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Nine Openings In The Human Body In Hinduism – Navadwara

Nava means nine and Dwara means door or opening or aperture. As per Hinduism, the human body has nine openings or Navadwara. These are in the mouth, two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and the organs of excretion and of generation. The first reference to navadvara as an adjective of the human body is seen in the Atharva veda – ashtacakra navadvara devanam purayodhya.

Navadwara is also referred to as navacchidra and collectively as kham. Kulluka Bhatta in his commentary on Manusmriti (3.53), states only six apertures under the word kham instead of nine. Out of these nine apertures, seven are sense while the last two – organs of excretion and of generation, are motor organs.

Svetasvatara Upanishad has a reference to the soul (the possessor of the body) dwelling in the city of nine gates (navadvara pure dehi Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.18). The Bhagavad Gita (5.73) has the same wording as Svetasvatara Upanishad and means the same, while stating that the actor does not do anything nor does he cause anything to be done.

In order to provide energy to the whole body and its organs for their activities, the mouth eats food and drinks liquid. After absorbing and assimilating the most crucial and essential portion of the intake, the refuse has to be thrown out of the body. The opening of excretion throws out of the solid portion of the refuse and the aperture of generation disposes the liquid part. The sense organs give the perception of objects; the eyes see, the ears listen and the nostrils smell.

The nine gates are to be kept active and clean for a sound and perfect working of the body.