Śivasaṃhitā 3.106

The text introduces padmāsana with the explicit heading padmāsanakathanam (‘description of the lotus posture’), marking a clear transition in the enumeration of āsanas. The technical instruction is precise: uttānau caraṇau (feet turned upward) placed upon ūrusaṃsthau (the thighs), and all of this prayatnataḥ, with deliberate and careful effort.

Padmāsana takes its name from padma (‘lotus’), a symbol of spiritual purity that blooms from mud without being stained. Uttāna (‘stretched upward, face-up’) describes the orientation of the soles of the feet, which must face the sky. Prayatnataḥ (ablative of prayatna, ‘effort, care’) underscores that the posture requires attentiveness and must not be forced.

Padmāsana is arguably the oldest meditative posture documented in Indian iconography, appearing on seals from the Indus Valley. Its presence in texts as diverse as the Yogasūtra, the Purāṇas, and tantric treatises makes it the most universally recognized āsana. The instruction to place the feet with soles facing upward is fundamental: it maximizes the stability of the base and facilitates the circulation of prāṇa toward the higher centers.