Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c5.559

c5.559

4) *Various postures.* There are nine different ways of standing when you give a fight, classified according to the different positions of one's foot, heel and knee. *Samapāda.* When you stand with your Aṅguṣṭha, Narīyāṇi (Gulpha), Pāṇi and Pāda closely joined together, it is termed Samapāda. *Vaiśākha.* Keep your legs twentyseven inches apart and without bending your knees stand erect throwing your weight on the fingers of the foot. This stand is called Vaiśākha. *Maṇḍala.* Keep your knees thirtysix inches apart and stand in the shape of a haṃsapaṅkti and this position is called Maṇḍala. *Ālīḍha.* Bend your right knee and thigh in the shape of a plough and without any movement to that posture draw your left leg fortyfive inches apart. This stand is called Ālīḍha. *Pratyālīḍha.* If you bend your left knee and thigh and stand like above it is called Pratyālīḍha. *Jāta.* Place your right foot straight and place the left one perpendicular to the right one with the heels and the ankles of the feet five fingers apart. The whole length of the posture should not exceed twelve fingers. This stand is called Jāta. *Daṇḍayāta.* Keep the right knee bent and the left leg straight or vice versa. This posture is called Daṇḍayāta. *Vikaṭa.* If for the above posture the distance between the two legs is two palm-length it is Vikaṭa. *Svapuṭa.* Keep the knees viguṇas and the feet Uttāyanas for the posture of Svapuṭa. *Svastika.* Keep your legs sixteen fingers apart and raise your feet a little keeping the level of both the feet equal. This is Svastika.