Śivasaṃhitā 5.186

The rājayoga section opens by positioning the sahasrāra as its specific destination: the divine crown that crowns all practice. Significantly, the teaching affirms that even the gṛhastha (householder) can attain siddhi through rājayoga. This openness is not condescension but a radical revision of the dominant monastic model.

Rāja-yoga is the royal or sovereign yoga (rāja = king, sovereign), the yoga that rules over all others by directly governing the mind. Ata ūrdhvam means «above this», divya-rūpa of divine form or nature, sahasrāra the lotus of a thousand wheel spokes. Gṛhastha is «one who dwells in the house» (gṛha = house, stha = that stands, that remains).

The accessibility of rājayoga for the gṛhastha contrasts with schools reserving deep practice for renunciants (sannyāsin). The Śiva-saṃhitā takes a notably inclusive stance here that would reappear centuries later in modern yoga movements, from Vivekānanda to contemporary currents adapting practice to lay life.