Shaktipata (Sanskrit:शक्तिपात,romanized: śaktipāta)[1] orShaktipat refers inHinduism to thetransmission (or conferring) ofspiritual energy upon one person by another or directly from the deity.Shaktipata can be transmitted with a sacred word ormantra, or by a look, thought or touch – the last usually to theajna chakra oragya chakra orthird eye of the recipient.
Shaktipata is considered an act of grace (Anugraha) on the part of the guru or the divine. It cannot be imposed by force, nor can a receiver make it happen.[2] The very consciousness of the god or guru is held to enter into theSelf of the disciple, constituting an initiation into the school or the spiritual family (kula) of the guru.[3] It is held thatshaktipata can be transmitted in person or at a distance, through an object such as a flower or fruit.[4]
The term shaktipata is derived fromSanskrit, fromshakti "(psychic) energy" andpāta, "to fall".[5]
InKashmir Shaivism, depending on its intensity,shaktipata can be classified as:
| Type of spiritual grace | When is the moment of liberation? | What one needs in order to attain liberation? | What is the defining quality of the recipient? |
|---|---|---|---|
| tīvra-tīvra-śaktipāta Super Supreme Grace | immediate | nothing exterior, only the grace ofShiva | capability to abandon duality |
| tīvra-madhya-śaktipāta Supreme Medium Grace | immediate | nothing exterior, only the grace ofShiva | intuition of nonduality[note 1] |
| tīvra-manda-śaktipāta Supreme Inferior Grace | after meeting a perfectguru | the presence of a physicalguru | total surrender to hisguru |
| madhya-tīvra-śaktipāta Medium Supreme Grace | at the end of life in this physical plane | the initiation and instruction of aguru | intense spiritual aspiration |
| madhya-madhya-śaktipāta Medium Middle Grace | after living for some time in a paradise | the initiation and instruction of aguru | spiritual aspiration is more intense than worldly desires |
| madhya-manda-śaktipāta Medium Inferior Grace | in the next physical incarnation | the initiation and instruction of aguru | lower aspiration than worldly desires |
| manda Inferior Grace | after many lifetimes of incremental progress | the initiation and instruction of aguru and lot of time |
SwamiMuktananda, in his bookPlay of Consciousness, describes in great detail his experience of receiving shaktipata initiation from his guruBhagawan Nityananda and his spiritual development that unfolded after this event.[10]
Paul Zweig has written of his experience of receivingshaktipata fromMuktananda.[11] In the same bookItzhak Bentov describes his laboratory measurements of kundalini-awakening throughshaktipata,[12] a study held in high regard by the lateSatyananda Saraswati, founder of theBihar School of Yoga, and byHiroshi Motoyama, author ofTheories of the Chakras.
Barbara Brennan describes shaktipata as the projection of the guru's "aura" on the disciple who thereby acquires the same mental state, hence the importance of the high spiritual level of the guru. The physiological phenomena of risingkundalini then naturally manifest.[13]
In his book, Building a Noble World,Shiv R. Jhawar describes his shaktipata experience at Muktananda's public program at Lake Point Tower in Chicago on September 16, 1974 as follows:
"Baba [Swami Muktananda] had just begun delivering his discourse with his opening statement: 'Today's subject is meditation. The crux of the question is: What do we meditate upon?' Continuing his talk, Baba said: 'Kundalini starts dancing when one repeats Om Namah Shivaya.' Hearing this, I mentally repeated the mantra, I noticed that my breathing was getting heavier. Suddenly, I felt a great impact of a rising force within me. The intensity of this rising kundalini force was so tremendous that my body lifted up a little and fell flat into the aisle; my eyeglasses flew off. As I lay there with my eyes closed, I could see a continuous fountain of dazzling white lights erupting within me. In brilliance, these lights were brighter than the sun but possessed no heat at all. I was experiencing the thought-free state of "I am," realizing that "I" have always been, and will continue to be, eternal. I was fully conscious and completely aware while I was experiencing the pure "I am," a state of supreme bliss. Outwardly, at that precise moment, Baba shouted delightedly from his platform, "Mene kuch nahi kiya; kisiko shakti ne pakda" ("I didn't do anything. The Energy has caught someone"). Baba noticed that the dramatic awakening of kundalini in me frightened some people in the audience. Therefore, he said, 'Do not be frightened. Sometimes kundalini gets awakened in this way, depending upon a person's type.[14]
InSahaj Marg, yogic transmission is named Pranahuti (Devanagari:प्राणाहूति,IAST:prāṇāhūti) fromprāṇā, "life force" andāhūti, "offering".[15] It is described as "the gracious and conscious offering of the life force or spirit by the Guru into the disciple’s heart."[16][17]
