[4] Heart Chakra. ASIS Massage. Retrieved 16 August
2013.
[5] R. Venugopalam. The Hidden Mysteries of Kundalini
[6] Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Tantric Grounds and Paths
[7] Dion Fortune. The Mystical Qabalah
[8] Abu Bakr Siraj ad Din Cook. The Subtle Centres of the
Heart

External links
Anahata (Heart) Chakra position within the Subtle
System
Description of Anahata Chakra from Kheper.net
Anahata The Heart Chakra by Anodea Judith
Anahata Chakra
Chakras.net

10

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10.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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