Śivasaṃhitā 4.11

This verse fuses two textual moments: the description of those lacking vīrya and sattva, and the prescription of absolute secrecy regarding Yoni-mudrā. The nirvīryāḥ—literally ‘without seminal vigor’—and sattvavarjitāḥ—‘deprived of sāttvic clarity’—represent those who, through qualitative deficiency, are unfit to receive the practice. The secrecy protects both the practitioner and those who are unprepared.

Nirvīrya combines the negative prefix nir- with vīrya, a term simultaneously denoting vigor, courage, and seminal energy. This polysemy is deliberate in the haṭhayogic context: Yoni-mudrā works directly with sublimated sexual energy (bindu). Sattva, the highest of the three guṇas, here connotes stability, luminosity, and genuine spiritual aptitude.

The instruction to maintain secrecy even under threat of death (mṛtyubhaya) links this verse to the preceding one and to the culture of esoteric secrecy (rahasya) characteristic of Tantrism. Yoni-mudrā—‘seal of the womb/source’—is among the most powerful practices in the system, involving internalization of consciousness through closure of the body’s nine openings.