घेरण्ड संहिता (महर्षि घेरण्ड - सप्ताङ्ग हठयोग सटीक)

INTRODUCTION xi
to bodily purification and in the number of purificatory
practices it describes. The chapters on asanas and mudras
are similarly unparalleled in the number of practices taught.
The difference between asanas and mudras is not made clear
by Gheranda—several of the mudras seem to be no more
than asanas. We are told in the first chapter that asanas
lead to strength and mudras to steadiness. In other texts,
however, the purpose of mudras is said to be the awakening
of Kundalini. In five of the twenty-five mudras listed this
aim is made explicit, but awakening of the Goddess is also
given as one of the fruits of pranayama in verse 5.57.
A further unique aspect of this book lies in its position-
ing of the chapter on pratyahara before that on pranayama.
In the classical system, the last six limbs are successively
more subtle, moving from the physical realm to the mental.
Pranayama is, of course, a more physical practice than pra-
tyahara, but here the Bhramari pranayama is said to lead to
samadhi; indeed, it is one of the six varieties of Raja Yoga or
samadhi given in the final chapter. This may account for the
position of the chapter on pranayama. Most of the rest of the
chapter is similar to other texts, apart from the teaching of
the Ajapa Gayatri, the mantra constantly but involuntarily
repeated by all living beings. The sounds of the in- and out-
breaths are said to be sa and ham, whose implicit combina-
tion is the Vedantic dictum so'ham, “I am that.”
The chapter on dhyana teaches three successively more
subtle visualizations, starting with a gross dhyana of the
yogi’s guru on a beautiful island, followed by a luminous
dhyana, visualization of a light between the eyebrows, and a

xii INTRODUCTION
subtle dhyana, visualization of Kundalini. In the final chapter
Gheranda teaches six very different ways to samadhi. Three
mudras, Shambhavi, Khechari, and Yoni, lead to three
types of samadhi: dhyana, bliss through rasa (“taste” or
“sensation”), and laya (resorption into the Ultimate Reality
by means of Kundalini’s rise up the Sushumna, or central
channel). Bhramari pranayama, as noted above, leads to
samadhi through nada, the inner sound. The Murccha,
or “trance” pranayama also leads to samadhi. Finally, we
are told that samadhi can arise through bhakti, “devotion,”
and this is another feature that sets this book apart from all
other texts on Hatha Yoga.
Nothing is known about Gheranda and Chanda. The
name Gheranda is not found anywhere else in Sanskrit lit-
erature. Like many other works on Hatha Yoga, the work is
framed as a dialogue, suggesting that it has been overheard
and then written down. Thus the identity of the author (or
whoever overheard Gheranda) is not revealed. Chanda’s
full name, Chandakapali, means “fierce skullbearer.” The
epithet kapali, “skullbearer,” immediately brings to mind
the sect of the Kapalikas, skull-bearing followers of Shiva
infamous for antinomian practices. Kapali and Kapalika
are both mentioned as past masters of Hatha Yoga in the
list given in verses 1.4-8 of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. (In
fact, some manuscripts of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika prefix
the name Kapali with Chanda, rather than Khanda, the
more common reading.) However, as we shall see below, the
practices taught in this book are tame compared to some of
those taught in other works on Hatha Yoga, and Gheranda

INTRODUCTION xiii
appears to have been a follower of Vishnu, so we cannot
claim Kapalika origins for the text. Perhaps Chanda’s
epithet is simply a way of establishing a connection between
the text and the lineage of the Mahasiddhas mentioned in
the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
There are also no records of the place and date of com-
position of the text, but there are indications that it is a
relatively late work on Hatha Yoga from northeast India.
The majority of its manuscripts are found in the north and
east of India, and, of those which are dated, the oldest was
copied in Bengal in 1802 C.E. As far as I am aware, it was
never cited by medieval commentators in their works on
Hatha Yoga. Doctrinal discontinuities also set it apart from
the rest of the Hatha Yogic corpus. Tantric influences have
been toned down considerably. See, for example, the descrip-
tion of Vajrolimudra in verse 3.39: in all other manuals of
Hatha Yoga this name is given to a technique in which the
yogi or yogini resorbs commingled sexual fluids through
the urethra; here it is a simple physical posture. The author
attributes the teachings of Hatha Yoga to Shiva, but verses
5.77 and 7.18 suggest that he was a devotee of Vishnu. Fur-
thermore, several verses indicate that the text was compiled
by a vedantin, in particular verse 7.4: “I am Brahman and
nothing else. I am Brahman alone and do not suffer. My
form is truth, consciousness, and bliss. I am eternally free.
I abide in my own nature.”²
²Despite the author’s sectarian affiliation, he has no particular doctrinal axe to
grind and often tells the aspiring yogi to fill in the details of his visualizations
and practices in the manner instructed by his guru.

xiv INTRODUCTION
The early texts of Hatha Yoga showed no trace of
Vedanta; their doctrinal framework was Tantric. As Hatha
Yoga and its proponents, the Nathas, gained in popular-
ity and patronage, the religious orthodox, amongst whom
Vedanta had become the predominant ideology, had to sit
up and take notice. As they had done with other heterodox
movements that threatened their hegemony (e.g., renunci-
ation and vegetarianism) they claimed Hatha Yoga as their
own. This process culminated in the eighteenth century
with the compilation of several new Upanishads and the
rewriting of some older ones; these are now known collec-
tively as the Yoga Upanishads. The unknown compiler(s)
used verses from established works on Hatha Yoga to create
the texts. The Vedantic and Vaishnava leanings in this book,
combined with its use of verses from established works on
Hatha Yoga, suggest that it probably resulted from a similar
process. In the light of this, as well as the fact that errors in
the manuscript of 1802 c.e. imply an established manuscript
tradition, the absence of citations in seventeenth-century
commentaries, and the location of most of its manuscripts
in Bengal, we may hazard a guess that the Gheranda Samhita
was composed in Bengal around 1700 c.e.
The Sanskrit text presented here is based on the edition
of Swami Digambarji and Dr. M. L. Gharote, first published
at Lonavala, Maharashtra, in 1978, for which they collated
fourteen manuscripts and five printed books, including the
Adyar Library edition of 1933, which formed the foundation
of their edition. The best known edition of the text is that
of Chandra Vasu, which was first published in 1915. It was

INTRODUCTION xv
based on two earlier Bengali editions which appear to have
relied on a very small number of manuscripts. The Adyar
Library edition is much more thorough and omits several
spurious verses found in Vasu's edition. I consulted three
manuscripts (two in the library in Jodhpur's Mehrangarh
Fort and one in the Bodleian Library, Oxford) that were not
collated for the Lonavala edition, but they were very similar
to manuscripts that had been used so I decided that there
was no point in editing the text myself. I have made emen-
dations or adopted alternative readings in a few places, but
in general the text is the same as the Lonavala edition.³ The
Sanskrit is of the variety that medieval commentators on
Tantric and Yogic works generously called "aisha," which
literally means "coming from Shiva." In other words, it is
often ungrammatical.
Some verses have been borrowed from other works,
in particular the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Goraksha
Samhita. The section on the five dharanas (elemental
visualizations) in verses 3.59-63 sheds light on the text's
composition and development. It has clearly been taken
directly from the Goraksha Samhita, verses 155-59, but is
incoherent and ungrammatical in all the Gheranda Samhita
manuscripts. In the Goraksha Samhita each element has a
³These critical editions are mentioned in the introduction and footnotes. The
first work has been referred to as the Goraksha Samhita.
Nowotny, Fausta. Das Gorakṣaśataka. Dokumente der Geistesgeschichte 3. Köln:
K. A. Nowotny, 1976.
Digambarji, Swami, and Dr. M. L. Gharote, eds. Gheraṇḍasaṃhitā. Lonāvalā: Kaival-
yadhāma Śrīman Mādhav Yoga Mandir Samiti, 1978.
Mallik, Kalyani. The Siddhasiddhāntapaddhati and Other Works of Nātha Yogīs.
Poona: Oriental Book House, 1954.

xvi INTRODUCTION
color, a shape, a location in the body, and a mantra, but
these are confused and omitted in the Gheranda Samhita.
In verse 3.62, for example, the wind element is said to be
black, smoky, and white, while in the Goraksha Samhita it
is just black. I have somewhat boldly decided to adopt the
readings of the Goraksha Samhita for the entire passage.
That all the Gheranda Samhita manuscripts present a
similarly incoherent description of the dharanas is surpris-
ing and points to two possible scenarios. Either they are
descended from a single flawed manuscript or the compiler
of the Gheranda Samhita was using a flawed manuscript of
the Goraksha Samhita to write the text. The first hypothe-
sis requires a lengthy and improbably irregular manuscript
tradition predating the earliest extant manuscript, which,
in the absence of external evidence for the text's existence
prior to 1802 C.E., is unlikely. I am thus inclined to believe
the second hypothesis.
In translating, I have tried to be as literal as possible
without sacrificing readability. I have sought not to add
anything to what is found in the Sanskrit text—commen-
tary and elucidation are for the practitioner's guru. Thus
where the instructions for a practice are ambiguous, they
have been left that way. The photographs of the asanas and
mudras draw from the descriptions in the text. In a few
instances those descriptions do not provide all the informa-
tion necessary to be sure of the correct posture. For those
cases I have relied on current practice and common sense
to fill in the gaps.

तृतीयोपदेशः
Chapter Three
Mudras
महामुद्रा नभोमुद्रा उड्डीयानं जलन्धरम् ।
मूलबन्धो महाबन्धो महावेधश्च खेचरी ॥ 1
विपरीतकरी योनिर्वज्रोली शक्तिचालनी ।
ताडागी माण्डुकीमुद्रा शाम्भवी पञ्चधारणा ॥ 2
अश्विनी पाशिनी काकी मातङ्गी च भुजंगिनी ।
पञ्चविंशतिमुद्राश्च सिद्धिदा इह योगिनाम् ॥ 3
Mahamudra, Nabhomudra, Uddiyana, Jalandhara,
Mulabandha, Mahabandha, Mahavedha, and Khechari;
Viparitakarani, Yoni, Vajroli, Shaktichalani, Tadagi,
Mandukimudra, Shambhavi, the five dharanas, Ashvini,
Pashini, Kaki, Matangi, and Bhujangini: these twenty-five
mudras grant success in this world to yogis.
पायुमूलं वामगुल्फे संपीड्य दृढयत्नतः ।
याम्यपादं प्रसार्याथ करोपात्तपदाङ्गुलिः ॥ 4
कण्ठसंकोचनं कृत्वा भ्रुवोर्मध्ये निरीक्षयेत् ।
पूरकैर्वायुं संपूर्य महामुद्रा निगद्यते ॥ 5
60

MUDRAS 61
Firmly press the anus onto the left ankle, extend the right
foot, hold the toes with the hands, contract the throat,
and look between the eyebrows. Inhaling repeatedly, fill
yourself completely with air. This is called Mahamudra.
वलितं पलितं चैव जरामृत्युं निवारयेत् ।
क्षयकासगुदावर्तप्लीहाजीर्णज्वरं तथा ।
नाशयेत्सर्वरोगांश्च महामुद्राप्रसाधनात् ॥ 6
It can cure wrinkles and gray hair, old age and death,
consumptive cough, constipation, disorders of the spleen,
decrepitude, and fever. By mastering Mahamudra, the
yogi can get rid of all diseases.
यत्र यत्र स्थितो योगी सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ।
ऊर्ध्वजिह्वः स्थिरो भूत्वा धारयेत्पवनं सदा ।
नभोमुद्रा भवेदेषा योगिनां रोगनाशिनी ॥ 7
Wherever the yogi may be, he should always, in every-
thing he does, be sure to keep the tongue turned upwards
and constantly hold the breath. This is Nabhomudra, the
destroyer of diseases for yogis.
उदरे पश्चिमं तानं नाभेरूर्ध्वं तु कारयेत् ।
उड्डीनं कुरुते यस्मादविश्रान्तं महाखगः ।
उड्डीयानं त्वसौ बन्धो मृत्युमातंगकेसरी ॥ 8

62 मुद्रा
Draw the abdomen backwards above the navel so that the
great bird flies unceasingly upwards. This is Uddiyana-
bandha, a lion against the elephant of death.
समग्राद्बन्धनाद्ध्येतदुड्डीयानं विशिष्यते ।
उड्डीयाने समभ्यस्ते मुक्तिः स्वाभाविकी भवेत् ॥ ९
This Uddiyana sets itself apart from all bandhas: when
Uddiyana is practiced, liberation arises spontaneously.
कण्ठसंकोचनं कृत्वा चिबुकं हृदये न्यसेत् ।
जालन्धरे कृते बन्धे षोडशाधारबन्धनम् ।
जालन्धरमहामुद्रा मृत्योश्च क्षयकारिणी ॥ १०
Contract the throat and put the chin on the chest. When
Jalandharabandha is performed, the sixteen adharas are
restrained.¹ The great Jalandhara mudra brings about
death's downfall.
सिद्धो जालन्धरो बन्धो योगिनां सिद्धिदायकः ।
षण्मासमभ्यसेद्यो हि स सिद्धो नात्र संशयः ॥ ११
A perfected Jalandharabandha bestows success upon yogis.
He who practices it for six months is an adept. In this
there is no doubt.
¹A bandha (lock) is a type of mudra. The sixteen adharas (literally “supports”
or “substrates”) are at various locations within the body. They are listed in the
Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, verses 2.10–25.

MUDRAS 63
महामुद्रा – Mahamudra

64 मुद्रा
उड्डीयानबन्ध - Uddiyanabandha

MUDRAS 65
जालन्धरबन्ध & मूलबन्ध – Jalandharabandha & Mulabandha

66 मुद्रा
पार्ष्णिना वामपादस्य योनिमाकुञ्चयेत्ततः ।
नाभिग्रन्थिं मेरुदण्डे सुधीः संपीड्य यत्नतः ॥ 12
The wise yogi should apply pressure to the perineum
with the heel of the left foot and carefully push the navel
plexus against the spine.
मेढ्रं दक्षिणगुल्फेन दृढबन्धं समाचरेत् ।
जराविनाशिनी मुद्रा मूलबन्धो निगद्यते ॥ 13
He should tightly press the penis with the right heel. This
mudra destroys decrepitude and is called Mulabandha.
वामपादस्य गुल्फेन पायुमूलं निरोधयेत् ।
दक्षपादेन तद्गुल्फं संपीड्य यत्नतः सुधीः ॥ 14
With the ankle of his left foot the wise yogi should block
the anus, and with the right foot he should carefully press
down on the left ankle.
शनैश्चालयेत्पार्ष्णिं योनिमाकुञ्चयेच्छनैः ।
जालन्धरे धारयेत्प्राणं महाबन्धो निगद्यते ॥ 15
He should slowly move his heel about, gently contract the
perineum, and hold the breath in Jalandharabandha. This
is called Mahabandha.
महाबन्धः परो बन्धो जरामरणनाशनः ।

MUDRAS 67
प्रसादादस्य बन्धस्य साधयेत्सर्ववाञ्छितम् ॥ 16
Mahabandha is a great bandha: it destroys decrepitude
and death, and by its grace the yogi can achieve whatever
he wants.
रूपयौवनलावण्यं नारीणां पुरुषं विना ।
मूलबन्धमहाबन्धौ महावेधं विना तथा ॥ 17
Mulabandha and Mahabandha without Mahavedha are like
the beauty, youth, and charm of a woman without a man.
महाबन्धं समासाद्य चरेदुड्डानकुम्भकं ।
महावेधः समाख्यातो योगिनां सिद्धिदायकः ॥ 18
Assume Mahabandha and hold the breath while applying
Uddiyanabandha. This is called Mahavedha. It bestows
success upon yogis.
महाबन्धमूलबन्धौ महावेधसमन्वितौ ।
प्रत्यहं कुरुते यस्तु स योगी योगवित्तमः ॥ 19
The yogi who every day practices Mahabandha and
Mulabandha combined with Mahavedha is the best of
Yoga experts.
न मृत्यतो भयं तस्य न जरा तस्य विद्यते ।
गोपनीयः प्रयत्नेन वेधोऽयं योगिपुंगवैः ॥ 20

68 मुद्रा
He has no fear of death and does not become decrepit. This
Mahavedha is to be kept secret by the masters of Yoga.
जिह्वाधोनाडीं संछित्य रसनां चालयेत्सदा ।
दोहयेन्नवनीतेन लौहयन्त्रेण कर्षयेत् ॥ 21
The yogi should regularly cut the tendon below the
tongue and move the tongue about. He should milk it
with fresh butter and pull it with iron tongs.
एवं नित्यं समभ्यासाल्लम्बिका दीर्घतां व्रजेत् ।
यावद्गच्छेद्भ्रुवोर्मध्ये तदा सिध्यति खेचरी ॥ 22
By regular practice in this way, the tongue becomes long.
When it reaches between the eyebrows, Khechari
is perfected.
रसनां तालुमूले तु शनैः शनैः प्रवेशयेत् ।
कपालकुहरे जिह्वा प्रविष्टा विपरीतगा ।
भ्रुवोर्मध्ये गता दृष्टिर्मुद्रा भवति खेचरी ॥ 23
Gently insert the tongue into the base of the palate.
When the tongue is turned back into the cavity of the
skull and the gaze is directed between the eyebrows, that
is Khecharimudra.
न च मूर्च्छा क्षुधा तृष्णा नैवालस्यं प्रजायते ।
न च रोगो जरा मृत्युर्देवदेहः स जायते ॥ 24

MUDRAS 69
Loss of consciousness, hunger, thirst, sloth, sickness,
decrepitude, and death do not arise, and the yogi obtains
the body of a god.
न चाग्निर्दहते गात्रं न शोषयति मारुतः।
न देहं क्लेदयन्त्यापो दशेन्न च भुजङ्गमः॥ 25
Fire does not burn the body, the winds do not dry it out,
water does not wet it, and a snake cannot bite it.
लावण्यं च भवेद्गात्रे समाधिर्जायते ध्रुवम्।
कपालवक्त्रसंयोगे रसना रसमाप्नुयात्॥ 26
The body becomes beautiful and samadhi is sure to arise.
When it comes into contact with the aperture of the skull,
the tongue reaches a liquid.
नानारससमुद्भूतमानन्दं च दिने दिने।
आदौ च लवणं क्षारं ततस्तिक्तकषायकम्॥ 27
नवनीतं घृतं क्षीरं दधितक्रमधूनि च।
द्राक्षारसं च पीयूषं जायते रसनोदकम्॥ 28
Each day a blissful sensation arises from the various
flavors. At first the fluid on the tongue is salty and brackish,
then bitter and sharp, then like fresh butter, ghee, milk,
curd, buttermilk, honey, grape juice, and nectar.
नाभिमूले वसेत्सूर्यस्तालुमूले च चन्द्रमाः।

70 मुद्रा
अमृतं ग्रसते सूर्यस्ततो मृत्युवशो नरः ॥ 29
The sun dwells at the root of the navel, and the moon at
the root of the palate. The sun consumes the nectar of
immortality and thus man is held in the sway of death.
ऊर्ध्वं च योजयेत्सूर्यं चन्द्रं चाप्यध आनयेत् ।
विपरीतकरी मुद्रा सर्वतन्त्रेषु गोपिता ॥ 30
Put the sun up and bring the moon down. This Viparita-
karani mudra is concealed in all the tantras.
भूमौ शिरश्च संस्थाप्य करयुग्मं समाहितः ।
ऊर्ध्वपादः स्थिरो भूत्वा विपरीतकरी मता ॥ 31
Carefully place the head and both hands on the ground,
raise the feet, and remain steady. This is considered to be
Viparitakarani.
You have just read 10% of the Gheranda Samhita. Go to
YogaVidya.com to learn more.
Feel free to share this with your friends and colleagues.

MUDRAS 71
विपरीतकरणी – Viparitakarani

Contributors
JAMES MALLINSON is a graduate of Eton and Oxford,
holds a master’s from the School of Oriental and African
Studies, University of London, and returned to Oxford
University for his doctorate. He has also spent years in
India, living amongst the yogis.
ॐ
SANTOSHA VANESSA BOUCHARD, the woman in the
photographs, is a lifelong practitioner of Yoga.
She inspires her students through her love of Yoga.
Michael L. Rixson has been a professional photographer
since 1983 and a practitioner of Yoga since 1997.
ॐ
YOGAVIDYA.COM is dedicated to publishing excellent and
affordable books about Yoga. It is completely indepen-
dent of any commercial, governmental, educational, or
religious institutions.
127

आदि-नाथाय नमः अस्तु तस्मै येन उपदिष्टा हठ-योग-विद्या। विभ्राजते प्रोन्नत-राज-योगाय ...
ह-विद्या उपदिश्यते ॥ भ्रान्त्या बहु-मत-ध्वान्ते राज-योगम् अजानताम्। हठ-प्रदीपिकाम् धत्ते स्वा...
न् प्रसादतः ॥ श्री आदि-नाथाय नमः अस्तु तस्मै येन उपदिष्टा हठ-योग-विद्या। विभ्राजते प्रोन्नत-
ज-योगाय हठ-विद्या उपदिश्यते ॥ भ्रान्त्या बहु-मत-ध्वान्ते राज-योगम् अजानताम्। हठ-प्रदीपि...
योगी जानीते तत् प्रसादतः ॥ श्री आदि-नाथाय नमः अस्तु तस्मै येन उपदिष्टा हठ-योग-विद्या।
योगिना। केवलम् राज-योगम् अज...
वात्मारामः अथवा तस्मै येन उपदिष्ट...
वात्मारामेण योगि... हु-मत-ध्वान्ते रा...
जानते। स्वात्मा... नमः अस्तु तस्मै ...
रुम् नाथम् स्वात्... ॥ भ्रान्त्या बहु-म...
गोरक्ष-आद्याः वि... आदि-नाथाय न...
त्र ॥ प्रणम्य श्री-... विद्या उपदिश्यते...
विद्याम् हि मत्स्येन... तत् प्रसादतः ॥ ...
च्छोः अधिरोहि... म् राज-योगाय...
पाकरः ॥ हठ-वि... योगी जानीते ...
गम् आरोढुम् इ... योगिना। केवल...
त्ते स्वात्मारामः स्वात्मारामः अथ...
भ्राजते प्रोन्नत-र... म् नाथम् स्वात्मा...
जानताम्। हठ-... न्द्र-गोरक्ष-आद्या...
पदिष्टा हठ-योग... श्रेणी इव ॥ प्रणम्य...
ध्वान्ते राज-योगम्... ठ-विद्याम् हि म...
स्तु तस्मै येन उ... इच्छोः अधिरो...
न्त्या बहु-मत-ध्वान्ते राज-योगम् अजानताम्। हठ-प्रदीपिकाम् धत्ते स्वात्मारामः कृपाकरः ॥ ह...
दि-नाथाय नमः अस्तु तस्मै येन उपदिष्टा हठ-योग-विद्या। विभ्राजते प्रोन्नत-राज-योगम् आरो...
विद्या उपदिश्यते काम् धत्ते स्वात्म...
न् प्रसादतः ॥ श्री ... विभ्राजते प्रोन्न...
ज-योगाय हठ-वि... ताम्। हठ-प्रदीपि...
योगी जानीते तत् ... ठ-योग-विद्या।
योगिना। केवलम् ... राज-योगम् अज...
वात्मारामः अथवा योगी जानीते तत् प्रसादतः ॥ श्री आदि-नाथाय नमः अस्तु तस्मै येन उपदिष्ट...