What is Gheranda Samhita?
The Gheranda Samhita (Sanskrit: घेरण्डसंहिता, gheraṇḍasaṁhitā, meaning “Gheranda’s collection”) is a Sanskrit text of Yoga in Hinduism and one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga alongside the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Shiva Samhita. The text is structured as a step-by-step detailed manual of yoga taught by sage Gheranda to student Chanda (sometimes called Chanda Kapali). The text is organized into seven chapters and contains 351 shlokas (verses).
The Gheranda Samhita calls itself a book on ghatastha yoga, which literally means “vessel yoga,” wherein the body and mind are depicted as vessels that carry and serve the soul (Atman, purusha). It is generally considered a Hatha yoga text. What distinguishes this text is its encyclopedic scope and unique framework: it teaches a seven-limbed yoga, in contrast to the eight-limbed yoga of Patanjali’s Yogasutras, the six-limbed yoga of the Goraksha Samhita, and the four-limbed yoga in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
Origins & Lineage
Nothing is known about Gheranda and Chanda. The name Gheranda is not found anywhere else in Sanskrit literature. Based on the fact that errors in the manuscript of 1802 C.E. imply an established manuscript tradition, the absence of citations in seventeenth-century commentaries, and the location of most of its manuscripts in Bengal, scholars estimate the Gheranda Samhita was composed in Bengal around 1700 C.E. Fourteen manuscripts of the text are known, which were discovered in a region stretching from Bengal to Rajasthan. The first critical edition was published in 1933 by Adyar Library, and the second critical edition was published in 1978 by Digambarji and Ghote.
The text shows influences from Advaita Vedanta and Vaishnavism. The text reverentially invokes Hindu god Shiva as well as Vishnu, with verses such as 5.77 and 7.4 suggesting that the writer was also inspired by Advaita Vedanta ideas such as “I am Brahman [Supreme Soul] alone, and nothing else; my form is truth, consciousness and bliss (satcitananda); I am eternally free”. The Vedantic and Vaishnava leanings in this book, combined with its use of verses from established works on Hatha Yoga, suggest that it probably resulted from a similar process of compilation and synthesis.
How It’s Practiced
The Gheranda Samhita outlines seven sequential limbs (saptanga yoga): shatkarma (purification), asana (posture), mudra (gesture), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), pranayama (breath control), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (absorption). Each limb is taught methodically across the text’s seven chapters.
The means of this goal include self purification, thirty two asanas it details for building body strength, twenty five mudras to perfect body steadiness, five means to pratyahara, lessons on proper nutrition and lifestyle, ten types of breathing exercises, three stages of meditation and six types of samadhi. The text itself follows this division in seven chapters, and has a focus upon the ṣaṭkarmas (shatkarma), thus this text is sometimes said to describe ghatastha yoga.
The 32 asanas range from fundamental seated poses to complex postures. Sage Gheranda gives 25 mudras along with bandhas and the technique to practice them, including Maha Mudra, Khechari, Shambhavi, and the three principal bandhas (Mula, Uddiyana, Jalandhara). Sage Gheranda’s seven limbs includes the tattwa dharanas (concentration on the elements) and the seamless merging of hatha yoga and tantra by combining mudras, bandhas and pranayamas with mantra, yantra and mandala. Three mudras, Shambhavi, Khechari, and Yoni, lead to three types of samadhi: dhyana, bliss through rasa (“taste” or “sensation”), and laya (resorption into the Ultimate Reality by means of Kundalini’s rise up the Sushumna, or central channel).
Gheranda Samhita Today
The Gheranda Samhita is studied primarily in traditional hatha yoga lineages, yoga teacher training programs, and by scholars of classical yoga texts. One of the most popular translation and commentary has been given by Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati of Bihar School of Yoga. English translations by Srisa Chandra Vasu and James Mallinson are widely available and provide accessible entry points for modern practitioners.
Contemporary yoga schools that emphasize classical hatha yoga—particularly those rooted in the Satyananda or Sivananda traditions—incorporate Gheranda Samhita techniques into intensive trainings. Practitioners encounter it less frequently in modern studio classes than the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, though dedicated hatha yoga courses may draw on its detailed instructions for shatkarma (cleansing kriyas), advanced mudras, and concentration practices on the five elements (tattwa dharana).
The text remains less accessible than the Hatha Yoga Pradipika in popular yoga culture, partly because some of its practices are considered advanced or require initiation from a qualified teacher.
Common Misconceptions
The Gheranda Samhita is not the oldest hatha yoga text—the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and earlier tantric sources predate it. It is likely a late 17th-century text, probably from northeast India, structured as a teaching manual based on a dialogue between Gheranda and Chanda.
Despite the popularity of “ashtanga” (eight-limbed) yoga from Patanjali, the Gheranda Samhita does not include the ethical precepts yama and niyama in its seven-limb structure. For instance, the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali 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.
The text is sometimes conflated with other hatha yoga manuals, but it is distinctive for its encyclopedic detail—none expound on the techniques with greater detail and clarity than Gheranda Samhita—and its unique inclusion of bhakti (devotion) as a path to samadhi. Samadhi can arise through bhakti, “devotion,” and this is another feature that sets this book apart from all other texts on Hatha Yoga.
How to Begin
For those new to the Gheranda Samhita, start with a reliable English translation. James Mallinson’s The Gheranda Samhita: The Original Sanskrit and an English Translation (YogaVidya.com) is praised for its academic rigor and clarity. Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati’s Gheranda Samhita: Commentary on the Yoga Teachings of Maharshi Gheranda (Bihar School of Yoga) offers detailed practice instructions and philosophical context.
Begin with the foundational practices: simple shatkarmas like nauli and kapalabhati, basic asanas from Chapter 2, and accessible pranayama techniques. Avoid attempting advanced mudras like Khechari without guidance from an experienced teacher, as these require preparatory practices and anatomical understanding.
Seek out hatha yoga teacher training programs that include study of classical texts, particularly those aligned with the Satyananda Yoga or traditional Sivananda lineages. Attending a retreat or workshop specifically on classical hatha yoga will provide context for integrating Gheranda Samhita teachings into a safe, sustainable practice.