Manipura Chakra

In many schools of yoga, and in the
secret ritually-based religious practice
known as tantra, the manipura chakra is
one of the six psychic centers (chakras)
believed to exist in the subtle body. The
subtle body is an alternate physiological
system, existing on a different plane of
reality than gross matter, but corresponding to the material body. The six
psychic centers are visualized as multipetaled lotus flowers running roughly
along the spine, connected by three vertical channels. Each of the chakras has
symbolic associations with various
human capacities, different subtle elements (tanmatras), and different seed
syllables (bijaksharas) formed from the
letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, encompassing all sacred sound. Above and
below these centers are the bodily
abodes of Shiva (awareness) and Shakti
(power), the two divine principles
through which the entire universe has
come into being. The underlying
assumption behind the concept of the
subtle body is the homology of macrocosm and microcosm, an essential
Hindu idea since the time of the mystical texts known as the Upanishads.
The six chakras are traditionally enumerated starting from the bottom; the
manipura chakra is the third. It is visualized as a ten-petaled lotus, located in
the region of the navel. The petals each
contain a seed, in this case the consonants from retroflex “dha” to “pha.” The
manipura chakra is identified as the
bodily seat for the subtle element of fire,
the power of which is believed to bring
about digestion. For further information
see Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe),
Shakti and Shakta, 1978; and Philip S.
Rawson, The Art of Tantra, 1973.