chakra 的詞源

1849年在瑜伽中意为“人体内的精神能量中心”，来自梵语 cakra “圆，轮”，源自原始印欧语根 *kwel- (1) “旋转，环绕”。

The Tantric theory on which the well known yoga called Shat-chakra-bheda is founded, supposes the existence of six main internal organs, called Chakras, or Padmas, all having a general resemblance to that famous flower the lotus. These are placed one above the other and connected by three imaginary chains, the emblems of the Ganges, the Jumna, and the Saraswati. ["Physical Errors of Hinduism," The Calcutta Review, 1849.]

这一著名的瑜伽理论称为Shat-chakra-bheda，假设存在六个主要的内部器官，称为Chakras或Padmas，它们都与著名的莲花有一般的相似性。这些器官一个接一个地排列，通过三条想象中的链条连接，象征着恒河、雅穆纳河和萨拉斯瓦蒂河。[《印度教的物理错误》，The Calcutta Review，1849年。]

1897年连接chakra与解剖学 plexus。作为一个小型投射轮或圆盘，通常出现在印度教宗教艺术中，1849年作为梵语词在英语中也有证据。