Experiences Attributable to Spiritual Devotion

In Bhakti yoga certain observable bodily changes may take place. They are described in Narada's Bhakti Sutras, and there are also references to them in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Srimad Bhagavata Maha Purana, and various other religious works of the Hindu tradition. They are known as the ashta sattvika vikara, or the eight purifying changes. These devotional symptoms do not appear in all yoga practitioners, but neither are they particularly uncommon. Because many people experience them spontaneously in the company of a spiritual master; or when chanting or singing devotional songs, or from mystical experiences that occur in sadhana, from religious ceremonies, or even from reading scriptures or the lives of saints, it is important for yoga teachers and practitioners to understand them. They also can be seen among aspirants in a variety of spiritual paths including some shamanic traditions, where they are often interpreted as evidence of voluntary possession by a deity or benign spirit.



But according to yoga, the ashta sattivika vikara occur because the emotions of devotion interact with certain pranic flows in the chakras of the subtle body and begin to purify the body-mind complex. Each of the five lower chakras controls the manifestation of energy into one of the five states of matter: solid, liquid, luminous, gaseous, and pure space. When emotions arise, they interact with the energies of these five centers, and the result is physical expression of an emotional state. When the emotions of love or longing for God or spirituality arise, the resulting expressions are considered positive because they purify the subtle nerve channels, or nadis.



The concentration of prana rotates every hour among the five lower chakras. The first of these ashta sattvika vikara is called stambha, meaning "stunned." It occurs when devotional feelings arise while prana is concentrated in the solid or "earth" element, at the muladhara chakra (at the base of the spine). The body becomes still and cannot move, and the mind and breath may be temporarily inactivated as well. If the prana is concentrated in the liquid or "water element" at the svadhishthana chakra when a strong devotional feeling arises, another of the ashta sattvika vikara, called ashru (weeping), can occur. It is said that the tears of devotion are cool and come from the outside corners of the eyes, unlike tears of anger or bitterness which come out of the center of the eyes or the inside corners. Ashru is seen often in ashrams where there is a great deal of devotional sentiment; people find themselves spontaneously crying without understanding why.



When the prana is concentrated in the manipura chakra, where the luminous or "fire element" resides, two expressions of purifying change are possible. One of these is called baivarna - the skin can radically change from one color to another, and the devotee may feel quite tired. The other is sveda, or sweat. Great heat can be created in the body, causing copious, spontaneous sweating, "as if," in the words of Baba Hari Dass, "the person just stepped out of the water." When the prana is concentrated in the anahata chakra, the seat of the gaseous or "air element," a variety of changes can happen: spontaneous rapid breathing or trembling, called kampa; or blocking of the voice so that one cannot speak and only hoarse sounds come out (svarbanga); or pulaka, when the hairs on the scalp prickle or stand up, goosebumps arise on the skin, and there is a feeling of joy in the heart. When the prana is concentrated in the vishuddha chakra (located at the base of the neck), an experience called pralaya can take place. The body faints, and if standing, it may fall to the floor. Other bhavas, such as unconscious dancing, singing in ecstasy, chills, and release of mucus from the throat and head, can sometimes be observed; about these, Baba Hari Dass has written: "These are natural processes of purifying the body, mind, and nerves. Ancient yogis recognized that intense sattvic emotions were inherently strong in only a few, rare people, and so they developed other means whereby anyone can purify the body and awaken kundalini, for example, through the practices of hatha yoga (pranayama, shat karma, mudra, etc.)."


Source : click here for the source