Commentary on the text “Shiva Samhita”
We will speak about a principle called “the self-perfection of the three bodies.” This is a complex and profound section of the teaching. When we realize it, it greatly changes our ideas about ourselves and the world, literally turning them upside down. Let us begin with the text “Shiva Samhita,” Chapter Two, “The Microcosm.”
The Body as a Microcosm
2.1. In this body, Meru—the spinal column—is surrounded by seven islands. There are rivers, seas, mountains, fields, and the lords of these fields there.
Here it is said that our body represents a microcosm. Within the body there are various points that are a kind of spatial portal to other realms or other dimensions. A yogin is one who can enter them by concentrating prana and the mind at these points. At the very least, he has some experience in this area.
These seven islands are the seven chakras, which are a kind of spatial portal through which one can connect with such dimensions. Each element on the physical body, or segment, corresponds to a planet, to a particular loka:
- Sahasrara chakra corresponds to Satya-loka—the world of Brahma
- Ajna chakra corresponds to Tapa-loka—the world of rishis and siddhas, the world of light and space
- Muladhara chakra corresponds to Bhur-loka—the world of the Earth, the gross worlds, the physical dimensions
- Svadhisthana chakra corresponds to Bhuvar-loka—the astral world, the infinite space of the astral
- Manipura chakra corresponds to Svarga-loka—the world of the gods of passion, who have bodies consisting of the element of fire and do not have the elements of earth and water in their bodies
The chakras below Muladhara correspond to entry points into the so-called hellish dimensions. For some they will be hell worlds, and for others—simply wrathful mandalas.
Our body is a microcosm containing various lokas and universes.
2.2. There are prophets and sages there, as well as all the stars and planets. There are sacred places of pilgrimage there; temples and those who govern the temples.
2.3. The sun and the moon, the sources of creation and destruction, also move within the body. Ether, air, fire, water, and earth are also here.
Special attention should be paid to the phrase: “There are prophets and sages there, as well as all the stars and planets.” Various inner deities are located at different points of the body. For example, in tantra there is a magical practice called nyasa. Nyasa m
