Hṛdaya

Heart, inner center. The Upaniṣads describe it as the «cave of the heart» (guhā), the dwelling of ātman. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the space within the heart contains the heavens, the earth, and all that exists. The Bhagavadgītā locates in the hṛdaya the seat of desire and the possibility of purification. The Śivasaṃhitā identifies it as the center where the principal nāḍīs reside.