sushumna is closed where it intersects
the chakras, which blocks the flow of
energy from moving smoothly through
it. When the chakras have been pierced
and opened by the rising kundalini, the
passageway has been opened for the
kundalini to rise to the abode of Shiva,
and effect the union of Shakti and Shiva
that will bring ultimate realization. For
further information see Arthur Avalon
(Sir John Woodroffe), Shakti and Shakta,
1978; Philip S. Rawson, The Art of
Tantra, 1973; Swami Agehananda
Bharati, The Tantric Tradition, 1975; and
Douglas Renfrew Brooks, The Secret of
the Three Cities, 1990.
Suta
In Hindu mythology, a disciple of the
sage Vyasa, who is said to have recounted
the puranasto other renunciants in the
Naimishaforest. The puranas are an
important genre of religious texts that
collect all types of sacred lore, from
mythic tales to ritual instruction to exal-
tation of various sacred sites (tirthas)
and actions. Individual puranas are usu-
ally highly sectarian and intended to
promote the worship of one of the
Hindu gods, whether Vishnu, Shiva, or
the Goddess. The traditional puranas
are numbered at eighteen, and in
many of them Suta is named as the
narrator, in accordance with the legend
mentioned above.
Sutakashaucha
The impurity (ashaucha) caused by
childbirth (sutaka). All bodily effluvia
(hair, spittle, pus, blood, etc.) are
considered to be sources of impurity,
and because birth is attended with
these it is considered impure, even
though it is always regarded as an
auspicious and happy event. There is
also impurity caused by death, known as
maranashaucha, but the presence of
the corpserenders this impurity more
violent; needless to say, it is also consid-
ered inauspicious.
Sutra
(“thread”) In a metaphorical sense, a
sutra is a short phrase or aphorism that
can easily be committed to memory.
Many early philosophical and grammat-
ical texts were collections of such sutras,
which are so brief that they virtually pre-
suppose a commentary to explain their
meaning. In many cases the commen-
tary would have been an oral exchange
between teacher and student, thus
effecting the living transmission that is
still the norm in tantra, a secret, ritually
based religious practice. Memorizing
such sutras was a way to gain mastery
over an entire text, and the sutras could
also serve as an aid to memory for the
commentary, thus enabling a person to
preserve the “thread” of the argument.
In a more literal sense, the word sutra
can also refer to the cord or cords strung
through the centers of palm leafmanu-
scripts, which kept the pages of the text
in their proper order.Svadharma
(“one’s own dharma”) In the dharma lit-
erature, svadharma is an individual’s
unique religious duty (dharma), based
on that person’s social position, stage of
life, and gender. The governing assump-
tion behind this notion is that every per-
son has a social role to fulfill, and each of
these roles is necessary for the mainte-
nance of society, no matter how humble
it might be. For each person, his or her
svadharma carries the highest authority,
and supersedes all other religious laws.
As one example, violence is generally
prohibited, but it is a necessary part of a
ruler’s svadharma—both to protect the
land from external invaders, and to pun-
ish criminals within the country. In both
cases the use of violence helps to main-
tain social order, which is the king’s pri-
mary duty. In the same way, society
depends on a host of other people fulfill-
ing their particular social roles. This
notion of social responsibility and inter-
connectedness is tied to religious fulfill-
ment through the notion of the Path of
Action (karmamarga). According to thisSuta