Colors in Chakras1

Manipur or Solar Chakra: It is situated at the level of the solar plexus on the inner wall of the spine, just behind the navel. The Sanskrit word Manipur means "City of jewels". Its presiding deities are Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.

Positively, it represents righteousness, dharma (sustenance), desire for evolution, welfare and wealth. It advocates the Ten Commandments as the guideline for self-realization. Negatively, it represents involvement in domestic problems, dominance over spouse, either fasting or too much interest in food and material wealth.

Anahat or Heart Chakra: It lies at the inner wall of the spine just behind the centre of the chest. It is connected to the cardiac plexus and that part of the brain which is responsible for creativity and fine arts. Anahat means "un-struck", that is, on awakening, the un-struck cosmic sound - AUM or LOGOS or W ORD, which is created without the striking of two objects, is heard through inner ears, when all the internal noises of the mind have been silenced through sustained practices. Its presiding deities are Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

In the positive sense it represents existence, love, truth and truth-attention-joy (sat-chit-ananda). In the negative sense it represents extreme physical and mental activities, bad relations (especially with the mother), indulgence in drugs, and no faith in God and anti-God activities. Aura balancing can remove some negativity.

Vishuddhi or Throat Chakra: It is located at the juncture of the spine and medulla oblongata, in the cervical plexus directly behind the throat pit. Its presiding deity is Lord Krishna with Goddess Radha, who is the eternal witness, watching the cosmic drama with complete detachment. Literally it means ''centre of purification".

Positively, it suggests witnessing of the Self. Negatively, it indicated mortality, guilt, sarcastic attitude, foul tongue, smoking, problems of cold and bronchial tubes - such as sinus, snoring and panting. Through balancing one can get over these negative aspects.

Ajna or Eyebrow Chakra: It is located at the top of the spinal chord, at the medulla oblongata, and is connected to the pineal gland. Purification of the pineal guarantees the proper functioning of pituitary and other glands and thus the chakra takes care of the whole body.  The presiding deity of the central chakra is Lord Jesus Christ - representing forgiveness and resurrection, that of the left chakra is Lord Mahavira -representing subconscious (superego), and the deity of the right chakra is Lord Buddha - representing ahankar (ego). Ajna is the most important of the psychic centers. It is also known as 'center of command', 'eye of Shiva, guru chakra, third eye, etc. It is the gateway to liberation.

The positive aspects of the center are sight, hearing and through, and the negative aspects are bad association and wandering eyes. The positive aspects of the left are memories and conditioning from the past, and the negative aspects are addictions and self-indulgence. The positive aspects of the right are I-ness, and the negative aspects are worries, harmful attitude towards others and incorrect notions of God. Balancing can get over these negative aspects to some extent.

Sahasrara or Crown Chakra: It is not actually a chakra since it exists above the head in a non-physical form, while any other chakra is within the realm of psyche and is connected to a plexus or a set of nerves. Sahasrara is the culmination of the journey of Kundalini, and the end result of all yoga practices. it has infinite virtues and can at best be represented by a thousand petal led lotus; hence the name sahasrara, meaning 'one thousand'. It is represented bya halo around the head of saints and liberated people. When Shakti and Shiva unite, the process of self-realization begins as a series of experiences. One's identity is lost -the seer, seeing, and seen are merged into one 'single awareness'.

Positively, it means going beyond the duality and above the three states of being or gunas, canned tamas (inertia), rajas (activity) and sattva (purity). Negatively, it means disbelief in God. In practical terms it would mean lacking the joy of life, and appearing withdrawn and aloof. Through balancing, these negative aspects can be taken care of to a good extent.

There is an additional chakra called Bindu between Ajna and Sahasrara, situated at the crown of the head. It is at a point where Hindus tie a tuft of hair, called 'shikha' in Sanskrit. Bindu and Vishuddhi are internally connected through nerves. As such, bindu awakens automatically when vishuddhi awakens. Nectar flows from bindu and drips in vishuddhi. Wherefrom it spreads into the whole body. It arrests the ageing process and causes rejuvenation.