Kuṇḍalinī in the Mokṣopāya

This paper outlines the unique kuṇḍalinī doctrine of the mid-10th C Mokṣopāya. The depiction of kuṇḍalinī in the MU differs from any other known Śaiva Tantric or Yoga framework. In the Mokṣopāya, kuṇḍalinī is introduced in the story of Queen Cūḍālā’s enlightenment. After having achieved the highest knowledge, the queen decides that she wants to fly, just for fun, and she harnesses the power of kuṇḍalinī to achieve this goal. The explanation of how Cūḍālā is able to fly leads Vasiṣṭha to explain the nature of consciousness, the nature of unconsciousness, and the bridge between the two. The kuṇḍalinī is the jīva itself, she is fragment of consciousness that is both imagined and possessing the power imagining. When consciousness imagines herself to be unconscious, she exists in a body as kuṇḍalinī; when consciousness awakens in a body, kuṇḍalinī rises, the jīva is liberated and the cycle of rebirth ceases.