Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 1.6
॥
Devanāgarī
वामाङ्घ्रिमूलकन्दाधो ह्यन्यं तदुपरि क्षिपेत् । समग्रीवशिरःकायो वज्रासनमितीरितम्
Transliteration (IAST)
vāmāṅghrimūlakandādho hyanyaṃ tadupari kṣipet | samagrīvaśiraḥkāyo vajrāsanamitīritam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वाम-अङ्घ्रि-मूल-कन्दात् अधःvāma-aṅghri-mūla-kandāt adhaḥbelow the root-bulb of the left foot
हि अन्यं तत्-उपरि क्षिपेत्hi anyaṃ tat-upari kṣipetindeed, the other above that shall he place
सम-ग्रीव-शिरः-कायःsama-grīva-śiraḥ-kāyaḥwith neck, head, and body even
वज्र-आसनम् इति ईरितम्vajra-āsanam iti īritamdiamond posture, thus is it called
Translation
"Below the root-bulb of the left foot [placing the heel], the other shall he place above it; with neck, head, and body even, — that is called the diamond posture".
Version
53bc4cfcc82b · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second posture, vajrasana, is described, and in its description stands a word more important than the posture itself: sama-griva-shirah-kayah, "with neck, head, and body even." This requirement stands first in every book on yoga and is repeated constantly; and it, unlike the rest, is obligatory in every posture. The Gita says it in the same words: "holding the body, head, and neck even, motionless, steady" — samam kaya-shiro-grivam (6.13). The coincidence is almost word for word, and this is no accident: this phrase is the common possession of all these books.
Let me say why this requirement is sound apart from any doctrine. A bent neck presses on breath and blood, and a man sitting bent soon grows drowsy. A straight back is not a feat: it is a condition of wakefulness; and anyone who has tried to read lying down knows the difference.
It is worth adding that the word vajra means "diamond" and "Indra's thunderbolt-mace" — that which neither bends nor breaks. The posture is named for firmness; and in this name one sees what is wanted of it: not flexibility, but immobility.