GHERANDA SAMHITA
Gherand - Samhita is a literature written on practical yoga which is a conversation
between Maharshi Gheranda and Raja Chandkapali. There are also no records of the
place and date of composition 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. We may hazard a guess that the Gheranda Samhita was composed
in Bengal around 1700 C.E.
The yoga teachings in Gheranda Samhita is known as Shaptang Yoga. King Chandkapali
addressed Maharshi Gheranda as Yogeshwar and asked for a solution to achieve
philosophy of knowledge. It calls its Yoga “ghata Yoga” or “ghatastha Yoga” and not
Hatha Yoga. The usual meaning of ghata is “pot,” but here it refers to the body, or rather
the person, since the techniques taught by Gheranda work on both the body and the
mind. If the raw clay pitcher is filled with water, it will be destroyed by melting. But if the
ghata (body) is strengthened (by yoga fire) and filled with water, it will neither be melted
nor be destroyed. This body can mature only through yoga. Therefore, yoga exercises are
necessary to make the body mature and strong.
Secondly, it is unique in teaching a sevenfold path to perfection of the person. The seven
chapters correspond to the seven means of perfecting the person. Each chapter teaches
a group of techniques that, when mastered, will lead to one of the seven means listed in
verse 1.9. The first chapter describes six types of cleansing techniques by which
purification, the first means to perfecting the person, can be achieved. The second
chapter describes thirty-two asanas by which strength, the second means, is attained. In
the third chapter Gheranda teaches twenty-five mudras, which lead to steadiness, the
third means. The fourth chapter describes five techniques for pratyahara, which brings
about calmness, the fourth means. The fifth chapter starts with instructions on where the
yogi should live, what he or she should eat, and at what time of year yogic practice
should be started. It then lists ten kinds of pranayama, the practice of which leads to
lightness, the fifth means. The sixth chapter describes three types of dhyana, using which
the yogi can achieve realisation of the self, the sixth means. Finally, in the seventh
chapter, Gheranda teaches six types of samadhi, which lead to abstraction, the ultimate
means of perfecting the person.
UNIQUE FEATURES FROM OTHER HATH YOGA TEXTS
Like the other root texts of Hatha Yoga, the Gheranda Samhita does not concern itself
with yama and niyama, the restraints and observances that make up the first two limbs of
classical Yoga. A further unique aspect of this book lies in its positioning 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.
It is unique in devoting an entire chapter to bodily purification and in the number of
purificatory practices it describes. 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.”
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.
There is no sin in the world like Maya and no force (Shakti) in the world like Yoga. There is
no another friend as knowledge and there is no enemy as ego. In Gheranda Samhita,
Maya has been called sin, yoga is the ultimate force, knowledge is friend and ego is
enemy.
The bodies of soul evolve from sukrit (good) and dusukrit (bad) karmas. The body is
produced by karma and karma from the body
SAPTA SADHANA
These are the seven sadhan (tools) for purification of the body Shodhanam, Dridhata,
Sthariyam, Dharayam, Laghavam,Pratayasham and Nirliptam.
1. Shodhanam – Refinement – purification of body and mind.
2. Dridhata – Strength - Physical, mental, reflective and emotional perseverance.
3. Sthariyam – Stability – physical stability, mental stability.
4. Dharayam – Patience – Patience, endurance of the mind
5. Laghavam – Lightness - physical lightness.
6. Pratayaksham – Receptivity – subtle and internal experience
7.Nirliptam – The dormant state of mind.
Shatkarma – Shodhanam
Aasana (Posture) - firmness
Mudra (Pose) - stability
Pratyahar (Withdrawal) - Patience
Pranayama – Lightness
Dhyana (Meditation) - Affirmative, Self Realization
Samadhi (Meditation) – Emptiness
, CHAPTER 1
SHATKARMA
The Shatkarma harmonize between the two main prana flows, Eda and Pingla,
which leads to physical and mental purification and equilibrium. They also balance
Tridoshas, Vata-Pitta and Kapha produced in the body. The conduct of these
Shatkarma:-Dhoti, Vasti, Neti, Lauliki (nauli), Trataka and Kapalabhati is essential for a
yogi.
1) DHAUTI (CLEANING OF STOMACH OR DIGESTIVE TRACT)
Dhautikarma has been considered to be of four types with the distinction of
1. Antadhauti: Internal cleaning, the use of three things in Antadhauti – air, water and
cloth.
2. Danta Dhauti: The cleanliness of the apex area
3. Hrid Dhauti: Cleaning of the heart area (stomach, food pipe etc.)
4. Moolshodhan: Cleaning of the root part of the body, cleaning of the anus, large
intestine, urinary tubes, etc.
Result – all these actions make the body pure. Through this, yogis make their body clean
(healthy).
There are also four distinctions of the Antadhauti.
1. Vatasar
2. Varisar
3. Vahnisar (Agnisar)
4. Bahishkrit
These four are done to cleanse the body.
ANTADHAUTI
VATASAR ANTADHAUTI
Meaning – Shrinking both lips like a crow’s beak (like Kaki mudra), gradually fill the air in
the stomach. When drunk completely, operate in the stomach (rotate the air in the
stomach) and then remove that air (from the mouth).
Benefit:- Vatasar is a very secret action. It brings cleanness to the body. It destroys all
diseases and intensifies gastritis.
Caution – This activity should be done on an empty stomach and it can be practiced
daily. 2 to 5 times.
VARISAR ANTADHAUTI
‘Vari’ means water, ‘Sar’ means element (essence), dhoti means wash, that is, wash
element with water. This action is also known as ‘Kaya Kalpa’.
Meaning: Drink water slowly; fill the food pipe with water up to the vocal cords. After that,
the water has to be removed from the downstream by running the abdomen. This Varisar
Antadhauti is the ultimate secretive and cleanser of the body. The yogi, who tries this,
gets the same body as the deities.
Ιt is also called shank prakshalan. Drink so much water that there is no desire to vomit.
Gherand - Samhita is a literature written on practical yoga which is a conversation
between Maharshi Gheranda and Raja Chandkapali. There are also no records of the
place and date of composition 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. We may hazard a guess that the Gheranda Samhita was composed
in Bengal around 1700 C.E.
The yoga teachings in Gheranda Samhita is known as Shaptang Yoga. King Chandkapali
addressed Maharshi Gheranda as Yogeshwar and asked for a solution to achieve
philosophy of knowledge. It calls its Yoga “ghata Yoga” or “ghatastha Yoga” and not
Hatha Yoga. The usual meaning of ghata is “pot,” but here it refers to the body, or rather
the person, since the techniques taught by Gheranda work on both the body and the
mind. If the raw clay pitcher is filled with water, it will be destroyed by melting. But if the
ghata (body) is strengthened (by yoga fire) and filled with water, it will neither be melted
nor be destroyed. This body can mature only through yoga. Therefore, yoga exercises are
necessary to make the body mature and strong.
Secondly, it is unique in teaching a sevenfold path to perfection of the person. The seven
chapters correspond to the seven means of perfecting the person. Each chapter teaches
a group of techniques that, when mastered, will lead to one of the seven means listed in
verse 1.9. The first chapter describes six types of cleansing techniques by which
purification, the first means to perfecting the person, can be achieved. The second
chapter describes thirty-two asanas by which strength, the second means, is attained. In
the third chapter Gheranda teaches twenty-five mudras, which lead to steadiness, the
third means. The fourth chapter describes five techniques for pratyahara, which brings
about calmness, the fourth means. The fifth chapter starts with instructions on where the
yogi should live, what he or she should eat, and at what time of year yogic practice
should be started. It then lists ten kinds of pranayama, the practice of which leads to
lightness, the fifth means. The sixth chapter describes three types of dhyana, using which
the yogi can achieve realisation of the self, the sixth means. Finally, in the seventh
chapter, Gheranda teaches six types of samadhi, which lead to abstraction, the ultimate
means of perfecting the person.
UNIQUE FEATURES FROM OTHER HATH YOGA TEXTS
Like the other root texts of Hatha Yoga, the Gheranda Samhita does not concern itself
with yama and niyama, the restraints and observances that make up the first two limbs of
classical Yoga. A further unique aspect of this book lies in its positioning 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.
It is unique in devoting an entire chapter to bodily purification and in the number of
purificatory practices it describes. 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.”
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.
There is no sin in the world like Maya and no force (Shakti) in the world like Yoga. There is
no another friend as knowledge and there is no enemy as ego. In Gheranda Samhita,
Maya has been called sin, yoga is the ultimate force, knowledge is friend and ego is
enemy.
The bodies of soul evolve from sukrit (good) and dusukrit (bad) karmas. The body is
produced by karma and karma from the body
SAPTA SADHANA
These are the seven sadhan (tools) for purification of the body Shodhanam, Dridhata,
Sthariyam, Dharayam, Laghavam,Pratayasham and Nirliptam.
1. Shodhanam – Refinement – purification of body and mind.
2. Dridhata – Strength - Physical, mental, reflective and emotional perseverance.
3. Sthariyam – Stability – physical stability, mental stability.
4. Dharayam – Patience – Patience, endurance of the mind
5. Laghavam – Lightness - physical lightness.
6. Pratayaksham – Receptivity – subtle and internal experience
7.Nirliptam – The dormant state of mind.
Shatkarma – Shodhanam
Aasana (Posture) - firmness
Mudra (Pose) - stability
Pratyahar (Withdrawal) - Patience
Pranayama – Lightness
Dhyana (Meditation) - Affirmative, Self Realization
Samadhi (Meditation) – Emptiness
, CHAPTER 1
SHATKARMA
The Shatkarma harmonize between the two main prana flows, Eda and Pingla,
which leads to physical and mental purification and equilibrium. They also balance
Tridoshas, Vata-Pitta and Kapha produced in the body. The conduct of these
Shatkarma:-Dhoti, Vasti, Neti, Lauliki (nauli), Trataka and Kapalabhati is essential for a
yogi.
1) DHAUTI (CLEANING OF STOMACH OR DIGESTIVE TRACT)
Dhautikarma has been considered to be of four types with the distinction of
1. Antadhauti: Internal cleaning, the use of three things in Antadhauti – air, water and
cloth.
2. Danta Dhauti: The cleanliness of the apex area
3. Hrid Dhauti: Cleaning of the heart area (stomach, food pipe etc.)
4. Moolshodhan: Cleaning of the root part of the body, cleaning of the anus, large
intestine, urinary tubes, etc.
Result – all these actions make the body pure. Through this, yogis make their body clean
(healthy).
There are also four distinctions of the Antadhauti.
1. Vatasar
2. Varisar
3. Vahnisar (Agnisar)
4. Bahishkrit
These four are done to cleanse the body.
ANTADHAUTI
VATASAR ANTADHAUTI
Meaning – Shrinking both lips like a crow’s beak (like Kaki mudra), gradually fill the air in
the stomach. When drunk completely, operate in the stomach (rotate the air in the
stomach) and then remove that air (from the mouth).
Benefit:- Vatasar is a very secret action. It brings cleanness to the body. It destroys all
diseases and intensifies gastritis.
Caution – This activity should be done on an empty stomach and it can be practiced
daily. 2 to 5 times.
VARISAR ANTADHAUTI
‘Vari’ means water, ‘Sar’ means element (essence), dhoti means wash, that is, wash
element with water. This action is also known as ‘Kaya Kalpa’.
Meaning: Drink water slowly; fill the food pipe with water up to the vocal cords. After that,
the water has to be removed from the downstream by running the abdomen. This Varisar
Antadhauti is the ultimate secretive and cleanser of the body. The yogi, who tries this,
gets the same body as the deities.
Ιt is also called shank prakshalan. Drink so much water that there is no desire to vomit.
