Texts / Śivasaṃhitā / Verse 4.21

Śivasaṃhitā 4.21

Caturthaḥ paṭalaḥ — Mudrā

Sanskrit text

अधुना कथयिष्यामि योगसिद्धिकरं परम्।

Transliteration

adhunā kathayiṣyāmi yogasiddhikaraṃ param|

Translation

Then (after Mahamudra), having extended the (right) foot, place it on the (left) thigh; contract the perineum, and draw the apana vayu upwards and join it with the samana vayu; bend the prana vayu downwards, and then let the wise Yogi bind them in trinity in the navel (i.e. the prana and the apana should be joined with the Samana in the navel. I have told you how the Mahabandha, which shows the way to emancipation. By this, all the fluids in the vessels of the body of the Yogi are propelled towards the head. This should be practiced with great care, alternately with both feet.

Commentary

The formula adhunā kathayiṣyāmi — «now I shall declare» — adopts the tone of direct revelation characteristic of tantric literature. The demonstrative adhunā («now») generates a sense of immediate presence, as though the teacher addresses the student in this very moment. What is announced is yogasiddhikaraṃ param: the supreme producer of yogic perfection.

The compound yogasiddhi joins yoga («union, discipline») with siddhi, derived from the root sidh, «to accomplish, to perfect, to succeed.» In haṭhayoga contexts, siddhi carries a productive ambiguity: it encompasses both the spiritual perfection of liberation and the extraordinary powers (vibhūti) that advanced practice generates as byproducts.

This verse functions as a structural hinge within the chapter, closing the section on yonimudrā and opening the exposition of mahābandha. The rhetoric of solemn announcement — using the future tense kathayiṣyāmi — is a recognizable literary device in yogic instruction texts, marking transitions between techniques of differing degrees of importance and signaling to the reader that something consequential is about to be disclosed.

Key terms

śakti samādhi kuṇḍalinī
Verse 4.20
All verses
Verse 4.22