Śivasaṃhitā 5.105

This verse relocates the sacred city of Vārāṇasī from external geography into the subtle body of the yogin. The space between the two principal nāḍīs, iḍā and piṅgalā, is identified as the holiest site in India, where Rudra dwells as a perfected being (siddha), bestowing all auspiciousness upon the meditating practitioner.

The epithet sarvamaṅgaladāyaka — ‘giver of all auspiciousness’ — applied to Rudra here reflects his ambivalent nature in Śaiva theology: simultaneously fierce and benevolent. The piṅgalā nāḍī is named Asi, after the river Asī that marks the southern boundary of Vārāṇasī, reinforcing the anatomical-geographical correspondence the text is carefully constructing.

The internalization of sacred geography (tīrtha) is a hallmark of tantric and haṭhayogic literature. Rather than undertaking physical pilgrimage, the practitioner is instructed to find Vārāṇasī within the body itself. This reflects a broader philosophical stance: outer rituals and journeys are valid but ultimately secondary to the inner journey through the subtle body’s sacred landscape.