Svadhisthana is the second primary chakra according to Hindu Tantrism. This chakra is said to be blocked by fear, especially the fear of death. Opening this chakra can boost creativity, manifested desire and confidence.

Svadhisthana is illustrated as a white lotus. It has six vermilion-coloured petals inscribed with syllables: बं baṃ, भं bhaṃ, मं maṃ, यं yaṃ, रं raṃ and लं laṃ. Inside this lotus is a white crescent moon which represents the water region presided over by the deity Varuna.

The seed mantra, located in the innermost circle, is a moon-white वं vaṃ. Above the mantra that is within the bindu, or dot, is the deity Vishnu. He is dark blue and wears a yellow dhoti. He holds a conch, a mace, a wheel and a lotus. He wears the shrivatsa mark, and the kaustubha gem. He is seated either on a pink lotus, or on the divine eagle Garuda.

His strength is the goddess Rakini. She is black, dressed in red or white and seated on a red lotus. She is commonly depicted with one face and two arms, holding a sword and a shield, or two faced and four armed, and holds a trident, lotus, drum and vajra, or an arrow, skull, drum and axe.

Some schools teach that the divinities of the Svādhishthāna Chakra are Brahmā and Sarasvatī. Brahmā is the creator of the Universe and Saraswati personifies knowledge.

The six petals represent the following modes of consciousness, also known as vrittis: affection, pitilessness, feeling of all-destructiveness, delusion, disdain, and suspicion.

Svadishtana is often associated with pleasure, sense of oneself, relationships, sensuality and procreation. Its element is water and its colour is orange. It is blocked by Guilt. Svadhishthana is associated with the unconscious and with emotion. It is closely related to the Muladhara in that Muladhara is where the different samskaras (potential Karmas) lie dormant, and Svadhishthana is where these Samskaras find expression.

Svadhishthana contains unconscious desires, especially sexual desire. It is said that to raise the kundalini shakti (energy of consciousness) above Svadhishthana is difficult. Many Hindu saints have had to face sexual temptations associated with this chakra.

One who meditates on Svadhishthana is believed to obtain the following siddhis: freedom from enemies, the status of a lord among yogis, eloquence and clarity loss of fear of water, awareness of astral entities and the ability to taste anything desired for oneself or others.

Svadhisthana is located two finger-widths above the Muladhara chakra or root chakra which is located in the coccyx (tailbone). Its corresponding kshetram, or, “place,” in front of the body is barely below the belly button.

It is connected with the sense of taste, (the tongue) and with reproduction (the genitals).

It is often associated with the testes and ovaries. They produce the hormones testosterone or estrogen, which influence sexual behaviours. They are stored in areas where genetic information lies dormant, in the same way that samskaras lie dormant within Svadhisthana.