Śivasaṃhitā 5.132

This verse traces the subtle path of the iḍā nāḍī as it descends from the ājñā lotus toward the left nostril. Rather than describing gross anatomy, the text maps an interior geography where energy channels flow like sacred rivers through the body. The practitioner is invited to perceive this inner landscape with the same reverence accorded to holy pilgrimage sites.

The word ājñā means ‘command’ or ‘authority,’ reflecting this center’s role in higher cognition and inner perception. Paṅkaja, a poetic epithet for the lotus, literally means ‘born of mud,’ evoking beauty arising from base matter. The left nāsāpuṭa (nostril cavity) is consistently associated in yogic physiology with the lunar, cooling, and receptive qualities of iḍā.

In classical svarodaya (the science of breath), awareness of which nostril is dominant at any given moment guides decisions about meditation, activity, and healing. This verse situates that practical knowledge within a cosmological framework, elevating the simple act of breathing into a sacred geography navigated by the awakened yogi.