[INDOLOGY] Association between nāḍīs and dvāras within Jainism?
jacob at fabularasa.dk
jacob at fabularasa.dk
Thu May 10 15:43:12 UTC 2018
Dear all,
I am currently working on an analysis of Jain gyān bāzī (Snakes &
Ladders) charts. Evidence seems to indicate that the nine snakes which
routinely appear on the charts are associated with "the nine great
energy channels" (mahā nav nāḍī) of the human body, and that the nine
rows of the charts are likewise associated with the nine "gates" (dvār)
of the human body (i.e. eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, anus, urethra). The
gates are furthermore associated with various rebirth categories, and
the implied logic seems to be that by "closing off" the nine gates, one
will be able to cut off the heads of the snakes, so to speak, stop the
process of rebirth, and open up the tenth gate (brahmarandhra), thereby
attaining liberation (and winning the game).
I am aware that Gorakhnāth associates ten nāḍīs with the ten dvāras in
Siddhasiddhāntapaddhati 1.67, but I have not been able to find a similar
association within Jainism. It is not at all impossible that Nāth
thinking influenced the Jain charts in this respect, but I am not
sufficiently well versed in Jain yoga to make such a call. If anybody is
aware of such an association within Jainism or elsewhere, or perhaps
even an association between dvāras and rebirth categories, I would be
very interested to know about it.
Kind regards,
Jacob
Jacob Schmidt-Madsen
PhD Fellow (Indology)
University of Copenhagen
Denmark
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