Gherand Samhita
Encyclopedia
Gheranda Samhita meaning “Gheranda's collection” is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga
(the other two being the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
and the Shiva Samhita
). It is a late 17th century text and is considered to be the most encyclopedic of the three classic texts on hatha yoga.
Gheranda Samhita is a manual
of yoga
taught by Gheranda to Chanda Kapali. Unlike other hatha yoga texts, the Gheranda Samhita speaks of a sevenfold yoga:
The text itself follows this division in seven chapters, and has a focus upon the shatkarmas, thus this text is sometimes said to describe ghatastha yoga. For instance, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
describes an eightfold path (yama
and niyama
instead of shatkarma and mudra, and addition of dharana
). The closing stanzas on samadhi teach different methods than those described by Patanjali.
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
(the other two being the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a classic Sanskrit manual on hatha yoga, written by Svami Svatmarama, a disciple of Swami Gorakhnath. Said to be the oldest surviving text on the hatha yoga, it is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga, the other two being the Gheranda Samhita and the Shiva...
and the Shiva Samhita
Shiva Samhita
Shiva Samhita is a Sanskrit text on yoga, written by an unknown author. The text is addressed by the Hindu god Shiva to his consort Parvati . It is one of three major surviving classical treatises on hatha yoga, the other two being Gheranda Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika...
). It is a late 17th century text and is considered to be the most encyclopedic of the three classic texts on hatha yoga.
Gheranda Samhita is a manual
User guide
A user guide or user's guide, also commonly known as a manual, is a technical communication document intended to give assistance to people using a particular system...
of yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
taught by Gheranda to Chanda Kapali. Unlike other hatha yoga texts, the Gheranda Samhita speaks of a sevenfold yoga:
- ShatkarmaShatkarmaShatkarma , also known as Shatkriya, refers to the Yogic practices involving purification of the body.Shatkarm' is a compound word consisting of two components: shat meaning 'six' and karma meaning 'art' or 'process'. The word kriya or karma is used in Hatha Yoga in a special technical sense...
for purification - AsanaAsanaAsana is a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of biodynamic union...
for strengthening - MudraMudraA mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
for steadying - PratyaharaPratyaharaPratyahara or the 'withdrawal of the senses' is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, as mentioned in his classical work, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali composed in the 2nd century BCE....
for calming - PranayamaPranayamaPranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prana or breath" or more accurately, "extension of the life force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "āyāma", to extend, draw out, restrain, or...
for lightness - DhyanaDhyana in HinduismAccording to the Hindu Yoga Sutra, written by Patanjali, dhyana is one of the eight limbs of Yoga, ....
for perception - SamadhiSamadhiSamadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
for isolation
The text itself follows this division in seven chapters, and has a focus upon the shatkarmas, thus this text is sometimes said to describe ghatastha yoga. For instance, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Patañjali
Patañjali is the compiler of the Yoga Sūtras, an important collection of aphorisms on Yoga practice. According to tradition, the same Patañjali was also the author of the Mahābhāṣya, a commentary on Kātyāyana's vārttikas on Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī as well as an unspecified work of medicine .In...
describes an eightfold path (yama
Yamas
Yamas, and its complement, Niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Hinduism and Yoga. These are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals...
and niyama
Niyama
Niyama generally denotes a duty or obligation adopted by a spiritual aspirant , or prescribed by a guru or by scripture...
instead of shatkarma and mudra, and addition of dharana
Dharana
Dhāraṇā is translated as "collection or concentration of the mind ", or "the act of holding, bearing, wearing, supporting, maintaining, retaining, keeping back , a good memory", or "firmness, steadfastness, ... , certainty"...
). The closing stanzas on samadhi teach different methods than those described by Patanjali.
Sources
- Bahadur, Rai and Srisa Chandra Vasu. 1914-15 The Gheranda Samhita
- Mallinson, James. 2004. The Gheranda Samhita http://www.yogavidya.com/ghs.html