What is Sushumna Nadi?

A brief overview

Sushumna nadi has been extolled greatly in all yogic scriptures.  It is is the crux of Kundalini Yoga. All Yog Asanas, Pranayam and Bandhas are performed in order to let Kundalini enter into Sushumna Nadi. The word Sushumna is made from Su and ShumnaThe prefix “su” means excellent, while “shumna” means satisfaction, peace, joy, happiness. When the kuṇḍalinī rises through the sushumṇā, we receive excellent satisfaction, peace, joy and happiness.

Most of the people think Sushumna, as some another nadi which is situated at the center of spinal chord between Ida and Pingla in our astral body. However there is more it it.

Describing 101 nadis in Yoga Shikopnishad, the writer has described the title of Sushumna as Paranadi. This is not a nadi like Ida or Pingala, but a third stream arising from the current of the simultaneous equipotent flow of  Ida and Pingala. It does not even exist in a fixed form.

On astral plain, the Sushumna is so  elaborate and vast that when the consciousness of the person now runs through it, it seems like it is traversing  in some galaxy. Sushumna seems to be omnipresent in vastness of universe. It is possible to understand the  unexplored dimension of sun, moon, planetary constellation from here.

Our ancient Yogis and Rishis tapped this infinite source of knowledge and wisdom and described the planetary motions, distances between sun and moon accurately , long before any sophisticated scientific instruments were invented.

On our earthly plain, Sangam at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) is called divine Triveni. This Triveni is meeting place of three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna & Saraswati. Ganga represents Pingala, Yamuna represents Ida and Saraswati represents Sushumna nadi.

Ida  is  also called Moon nadi & Pingala is Sun nadi. The soul keeps on engaging on the Rajas and Tamas properties with these nadis. But when it leaves  the materialistic urges and tries to move towards higher realm of knowledge, it ushers into Sushumna.

If you visit Triveni Sangam at Prayag you will find only Ganga and Yamuna, you wont see Saraswati river there. Like Sushumna it is hidden. This is vast divine knowledge which dawns upon you when you do sadhana or tapasya at Triveni Sangam. And as this knowledge is limitless,  hidden Saraswati is limitless too. As Sushumna appreas as  third stream arising from the current of the simultaneous equipotent flow of  Ida and Pingala. So is the river Saraswati is the hidden river of  divine knowledge which arises at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna in Prayag.

When Sushumna is awakened he soul is introduced to inexplicable joy. Unlike worldly happiness, that satisfaction receive from kuṇḍalinī rising is truly and completely fulfilling. In worldly happiness, when we obtain reach the object of our desire, we experience satisfaction for only a short time. When this satisfaction runs out, we set out again in search of our next desire. While the joy received after  awakening Suhsumna is limitless and perpetual. 

योग शिखोपनिषद् में 101 नाड़ियों का वर्णन करते हुये शास्त्रकार ने सुषुम्ना शीर्षक को परानाड़ी बताया है। यह कोई नाड़ी नहीं है वरन इड़ा और पिंगला के समान विद्युत-प्रवाह से उत्पन्न हुई एक तीसरी धारा है। जिसका स्थूल रूप से अस्तित्व नहीं भी है और सूक्ष्म रूप से इतना व्यापक एवं विशाल है कि जीव की चेतना अब उसमें से होकर चला करती है तो ऐसा लगता है कि वह किसी आकाश गंगा में प्रभावित हो रही हो। वहाँ से विशाल ब्रह्माण्ड की भाँति होती है। अन्तरिक्ष में अव-स्थित अगणित सूर्य, चन्द्रमा, ग्रह-नक्षत्र की स्थिति समझने का अलभ्य अवसर, जो किसी चन्द्रयान या राकेट के द्वारा भी सम्भव नहीं है, इसी शरीर में मिलता है।