“The great goddess Kundalini, the Shakti of the self, sleeps at the Muladhara.”
The verse: Gheranda Samhita 3.49
The quote above is our paraphrase. This is the verse as it reads in the Srisa Chandra Vasu translation (1915):
“The great goddess Kundalini, the energy of Self, Atma-sakti (spiritual force), sleeps in the Muladhara (rectum); she has the form of a serpent having three coils and a half.”
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
- “The body becomes beautiful, and samadhi is sure to arise through Khechari Mudra.”
- “The yogi who realizes the self becomes disinterested in worldly attachments and attains liberation.”
- “The yogi should visualize a sublime ocean of nectar in his heart.”
- “Put the self in space and space in the self. When one sees the self as made of space, nothing else is perceived.”
- “All together there are as many asanas as there are species of living beings. Shiva has taught 8,400,000.”
- “There is no fetter like illusion, no force greater than Yoga, no friend greater than knowledge, and no enemy greater than ego.”