Comparing the Order of Haft Peykar Stories with the Seven Yoga Chakras

Haft Peykar is one of the symbolic works in which the arrangement and selection of fictional elements and persons follow a symbolic and upward order. One of the important parts of this work is seven stories that are defined for Bahram for seven nights. With a new look at the upward trajectory of these stories in moving from black to white and from bottom to top, this research uses a library and descriptive-analytical method to investigate the depth of seven stories in Haft Peykar and compare it with the seven chakras in yoga. The results of the study show outstanding commonalities that are more in some stories and less in others. The existence of similar cases does not mean conscious imitation of the chakras. Rather, it is rooted in the same human nature, which has an unconscious desire for perfection and attainment of the lost paradise and returns to its origin. In addition to similar cases, there are differences, the most prominent of which is seen in the color of the domes and chakras. Haft Peykar is the culmination of Nezami’s poetic art, which describes the reign of Bahram Gour and the strange events of his life. One of the most important and detailed parts of it is the stories that the seven domed queens tell to Bahram Goor. Stories have a completely symbolic structure and full of motifs, themes, and symbolic elements that put a strange and mysterious atmosphere in front of the readers and astonish them with a magical expression. Assuming the systematic nature of the seven stories in this work, this study examines the theme and its depth in comparison with the seven chakras in yoga. Of course, this comparison does not mean that he knows the knowledge of the chakras. Bahram begins its symbolic journey from Saturday and the Black Dome. The most prominent feature between the first dome and the first chakra, Sahasrara, is that the head can be a symbol of the sky, the rope a symbol for the spine, and the king sitting in the basket a symbolic representation of kundalini energy that, after being released quickly, climbs towards Sahasrara. In the second story, the common denominator is the existence of three contents available in the second chakra, which are: the unconscious mind (ignorance), the collection of consciousness of Samaskara and the remnants of ancestral relics in the form of a special attribute of an old woman and maid, the subconscious conscience of the king and the inherited attribute of a Chinese maid. The most prominent and common element between the third story and the third chakra is the two forces of good and evil, which are manifested in ‘Manipura’ in the form of the two goddesses ‘Rudra’ and ‘Lakshi’. In the story of the fourth dome, there are several similar prominent and key elements, the most important of which is the similarity of the fourth chakra ‘Anahata’ meaning ‘unbreakable’ with the impenetrable castle of the queen of the fence. The story of the fifth dome is the narrator of the extravagance and greed of a man named Mahan. This story is in fact a narration of the symbolic stages of achieving perfection and self-cultivation, corresponding to ‘Vishdahi’ which means purification and center of mental cleansing. The sixth story is about the journey of Kheyr and Shar, which continues with the removal of the two eyes of Kheyr by Shar and deals with their fate. This story has important points in common with its peer chakra, ‘Ajna’, which is also known as the Third eye, the Wisdoms eye, the Connection between three rivers, the Center between two eyebrows, and the Shiva’s eye. Another common denominator between the sixth chakra and the sixth story is the number three; Ajna is the junction of the three rivers and good fortune is the junction of the three ladies, who are a Kurdish daughter, the king's daughter, and the minister's daughter. Also, the familiar relationship between the river (water) and the woman also symbolically justifies this alternative. In the story of the seventh dome, the failed hero realizes his mistake in four stages and gives up his carnal and illegitimate desire and marries the beauty of the harpist. This dome is equivalent to ‘Sahasrara’ chakra. This chakra is the place of the mysterious union of Shakti and Shiva. The prominent participation in the seventh chakra and dome is the presence of God and the prominent role of His will in the story, which is specifically mentioned in the influences of Sahasrara. This chakra is related to the feeling of oneness and separation and our relationship with the earth as well as with our fathers. This study shows that the stories of Haft Peykar have a content link in their depth of construction and similarities can be found between the sequence of the seven stories and the seven chakras of yoga that narrate a movement. It is ascending and perfecting because both of them narrate the inner ascending course of the poet and their main goal is to achieve inner excellence and perfection. Given that the desire for perfection is an innate desire that leads human beings, consciously or unconsciously, towards perfection and transcendence, all the arts, texts, philosophical, and mystical ideas and views that express this inner desire have elements. And there are similar and common symptoms that are rooted in the human subconscious. Therefore, beyond all cultures and religious and ideological tendencies, these commonalities can be found and studied in comparison with each other.