Śiva taught eighty-four āsanas. Of them I select four that are the essence.

This verse summarizes and reaffirms what was established at the beginning of the chapter. Svātmārāma reminds us that although eighty-four canonical āsanas exist, only four are truly essential.

This repetition is not accidental. After describing multiple additional postures (Kukkuṭāsana, Kūrmāsana, Matsyendrāsana, Paścimatānāsana, Mayūrāsana, Śavāsana), the author wants to ensure the reader does not lose sight of what is essential.

The four fundamental āsanas — Siddhāsana, Padmāsana, Siṃhāsana, and Bhadrāsana — are seated meditation postures. The rest are auxiliary: they prepare the body, maintain health, and develop specific capacities.

Sārabhūtam — “the essence” — emphasizes that in Haṭha Yoga practice, quality surpasses quantity. Deeply mastering four postures is superior to superficially knowing dozens.

This minimalist approach contrasts with modern tendencies to accumulate ever more postures. The text reminds us of the original purpose.