THE HOLY YOGA
CHAPTER 5
SANYASA YOGA OR THE RENUNCIATION:
VERSE NUMBERS 27 AND 28
Text in Transliteration:
sparsaan krtvaa bahir baahyaams
cakshus chai ‘vaa ‘ntare bhruvoh
praanaapaanau samau krtvaa
naasaabhyantararachaarinau
yatendraiya manobudhir munir mok sa paraayanah
vigatecchaa bhaya krodho yah sadaa mukta eva sah
Text in English:
Shutting out external objects, fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, equalizing the outward and inward breaths moving in the nostrils, the sage who has controlled the senses, mind and intellect, who is solely pursuing liberation, who has cast away desire, fear and anger, he verily is liberated.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:
When sound and other sense-objects are excluded from the mind, they are said to have been shut out. The eyes remain half closed in meditation; their gaze simply seems to be fixe between the eyebrows while actually they are at rest. The breath exhaled is called praana and that inhaled, apana. Regulating and harmonizing the inward and outward flow of breath is called Praanaayaama. Stilling the mind and equalizing the passage of breath either way through Praanaayaama are interrelated. When mind ceases to function, breath stops, and when breath stops mind ceases to function.
Mind gets disturbed and depraved every time desire, fear and make their evil appearance in it. The reflection of an object gets hazy and broken, and the surface of the disturbed water. Likewise the presence of Atman is obscured in a disturbed mind. It should first of all gain quietude through the conquest of desire, fear and anger. Meditation then becomes easy and spontaneous.
Muni is the original word for sage. He is a Muni whose mind flows incessantly towards the Lord. He is liberated who is establishing in Pure Consciousness.
The next chapter elaborates on the ideas contained in these two stanzas.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Cp. “When one fixes the thought on the midpoint between the two eyes the Light streams of its own accord.” It is symbolic of union with buddhi, that gives spiritual knowledge.
COMMENTARY FOR STANZA 27 BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
The verses 27 and 28 deal with the yoga of meditation (Dhyana). External objects or contacts are the sound and the other sense-objects. If the mind does not think of the external objects they are shut out from the mind. The senses are the doors or avenues through which sound and the other sense-objects enter the mind.
‘Muni’ is one who does Manana or reflection and contemplation.
If you fix the gaze between the eyebrows the eyeballs remain fixed and steady. Rhythmical breathing is descrbed here. You will have to make the breath rhythmical. The mind becomes steady when breath becomes rhythmical. When the breath becomes rhythmical there is perfect harmony in the mind and the whole system. (Cf. VL.10, 14; VIII. 10)
SWAMI SIVANANDA’S COMMENTARY FOR THE VERSE 28:
If one is free from desire, fear and anger he enjoys perfect peace of mind. When the senses, the mind and the intellectual are subjugated the sage does constant contemplation and attains for ever to the absolute freedom or Moksha.
The mind becomes restless when the modifications of desire, fear and anger arise in it. When one becomes desireless, the mind moves towards the Self spontaneously: liberation or Moksha becomes his highest goal.
Comments by the blogger:
Dharana or concentration itself is Hinduism’s gift to the whole world forever. Ordinary mental problems get cured by concentration. The success in one’s endeavour, whatever the field be, is all about concentration. When the mind is brought between the two eyebrows, great things happen there. All our inner strength gets awakened and one tends toward a life spiritual. All our weakness and harmful partialities, whether it is for foods, or drinks or any other even serious thing, go away. We become addicted to the sessions of concentration. If this is the benefit of dharana or mere concentration, what should be the infinite feat a Muni should achieve towards the goal of self realisation by contemplation by shutting out all external contacts and fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, equalising the outgoing and incoming breaths? Why, the complete liberation is the goal. And that’s what’s explained in the verse 28.
This kind of contemplation can be made by a Hindu, Muslim or a Christian and the result is the same. For the great Rig-Vedic and Upanishadic Sages belong to the entire world’s humanity. The proof of the yogic pudding is in the eating, that is in the practice. The whole humanity can and should benefit from it. In this wise, we owe it a lot to the present Prime Minister of India who had a guiding hand in allotting a day for the World Yoga Day as announced duly by the UNO under his guidance.
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