Yogic Dying in the Javanese-Balinese Śaiva traditions

My paper surveys some significant passages in Śaiva Tantra materials of Java and Bali referring to the yogic technique of sadyotkrānti, or “immediate ascent.” The practice is attested in in the Sanskrit Mantramārga corpus and may be derived from the earlier Pāśupata/Atimārga tradition. In both Indian and Javanese-Balinese contexts, sadyotkrānti enables the yogin to control how the soul leaves the body, thereby maximizing the chance that it will unite with Lord Śiva and thus achieve mokṣa. To assure success, the yogin must be able to anticipate the moment of his physical death, empty his mind of extraneous worldly thoughts, and focus on his supramundane aim. He then meditates while engaging in a type of breath control known variously as prāṇāyāma, kumbhaka, or (pra)-yogasandhi. To prevent the soul from going the wrong way, several texts also mention that the yogin must close the nine orifices of the physical body using the esoteric or secret key (kuñci rahasya). He can then use the breath to direct the soul suddenly, and perhaps even forcefully, out of the body by the proper door, which is usually said to be the subtle aperture on the crown of the head. At that point, the soul is virtually assured of achieving liberation and uniting with Śiva.