FROM THE 12TH CHAPTER OF THE SĀRDHATRIŚATIKĀLLOTARA ~

~ First Usage of the term ‘Kuṇḍalinī’ to describe Parāśakti, and the descent of Śiva’s
Power into the body as well as first presentation of the Chakras known ~

• From one of our 9th century Nepalese Manuscripts of the Sārdhatriśati Kālottara,
Chapter 12. These scribal sketches represent the earliest depiction of the
elemental ‘Chakras’ and the respective śakti-kalās introduced in Chapter 13
(Mantrasṛṣṭiprakāranam). These mantric ‘powers’ would feature prominently in
the replication of this Chakra system until Arthur Avalon mis-translated them in
hos Serpent Power.
• These five would later become known as - Mūlādhāra (Earth), Svādhiṣṭhāna
(Water), Maṇipūra (Fire), Anāhata (Wind/Air), and Viśuddha (Space). The
mantras and basic core shapes introduced in the Kālottaras, as seen here, were
later standardized throughout all nine Mantramārga lineages. The dhāraṇās
depicted below are described in Chapter 12 (now uploaded in this dropbox
folder). They are briefly presented in the terse presentation of the pan-tantric
Yogavidhi in Chapter 2; this is delineated in exhausted detail in the Kālottara-
based Paddhatis discussed in my Outline. These critical bīja mantras (below)
have never been identified in a publication, to my knowledge.

-Christopher Tompkins

“O Six-faced [Skanda], One should visualize the maṇḍalas (cakras) as follows;

‘Earth Maṇḍalam’

“…for the earth maṇḍala, a yellow square, adorned with vajras (lightning bolts
or tridents)-

HLĀṂ
*=(earth
‘Water Maṇḍalam’

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“… A white half-moon for the water maṇḍala, adorned with lotuses (or lotus
petals)-

HVĪṂ

‘Fire Maṇḍalam’

“…a triangle for the red fire maṇḍala adorned with half-triangles (tips of
flames)-

HRŪṂ

‘Wind/Air Maṇḍalam’

“…a circle for the smoky-hued air maṇḍala, adorned with seed points (bindus)-

HYAIṂ

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‘Space Maṇḍalam’

“…empty space for the space maṇḍala, which is adorned with nothing.”

HAUṂ

 
9th  century  Kālottara  Manuscript,  source  of  our  verses,  above.  This  is  essentially  a  copy  of  the  
Kālottara,  originally  composed  in  the  7th  century.  

Comparison of the same ‘Maṇḍalas’ or Chakras depicted in a Nepalese manuscript with

the names they are known by today (Mūlādhāra etc.). Date – approximately 17th century,
1,000 years later.

‘Earth M aṇḍalam ’ (7 th century). ‘M ūlādhāra’ (17 th century).

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‘W ater M aṇḍalam ’ ‘Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakram ’

‘Fire
 
 
M aṇḍalam ’
‘M aṇipūra Cakram ’

 
 

‘Air/W ind M aṇḍalam ’ ‘Anāhata Cakram ’

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‘Space M aṇḍalam ’ ‘Viśuddha Cakram ’

 
 

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