8.12–13
Chapter 8, Verses 12–13
सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च। मूर्ध्न्याधायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम्৷৷ ओमित्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म व्याहरन्मामनुस्मरन्। यः प्रयाति त्यजन्देहं स याति परमां गतिम्৷৷
sarvadvārāṇi saṅyamya manō hṛdi nirudhya ca. mūrdhnyādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthitō yōgadhāraṇām৷৷ ōmityēkākṣaraṅ brahma vyāharanmāmanusmaran. yaḥ prayāti tyajandēhaṅ sa yāti paramāṅ gatim৷৷
Translation
Verse 12
Closing the gates of the body, drawing the forces of his mind into the heart and by the power of meditation concentrating his vital energy in the brain;
Verse 13
Repeating Om, the Symbol of Eternity, holding Me always in remembrance, he who thus leaves his body and goes forth reaches the Spirit Supreme.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
Verse 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 ther y all the thoughts or mental modifications are also controlled. The whole lif reath is now taken up and fixed at the crown of the head (Brahmarandhra or the hole of Brahman).
Verse 13
Om, इति thus, एकाक्षरम् onesyllabled, ब्रह्म Brahman, व्याहरन् uttering, माम् Me, अनुस्मरन् remembering, यः who, प्रयाति departs, त्यजन् leaving, देहम् the body, सः he, याति attains, परमाम् supreme, गतिम् goal. Commentary: Having controlled the thoughts the Yogi ascends by the Sushumna, the Nadi (subtle psychic nervechannel) which passes upwards from the heart. He fixes his whole Prana or lif reath in the crown of the head in the Brahmarandhra or the hole of Brahman. He utters the sacred monosyllable Om, meditates on Me and leaves the body.
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.