Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis c19.135

c19.135

All the Yoga practice refers to *Kuṇḍalinī*.² She is described as coiled eight times around the liṅga, like a serpent, asleep, with her head (mouth) closing its aperture completely: Iyanger says three and one-half times. She is *Śakti*, Parameśvarī, the Infant Widow and *Tapasvinī* (female ascetic). Her place is between the guda and the liṅga. She is in all the mantras, *e.g.*, in all the letters, in all the lotuses, since the letters are her manifestations. She is the supreme *Śakti* active in both man and in the universe as *prakṛti*. She is best described in connection with her functions in the practice of Yoga which are set forth in the next chapter.