brahmarandhra technical_term

VIMARŚA ¹⁷⁵ 61. Like Suśruta, Bh Prak VII, 27 also mentions tvak (skin) as the first dhātu, instead of rasa (chyle) of our text. Monier Williams also enumerates seven dhātus as chyle ( rasa ), blood, flush, fat, bone, marrow, semen; replacing tuak with rasa. ⁶². The seven minerals are not clear. 63. The number of cakras (psychophysical centres in the human body visualised as circles, cakras or lotuses, padmas) is generally accepted as six, eight or ten (as in SRI, 2. 120-145 ab). ByD has talked of seven sthanas elsewhere ( in the confused reading in the section on Varṇālankāra towards the end of Anu. 84, see textual note no. 20 in that section ); viz. ādhāra, svādhişṭhāna, anāhata, maņipūra, višuddhi, ājñā and brahmarandhra. Out of these, the last one viz. brahma-randhra (cerebral aperture) is not the name of a cakra, rather it is the location of the sahasrāra cakra. These seven names do form part of the ten cakras spoken of in SR in the following locations - Name of Cakra Location 1. Ādhāra In-between the anus and the genitals 2. Svādhişthāna Root of the genitals ³. Manipūra Around the navel ⁴. Anāhata Heart ⁵. Visuddhi Throat 6. Ājāā In-between the two eye-brows ⁷. Sahasrāra Cerebral aperture It is notable that SR associates the production of musical notes with the anāhata, višuddhi and lalanā-( situated in the back of the neck ) cakras alone and not with all the seven listed above. The treatment of cakras in BrD could not be assessed from this stray reference. It is only the number seven that corresponds with the connection of seven cakras with the svaras that the author is trying to establish here. In note 59 above, we have said that the connection of dhaivata with the forehead is not clear. If the seven svaras are connected with the seven sthanas listed above, one by one, then dhaivata being the sixth one could be connected with the viśuddhi cakra located in-between the eye brows. But the location of seven svaras in the seven cakras is not corroborated by any other known text. 64. S R I, 3.55 cd, 56 ab speaks of the origin of svaras in the seven islands as follows- Name of Svara Name of Duipa Sadja Jambū Šāka Rsabha Gändhära Kuśa Madhyama Krauñca Pañcama Sālmalī Dhaivata Sveta Nisāda Puşkara