Week 13 Reading Notes: Chakra-asana

 Chakra-asana

Characters:

Vishnu (M) "Chakrapani" four-armed god

Rahu (M) "the demon of the eclipse" drank the nectar of immortality or amrita

Chakravarti (M) "the king who rules the world" intellect, master of our mind

Asanas:

Chakra-asana "the Wheel pose" Sudarshan chakra

The wheel is like a boomerang and can be used to decapitate enemies, such as Rahu's head to be returned to Vishnu. A chakra represents space and the inner portion represents Mount Meru, the center of the sacred world. It also represents the cyclic nature of time; as the wheels of time turn, the era changes, very similar to the process we go through as we grow from children to adults. Although, Hindu mythology, sees the world constantly moving towards death and rebirth resulting in a different kind of world view. 

Important Phrases:

Conch shell trumpet (shankh)

Wheel weapon (chakra)

A mace (gada)

A lotus flower (padma)

Comet Ketu "the embodiment of restlessness"

Image Information: Screenshot from my personal Kindle device in 'Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories.' Kindle Reader. 

Bibliography: 'Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories' by Devdutt Kindle Reader.