Ajna

4 Petals
Ajna has two white petals, said to represent the psychic
channels (nadis) Ida and Pingala, which meet the central Sushumna nadi before rising to the Crown Chakra
Sahasrara. The letter Ham is written in white on the
left petal and represents Shiva. Ksham, written in white
on the right petal, represents Shakti. These two petals
also represent the manifest and the unmanifest mind, and
are sometimes said to represent the pineal and pituitary
glands.

The Ajna chakra is positioned in the brain, directly behind the

eyebrow center. Its activation site is at the eyebrow region, in the
position of the 'third eye.'

Ajna (Sanskrit: , IAST: j, English: command)

or third-eye chakra is the sixth primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.

Location

The Ajna chakra is positioned in the stomata, directly behind the center of the forehead. Its ksehtram, or supercial activation site, is in the eyebrow region at the position
of the third eye.[1]

Appearance
Ajna has a petal dedicated to the sun, the other to the moon.

Ajna is white in color, with two white petals. Inside the

pericarp is the Shakti Hakini. It is depicted with a white
moon, six faces, and six arms holding a book, a skull, a
drum, and a rosary, while making the gestures associated
with granting boons and dispelling fears.[2] The downward pointing triangle above her contains a moon-white
lingum. In some systems the deity Ardhanarishvara,
a hermaphrodite form of Shiva-Shakti, symbolising the
primordial duality of subject and object, resides within
the lingum. Above that triangle is another smaller triangle containing the bija mantra, Aum.

5 Function
Ajna translates as command, and is considered the eye
of intuition and intellect.[4] When something is seen in
the minds eye, or in a dream, it is being seen by Ajna. It
is a bridge that links gurus with disciples, allowing mind
communication to occur between two people. The sense
organ and action organ associated with Ajna is the mind.

As Hindus believe that spiritual energy from the environment enters their body through this gateway, they take
great care to protect it with spiritually positive protect3 Bija or Seed mantra
ing forces. The various religious marks on the foreheads
of men and women belonging to the Hindu faith (like
The seed syllable is Aum, or Pranava Om, the supreme holy ash, namam, vermilion etc.) are the blessed spiritual
sound.[3]
prasadam of their respective forms of the Hindu gods.
1

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Meditation upon Ajna supposedly grants siddhis, or occult powers, to quickly enter another body at will and to
become omniscient. He realizes unity with Brahman; and
he has the ability to create, preserve, and destroy the three
worlds.

Manas chakra

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Ajna is associated with the third eye on the forehead. It

is also sometimes associated with the pineal gland, which
regulates the circadian rhythm, and is related to an actual light-sensitive 'third eye' (Parietal eye) found in some
lizards, amphibians, and sh. It is also sometimes associated with the pituitary gland, the master of all endocrine
glands, whose secretions control all the other endocrine
glands.

8 Practices
In kundalini yoga, the practices said to stimulate the Ajna
chakra include: Trataka (steady gazing), Shambhavi Mudra (gazing at the space between the eyebrows), and some
forms of Pranayama (breath exercises).

9 Comparisons with other systems

In Tibetan buddhism, this chakra is at the end of the central channel, which runs up the body to the top of the
head, and then over and down, terminating at the forehead. The two side channels continue onwards towards
the two nostrils and end there. This center is frequently
depicted in artwork as the third eye, and is used in various
meditations.[5]
Manas chakra is responsible for sending sense perceptions to the
higher chakras. The petals change color depending on the sense

Directly above Ajna is a minor chakra known as Manas,

or mind. It possesses six petals, one for each of the ve
senses and one for sleep. These petals are normally white,
but assume the color of the senses when activated by
them, and they are black during sleep. This chakras function is sending sense perceptions to the higher chakras.

Association with the body

There is also a forehead centre above the third eye, which

corresponds to the position of Manas, one of the ten
chakras in the Mahayoga tantra traditions.
In Qigong, the highest Dantian is located at this position.
This is one of three furnaces that converts the dierent
sorts of energy in the body. In this Dantian, the spiritual
shen energy is converted into wuji, the innite space of
void.[6]
Within the system of Lataif-e-sitta there exists a Lataif
known as Kha, or arcane subtlety, in this same position,
and is related to mystical intuition.
According to the Kabbalah, there are two sephiroth located on the sixth level, associated with the left and right
parts of the face. They are called Chokmah (wisdom),
and Binah (understanding); it is at these points that the
two side pillars of mercy and severity terminate, while
the central pillar carries on rising to kether, the crown.[7]

10 Alternative names

The parietal eye (very small grey oval between the regular eyes)
of a juvenile bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

In Tantra: Ajita-Patra, Ajna, Ajna-Pura, Ajna-Puri,

Ajnamhuja, Ajnapankaja, Bhru-Madhya, BhruMadhya-Chakra, Bhru-Madhyaga-Padma, BhruMandala, Bhru-Mula, Bhru-Saroruha, Dwidala,
Dwidala-Kamala, Dwidalambuja, Dwipatra, JnanaPadma, Netra-Padma, Netra-Patra, Shiva-Padma,
and Triweni-Kamala

3
In the Vedas, Upanishads: Ajna, Baindawa-Sthana,
Bhru Chakra, Bhruyugamadhyabila, and Dwidala
In the Puranas: Ajna, Dwidala, and Trirasna

11

See also

Fontana della Pigna

Kundalini (serpent power)
Pineal gland
Parietal eye
Third eye

12

References

[1] Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Kundalini Tantra

[2] Shyam Sundar Goswani. Layayoga an advanced method
of concentration
[3]

page 268, Kundalini Yoga for the West, Swami

Sivananda Radha, Copyright 1978, Shambala Publications, Inc.

[4] Third Eye Chakra. ASIS Massage. Retrieved 25 July

2013.
[5] Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Tantric Grounds and Paths
[6] Andy James. The Spiritual Legacy of Shaolin Temple
[7] Dion Fortune. The Mystical Qabalah

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