BG 8.12 (1972)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 12
- सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च ।
- मूध्न्या।र्धायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ॥१२॥
- sarva-dvārāṇi saṁyamya
- mano hṛdi nirudhya ca
- mūrdhny ādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam
- āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām
SYNONYMS
sarva-dvārāṇi—all the doors of the body; saṁyamya—controlling; manaḥ—mind; hṛdi—in the heart; nirudhya—confined; ca—also; mūrdhni—on the head; ādhāya—fixed; ātmanaḥ—soul; prāṇam—the life air; āsthitaḥ—situated; yoga-dhāraṇām—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 door of all sense enjoyment. This practice is called pratyāhāra, or withdrawing the senses from the sense objects. Sense organs for acquiring knowledge, such as 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 Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one is always able to fix his mind on Kṛṣṇa in devotional service, it is very easy for him to remain in an undisturbed transcendental trance, or in samādhi.