“Separate the mind from the body and unite it with the supreme soul.”
The verse: Gheranda Samhita 7.3
The quote above is our paraphrase. This is the verse as it reads in the Srisa Chandra Vasu translation (1915):
“Separate the Manas from the body, and unite it with the Paramatma. This is known as Samadhi or Mukti from all states of consciousness.”
About the text: Gheranda Samhita
The Gheranda Samhita is a Sanskrit hatha yoga manual, probably from the late 17th century, framed as the sage Gheranda teaching a student named Chanda. Its seven chapters set out a sevenfold yoga, from cleansing practices and postures to breath control, meditation and samadhi.
More from the Gheranda Samhita
- “Yonimudra awakens supreme union with Shiva and bestows bliss.”
- “The yogi who realizes the self becomes disinterested in worldly attachments and attains liberation.”
- “The great Varisara cleans the body. The yogi who practices it zealously obtains a divine body.”
- “Just as he might open a door with a key, so should the yogi forcefully awaken Kundalini and break open the gateway of Brahman.”
- “Purification, strength, steadiness, calmness, lightness, realization, and abstraction are the seven means of perfecting the body.”
- “By the realization that he is Brahman, nondual samadhi arises.”