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सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च। मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम्।।8.12।।

sarva-dvārāṇi sanyamya mano hṛidi nirudhya cha mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 8, Verse 12
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
Having closed all the gates, confined the mind in the heart, and fixed the life-breath in the head, engage in the practice of concentration.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: closing all the gates of the body, confining the mind in the heart, fixing the life force in the head, established in the practice of yoga, describes a specific technique for withdrawing attention from the senses inward.

In life: sometimes making an important decision or reaching real clarity requires deliberately shutting out external noise and inputs first, not adding more information.

Teaching: before an important decision, try deliberately withdrawing from external inputs and noise for a period, rather than assuming more outside information will produce the clarity you need.

sarva-dvārāṇiall gates
sanyamyarestraining
manaḥthe mind
hṛidiin the heart region
nirudhyaconfining
chaand
mūrdhniin the head
ādhāyaestablish
ātmanaḥof the self
prāṇamthe life breath
āsthitaḥsituated (in)
yoga-dhāraṇāmthe yogic concentration

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
8.12 सर्वद्वाराणि all gates? संयम्य having controlled? मनः mind? हृदि in the heart? निरुध्य having confined? ट and? मूर्ध्नि in the head? आधाय having placed? आत्मनः of the self? प्राणम् breath? आस्थितः established (in)? योगधारणाम् practice of concentration.Commentary The gates are the senses of knowledge. Closing the gates means control of all senses by the practice of Pratyahara or withdrawal of the consciousness from them. Even if the senses are controlled? the mind will be dwelling on the sensual objects. Therefore the mind is confined or fixed in the lotus of the heart and thery all the thoughts or mental modifications are also controlled. The whole lifreath is now taken up and fixed at the crown of the head (Brahmarandhra or the hole of Brahman).