Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 13

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Method 12-15

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 13

 Radha Damodar

Should the body be in any manner disciplined to bring about concentration of mind? The injunction in this respect is -

Samam kaya shirah grivam dharayan achalam sthirah I

Samprekshay nasika agram svam dishah cha anavalokayan II sloka 13

समं काय शिरः ग्रीवं धारयन् अचलं स्थिरः ।

संप्रेक्ष्य नासिका अग्रं स्वं दिशः च अन् अवलोकयन्  ।। श्लोक १३

Let him hold the body, head & neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around.

 When the body, head & neck are held erect, the spinal cord becomes vertical. In this harmonized breathing takes place easily and freely and good thoughts come in naturally. The posture assumed for meditation should be firm, facile and deliberate. Consciousness of the body is got over in this manner. As the mind calms down in meditation, the eye balls assume steadiness and seem as if they are gazing at the tip of the nose, while actually at rest. In meditation all modifications of the mind merge in the self beaming as bliss or as Pure Consciousness.

When a bird is brooding on her eggs for hatching, she puts on a vacant look taking no notice of things around her. Even such is the case with the eyes of the yogi in meditation.

In meditation there is one-pointedness of the mind. Then eyes see not and ears hear not; body becomes inert, as it were. Any snake crawling on the body is not sensed then by the yogi, nor does the snake apprehend any danger from its contact with the human body.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa