Let him firmly hold his body, head and neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around.
In simple words
Krishna describes the posture: "Hold the body, head, and neck straight and still. Look gently toward the tip of the nose without letting the eyes wander around."
Word-by-word meanings
समम्erectकायशिरोग्रीवम्body head and neckधारयन्holdingअचलम्stillस्थिरःsteadyनासिकाग्रम्tip of the noseस्वम्ones ownदिशःdirectionsचandअनवलोकयन्not looking
6.13 समम् erect? कायशिरोग्रीवम् body? head and neck? धारयन् holding? अचलम् still? स्थिरः steady? संप्रेक्ष्य,gazing at? नासिकाग्रम् tip of the nose? स्वम् ones own? दिशः directions? च and? अनवलोकयन् not looking.Commentary The Lord describes here the pose or Asana and the Drishti (gaze) in this verse.You cannot practise meditation without a firm seat. If the body is unsteady? the mind will also become unsteady. There is an intimate connection between the body and the mind.You should not shake the body even a bit. You should attain mastery over the Asana (AsanaJaya) by daily practice. You should be as firm as a statue or a rock. If you keep the body? head and neck erect? the spinal cord also will be erect and the Kundalini will rise up steadily through the subtle nervechannel (Nadi) called the Sushumna. Sit in the lotus pose or the adept pose. This will help you in maintaining the nervous eilibrium and mental poise. You should steadily direct your gaze towards the tip of your nose. This is known as the Nasikagra Drishti. The other gaze is the Bhrumadhya Drishti or gazing between the two eyrows where the psychic centre known as the Ajna Chakra is situated. This is described in chapter V? verse 27. In Bhrumadhya Drishti direct the gaze towards the Ajna Chakra with closed eyes. If you practise this with open eyes? it may produce headache. Foreign particles or dust may fall into the eyes. There may be distraction of the mind also. Do not strain the eyes. Practise gently. When you practise concentration at the tip of the nose you will experience DivyaGandha (various aromas). When you concentrate your gaze at the Ajna Chakra you will experience DivyaJyotis (perception of supraphenomenal lights). This is an experience to give you encouragement? push you up in the spiritual path and convince you of the existence of transcendental or supraphysical things. Do not stop your Sadhana. Yogins and those Bhaktas who meditate on Lord Siva concentrate on the Ajna Chakra with the Bhrumadhya Drishti. You can select whichever Drishti suits you best.Though the gaze is directed towards the tip of the nose when the eyes are halfclosed and the eyalls are steady the mind should be fixed only on the self. Therefore you will have to gaze? as it were? at the tip of the nose. In chapter VI? verse 25? the Lord says Having made the mind abide in the Self? let him not think of anything. Gazing at the tip of the nose will soon bring about concentration of the mind.Whichever be the point selected? visualise your own tutelary deity there and feel His Living Presence.
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
Modern
After instruction on concentrating the mind following external preparation, we now describe the physical posture for the body. The practitioner should sit in such a manner that the spine, head, and neck remain aligned in a single, straight, vertical line. In the horizontal seat upon which the practitioner sits, the foundation and body, head and neck, shall be positioned perpendicularly upon it. The fingers of both hands should be interlaced and placed in the lap. Here it is emphasized with particular care that the body should remain motionless. Motionlessness does not mean holding the body in a state of tension. The body's posture should be upright, yet so free from strain that it neither sways forward and backward nor side to side. Then the practitioner should gaze toward the tip of the nose. This statement should not be taken in its literal sense. Many practitioners, by fixing their gaze upon the tip of the nose, needlessly invite upon themselves headaches, dizziness, fatigue, tension, and other afflictions. Shankara clarifies that one should gaze as if toward the tip of the nose, not literally. It cannot be said that Shankara has stretched the meaning through his own reasoning, for the Blessed Lord Himself clarifies His own words. By not looking in other directions, Sri Krishna's statement makes it clear that the intention of gazing toward the tip of the nose is this: the practitioner should not allow his concentration to be broken by looking here and there. It is a principle that wherever our gaze travels, there too travels our mind. This is why in a state of confusion, a person's gaze remains unsteady. The unsteadiness of the gaze is both a sign and proof of a person's peculiar and doubtful behavior. He continues to say: