Śivasaṃhitā 5.106

This verse establishes a cosmological correspondence between the Mūlādhāra lotus and solar presence. The four petals of this foundational energy center are not merely decorative: they represent the four cardinal directions, four states of consciousness, or four functions of the inner instrument (antaḥkaraṇa), depending on the interpretive tradition. The sun dwelling at their center is both source of vital warmth and, as the next verse reveals, of poison.

The name Maṇipūraka — ‘city filled with jewels’ — is typically associated with the third chakra in later systematized schemes, yet here the Śivasaṃhitā appears to use it in connection with the Mūlādhāra region. This inconsistency reflects the genuine variability in chakra nomenclature and positioning across early tantric texts, reminding us that no single ‘standard’ system existed in classical haṭhayoga.

The adverb sadā (always, continuously) is significant: the yogin is not instructed to meditate occasionally but perpetually. This points to a vision of yogic practice as a sustained mode of awareness rather than a scheduled exercise. The transformation sought is not episodic but cumulative, reshaping the practitioner’s relationship to vital energy at its very root.