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BG 8.12 — 8.12 Having closed all the gates, confined the mind in the heart and fixed the life-breath in the head, engaged in the practice of concentration.
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सर्वद्वाराणि संयम्य मनो हृदि निरुध्य च |
मूध्न्यार्धायात्मनः प्राणमास्थितो योगधारणाम् ||८-१२||

sarvadvārāṇi saṃyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca . mūdhnyā^^rdhāyātmanaḥ prāṇamāsthito yogadhāraṇām ||8-12||


8.12 Having closed all the gates, confined the mind in the heart and fixed the life-breath in the head, engaged in the practice of concentration.

Word-by-word meanings

8.12 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 sen

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

8.12 Samyamya, having controlled; sarva-dvarani, all the passages, the doors of perception; niruddhya, having confined; the manah, mind; hrdi, in the heart-not allowing it to spread out; and after that, with the help of the mind controlled therein, rising up through the nerve running upward from the heart, adhaya, having fixed; atmanah, his own; pranam, vital force; murdhni, in the lead; (and then) asthitah, continuing in; yogadharanam, the firmness in yoga-in order to make it steady-. And while fixing it there itself,

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Swami Gambirananda

8.12 Having controlled all the passages, having confined the mind in the heart, and having fixed his own vital force in the head, (and then) continuing in the firmness in yoga;

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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