Glossary · chakra
Chakra
Also written the seven chakras · the seven centres · planets and chakras
A chakra (wheel) is one of the centres along the spine described in yoga and Tantra. The usual modern count is seven, from the base of the spine to the top of the head: Muladhara (root), Svadhisthana (sacral), Manipura (solar plexus), Anahata (heart), Vishuddha (throat), Ajna (brow) and Sahasrara (crown). Each has a seed sound (bija) used in practice.
Planets and the chakras. A common modern pairing gives each centre a planet: Shani (Saturn) the root, Guru (Jupiter) the sacral, Mangal (Mars) the solar plexus, Shukra (Venus) the heart, Budha (Mercury) the throat, Chandra (the Moon) the brow and Surya (the Sun) the crown, with Rahu at the brow and Ketu at the crown.
To be plain: this pairing is a modern bridge between yoga and Jyotish. It is not in the classical astrology texts, and the rainbow colours (red at the root to violet at the crown) are modern too. It is useful as a map of where in you a planet's weather is felt. Which planets matter on a given day is worked out by classical Jyotish: the Moon, your dasha periods and the hard gochar transits.
Questions
Which planet rules which chakra?
In the pairing used by withAshoka: Saturn the root (Muladhara), Jupiter the sacral (Svadhisthana), Mars the solar plexus (Manipura), Venus the heart (Anahata), Mercury the throat (Vishuddha), the Moon the third eye (Ajna) and the Sun the crown (Sahasrara), with Rahu at the third eye and Ketu at the crown.
Are the chakras part of Vedic astrology?
No. The chakras come from yoga and Tantra, and the classical Jyotish texts do not pair them with the planets. The pairing is a modern bridge, useful as a map of where a planet’s influence is felt in the body.
What are the seven chakras in order?
From the base of the spine upward: Muladhara (root), Svadhisthana (sacral), Manipura (solar plexus), Anahata (heart), Vishuddha (throat), Ajna (third eye) and Sahasrara (crown).
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