Just as the supreme serpent (Śeṣa) supports the earth with its mountains and forests, so Kuṇḍalinī is the support of all yoga practices.

The third chapter opens with a fundamental declaration: Kuṇḍalinī is the foundation of all tantric yoga.

The comparison with Śeṣa (Ananta), the cosmic serpent upon which Viṣṇu rests and which supports the earth, is profound:

• Śeṣa is “beneath” everything, invisible but essential
• Similarly, Kuṇḍalinī underlies all yoga practices

Kuṇḍalī means “the coiled one” — she is described as a sleeping serpent coiled three and a half times around the liṅga of Svayambhū in Mūlādhāra chakra.

This verse establishes that the āsanas of chapter 1 and the prāṇāyāma of chapter 2 are preparations for the real goal: awakening Kuṇḍalinī. The mudrās of this chapter are the direct techniques to achieve it.