Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Chapter 8: Attaining the Supreme |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 8.12
mūrdhny ādhāyātmanah prānam
SYNONYMS
sarva-dvārāni — all the doors of the body; samyamya — controlling; manah — the mind; hridi — in the heart; nirudhya — confining; ca — also; mūrdhni — on the head; ādhāya — fixing; ātmanah — of the soul; prānam — the life air; āsthitah — situated in; yoga-dhāranām — the yogic situation.
TRANSLATION
The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual engagements. Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the heart and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in yoga.
PURPORT
To practice yoga as suggested here, one first has to close the doors of all sense enjoyment. This practice is called pratyāhāra, or withdrawing the senses from the sense objects. The sense organs for acquiring knowledge — the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch — should be fully controlled and should not be allowed to engage in self-gratification. In this way the mind focuses on the Supersoul in the heart, and the life force is raised to the top of the head. In the Sixth Chapter this process is described in detail. But as mentioned before, this practice is not practical in this age. The best process is Krishna consciousness. If one is always able to fix his mind on Krishna in devotional service, it is very easy for him to remain in an undisturbed transcendental trance, or in samādhi.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness