18 PRIMARY SIDDHIS IN HINDUISM AND BUDDHISM

IN HINDUISM, THE CONCEPT OF SIDDHIS (SUPERNATURAL POWERS OR ATTAINMENTS) is extensively discussed in texts like the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Srimad Bhagavatam. The "18 primary siddhis" typically refer to a classification from the Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 11, Chapter 15), where Lord Krishna describes 18 mystic perfections achieved through yoga and meditation. These are divided into 8 primary (major) siddhis, which are more elevated and often shelter in the divine, and 10 secondary (minor) siddhis, which arise from the mode of goodness in material nature. These powers are not goals in themselves but byproducts of spiritual advancement, and scriptures warn against attachment to them as they can distract from ultimate liberation.

 

IN BUDDHISM, THE EQUIVALENT TERM IS "IDDHIS" (OR "RDDHI" IN SANSKRIT), referring to psychic or supernormal powers attained through deep meditation (jhana/dhyana).These are seen as fruits of concentration but are also cautioned against as potential hindrances to enlightenment. The lists in Buddhism draw from similar yogic roots but emphasize ethical use and impermanence. Tantric Buddhism (e.g., in Tibetan traditions) integrates iddhis with energy practices, but the focus is on compassion and realization rather than power.

 

HINDUISM: THE 18 SIDDHIS AND THEIR POWERS

Here is the list from the Srimad Bhagavatam, with brief descriptions of each power:

 

 

AṆIMĀ: The ability to become smaller than the smallest, reducing one's body to atomic size or entering subtle realms.

MAHIMĀ: The ability to become greater than the greatest, expanding one's body infinitely or encompassing vast spaces.

LAGHIMĀ: The ability to become lighter than the lightest, achieving weightlessness, levitation, or effortless movement.

PRĀPTI: The ability to acquire or reach anything desired, gaining unrestricted access to places, objects, or senses of others.

PRĀKĀMYA: The ability to fulfill any wish or experience any enjoyment, manifesting desires in this world or beyond.

ĪŚITĀ: The ability to control or lord over others, manipulating material energies (māyā), bodies, or designations of living beings.

VAŚITĀ: The ability to subjugate all, remaining unimpeded by the three modes of nature (goodness, passion, ignorance).

KĀMĀVASĀYITĀ: The ability to obtain anything from anywhere to the ultimate limit, achieving supreme fulfillment where all desires cease.

 

 

ANŪRMIMATTVAM: Freedom from bodily disturbances like hunger, thirst, heat, cold, or other physical needs.

DŪRAŚRAVAṆA: Hearing things from far away, perceiving distant sounds clearly.

DŪRADARŚANA: Seeing things from far away, perceiving distant sights or events.

MAN OJAVAH: Moving the body at the speed of the mind, enabling teleportation or astral projection.

KĀMARŪPAM: Assuming any form desired, shapeshifting at will.

PARAKĀYA PRAVEŚANAM: Entering the bodies of others, possessing or influencing them.

SVACHANDA MṚTYUH: Dying at will, choosing the time and manner of death while guiding the soul to a desired destination.

DEVĀNĀM SAHA Krīḍā ANUDARŚANAM: Witnessing or participating in the pastimes of demigods and celestial beings (e.g., Apsaras).

YATHĀ SAṄKALPA SAṀSIDDHIḤ: Perfect accomplishment of one's determination, ensuring all resolutions succeed.

ĀJÑĀPRATIHATĀ GATIḤ: Issuing commands that cannot be impeded, with unimpeded fulfillment.

 

 

The most common are 8 mundane iddhis, often attained through the four jhanas (meditative absorptions).

They include:

MULTIPLYING THE BODY: Replicating oneself into many forms or projecting illusions.

INVISIBILITY: Becoming unseen or disappearing from view.

PASSING THROUGH SOLID OBJECTS: Walking through walls, mountains, or barriers as if through space.

DIVING IN AND OUT OF THE EARTH: Moving through the ground like water.

WALKING ON WATER: Traversing water as if on solid land.

FLYING THROUGH THE AIR: Levitating or traveling cross-legged like a bird.

TOUCHING THE SUN AND MOON: Extending one's reach to celestial bodies with divine power.

ASCENDING TO THE BRAHMA WORLD: Traveling to higher realms with the body or mind.

 

In Vajrayana, additional common iddhis include swift-footedness, the sword of invincibility, the pill of invisibility, eye ointment for clairvoyance, the vase of inexhaustible treasure, and others like deathlessness or fleet-footedness. These are tools for compassionate action but are viewed as impermanent and not the path's goal.

 

 

In both Hinduism and Buddhism, siddhis/iddhis are linked to the activation of chakras (energy centers) through practices like Kundalini yoga (Hinduism) or tummo/inner fire (Buddhist Tantra). Chakras are subtle wheels along the spine where prana (life force) or winds (in Buddhism) flow. Awakening Kundalini (coiled energy at the base) rises through the chakras, granting siddhis as byproducts. However, not every siddhi is tied to a specific chakra; rather, chakra mastery unlocks groups of powers. Hinduism emphasizes 7 main chakras, while Buddhist Tantra often uses 4-5 (e.g., navel, heart, throat, crown, sometimes secret/genital).

 

The association isn't one-to-one with the 18 siddhis, but scriptures like the Yoga Upanishads, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and tantric texts describe siddhis manifesting per chakra. Below are the 7 main chakras (from Hindu traditions, adopted in some Buddhist paths), their locations, elements, and key associated siddhis/iddhis. These are mystical attainments, not literal guarantees, and depend on ethical practice.

 

LOCATION: Base of the spine (perineum).

ELEMENT: Earth.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Darduri Siddhi (ability to leap like a frog or levitate short distances); control over earth element; knowledge of past, present, and future; initial access to the 8 major siddhis (Ashtama Siddhi) upon mastery; freedom from fear and basic needs.

 

IN BUDDHISM: Grounding for basic iddhis like stability in meditation.

LOCATION: Lower abdomen (below navel, near genitals).

ELEMENT: Water.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Control over water element; enhanced creativity and EMOTIONAL MASTERY; ability to taste distant essences or influence fluids; freedom from attachments to sensory pleasures.

 

IN BUDDHISM (AS PART OF LOWER CHAKRAS): Supports iddhis like fluidity in movement or emotional equanimity.

LOCATION: Upper abdomen (navel area).

ELEMENT: Fire.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Control over fire element; digestion of poisons; inner radiance or heat generation

(LIKE TUMMO IN BUDDHISM); WILLPOWER TO ACHIEVE GOALS (YATHĀ SAṄKALPA SAṀSIDDHIḤ); clairvoyance of hidden treasures. In Buddhism (navel chakra in Tantra): Key for inner fire practices, enabling iddhis like warmth in cold or energy manipulation.

LOCATION: Center of the chest.

ELEMENT: Air.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Knowledge of past, present, and future; clairaudience and clairvoyance; awareness of karma; seeing divinity in all things; control over air element; empathy and healing others. When Kundalini rises here: Vision of God everywhere.

IN BUDDHISM (HEART CHAKRA): Central for compassion; iddhis like mind-reading or empathetic influence.

LOCATION: Throat.

ELEMENT: Ether/Space.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Vision of past, present, and future; transcendence of the three worlds (physical, astral, causal); enhanced communication and creativity; control over ether; hearing divine sounds; negative experiences transform into wisdom.

 

IN BUDDHISM (THROAT CHAKRA): Purification; iddhis like eloquent speech or mantra potency.

LOCATION: Between the eyebrows.

ELEMENT: Mind/Light.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Benefits of all lower chakras; destruction of past karma; visions of past, present, and future; command over elements; desires manifest instantly; continuous samadhi (non-dual awareness); no suffering from changes. Enlightenment experience akin to Buddhist realization.

IN BUDDHISM: INSIGHT; iddhis like clairvoyance or penetrating wisdom.

LOCATION: Top of the head.

ELEMENT: Consciousness/Beyond.

MYSTICAL SIDDHIS: Union with the divine; all siddhis fully attainable; transcendence of ego; giver of ultimate siddhis (e.g., immortality in consciousness); pure bliss and enlightenment.

IN BUDDHISM (CROWN CHAKRA): Mahasukha (great bliss); iddhis like ascending to higher realms or complete liberation.

IN HINDUISM, CHAKRAS GOVERN SIDDHIS BY BALANCING ENERGIES —e.g., lower chakras for physical powers, upper for spiritual.

IN BUDDHISM, TANTRIC PATHS ASSOCIATE CHAKRAS WITH BUDDHA BODIES (e.g., heart with Dharmakaya for wisdom iddhis). Practices like asanas, pranayama, or mantra chanting activate them, but teachers emphasize detachment to avoid pitfalls.