Do chakras belong to the physical body or subtlebody?

Question

There are three bodies for a human: physical, subtle, causal. There are seven chakras: Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Ajna, Vishuddha, Sahastra.

Till now, I believe that chakras do belong to the physical body only since people generally refer to their locations based on certain positions on the physical body. But, in some articles, chakras are referred to as belonging to the subtle body.

So, I am confused about the body that actually possesses the chakras. Does any scripture explicitly mention whether chakras belong to the subtle body or the physical body alone?

Answer 1

The Chakras are not part of our gross body.

I don't know about the scriptures, but some well-read people in scriptures, say so.

This is what Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe) says in his book 'The Serpent Power' -

To speak, however, of concentration on the sexual centre is itself misleading, for the Chakras are not in the gross body, and concentration is done upon the subtle centre, with its presiding Consciousness, even though such centres may have ultimate relation with gross physical function.

(page 14)

In page 197 Avalon talks about the connection between the two bodies

In fact, the Sthula Sharlra is expressly designed to enable the Sukshma Sharlra to work out the Karma it has incurred...

Swami Vijñanananda in his English translation of the Devi Bhagavatam also notes the subtle nature of the nāḍī & chakras in 1.11, and so does Pandit Shri Ram Sharma of the Gayatri Parivaar in the chapter -'ṣaṭcakroṃ kā svarūpa'

Answer 2

The Chakras, infact rhe whole universe is present in our microcosm or Subtle Body. Though, the positioning of the Chakras can be identified on our Gross or Physical body.

“piNDabrahmaaNDayoraikya.n li~Ngasuutraatmanorapi |svaapaavyaakR^itayoraikya.n svaprakaashachidaatmanoH |” (Yoga Kundalini Upanishad 1:81)

“The microcosm and the macrocosm are one and the same; so also the Linga and Sutratman, Svabhava (substance) and form and the self-resplendent light and Chidatma”.

“shariire sakala.n vishvaM pashyatyaatmaavibhedataH | brahmaaNDo.ayaM mahaamaargo raajadantordhvakuNDalii |” (Yoga Kundalini Upanishad 2:49)

“Then he sees the whole universe in his body as not being different from Atman. This path of the Urdhva-Kundalini (higher Kundalini), O chief of Kings, conquers the macrocosm”.

In Uttara Gita, Lord Krishna said to Arjuna.:

“tasya madhyagatAH sUryasomAgniparameshvarAH | bhUtalokA dishaH kShetrasamudrAH parvatAH shilAH | dvIpAshcha nimnagA vedAH shAstravidyAkalAkSharAH | svaramantrapurANAni guNAshchaite cha sarvashaH | bIjaM bIjAtmakAsteShAM kShetraj~nAH prANavAyavaH | suShumnAntargataM vishvaM tasminsarvaM pratiShThitam.h |” (Uttara Gita 2:15-17)

“The Sun, the Moon, and the other Devatas, the fourteen Lokas of Bhur, Bhuvar, etc., the ten directions,East, West, etc., the sacred places, the seven oceans,the Himalaya and other mountains, the seven Islands of Jambu, etc., the seven sacred rivers, Ganga, etc., the four Vedas, all the sacred philosophies, the sixteen vowels and twenty-four consonants,the Gayatri and other sacred Mantras, the eighteen Puranas and all the Upa-Puranas included, the three Gunas, Mahat itself, the root of the Jivas, the Jivas and their Atman, the ten breaths, the whole world, in fact, consisting of all these, exists in the Susumna”.

For more info you can check my this and this answer respectively.

I hope this clarifies your queries.