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TEXT 27-28 sparsan krtva bahir bahyams
yatendriya-mano-buddhir
SYNONYMS  sparsan--external
sense objects, such as sound, etc.; krtva--keeping; bahih--external;
bahyan--unnecessary; caksuh--eyes; ca--also; eva--certainly;
antare--within; bhruvoh--of the eyebrows; prana-apanau--up-and
down-moving air; samau--in suspension; krtva--doing so; nasa-abhyantara--within
the nostrils; carinau--blowing; yata--controlled; indriya--senses;
manah--mind; buddhih--intelligence; munih--the transcendentalist;
moksa--liberation; parayanah--being so destined; vigata--discarded;
iccha--wishes; bhaya--fear; krodhah--anger; yah--one
who; sada--always; muktah--liberated; eva--certainly;
sah--he is.
TRANSLATION 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. One who is always in this state
is certainly liberated.
PURPORT Being engaged
in Krsna consciousness, one can immediately understand one's spiritual
identity, and then one can understand the Supreme Lord by means of devotional
service. When he 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 astanga-yoga, which is divisible
into an eightfold procedure called yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara,
dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. 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 pratyahara (breathing)
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- 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, Krsna consciousness is the easiest process of executing yoga
principles. This will be thoroughly explained in the next chapter. A Krsna
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 the astanga-yoga.
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