Śivasaṃhitā 3.107

This verse completes the description of padmāsana by adding two elements of control: the gaze (dṛṣṭi) directed to nāsāgra, the tip of the nose, and the tongue (jihvā) pressed against dantamūla, the root of the teeth. Both instructions point to the same function: closing the ‘gateways’ of the senses to interiorize energy.

Nāsāgra (‘tip of the nose’, from nāsā + agra) is the focal point of a technique known as nāsāgra dṛṣṭi, distinct from the śāmbhavī mudrā of verse 102. Dantamūla (‘root of the teeth’, from danta + mūla) indicates the position of khecarī mudrā in its most accessible form: the tongue touching the anterior palate. Vinyaset (from vi-nyās-, ‘to place, to arrange’) implies a deliberate and precise action.

The combination of these two techniques with padmāsana creates a complete meditative posture. The position of the tongue against the upper teeth—a simplified version of khecarī mudrā—is associated in tantric texts with the retention of amṛta, the subtle nectar flowing from the palate. The gaze at nāsāgra anchors attention at the threshold between the external and the internal, facilitating the transition toward deeper contemplative states.