Anahata – The Heart Chakra

This heart lotus is like a wish fulfilling tree. Whoever meditates upon anahata becomes capable of protection and destruction, like Shiva himself…One who activates anahata becomes most lovable to everybody. One wins over the sense organs, and becomes capable of higher levels of consciousness (concentration and focus). Thus, one becomes Lord of Yoga (the Enlightened embodiment of Shiva) and Lord of Knowledge (the Enlightened embodiment of Shakti)

Shat Chakra Nirupanam – Schlokas 26-27

The Metaphysics of Anahata

This post on the heart chakra is of particular interest to me due to its overlap with Islamic spirituality and its emphasis on the centrality of the spiritual Heart. For this reason, this post will place extra emphasis on using Islamic metaphysics, especially through the archetype of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to articulate and to demonstrate the metaphysics and spiritual reality of anahata. This is because he ﷺ is the master of the way of the Heart, and thus, is the manifested embodiment of the energy of the anahata chakra, which is mercy and compassion. In extolling his ﷺ virtues, we honor the Living Light of his Being, which is the secret that lies in between worlds that the Heart leads to. The corollaries between both the Yogic and the Islamic tradition that point to a shared understanding, despite being separated by thousands of years, is beyond a doubt.

In Sanskrit anahata means “unstruck sound”, which refers to the Vedic concept of the sound of the celestial realm. All sound in the manifested universe is produced by the vibration of atoms. Every object has a natural frequency or set of frequencies at which they vibrate. Every object, the universe itself therefore, has a sound. However, the primordial sound, which issues from beyond this material world, is unstruck. It does not emanate from the vibration of atoms. It is the source of vibration, the source of sound itself. The “unstruck sound” is understood as the Seed of Purusha. Purusha is a complex concept but is generally described as:

Splendid and without a bodily form is this Purusha, without and within, unborn, without life breath and without mind, higher than the supreme element. From him are born life breath and mind. He is the soul of all beings.

Munduka Upanishad

Purusha is the Pure Mind, the Cosmic Being, it is Pure Consciousness from which unconscious matter has arisen from. In Islamic metaphysics, it corresponds to the The First Being, The Supreme Spirit (The First Intellect – al-‘aql al-awwal), of which the material world is an emanation of. It is Atman, the True Self, that Universal Principle from which the Masculine and Feminine Principles emerge and upon which all individual souls arise from and are predicated on. It is the ontological essence of Being.

The “unstruck sound”, represents the seed from which Purusha has emanated from, and may be analogous to the Abrahamic concept of the Divine Command of God, which is “Be”. This command emanates from beyond materiality, and is thus unstruck. It has given rise to existence ex nihilo. In Islamic spirituality, when the Prophet ﷺ taught that whoever knows their own Soul knows Allah, he was referencing knowledge of this the Supreme Spirit, the True Self that is realized upon annihilation of the ego or the false self.

The heart center is where this “unstruck sound” manifests and emanates from. For anahata to translate to “unstruck sound” is to reference the Source of creation itself as being within this mysterious dimension of the Heart. We find this metaphysical premise as central to Islamic spirituality as well, which offers incredible insight into this dimension. The path of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was understood as the Path of The Heart, teaching that “…if the Heart is sound then the rest of the body is sound, but if the Heart is unsound then the rest of the body is unsound.” He had taught that the way to know The Divine Reality was by knowing your own Heart because it contains within its center the secret of secrets (sirr al-sirr), which is the Divine Principle. Existential success and salvation, both in this world and the next, was determined by having a “sound Heart”:

“Wealth is in the Heart and poverty is in the Heart. Whoever is wealthy in his Heart will not be harmed no matter what happens in the world. Whoever is impoverished in his Heart will not be satisfied no matter how much he has in the world.”

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ 

From a Yogic perspective, it could be said that his spiritual way focused primarily on cultivating anahata, that if the heart chakra was made sound then all of the other chakras will prosper, but if it remained unsound then the rest of the chakras will become impoverished; the Qur’an speaks of the misguidance of the tyrants as having a seal placed on their Hearts, indicating a completely blocked anahata. The Prophet ﷺ taught that the Heart is the true Kaaba (House of God), the Seat of Consciousness within which is the Throne of God itself. It is the center of conscious experience without which there is no existence.

The heart chakra is located at the center of the spine along the Sushumna nadi, perfectly in between the lower three chakras and the upper three chakras. Being perfectly in the middle of these chakras, it is said to integrate all of them into itself. Because the lower three chakras pertain to the material world or the physical dimension of existence while the upper three chakras pertain to the spiritual world or the metaphysical dimension of existence, the heart chakra is understood as the meeting place between both dimensions of reality. We see this understanding of the spiritual heart center reflected in Islamic spirituality. The Qur’an describes the process of Realization, that within the Heart there is a horizon between this world and the next, and as it begins to disappear, the signs of God that are felt in the perception of the external world overlap with our experience of our internal world, signifying the unification of the spiritual world and the material world within our awareness. The center of anahata chakra has traditionally held a dot, which represented the point of unity. 

The Yogic texts support this Qur’anic metaphysics, mentioning the presence of Jivan Jyoti, the Living Light, the Divine Spark. It is said to be located on the borders of the world of manifestation (the material world) and the world of the spirit. Anahata is said to be the key by which we may reach the Living Light. When we have glimpsed this Light, then we actualize, then we become real. It is as if our consciousness becomes one with Purusha, with the True Self, with the Supreme Spirit, and we feel as if we are now flowing within the Ocean of Consciousness that permeates the universe. All of existence now is seen as an obvious expression of the Divine Attributes, and so now God is seen as The Real and is self-evident to us. It represents the profoundest of transformations.

The Element of Anahata

The heart chakra is associated with the element of air, which represents the percolation of Divine Will. Air is a symbol of the Ocean of Consciousness in which all of existence is swimming in. The symbol or yantra of air is the hexagram, the intersection of the upward facing and the downward facing triangle tattwa, which represents the unification of will within the Heart.

The upward facing triangle pertains to the upper three chakras, which are concerned with the spiritual world. It represents our will to ascend, which symbolizes Shiva, the personification of the Divine Masculine Principle. The downward facing triangle pertains to the lower three chakras, which are concerned with the material world. It represents the will of the Source of creation to manifest, which symbolizes Shakti, the personification of the Divine Feminine Principle.

Anahata is a place where both triangles intersect in proper alignment, meaning that the will of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine unify to create the shatkona. Ultimately, the shatkona represents Purusha and Prakriti coming together. Purusha is generally understood as referring to the spiritual world or transcendent consciousness. It contrasts with Prakriti, which refers to the creative energy behind the manifested world of form. Anahata is thus the site of the union of the transcendent and the immanent, the field of consciousness and energy. Through this union, the horizon that separates them disappears, and as it disappears, the sacred realm of the Divine Presence begins to appear. As it appears within us, the mind may glimpse it, and in doing so, one becomes Enlightened. This describes the essential drive of all creatures to rise, to become fully fledged beings. It is the drive towards the Divine Presence, which represents the ultimate achievement.

The deity of anahata is Vayu, which translates to “wind”. Vayu is the personification of the breath of life (prana-vayu), and therefore, the personification of directed will. The direction of the will upwards in order to ascend and the direction of will downwards in order to manifest creates a third direction, which is to go inwards towards the sacred precinct of the Divine Presence. Vayu is said to ride atop an antelope-like riding animal (the animal sign of the heart chakra), which is characterized by the lightness of its stride and its ability to reach far distances in single bounds. It represents the vehicle of directed will and its ability to easily transcend the material world thereby journeying towards the Divine Presence.

It is said that the very reason for Awakening to be able to occur within us is due to the existence of Kalpavriksha, The Wish Fulfilling Tree or the Divine Tree. In Tantra, it is said that this wish fulfilling tree exists at the heart centre and when this tree starts to fructify, whatever you desire comes true. Will is an expression of desire, and so when the will is directed inwardly, it is only because of the desire to reach the Divine Presence, to rise, to become Enlightened, to return Home. And so when one arrives at the Divine Tree, the wish to return to the Divine Presence and to become fully Enlightened is granted.

Characteristics

Each chakra is associated with a corresponding god and goddess, which in reality are dualistic personifications of the Universal Principle into the masculine and feminine energies, which then manifest in the multiplicity of Divine Attributes.

The personification of the Divine Masculine and its corresponding Divine Attributes in anahata is represented by Isha, one of the forms of Shiva. This form of Shiva represents the spiritual dimension of the energy of compassion and mercy. In one hand he holds the fear dispelling mudra and in the other hand he holds the boon providing mudra.

The personification of the Divine Feminine and its corresponding Divine Attributes is represented by Kakini, who is said to be auspicious. She has a garland of skulls around her neck, and is in an intoxicated state. She is filled with the nectar of compassion in her heart, and she holds in one hand a noose and in the other a skull. These are symbols for control and liberation respectively. Control corresponds to the lower three chakras, which pertain to the physical world, and liberation corresponds to the upper three chakras, which pertain to the spiritual world. The intoxicated state describes the state of awakening to the reality of the Divine Principle through the dissolution of egoic Being by defeating death, which is symbolized by the garland of skulls. 

All together, the symbol of the unification of Isha and Kakini describes the person who has attained Enlightenment and is thus intoxicated by Divine Love, which has permeated their entire existence. In this state, bliss and joy emanate from within, they become a light that illuminates the path for others out of compassion and mercy.

Signs of a Blocked Anahata

Anahata is the gateway to the higher chakras, meaning that a closed heart chakra prevents total balance and spiritual awakening. Because the heart chakra is the door to the Divine Presence, the essence of Being, for it to be blocked is to be cut off from the basis of one’s own fundamental reality. It thus represents the deepest of metaphysical trauma, which is defined by disconnection from the very Source of one’s existence.

A completely blocked anahata is the characteristic of tyrants and oppressors. The fundamental traits of a blocked anahata is fear and insecurity, loneliness and isolation. They cascade to sub-characteristics that underpin dysfunction, such as feelings of jealousy, contempt, and conceit. These then lead to overcompensatory personality traits, such as arrogance and a sense of grandiosity and superiority. The behaviors associated with these personality traits are attempts to validate one’s fundamental sense of inferiority, such as through the acquisition of power, wealth, influence, and so on. Those can happen in personal relationships or in one’s life ambition and drive, such as by occupying positions of political power. When these cannot be achieved, one takes on a victim identity complex, which is the basis of covert or vulnerable narcissism.

When the Qur’an speaks of tyrants and oppressors, those who are on the path of misguidance, they are always described as having blocked Hearts and characteristics where there is a lack of mercy and compassion.

An interesting trait of narcissism, whether grandiose or vulnerable, is a lack of creativity, depth, and insight, which are the fundamental premises of wisdom. These typically arise from our self-reflective and introspective capacities, which requires us to look inwardly. The more that our heart chakra is blocked, the less we are able to direct our will inwardly to be self-reflective.

Signs of an Open Anahata

This chakra is understood as the center of love and compassion because when one’s anahata energies are active, then one is able to identify with that all pervading Ocean of Consciousness, with the True Self. It represents Awakening from the illusion of particularity and separateness, which is the basis of the ego, to the reality of universality and connection, which is the basis of True Being. If one is identified with the all pervading Ocean of Consciousness then one becomes absolutely inclusive of all existence, seeing all things as manifestations of the Divine Attributes directed by God.

From a Yogic perspective, This is a part of what it means to become the embodiment of Shiva in the form of Isha. Isha is the personification of the Divine Attributes of Mercy and Compassion, the purest expression of Divine Love. From an Islamic perspective, this corresponds to the famous Hadith Qudsi in which God says “…When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks…” As far as character traits are concerned, one becomes known for their mercy and compassion, their kindness and honesty, their forbearance and capacity to forgive, as well as generosity in all its forms. Such people are known as healers, guides, and protectors because of their profound strength and resilience. They are also known as highly creative people with an incredible capacity for detachment and discernment, and therefore, wisdom and spiritual knowledge. These people emphasize connection with nature, and find healing and repose in water.

When your energy is dominant in the anahata, it is said that you may start to hear sounds that you could not hear before, such as the ringing of a bell. You will start to hear or perceive the language of the birds, the animals, the Earth, and the atmosphere. Hearing these things comes from the anahata because, being connected to the “unstruck sound”, it is connected to the sound of all things.

The anahata chakra is said to contain the Bana Lingam, which is the sacred symbol of Shiva. It has within it the highest frequency of vibrations, which is said to shine with a golden light. This reference to a shining golden light is especially interesting because it appears to correspond to the golden flame of Divine Love that is often shown in depictions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. That golden flame of light is a metaphysical reality that is experienced by those who have awakened to the Divine Reality. It represents an illuminated Heart overflowing with Divine Love. Divine Love is the substance of universal consciousness, and so it represents the awakening of the universal within the particular, and thus, it is beyond egoic Being and separation. When one resides in this state, the reality of unity and oneness is perceived directly from within the depths of Being and in the externally perceived universe itself. This is what the heart chakra, resplendent with green, represents.

The Prophetic archetype is an excellent example that can be used to demonstrate the signs of a fully opened heart chakra. In this way, from a Yogic perspective, it could be said that the Prophet ﷺ represents the embodiment of Isha, which is the personification of the Divine Attributes of Mercy and Compassion; the secret of the Heart is Purusha, the Living Light, the consciousness of the Supreme Spirit or Atman, which pervades the universe, and so he ﷺ is that archetypical Principle through which the spirit of creation witnesses itself through. For this reason, the central Principle of Islam with respect to creation is that all sentient creatures are a part of one community, like a single body. That, “…if one part is hurt then the whole body suffers.” It must be understood that traditionally this applied to all people regardless of religion, and not just to people, but also to the plants and the animals. Islamic ethics with respect to nature is premised on this universal Principle.

The Prophetic Archetype – Signs of a Fully Opened Heart Chakra

It is said that to fully open the heart chakra, one must possess a profound capacity for discernment and emotional stability. This is because as the barrier between the spiritual world and the material world dissolves within one’s Heart, one begins to perceive supersensory phenomena. Powerful energies that personify as what we might regard as deities, angels, and demons, will come to you, as if being drawn to the ringing of a bell. Without discernment and emotional stability, one may become terrified, disturbed, and thrown into a deep confusion. One must possess, therefore, the absolute steadiness of intellect, that is, a spiritual eye that does not waver. This is discernment and emotional balance. Without it, one will be unable to distinguish between what is real and what is illusion, what is memory and what is imagination, what is experience and what is psychological fabrication. Anahata is said to be a place where you see and hear things that could make a reasonably stable person insane.

It is interesting then to contrast the narrated experiences of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the context of the signs of a fully opened anahata chakra; upon becoming Enlightened, he experienced the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel, which was described at first as an intense and destabilizing event, but was soon mastered; like the Buddha, the Prophet ﷺ was described as hearing the sound of the ringing of a bell when revelation would descend to him while in deep meditation; he was known to perceive the language of the trees and the animals, who would sometimes complain to him about being mistreated or would express their love for him; he was known for his kindness and warmth, taking care of the elderly and even those who would ridicule him; he was known for his honesty and generosity, even to the extent that his enemies would entrust him with their wealth over their own kinfolks; he was known as the embodiment of compassion and mercy, from taking care of the orphans to forgiving his most terrible enemies who even murdered his family members, even though he was in a position of total dominance and material power; he was known as a healer who, through the touch of his hand and soothing words, would remove anxiety and mental disturbance from others; he was known as the most noble and magnanimous person, and even though he resided at the top of all social dominance hierarchies, in his presence even the destitute felt that their lives had value and worth; he was known for his forbearance and as a courageous protector who would be the first to answer the call of the oppressed; he was known as the bravest of men who was always the first onto the battlefield and the last to leave it; he was known as both strong and soft, described as a perfect balance of masculine and feminine energy. 

And finally, when he ascended beyond the barzakh realm during the Isra and Miraj – the Night Journey and the Ascent to Heaven – upon the mystical Buraq riding-animal, which corresponds to the animal sign of anahata, the Qur’anic verses emphasized his capacity for discernment with respect to his perception:

“…When the Lote-Tree was covered by that which covered it, his eye neither wavered nor did it stray. Verily he saw [with discernment] one of the greatest manifested revelations of God.“

Surah An-Najm

During this ascent, as described in the Qur’an, he drew near to the mystical Lote Tree, which corresponds to Kalpavriksha, The Wish Fulfilling Tree or the Divine Tree. Here, his wish to enter into the Divine Presence was granted, symbolizing full Awakening and Enlightenment.

The Color of Anahata

The color that represents and activates anahata is green. Interestingly, to add to the list of Islamic-Yogic correspondences, green has traditionally been understood as the color of the Prophet ﷺ. In Buddhism as in Islam, green symbolizes the “Middle Way” and balance, which is what Islam and the way of the Prophet ﷺ were called. He was known to favor the color green, and would often wear a green turban and robe, and when he died, was covered in a green garment. In one hadith, the Prophet ﷺ stated that he enjoyed gazing at greenery.

From a color psychology perspective, green is also the color of growth, the color of spring, of renewal and rebirth. It is an emotionally positive color, giving us the ability to love and nurture ourselves and others unconditionally. Green is said to represent a natural peace-maker.

Green promotes a love of nature, and a love of family, friends, pets and the home. It is the color of the garden, which is a reference to an intuitive connection to the metaphysical garden of Eden.

Activation

The healing stones associated with the heart chakra are green in color, but typically include rhodochrosite, rutilated quartz, rhodonite, malachite stone, rose quartz, aventurine, and clear quartz.

Aside from stones and herbs and foods that stimulate the heart chakra, there are Yogic asanas and mantras and chants that are used to activate this chakra.

The bīja (बीज) mantra that resonates with the air element of anahata is “Yam”. Each chakra has an element, and each element has a specific seed syllable or frequency that activates it.

It is said that one should also meditate on the shatkona, the hexagonal tattwa in the middle of this chakra, and on the color green while bringing the awareness of the mind to the coordinates of the physical heart. In doing so, one is attempting to draw together both wills of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine energetic forces.

The heart chakra is different from the lower three chakras in that teachers tended to avoid its activation except for few students because of how powerful its energies can be. The practices for opening this chakra go well beyond a mere set of practices and into the realm of entire spiritual-religious systems and disciplines. Islam for instance is a spiritual discipline that is primarily dedicated to the cultivation and the activation of the heart chakra center. It includes both inward and outward forms of activity in order to create a stable foundation. A stable foundation is predicated on the Principles of spiritual growth, which are detachment and unveiling. Detachment is a skill that enables one to prevent identification with thoughts and emotions, with mental fabrications, and thus pertains to the disciplining of the ego. Unveiling, which pertains to experiencing the manifestations of Divine Love within one’s Heart, enable a person to continue their journey into transcendence. Overall, one must be both cautious and serious when it comes to this chakra center, and really entails an entire lifestyle. Meditation is not just about sitting silently, it entails all of the activities that make up your lifestyle.

Although I did not plan it this way, the date of this publication happened to fall on the day of the birth of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.

References

[1] Complete Description & Activation of Anahata Chakra- Heart Center

[2] Anahata Chakra – What Does it Take to Explore Anahata?

[3] Anahata: Heart Chakra Meditation For Healing and Balancing

[4] Sivasakti – Yantra

[5] Empowered By Color – The Color Green

[6] Wikipedia – Purusha

[7] Yoga Journal – Chakra Tune-Up: Intro to the Anahata

[8] The Qualities and Symbols of the Anahata Chakra

[9] Color From the Perspective of Hadith: An Overview

[10] Asana Internaltional Yoga Jounral – Anahata Chakra (The Heart Chakra)

[11] Wikipedia – Kalpavriksha

[12] Wikipedia – Vayu

[13] Tantra Kundalini – Anahata Chakra

[14] Theophilelancien – Anahata-chakra, part 3, Antelope symbolism

[15] Sri Kamakoti Mandali – Saundaryalahari – Verse 1

[16] Islam And The Divine Feminine

[17] The Threshold Society – Feminine Symbols in Islam

[18] Sunnah – 40 Hadith Qudsi – Sahih Bukhari

[19] Maram al-Hidmi – Illustration of the Isra and Miraj