Śivasaṃhitā 4.1

The fourth chapter opens its teaching on mudrās with a precise directive: before any practice, the mind must be led to the svādhāra —the foundational energy center— through pūraka, the inhalation phase of prāṇāyāma. The mind cannot simply descend by will alone; it requires the breath as its vehicle.

Svādhāra derives from sva (one’s own) and ādhāra (support, foundation), designating the base lotus, roughly equivalent to the mūlādhāra in other Tāntric systems. Pūraka means literally “filling,” from the root pṝ (to fill), underscoring that inhalation is an act of fullness rather than mechanical effort.

This verse establishes the initial protocol for the entire sequence of mudrās that follows in the chapter. Attention to the basal center is not arbitrary: in the subtle physiology of Tantra, it is there that kuṇḍalinī energy lies dormant, and all subsequent practice depends upon this prior anchoring of awareness.