Śivasaṃhitā 5.35

This verse describes śaṇmukhi mudrā—“the seal of the six gates”—also known as yoni mudrā or ṣaṇmukha mudrā. By simultaneously closing the seven sensory openings of the head, the yogin withdraws prāṇa from its habitual outward dispersion and concentrates it within. The direct result is perception of the Self as light (jyotīrūpa): the experience that the practice of pratīkopāsanā has been preparing since earlier verses.

Aṅguṣṭha—“thumb,” literally “the thick one”—closes the ears (śrotra), seat of sound (śabda). Tarjanī—“index finger,” the finger that points—closes the eyes (locana), seat of form (rūpa). The middle fingers (madhyamā) close the nostrils (nāsikā), seat of smell (gandha). The remaining four fingers seal the lips, seat of taste (rasa). The anatomical sequence reflects the descending order of tanmātra (subtle sensory elements).

Śaṇmukhi mudrā also appears in the Haṭhapradīpikā (ch. III) and the Gheraṇḍasaṃhitā, confirming its central place in haṭhayogic practice. The tradition employs it as preparation for nādānusandhāna—investigation of the inner sound. When the external senses close, anāhata nāda emerges: the primordial sound not produced by percussion, which guides consciousness toward samādhi.