Śivasaṃhitā 2.21

This verse provides the precise anatomical location of the first energetic center, the ādhāra lotus, using measurements in aṅgulas (finger-widths). The topographical exactness — two aṅgulas above the guda (rectum) and two below the meḍhra (phallus) — reflects the technical methodology of Tantric texts, which refuse vague descriptions and instead anchor subtle geography within the concrete physical body.

Ādhāra literally means ‘support’ or ‘foundation’, from the prefix ā- and the root dhṛ (to hold, sustain). This term is equivalent to mūlādhāra in the more widely used cakra nomenclature. The total measurement of four aṅgulas defines not only the center’s position but its extension, granting it a real spatial presence within the subtle body. Guda and meḍhra serve as the two anatomical reference points delimiting the perineal region as the zone of localization.

This metric precision serves a clear meditative purpose: the yogī must know exactly where to direct attention during the practice of mūlabandha or during contemplation of the first lotus. The instruction is not allegorical but operational, designed to guide consciousness toward a specific physical point from which the ascent of kuṇḍalinī energy begins.