Shambhavi-mudra

Shambhavi-mudra

शाम्भवी-मुद्रा, śāmbhavī-mudrā

Shambhavi is one of Shakti’s names, this is the Goddess directed to Shambhu (Shiva), the name comes from the root शाम्, śām – "peace", "calm", "happiness", "blessing".

Mudra means "seal" or "granting joy".

Other names: shambhavi-vidya, bhairavi-mudra, rudrani-mudra.

Shambhavi-mudra is the aspiration towards Shambhu, when yogi remains internally concentrated on Shiva, Brahman, keeping the consciousness and pranas unwavering and the gaze steady, as if seeing everything, while in reality seeing nothing. In this state, attained by Guru’s grace, there occurs the manifestation of that great Shambhu-tattva, which is neither shunya (emptiness) nor ashunya (non-emptiness).

Shambhavi-mudra can be performed at different levels. In the texts it is described as maintaining an unblinking gaze directed outward (into emptiness), with simultaneous internal awareness. Bringing the eyes (the sun and the moon) to the center, the point of fusion of Shambhavi and Shambhu, is Shambhavi-mudra. First, concentration is practiced on the tip of the nose (nāsāgra-dṛṣṭi), then in the space between the eyebrows. The next step is directing the inner gaze to the brahmarandhra. And the final stage is looking inside oneself, into the Atman, which is otherwise called "Atma-darshan", or self-awareness, when "the seer looks into the seer". There is another level of Shambhavi, more advanced, this is the level of siddhas, when the yogi is in unity at the subtle level of the external and internal, this is the level of jivanmukti.

In “Gheranda Samhita” it is said:

atha śāmbhavīmudrākathanam |
netrāñjanaṃ samālokya ātmārāmaṃ nirīkṣayet |
sā bhavecchāmbhavī mudrā sarvatantreṣu gopitā || 64||

3.64 Description of Shambhavi-mudra.
In the space between the eyebrows one should joyfully contemplate the Atman. This is the Shambhavi-mudra, secretly preserved in all the Tantras.

atha śāmbhavīmudrāyāḥ phalakathanam | vedaśāstrapurāṇāni sāmānyagaṇikā iva |
iyaṃ tu śāmbhavī mudrā guptā kulavadhūriva || 65||

3.65 Description of the fruits [of the practice] of Shambhavi-mudra.
The Vedas, Shastras, Puranas are like prostitutes. But this Shambhavi-mudra should be guarded [in secret] like a maiden of a noble family.

sa eva ādināthaśca sa ca nārāyaṇaḥ svayam |
sa ca brahmā sṛṣṭikārī yo mudrāṃ vetti śāmbhavīm || 66||

3.66 Truly, one who has known the Shambhavi-mudra oneself [becomes] both Adinath, and Narayana, and Brahma, the creator of the world.

In "Amanaska Yoga", one of the most important texts of the Nath_Sampradaya, Shambhavi-mudra is described as a technique for inducing the state of unmani by activating the Kundalini. This mudra involves fixing the gaze to achieve laya and amanaska. The gaze (dṛṣṭi) is held steady until it rests on some object (ālambana), then it becomes calm and the flow of conceptuality (saṅkalpa-parampara) ceases completely. The eyes are open, but the gaze gradually turns inward until the yogi sees the Self in himself, which is the perception of the highest reality (para-tattva). Thus Shambhavi-mudra is necessary for achieving the state of amanaska.

On the stillness of the gaze in the practice of Shambhavi-mudra

In Kashmir Shaivism, the practices of unmeṣa (opening the eyes) and nimeṣa (closing the eyes) are associated with three samadhis. The first samadhi is immersion in oneself while closing the eyes. The second is the perception of the unchanging reality of Atman outside. And the third samadhi is when peace comes through the balance of the inner and the outer, when there is no division, and this state is called shambhavi-mudra. Shambhavi-mudra in Kashmir Shaivism is associated with the highest Shambhava-upaya.

A motionless, unblinking gaze means the perception of the unchanging, eternal Atman. Atman is the inner emptiness in the heart, when samadhi comes, all pranas in the body stop. That is, it is an unwavering state. For Nathas, this is a sign of commitment to Guru and the teaching he is the bearer of. If this is not the case, the candidate for apprenticeship is unstable, he is carried from one state to another – then he is not considered a disciple and a full-fledged practitioner.

In Kashmir Shaivism, such levels as nirupaya and shambhavi are realized through shaktipat received from Guru. The same thing happens with the Nathas, only technically it happens through shambhavi-puja or nadi-puja. When Nath performs nadi- or shambhavi-puja (Guru-puja), his gaze is not just directed into Guru’s eyes, it is directed into the Absolute Emptiness.

In “Hatha-yoga pradipika” it is said:

atha śāmbhavī
antarlakṣyaṃ bahirdṛṣṭirnimeṣonmeṣa-varjitā ।
eṣā sā śāmbhavī mudrā veda-śāstreṣu gopitā ॥ 36 ॥

4.36. Shambhavi.
When the consciousness [is concentrated] within (on the inner lakshya), and the gaze, without blinking, is directed outward – this is the desired Shambhavi-mudra, hidden in the Vedas and Shastras.

antarlakṣya-vilīna-citta-pavano yogī yadā vartate
dṛṣṭyā niścala-tārayā bahiradhaḥ paśyannapaśyannapi ।
mudreyaṃ khalu śāmbhavī bhavati sā labdhā prasādādguroḥ śūnyāśūnya-vilakṣaṇaṃ sphurati tattattvaṃ padaṃ śāmbhavam ॥ 37 ॥

4.37 When the yogi abides with chitta and prana absorbed in the internal object, looking outward with a fixed gaze but actually seeing nothing, this is truly known as Shambhavi-mudra. Obtained by the Guru’s grace, it [leads] to the state beyond duality and non-duality (shunya-ashunya-vilakshana), the pulsation of the true reality of the lotus feet of Shambhu (Shiva).

śrī-śāmbhavyāśca khecaryā avasthādhāma-bhedataḥ । bhaveccitta-layānandaḥ śūnye cit-sukha-rūpiṇi ॥ 38॥

4.38 [Although] Shri Shambhavi and Khechari [mudras] are different in area [of concentration] and state, [both] lead to the bliss of dissolving the mind in shunya (emptiness), which has the nature of bliss-consciousness.

tāre jyotiṣi saṃyojya kiṃcidunnamayedbhruvau ।
pūrva-yogaṃ mano yuñjannunmanī-kārakaḥ kṣaṇāt ॥ 39॥

4.39 One should direct the pupils towards the light, slightly raising the eyebrows, while leaving the mind in contemplation as [described] earlier [in the shambhavi-mudra] – this [practice] immediately leads to the state of unmani.

Shambhavi and Khechari

Shambhavi is Shakti who looks into the void, therefore this practice is also Khechari, because Khechari is a movement into space (void, or Shiva, Shambhu). Shambhavi looks into Shambhu and takes over His state, thus becoming Shambhavi. The yogi looks into the void and becomes empty himself, he becomes stable like this void. All worldly efforts (prayatna) are released, diminished (śaithilya), and the yogi goes into infinity (an-anta). The state of Shambhavi and Khechari are essentially the same, for this reason many texts on yoga often emphasize the connection between Khechari and Shambhavi mudras. Also associated with them are maha-vedha – "great penetration (into the Void)" and uddiyana – "movement upward into the Void (Shiva)". 

In Tantras, Shambhavi-mudra is a symbol of the unity of Shiva and Shakti, as well as the microcosm and macrocosm. It is very similar to the Bhairavi-mudra (awareness of the unity of the external and internal) and grants melapa-siddhi – the realization of the union of consciousness and external space, the union of Bhairava and Yogini.