Anahata Symbol – History And Meaning

In the Hindu Yogic, Buddhist Tantric, and Shakta traditions, the heart chakra is known as Anahata. The fourth main chakra, Anahata represents the heart, which stands for the wisdom that endows us the capacity for love and compassion.

The Anahata symbol is comprised of 12 petals which are bluish in color. These petals bear the Sanskrit letters kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nyam, tam, and tham. These inscriptions are vermilion-colored. Its seed sound or mantra—YAM—is in dark gray mantra. 

The Hindu god Vayu is associated with Anahata. He is depicted as sitting or standing at the center of the Anahata symbol, riding an antelope, which is this chakra’s animal.

Anahata Symbol – History And Meaning

If you want to learn more about the Anahata symbol, read on to find out the meaning, history, and significance of this Buddhist and Hindu symbol.

Anahata History

The chakra system originated in India between 1500 and 500 BC, first appearing in the Hindu Vedas, considered to be the oldest religious texts. However, this was not exactly in the sense of the so-called “psychoenergetic centers” but as chakravartin. The chakravartin in this sense was the king who “turns the wheel of his empire” in every direction from the center, denoting the monarch’s power and influence. Later proofs of chakras appear in the Upanishads. 

The images and symbols that are popularly used to represent the Chakras are believed to trace back to the 5 symbols of yagna. These symbols used in yagna, a Vedic ritual performed in front of a sacred fire, are “square, circle, triangle, half-moon, and dumpling.”

The knowledge of the chakra system is said to be passed down through oral traditions by the Aryan people. This system was customarily an Eastern philosophy, but New Age authors started to relate with the concept and wrote about the chakras. They expanded on the earlier texts, giving more people access to the knowledge of this ancient system.

In the 8th century CE, the psychic-energy chakra theories were introduced in Buddhist texts as “hierarchies of inner energy centers.”  Only four chakras appear in these texts. In later Hindu texts, the list of chakras was expanded to a lot more.

The chakra system has always been interlaced with yoga since the very beginning. But what exactly is a chakra?

The term “chakra” is from the Sanskrit cakra. which means “mystical circle” or “vortex” or “spinning wheel.” Chakra and cakra are pronounced the same way, the former being generally used in the West. Chakra refers to psychic energy centers in the lingadeha or the ethereal body. 

The chakra system is prominent in the occult physiological practices of Tantric Buddhism and some certain forms of Hinduism. A chakra is a wheel of energy that runs along a person’s spine and inside the skull. 

Although some claim there are as many as 114 chakras all over the body, it is generally believed that there are 7 primary chakras. These are the Muladhara (root chakra), Swadhisthana (sacral chakra), Manipura (solar plexus chakra), Anahata (heart chakra), Vishuddha (throat chakra), Ajna (third-eye chakra), and Sahasrara (crown chakra). The chakras’ health has direct links to our physical as well as mental and emotional health.

The fourth primary chakra is Anahata, also known as the heart chakra. Its activation point or kshetram is located in the middle of the spine near the heart. In the Hindu Yogic, Buddhist Tantric, and Shakta traditions, Anahata is believed to govern emotional power and unconditional love.

The Anahata Symbol

The Anahata symbol is represented by a 12-petaled lotus flower with a smoky region where two triangles interlock. This intersection creates a six-pointed star called shatkona, a Hindu symbol that signifies the union of male and female. Shatkona is meant to symbolize Purusha (Shiva, the Supreme Being) and Prakriti (Shakti, nature personified). 

The seed mantra of the Anahata symbol is YAM, written in dark gray. The dot above it—the bindu—represents the Hindu deity, Isha. 

The Anahata symbol’s 12 petals are inscribed with these letters or syllables: kam, kham, gam, gham, ngam, cham, chham, jam, jham, nyam, tam, and tham. These syllables are believed to correspond with the following divine qualities or vrittis of the heart: bliss, peace, harmony, love, understanding, empathy, clarity, purity, unity, compassion, kindness, and forgiveness.

The Upanishads describe Anahata as a tiny flame found in the heart. This chakra was given the name “Anahata” because the great yogis were said to be able to hear the unstruck sound or the sound of the celestial world. Anahata, after all, is described as “a sound that comes without the striking of two objects together.” This has also caused Anahata to symbolize air, touch, and the hands’ actions.

The Anahata symbol denotes love, compassion, balance, calmness, serenity, and charity.

Anahata Symbol Meaning

“Anahata” is Sanskrit for “unhurt, unstruck, and unbeaten.” It means “sound produced without touching two parts.” It also means “clean, without stain,” and “pure.” 

Anahata connotes the Vedic concept of unstruck sound or the sound of the celestial world. It is said to govern the body’s love energy.

The heart chakra or Anahata is found in the central channel of the spine, at the heart’s level. It is associated with our skin and hands, thanks to its link to sense or touch and actions.