शिवसंहिताśiva-saṃhitā · the collection of Śiva
The Śiva Saṃhitā, yoga as taught by Śiva
4 min read · Updated October 17, 2026 · sources checked October 17, 2026
In short
The Śiva Saṃhitā is a Sanskrit yoga text in five chapters, taught by Śiva to the Goddess, which scholars date to around the fifteenth century. It joins a non-dual philosophy, a detailed map of the subtle body and haṭha techniques: 84 postures with four main ones, ten mudrās, four kinds of yoga, and the promise that householders can succeed.
A dialogue between Śiva and the Goddess
The Śiva Saṃhitā presents itself as the teaching of Śiva, who addresses the Goddess ("O goddess of the three worlds", 4.23). It has no named human author. Jason Birch dates it to around the fifteenth century, after James Mallinson, which makes it a near contemporary of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Where the Pradīpikā is a practical manual, the Śiva Saṃhitā frames practice inside a philosophy and a map of the subtle body, with an openly tantric colour: chapter 4 mentions "the sacred drink of the Kaulas", a tantric school.
Good to know
No reliable Sanskrit e-text of the Śiva Saṃhitā is available on GRETIL, so this page quotes the public-domain English translation of Śrīśa Chandra Vasu (1914) and gives Vasu's verse numbers. Other editions number some verses differently: Birch, for instance, cites the hierarchy of the four yogas as 5.12-5.27, where Vasu has 5.9-5.14.
The five chapters
| Chapter | Subject (Vasu's headings) |
|---|---|
| 1 | "Existence one only": knowledge alone is eternal; the many opinions on the way to liberation, and yoga as the true method |
| 2 | The body as a small universe (brahmāṇḍa): Mount Meru, the moon and the sun, the channels, Kuṇḍalinī, the individual soul |
| 3 | Yoga practice: the ten breaths, the guru, purification of the channels, the four stages, the postures |
| 4 | Mudrās: yoni-mudrā, the awakening of Kuṇḍalinī, mahāmudrā, mahābandha, mahāvedha, khecarī and the others |
| 5 | Obstacles, the four kinds of yoga and of aspirants, the lotuses of the subtle body, rāja yoga, yoga for householders |
Chapter 1: one reality, many opinions
The text opens on a non-dual statement: knowledge (jñāna) alone is eternal, without beginning or end, and the diversity of the world comes from the senses (1.1). It then lists what people praise as the way: alms-giving, rites for the ancestors, action, dispassion, the duties of the householder, fire sacrifice, mantra, pilgrimage (1.5-1.7). The Śiva Saṃhitā's answer is yoga.
Chapter 2: the body as a universe
In this body are the seers, the stars and the planets, the sun and the moon; the spine is Mount Meru (2.1-2.10). Vasu's translation gives a striking figure:
From the texts
"In the body of man there are 3,50,000 nadis; of them, the principal are fourteen." (Śiva Saṃhitā 2.13, translated by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, 1914)
The Pradīpikā speaks of 72,000 channels (HYP 1.41, 4.18); the numbers vary from text to text. Among the fourteen, three matter most: iḍā on the left, piṅgalā on the right, and suṣumnā in the middle, with Kuṇḍalinī coiled at its base. Our page on the nāḍīs compares the sources.
Chapter 3: practice and the four postures
Practice begins with a guru and a quiet place. The channels are purified by alternate-nostril breathing, twenty retentions at a time, four times a day, for three months (3.20-3.26). Progress passes through four stages, the same names as in the Pradīpikā: ārambha, ghaṭa, paricaya, niṣpatti. Then come the postures:
From the texts
"There are eighty-four postures, of various modes. Out of them, four ought to be adopted, which I mention below: 1, Siddhasana; 2, Padmasana; 3, Ugrasana; 4, Svastikasana." (Śiva Saṃhitā 3.84, translated by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, 1914)
Ugrāsana, "the stern posture", is a seated forward bend with the legs stretched out and apart; Vasu adds that it is also called paścimottāna (3.92). It is close to today's seated forward bend. The other three are seated postures for breath and meditation.
Chapter 4: the mudrās and the power of practice
The chapter teaches yoni-mudrā first, then "the ten best" seals (4.15): mahāmudrā, mahābandha, mahāvedha, khecarī, jālandhara, mūla-bandha, viparīta-karaṇī, uḍḍāna, vajroṇī and śakti-cālana. Vasu left the description of vajroṇī out of his translation, as he says in a note: a reminder that a "translation" of 1914 is not always complete. Its most quoted lines are about practice, and Pancham Sinh put them in the introduction of his Pradīpikā translation:
From the texts
"Through practice … success is obtained; through practice one gains liberation. Perfect consciousness is gained through practice." (Śiva Saṃhitā 4.9-4.10, translated by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, 1914)
Chapter 5: four yogas, four kinds of students
From the texts
"The Yoga is of four kinds:—First Mantra-Yoga, second Hatha-Yoga, third Laya-Yoga, fourth Raj-Yoga, which discards duality." (Śiva Saṃhitā 5.9, translated by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, 1914)
The next verses match each yoga to a kind of student (5.10-5.14), and in this ladder the order becomes mantra, laya, haṭha, rāja:
| Student | Yoga | Time to success (Vasu) |
|---|---|---|
| Mild (mṛdu): weak-willed, unsteady | mantra yoga | twelve years, with great effort |
| Middling (madhya): even-tempered, kind | laya yoga | not stated in the translation |
| Ardent (adhimātra): steady, energetic, devoted to the guru | haṭha yoga and its branches | six years |
| Most ardent (adhimātratama) | all the yogas | three years |
Birch finds the hierarchy of four yogas already in the Dattātreyayogaśāstra (twelfth-thirteenth century), and the matching of the yogas with four kinds of students in the Amaraughaprabodha. The chapter then describes the lotuses of the subtle body, from mūlādhāra to the crown, and states the same bond as the Pradīpikā: "The Hatha Yoga cannot be obtained without the Raja Yoga, nor can the Raja Yoga be attained without the Hatha Yoga" (5.181). It ends with a promise that sets it apart:
From the texts
"Living in the house amidst wife and children, but being free from attachments to them, practising Yoga in secrecy, a house-holder even finds marks of success." (Śiva Saṃhitā 5.212, translated by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, 1914)
Where it stands among the hatha texts
| Hatha Yoga Pradipika | Śiva Saṃhitā | Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date (Birch) | 15th century | 15th century | 17th-18th century |
| Speaker | Svātmārāma | Śiva, to the Goddess | Gheraṇḍa, to Caṇḍa |
| Postures described | 15 | 4 (of 84) | 32 |
| Philosophy | brief | non-dual, developed | devotional, Vaiṣṇava ending |
Read it alongside the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā and our overview of the sacred texts.
Free editions
- English, public domain: Śrīśa Chandra Vasu, The Siva Samhita, Sacred Books of the Hindus 15, part 1 (Allahabad, 1914), with the Sanskrit text, on the Internet Archive.
- Protected: James Mallinson's translation (2007) and other modern editions.
Our edition of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika explains the haṭha techniques these texts share, chapter by chapter, with 66 key verses.
Questions people ask
What is the Shiva Samhita?
A Sanskrit manual of yoga in which Śiva teaches the Goddess. It describes the body as a small universe, the channels and lotuses of the subtle body, breath control, postures, mudrās and meditation, and it insists that practice, not learning, brings success.
How many asanas are in the Shiva Samhita?
It mentions eighty-four postures and describes four: siddhāsana, padmāsana, ugrāsana (the stern posture, a seated forward bend with the legs apart) and svastikāsana (3.84-3.95 in Vasu's translation).
Is the Shiva Samhita older than the Hatha Yoga Pradipika?
They are close. Jason Birch dates both to the fifteenth century, following Christian Bouy for the Pradīpikā and James Mallinson for the Śiva Saṃhitā. These dates are approximate.
Can a householder practise yoga according to the Shiva Samhita?
Yes. Its last verses say that a householder who lives with wife and children, without attachment, and practises in secret, finds the signs of success (5.210-5.212 in Vasu's numbering).
Sources
- The Sacred Books of the Hindus, vol. 15: the Śiva Saṃhitā and the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā, Sanskrit text with English translation by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu (Allahabad, 1914-1915), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
- The Siva Samhita, Sanskrit text with translation by Śrīśa Chandra Vasu (Sacred Books of the Hindus 15, part 1, 1914), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
- Jason Birch, The Meaning of haṭha in Early Haṭhayoga, Journal of the American Oriental Society 131.4 (2011), p. 527-554 (dates and the hierarchy of four yogas) checked October 17, 2026