Dvādaśānta
Dvādaśānta (Sanskrit: ादशा त) or the Brahmarandhra, meaning – having an end or limit of twelve, it
is the twelve fingers’ breath, the 12th centre (or śakti in an individual) identified by some with the
pituitary gland, there being six centers in the brain and six below the brain. This term refers to – a)
externally to the place where the breath dies away, b) internally to the crown of the skull and known as
brahmarandhra, and c) above the skull to the dvādaśānta which is twelve fingers breadth away from the
brahmarandhra, and when no longer identified with the body but with the all-pervading Shiva it is the
Cosmic dvādaśānta, a wheel with a thousand spokes, eternally present. Dvādaśānta is like the triśūla
signifying three kinds of energy – of the will, of knowledge and of activity. The initial extremity (ādi-
koti) is the heart (whence the breath rises) but the final extremity (anta-koti) is the dvādaśānta (where the
breath finally dies away or rests).[1][2]
Abhinavagupta tells us that Shiva makes the sādhaka seek a worthy teacher and makes that teacher take
up that task with extra responsibility and lead his śiśya towards liberation. The ānavopāya ('atomic')
method utilises the creative functions of Shiva and raises the sādhaka to śaktopāya ('method of power')
that employs the cognitive functions of the Lord. In this and other two succeeding methods mantra
transmitted by the teacher to the śiśya plays a vital role. According to the Devyā-yāmala- tantra, the
subtle breath composed of sound rising from the former’s heart moves through a series of centers to rest
in the dvādaśānta which is the terminal point where the suśumnā ends and the central pathway of the
three paths.[3] Vijñānabhirava (Dhāraṇā 28 shloka 51) states:-
यथा तथा य त ादशा ते मनः ि पे त ् |
ित णं ीणवृ ेवल यं िदनै भवे त ् ||
which statement means that the ānavopāya involves fixation of the mind again and again at ūrdhava
dvādaśānta or bāhya dvādaśānta or āntara dvādaśānta which is the incomparable and ineffable state of
Bhairava (an aspect of Shiva).[4] This text had earlier in shloka 28 explained that meditation on
prāṇaśakti arising from the mūladhārā chakra getting subtler and subtler dissolves in dvādaśānta to
manifest Bhairava.[5]
When the apāna remains in the dvādaśānta, it is known as the external kumbhaka (retention of breath as
in a pot). When the prāṇa moves up to the nose-tip it is known as recaka and when it moves up to the
extent of the dvādaśānta it is called external-recaka. The apāna moving inwards without the prāṇa is the
internal-kumbhaka, and the apāna rising in the dvādaśānta attaining internal expansion is the internal-
pūraka. According to Yoga Vasiśtha, the one who knows (experienced) these kumbhakas becomes
liberated from the cycle of birth and rebirth;[6] dvādśānta represents the highest seat of God in the body,
the seat of the vibrating Self.[7]
References
1. Lilian Silbum (1988). Kundalini: The Energy of the Depths (https://books.google.com/books?
id=EYWmc0gfYyIC). SUNY Press. pp. 31, 49. ISBN 9780887068003. Retrieved
2015-01-30.
2. Ganesh vasudeo Tagare (2002). The Pratyabhijna Philosophy (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=GW6UtkgT-CcC). Motilal Banarsidass. p. 104. ISBN 9788120818927. Retrieved
2015-01-30.
3. Paul Eduardo Muller-Ortega (1989). The Tantric Heart (https://books.google.com/books?id=
ObmRkyVbgDUC). SUNY Press. p. 168. ISBN 9780887067860. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
4. The Yoga of Delight, Wonder and Astonishment (https://books.google.com/books?id=aVc5J
CnO1VgC). State University of New York Press. 1991. p. 47. ISBN 9780791410738.
Retrieved 2015-01-30.
5. Vijnanabhairava or Divine Consciousness (https://books.google.com/books?id=2R2iSiMbuV
wC). Motilal Banarsidass. 1979. p. 25. ISBN 9788120808201. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
6. The Concise Yoga Vasistha (https://books.google.com/books?id=fe_5bUKSaUEC). SUNY
Press. 1981. p. 283. ISBN 9780873959551. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
7. Laksmi Tantra (https://books.google.com/books?id=pENlKmZ4r94C). Motilal Banarsidass.
2000. p. 250,332. ISBN 9788120817357. Retrieved 2015-01-30.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dvādaśānta&oldid=927006515"
This page was last edited on 19 November 2019, at 19:45 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
