SLOKA OF THE DAY

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 8 Text 12
sarva-dvarani samyamya
mano hrdi nirudhya ca
murdhny adhayatmanah pranam
asthito yoga-dharanam

sarva-dvarani--all the doors of the body; samyamya--controlling; manah--the mind; hrdi--in the heart; nirudhya--confining; ca--also; murdhni--on the head; adhaya--fixing; atmanah--of the soul; pranam--the life air; asthitah--situated in; yoga-dharanam--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.

JOURNAL:

Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport; In the Sixth Chapter this process is described in detail. But as mentioned before, this practice is not practical in this age.

I find all these descriptions of the other yoga systems fascinating. In my younger days when I tried to practice this style I quickly found that I did not have the patience for it. It is much easier to engage the senses by looking at the deity, smelling the incense offered, feeling the beads and hearing the holy names as I chant them. In other words, opening the "doors" instead of closing them.