AURAS

The modern science has discovered PRANAMAYAKOSHA or PRANIC BODY. It was recognized by yoga long ago. The modern science has discovered the electro-structure and this electro-structure has been discovered in the plant Yoga recognized it thousands of years ago because the tradition of yoga is very old. More than five thousand years ago, yoga was in a flourishing condition. This electro-structure is known as the ETHERIC BODY or sometimes it is known as the FUNCTIONAL BODY. Surrounding this physical body of every human being, there is the etheric body which is now known in modern terms as electro-structure. The etheric body is electrical in nature. Since it is electrical, yoga describes it luminous like lightning. The etheric body sends out radiation of force - both positive and negative, short and long vibrations. The appearance of these vibrations outside the physical body is known as AURA. The aura depends upon the etheric body. The aura of an individual may be strong or it may be weak. It all depends upon the etheric body. The appearance of vibrations issuing from the etheric body is known as aura. Aura surrounds the physical body. So, in aura there are different colours. He who is clairvoyant can read your aura and what predominant colour it contains. The nature of a human being depends upon the colour of the aura. Suppose, your aura is crimson in colour, it means that you have more energy. Let us speak later about the colours. This much is true, the aura surrounds the physical body of a human being and the strength or weakness of the aura depends upon the etheric body. The etheric body is a field of energy which maintains every atom and cell of the physical body. Therefore, the etheric body is known as the ARCHETYPAL BODY upon which the physical body stands.

There are three main functions of the etheric body:
1. It acts as the receiver of energy,
2. It acts as the assimilator of energy,
3. It acts as the transmitter of energy.

Reception, assimilation and transmission are the three main functions of the etheric body. These energies, having passed through the chakras, act upon the nervous system of the body. The nervous system gives stimulus to the endocrine glands and the endocrine glands secrete hormones. They get mixed with the blood stream. Then these hormones determine the nature and character of man. Please, remember that chakras do exist in the etheric body, not in the physical body. Of course, chakras are there. They have close correspondence with the system of seven glands in the body. Chakra means a FORCE CENTRE or a FOCAL POINT in the etheric body. Then, there are seven chakras: Muladhara, Swadisthana, Manipuraka, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Agneya, Sahasrara. Corresponding to these seven chakras in the etheric body are seven glands in the physical body.

Chakras in the Etheric Body--
Chakras and corresponding colours-
Chakras have their colours and these colours follow the pattern of the rainbow. The colours of the rainbow are known as VIBGYOR. That means the rainbow consists of seven colours: violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. It is known as VIBGYOR, the short term for the seven colours. Muladhara chakra is red, Swadisthana is orange, Manipuraka chakra is yellow, Anahata chakra is green, Vishuddhi is blue, the chakra which resides in the centre between the eyebrows or Bhrumadhy (Ajna) is indigo and Sahasrara is violet. The rainbow is the most significant symbol of the world because it represents the whole Universe. In the Bible Christ has said: "I do set my bow in the clouds for it is the token of the covenant between God and the Earth." "Bow" means the rainbow. That is why the rainbow which you often see on a cloud is so important. It is significant in the sense that it represents the whole Universe. Now the question arises: why does the rainbow consist of seven colours, seven cosmic colours or seven rays? Why do we speak of seven colours or seven rays when there are innumerable rays in the Universe? You know ultraviolet and infrared? For us only the seven colours are visible and they are visible to us through the spectrum. But there are innumerable colours. Kurma-purana says that there are innumerable colours. From violet to red these colours are visible. But even above violet there's ultraviolet. Infrared is below red. Science has recognized that there are innumerable rays which compose the body of God, but only seven rays have been singled out. Since only seven colours are visible, sometimes they are known as tangible (tangible-intangible, visible-invisible). Not only that. These seven colours are the matrix of the seven planets.
Just as each chakra has its own colour, similarly each chakra has its own number of petals.
In Muladhara there are 4 petals.
n Swadisthana there are 6 petals.
In Manipuraka there are 10 petals.
Anahata there are 12 petals.
Vishuddhi there are 16 petals.
In Bhrumadhya (center between the eye-brows) or Ajna there are 2 petals. 2 means 48 on one side and 48 on the other side, so it amounts to 96. We see only 2 petals but really speaking 48 plus 48 gives 96.
Then, when we come to Sahasrara it becomes 960. Again in Sahasrara there's one chakra which contains 12 petals. So, 960 plus 12 gives 972. That is what is known as Sahasrara - about 1000 petals. In the centre of Sahasrara there are 12 petals. They are violet in colour.

What is the meaning of petals? When we say that Adhara chakra has 4 petals, what does it mean? Just as the lotus flower has its petals, similarly, each chakra is conceived as a flower, lotus flower. Just as the lotus flower has its petals, so each chakra has its own petals, too. What do we mean by petals here? Petals are nothing but VIBRATIONS! The lowermost chakra is Adhara. It has only four petals, it means only four vibrations. It is very slow. When we come to Swadisthana, the number of petals is 6, and 6 vibrations. Manipuraka chakra 10 petals or 10 vibrations. Anahata 12, Vishuddhi 16, Agneya 96. Sahasrara vibrates with vertiginous rapidity (speed). 972 is the exact number of petals, i.e. vibrations but let us say 1000. That means it has a very great number of vibrations. That is why, says yoga, the pineal gland is the seat of cosmic thought. Similarly, there's an organ for thought because man is a thinking being. Man is a rational being. Thoughts have great power but only when your thoughts are one-pointed, definite and persistent, they become powerful. Pineal gland is an organ for thought. Now the pineal gland is very slow and our thoughts are fleeting, indefinite, they have no power. When through intense practice the pineal gland begins to vibrate, then it releases light and you can see the light also. One more thing is this, since the pineal gland begins to vibrate with vertiginous rapidity, with rapid speed, what happens? Thought power rises to N-th degree and cosmic intelligence begins to function.
The Chart of Chakras
Each chakra has its colour and petals. Petal means vibration. Each chakra has its own planet. The planet itself is a presiding deity. In some yogic books chakras are given symbols, but they are all imaginary. The real cosmic truth is that each chakra has its own planet as a presiding deity. First is Sun, then Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus Saturn or in Sanskrit Surya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Guru, Shukra, Sheni. Each chakra has its own fragrance, this is true. There are seven flowers also but it is difficult to name the flowers and the fragrance because there are so many differences.

There may also be other symbols (Ganapati or lion, serpent etc.) but they are all imaginary. This is universal. The planets are universal. The first chakra - Muladhara, the presiding deity is the Sun, the colour is red. So, it is said that Surya or Sun is nothing but red colour concentrate. According to Yoga-shastra - Surya is nothing but red colour concentrate. Then the second - Swadisthana, its presiding deity is the Moon. The Moon is the orange colour concentrate. Then the third - Manipuraka chakra, the presiding deity is Mars, yellow in colour, yellow colour concentrate. Anahata, the presiding deity is Budha, green colour concentrate. Vishuddhi chakra, the presiding deity is Jupiter or Guru, blue colour concentrate. Agneya chakra, the presiding deity or planet is Venus or Shukra, indigo colour concentrate. Sahasrara chakra, the presiding deity or planet is Saturn or Shani, violet colour concentrate.
Now, recently there has been the renaissance of yoga. Though its tradition is very old, it is now being revived. People all over the world are taking interest in yoga. So, there has been the renaissance or rebirth of yoga during the recent past, about 3-4 decades ago. This renaissance or rebirth has taken three major directions:
1. There has been an establishment of relation between Yoga and Vedanta.
2. There's a spread of yoga, both in India and abroad, with its attendant benefits.
3. There's an application of yoga as preventive and curative therapy for diseases of both the body and the mind.
This brings us to the problem of the relationship between yoga and the medical science. Nowadays the application of yoga as preventive and curative therapy is in much practice. The aim of yoga and of the medical science is to achieve the optimal physical health and mental peace through preventive, curative and formative measures. The doctors often say that prevention is always better than cure. Yoga does admit it - it says, "It's true, prevention is always better than cure." But yoga lays more stress on the formative measures of health. Medical science does not lay so much emphasis upon the formative measures, just as yoga does. All the measures you can have by the practice of asanas and pranayama. That is why asanas and pranayama are given so much importance because yoga lays stress on the formative, preventive and curative measures. The scientific evidence gained by experiments both in India and abroad demonstrates that the yogic KRIYAS (asanas, pranayama) result in the improvement of the functioning of different systems in the body. There are different systems in the body - the nervous system, the circulatory system, respiratory system, cardio-vascular system, gastro-intestinal system. These are different systems in the human body. Yogic kriyas or yogic exercises exert their influence upon all the different systems in the human body. The normal homoeo condition of the body is maintained more by the yogic exercises than by drugs. By yogic exercises you can improve the work of all the systems in the body, gradually. You can do some asanas, a little pranayama and then meditation. All these we call yogic kriyas or yogic exercises. They exert their influence upon all the systems in the human body. These are not my views, this article I found to my liking hence, putting it in my Blog so that others can also read and find it very interesting.