Śivasaṃhitā 5.135

This verse introduces one of the subtler paradoxes in haṭha yoga’s internal physiology: the solar center within the body is not merely a source of vitality but also a continuous source of viṣa, poison. The sūryamaṇḍala, or solar disc, is understood here as an active gateway through which a destructive, consuming force perpetually flows.

The compound sūryamaṇḍaladvāra — ‘the gateway of the solar orb’ — positions the sun-center as a threshold rather than a static node. Kṣarati (‘flows’, ‘drips’, ‘oozes’) carries a sense of slow, unstoppable seepage, reinforcing the idea that this energetic leakage is chronic and largely unconscious. Santatam underlines its unrelenting nature.

This physiological model underlies several haṭha practices aimed at reversing or sealing this solar drain. The concept parallels descriptions in the Haṭhapradīpikā (3.77–79), where the downward flow of solar fire is contrasted with the preserved nectar of the moon. Yogic techniques such as uḍḍīyānabandha and viparīta karaṇī are designed precisely to counteract this continuous loss.