Śivasaṃhitā 5.128

The description of Suṣumnā traveling through the Meru — the spinal axis conceived as a microcosmic Mount Meru — and then turning back (parāvṛtya) toward the Ājñā lotus reveals a subtle anatomy far more complex than a simple vertical channel. This turning gesture implies that the path of liberation is not merely upward but involves a reversal, a return of awareness toward its own source.

The Ājñā cakra, literally the «command center», is placed between the eyebrows and governs higher mental faculties and the guru’s transmission. Its appearance here, specifically the right side (dakṣiṇe), connects the central channel to solar-right polarity, a detail echoed in Tantric texts such as the Khecarīvidyā, where the right channel carries specific ritual significance in advanced practice.

The mechanism described — complete filling of all vessels with retained air — points to an advanced kumbhaka practice as the proximate cause of Kuṇḍalinī’s final breakthrough. This physiological precision is characteristic of the Śivasaṃhitā’s approach, which blends devotional Śaiva theology with highly technical instructions on breath retention, making it a transitional text between early Tantra and classical Haṭha Yoga.