Śivasaṃhitā 4.4

The ascent of the subtle bodies through the suṣumnā is described here with two precise coordinates: the path (mārga) and the order (krama). The brahmamārga is the central channel of the subtle body, and the ascent proceeds “through the sequence of the three liṅgas” (liṅgatrayakrameṇa), energetic stations that articulate the upward journey.

Brahmamārga —literally “the path of Brahma”— is a term equivalent to suṣumnānāḍī in other texts, the central channel traversing the cakras from base to crown. The liṅgatraya are three symbolic liṅgas: svayambhū (at the mūlādhāra), bāṇa (at the anāhata), and itara (at the ājñā), each representing a threshold of consciousness transformation.

The tripartite structure of the ascent reflects the Tāntric cosmology of three planes: physical, subtle, and causal. This is not a direct leap but a graduated journey, underscoring the importance of process and preparation against any promise of instantaneous illumination.