Ṣaṭ-Cakra-Nirūpaṇa (Description of the Six Chakras) is a seminal 16th-century Tantric text written by Pūrṇānanda Giri
that serves as the foundation for modern understandings of the Kundalini energy system. It was famously introduced to the West in 1919 by Sir John Woodroffe (writing as Arthur Avalon) in his book, The Serpent Power Accessing the Full Text
Because this is a classic text, you can find the complete English translation and original Sanskrit verses through several open-access repositories: Standard English Translation: shat chakra nirupana pdf
The most authoritative version, including the Sanskrit commentary of Kalicharana, is available via The Serpent Power on Internet Archive Direct PDF Versions:
You can view or download formatted versions on community-driven sites like HolyBooks.com Sacred Texts Archive: A digital transcript of the translation is hosted on Sacred-Texts.com Key Contents of the Piece Inside the Text: Mapping the Subtle Body If
The text details the "six wheels" (Shat Chakras) located along the subtle spinal column ( ), describing each with specific symbolic attributes: Seed Sound (Bija) Description Base of Spine The seat of the sleeping Kundalini Shakti. Svadhisthana Associated with the element of water. The center of fire and personal power. The "unstruck" sound; associated with air. The center of purification and wisdom. The "command" center of intuition.
Note: While it focuses on the six lower chakras, the text also describes the Many modern "New Age" PDFs strip the deity
(Thousand-petaled Lotus) at the crown of the head as the final destination for the rising Kundalini. from the text, or are you looking for meditation practices associated with these chakras? Understanding Shat Chakras in Yoga | PDF - Scribd
If you download a Shat Chakra Nirupana PDF, you will encounter dense Sanskrit verses followed by commentary. Here is the breakdown of the six centers as described in the text (plus the seventh).
What to avoid: PDFs that claim to be the "original" but change the petal counts (e.g., claiming Muladhara has 8 petals instead of 4). That is a different system, not Purnananda’s.
If you practice meditation, Pranayama, or Kundalini Yoga, understanding this text is crucial for several reasons: