Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Verse 27 — Karma Sanyasa Yoga
Sanskrit
स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः | प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ||५-२७||
Transliteration
sparśānkṛtvā bahirbāhyāṃścakṣuścaivāntare bhruvoḥ . prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā nāsābhyantaracāriṇau ||5-27||
Hindi Meaning
।।5.27।। बाह्य विषयों को बाहर ही रखकर नेत्रों की दृष्टि को भृकुटि के बीच में स्थित करके तथा नासिका में विचरने वाले प्राण और अपानवायु को सम करके,।।
English Meaning
Shutting out all external sense objects, keeping the eyes and vision concentrated between the two eyebrows, suspending the inward and outward breaths within the nostrils—thus controlling the mind, senses, and intelligence, the transcendentalist becomes free from desire, fear, and anger.
Commentary
Being engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can immediately understand one’s spiritual identity, and then one can understand the Supreme Lord by means of devotional service. When one is well situated in devotional service, one comes to the transcendental position, qualified to feel the presence of the Lord in the sphere of one’s activity. This particular position is called liberation in the Supreme. After explaining the above principles of liberation in the Supreme, the Lord gives instruction to Arjuna as to how one can come to that position by the practice of the mysticism or yoga known as aṣṭāṅga-yoga, which is divisible into an eightfold procedure called yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi. In the Sixth Chapter the subject of yoga is explicitly detailed, and at the end of the Fifth it is only preliminarily explained. One has to drive out the sense objects such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell by the pratyāhāra process in yoga, and then keep the vision of the eyes between the two eyebrows and concentrate on the tip of the nose with half-closed lids. There is no benefit in closing the eyes altogether, because then there is every chance of falling asleep. Nor is there benefit in opening the eyes completely, because then there is the hazard of being attracted by sense objects. The breathing movement is restrained within the nostrils by neutralizing the up-moving and down-moving air within the body. By practice of such yoga one is able to gain control over the senses, refrain from outward sense objects, and thus prepare oneself for liberation in the Supreme. This yoga process helps one become free from all kinds of fear and anger and thus feel the presence of the Supersoul in the transcendental situation. In other words, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the easiest process of executing yoga principles. This will be thoroughly explained in the next chapter. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, being always engaged in devotional service, does not risk losing his senses to some other engagement. This is a better way of controlling the senses than by aṣṭāṅga-yoga.
Hinglish Commentary
Jab koi Kṛṣṇa ki bhakti mein engaged hota hai, toh wo apni spiritual identity ko turant samajh leta hai, aur phir bhakti se Supreme Lord ko bhi samajhne lagta hai. Jab insaan bhakti mein achhe se sthit hota hai, toh wo transcendental position mein aa jata hai, jahan wo apne kaam ke dauran Bhagwan ki presence ko mehsoos kar sakta hai. Is position ko liberation ya mukti kaha jata hai. Is liberation ke principles ko samjhane ke baad, Lord Arjuna ko yeh sikhate hain ki kaise wo aṣṭāṅga-yoga ki madad se is position tak aa sakta hai, jo ki aath prakriyaon mein baata gaya hai: yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna aur samādhi. Chhati chapter mein yoga ka vistar se varnan kiya gaya hai, jabki paanchve chapter mein sirf shuruaati samjhaaya gaya hai. Yoga mein pratyāhāra process se humein sound, touch, form, taste aur smell jaise sense objects ko bahar nikaalna hota hai, aur phir aankhein do bhrow ke beech rakhkar, naak ke tip par dhyaan kendrit karna hota hai, jahan aankhein adha khuli honi chahiye. Aankhein poori band karne se koi fayda nahi hai, kyunki usse neend aa sakti hai, aur poori khuli aankhein rakhne se sense objects ki taraf dhyan bhatakne ka khatra hota hai. Saans ko nostrils ke andar control karna hota hai, jahan body ke andar upar aur neeche jaane wali hawa ko balance karna zaroori hai. Aise yoga ka abhyas karke insaan apne senses ko control kar sakta hai, bahari sense objects se door reh sakta hai, aur is tarah se Supreme mein mukti ke liye tayaar ho sakta hai. Yeh yoga process insaan ko sab tarah ke darr aur gusse se azaad karne mein madad karta hai, aur is tarah wo Supersoul ki presence ko transcendental situation mein mehsoos karta hai. Matlab, Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga principles ko follow karne ka sabse asaan tareeqa hai. Is baare mein agle chapter mein achhe se samjhaya jaayega. Lekin ek Kṛṣṇa conscious vyakti, jo hamesha bhakti mein engaged rehta hai, wo apne senses ko kisi aur cheez mein khojne ka khatra nahi uthata. Yeh aṣṭāṅga-yoga se senses ko control karne ka behtar tareeqa hai.