yoga (dhaara.naa)

[James Mallinson]

Dear Sandra,

Later yogic texts refer to sixteen aadhaaras in the body (e.g
Netratantra 7.1, Gorak.sasa.mhitaa 13, Siddhasiddhaantapaddhati 2.10 -
25). The dvaada"saanta is mentioned in many tantras and yogic works as
a location in the body, usually in the head. I know of no mention of a
corresponding navaanta, however.

It appears, then, that the first line of the verse is referring to six
aadhaaras in the body, ending in the dvaada"saanta, on which the yogin
is to perform dhaara.naa. In the absence of any parallels for navaanta,
I would be tempted to emend it to something ending -aadi, the most
obvious candidate being muulaadi, where muula refers to the well-known
muulaadhaara, the first item in many lists of physical centres in yogic
physiology. This is of course a fairly drastic conjectural emendation -
if nothing of the sort is required elsewhere in the text then it might
be too fanciful.

Yours,

James Mallinson

  On Thursday, May 13, 2004, at 09:35  am, Sandra Smets wrote:

> Dear members of the list,
>
> I am translating a puraa.nic text which contains a yogic teaching and
> enumerates the eight members of the yoga. In a verse dealing with the
> "dhaara.naa", the author mentions "receptacles" (aadhaara) in a
> numerical
> series (9-12-6). I can not find what it refers to : could anyone help
> me in
> decoding these numbers ? The verse runs as follows :
> navaantadvaadas/aantaanta.sa.daadhaare.sv ananyadhii.h /
> dhaarayeta yathaanyaaya.m dhaara.naasthaanayogavit //
>
> Thank you in advance,
>