It is a trillion dollars question who discovered the chakras.
The chakra system are more ancient than any other healing or meditation systems in the world. Very interesting to know the journey of the chakra system. Who discovered it?
There is some mention of the chakras as psychic centers of consciousness in the Yoga Upanishads ( 600 BC). However, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali did not mentioned about the chakras. The Buddhist practice of Samadhi through Anna Pana Sati; awareness of breathing, or Vipassana meditations did not mentioned about the chakras. The eleven primary Upanishads did not mentioned about the chakras in the body. There is no sloka (verse) in Bhagavad-Gita about the Chakra system.
Early History of Chakras in India
The teachers like Shri Gorakhnath, Purnananda Swami, Saraha, Atisa Deepanka, Tirumular, Kabir Dasa, are the key leaders of the Chakra movements in India. Mostly, they were not from the upper cast of the society at the early journey of the chakra system.
Mostly, the chakra system was originated in the Eastern India. A movement called Sahaja-siddhi developed in the 8th century in Bengal, influenced greatly towards the growth of chakra system.
In the 8th century, the Pala dynasty of Bengal promoted Buddhism, supported many large Buddhist universities, and encouraged wide-spread learning. Saraha become one of the noted sages of his time. The very name “Saraha” derives from his occupation as a maker of arrows. He introduce the Mahamudra meditation concepts, which includes the chakra system.
From the fifth to the eighth CE Buddhism and Jainism had spread in Tamil Nadu before a forceful Shaiva bhakti movement arose. Around 11th- or 12th-century Tirumular also worked on the chakra system.
Around 10th Century, Atisa Deepankar of Bengal went to Tibet from India and introduced the Buddhism in Tibet in new form.
In the 15th — 16th Century, Kabir Dasa has written about Kundalini yoga and chakra. Kabir was born in 1518.
Modern History of Chakras
The Seven Chakra System
The seven chakra system was first comprehensively described by Purnananda Swami of Bengal, in 1577 in his famous book Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, which Sir John George Woodroffe translated in English and published in his book, “The Serpent Power” in 1919. After that many famous personalities popularized the seven chakra system in the West.
The 114 Chakra system
The seven chakra system is the simplified version of the whole chakra system. Sri Amit Ray rediscovered the 114 chakras in the human body based on his profound meditation experiences and the oral traditions.
According to Sri Amit Ray, there are as many as 114 all over the body. There are 7 major chakras, 21 minor chakras and 84 micro chakras.
Ray explained the mysteries of the 114 chakras in many books. From 2005, many of his students learnt about the 114 chakras meditations from him. Ray identified the names, locations and functions of all the 114 chakras for the first time[1]. These chakras are associated with our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual total wellbeing.
The Final Thoughts
The history of the chakra system is very deep. Around 8th century, it was very popular in Bengal and Bihar. The movement of the chakra system started in the west around 1943, when Maslow’s hierarchy of needs a popular concept in psychology was proposed by Abraham Maslow in his famous book “A Theory of Human Motivation”. Many believe, it is based on the hierarchy of the ancient chakra concept.
Hence, it is clear that Lord Shiva, Shri Gorakhnath, Purnananda Swami, Saraha, Buddha, Sri Amit Ray, Kabir Das, Abraham Maslow, Sir John George Woodroffe, and Curl Jung are the main people who discovered the chakra system and popularised them in the world.
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