The specific action in the text
Gheranda Samhita 3.82 describes repeated contraction and release at the anal opening. Sivananda’s mudra instructions describe repetition of contraction and release under the name Aswini. This shared feature gives the reference a definite subject, rather than a general promise about “energy.”
Its relationship to other entries
Gheranda also mentions Ashvini in the Shakti Chalana section. Mula bandha receives its own account among the locks. Reading the references side by side helps distinguish a repeated action, a lock, and a larger sequence in which a component may be used. Related terms do not make every method interchangeable.
The boundary of this page
This is a description of the traditional vocabulary, not a pelvic-floor treatment or an exercise prescription. It gives no repetitions, holds, or diagnosis-specific advice. The claims attached to the old passage are not used to promise disease prevention or longer life. If you came looking for an approachable hand gesture, the index’s hand group is the more relevant destination; the distinction is part of understanding what “mudra” can mean.
Sources and scope
Main edition
Passage for this reading
- Gheranda Samhita, Sanskrit
3.82–83; relationship at 3.55.
SanskritDocuments transcription. Coordinates refer to this transcription; Mallinson’s edition uses different numbering in chapter 3.
- Kundalini Yoga
“Instructions On Mudras And Bandhas,” item 6.
Swami Sivananda; Divine Life Society, tenth edition 1994, authorized web edition 1999. Traditional teaching, not clinical evidence.
What this edition covers
An original reference essay comparing the traditional descriptions. It is not a translation of the entire source chapter.
Limits and differences
The prose above identifies material differences. Traditional explanations and promised attainments are attributed to their sources; they are not clinical evidence. Review date: September 11, 2026.