Kundalini Part 1 - The five "tatvas"

Before going into details of Kundalini and the need for its awakening, knowledge about the five tatvas of life, the forces behind our actions, need to be known.

Like the universe even our body is guided by the five elements namely Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. They determine the qualities of our life; they guide our senses thus determining the attitude of our life. These elements or tatvas form a part of meditation while awakening the kundalini.

(Article link to refer to the Chakras)

The first tatva is Prithvi, the earth. It’s associated with Greed and has five qualities, sound, touch, form, ras and smell. This tatva is situated at Mooldhara, the first chakra. This tatva is the basic tatva of and is an expression of dullness, unawareness, attachment, and functions only from need and instinct.  It mainly operates through our sense of smell.

Next is the Apas tatva, water element. This tatva is associated with lust and has four qualities, sound, touch, form and ras. Apas tatva is situated at Swadhisthana chakra and it is the manifestation of the forces of both forcefulness and will, and dullness and attachment.  Gland secretions, blood, and semen are related to this tatva.

Agni tatva, the fire, is the third tatva of our body. Agni tatva is associated with anger. This tatva carries three qualities, sound, touch and form. It is located at the third chakra, Manipura and is the main motive energy in the body and our personal power. It is responsible for digestion, producing blood and other fluids, and sustaining the body thus resulting in nourishment and growth of the body. The Agni tatva manifests through the spleen, liver, pancreas, and adrenal glands.  Just as the heat of the sun make life possible on Earth, the heat of the Angi Tattva sustains life in the body.

Fourth tatva is the Vayu tatva or Air. This tatva is associated with Attachment and carry two quality, sound and touch. This tatva is situated at the fourth chakra, Anahata. This tatva is considered as the vital force of our body, the prana. It produces the cells and precious seeds. It keeps all of the bodily organs active and healthy, and circulates the blood and other fluids throughout the body.

The final or fifth tatva is Aakash tatva, the Ether element which is associated with Ego and Pride. This tatva is situated at the fifth chakra Vishuddha. This tatva has only one quality, sound. Vishuddha chakra is situated at throat and the same place is the centre of operation of Aakash tatva. This is the region which comprises the principal glands thyroid, parathyroid, salivary, and tonsils and the secretions of these glands help mold our minds and keep them nourished.

Our personality and wellbeing is dependent on which of the five elements predominates in our nature.  To keep a balance of all these five elements or tatvas of life is important to keep us healthy and happy.

When it comes to spiritual journey, simply keeping the body healthy is not the aim. We know this physical body is temporary and won’t carry on with us on our journey to connect to the Infinite one. To keep our consciousness rooted to just Prithvi, Apas and Agni tatva won’t help in the journey. To get connected and merged with the Infinite, our consciousness needs to be raised and get tuned with Vayu Tatva (Divine love at heart center) and Aakash tatva (the universal intuition).

Identifying these tatvas and tune in to them to reach the Infinite supreme Consciousness should be the goal. And for that meditation and yoga need to be followed so as to awaken the kundalini. By awakening the kundalini we can transcend our finite nature and merge with the Infinite consciousness.