Bhagavad-gītā 8.12
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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sarva - dvārāṇi
—
all the doors of the body
Sarva (all) + dvāra (door). The technical term for the nine apertures of the body (eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, generative and excretory organs) — and metaphorically the gates of the senses. The yogi at death closes them all.
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saṁyamya
—
controlling
Absolutive of sam + yam — to restrain, to bind together. Saṁyama is the technical Yoga-sūtra term for the unified discipline of concentration. Here it names what must be done with the sensory gates before the final journey.
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manaḥ hṛdi nirudhya
—
confining the mind in the heart
Ni + rudh (to obstruct, confine). The mind is shut into the heart — the cardiac region, the subtle seat of consciousness. The Vedic and yogic tradition treats the heart as the locus of the self; the mind is returned to its native chamber.
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mūrdhni
—
on the head
Locative of mūrdhan — the crown of the head. The technical site for the prāṇa's final lifting (brahma-randhra). The yogic anatomy is precise: heart for the mind, crown for the breath.
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ātmanaḥ prāṇam
—
the life air of the soul
Ātman in genitive — 'the soul's prāṇa'. Prāṇa belongs to the self, not to the body. The phrasing matters: the dying yogi is lifting his own subtle vital force, not an autonomic bodily process.
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āsthitaḥ
—
situated in
Past participle of ā + sthā — 'standing firm in'. The yogi is not striving toward the yogic state at death — he is established in it. The verb form implies completed attainment, not effort.
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yoga - dhāraṇām
—
the yogic situation
Yoga + dhāraṇā. Dhāraṇā in the Yoga-sūtras is the sixth limb — concentration. Yoga-dhāraṇā is therefore the trained holding-of-attention. Established in this, the next steps of the dying-yoga become possible at all.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
| Sanskrit | IAST | Grammar | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| सर्व-द्वाराणि | sarva-dvārāṇi | सर्व (adj.) + द्वार (n.) acc.pl. (accusative plural), karmadhāraya cpd. (compound) | all the gates (i.e. senses) |
| संयम्य | saṃyamya | सम् + √यम् abs. (lyap) | having restrained |
| मनः | manaḥ | मनस् (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) | the mind |
| हृदि | hṛdi | हृद् (n.) loc.sg. (locative singular) | in the heart |
| निरुध्य | nirudhya | नि + √रुध् abs. (lyap) | having confined |
| च | ca | ind. (indeclinable) | and |
| मूर्ध्नि | mūrdhni | मूर्धन् (m.) loc.sg. (locative singular) | on the head, on the crown |
| आधाय | ādhāya | आ + √धा abs. (lyap) | having placed |
| आत्मनः | ātmanaḥ | आत्मन् (m.) gen.sg. (genitive singular) | one's own |
| प्राणम् | prāṇam | प्राण (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) | life-breath |
| आस्थितः | āsthitaḥ | आ + √स्था p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. | established, settled |
| योग-धारणाम् | yoga-dhāraṇām | योग (m.) + धारणा (f.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) | yogic concentration |
To practice yoga as suggested here, one first has to close the doors of all sense enjoyment. This practice is called pratyāhāra, or withdrawing the senses from the sense objects. The sense organs for acquiring knowledge – the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch – should be fully controlled and should not be allowed to engage in self-gratification. In this way the mind focuses on the Supersoul in the heart, and the life force is raised to the top of the head. In the Sixth Chapter this process is described in detail. But as mentioned before, this practice is not practical in this age. The best process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If one is always able to fix his mind on Kṛṣṇa in devotional service, it is very easy for him to remain in an undisturbed transcendental trance, or in samādhi.
Elaborating what was previous spoken, the Lord describes the method of yoga. Withdrawing the openings of all the senses (sarva-dvārāṇi) from the external objects; confining the mind to the heart, with no desire for other objects; fixing the prāṇa between the brows (mūrdhni); and taking shelter of Me completely (yoga-dhāraṇām); uttering just one syllable, om, the form of Brahman; and meditating continuously upon Me (mām anusmaran) represented by om— giving up his body, he attains sālokyam (paramāṁ gatim). [Note: From this statement it would appear that this yoga-miśra-bhakta attains a similar state as the three types of sakāma-bhaktas mentioned in chapter 7.]
This verse speaks of the method of yoga. One should control all the external doors of knowledge (the senses such as the ear), withdrawing them (pratyahara) from the sense objects such as sound, receiving the sense objects by senses disinterested in enjoyment by repeatedly seeing their faults. But even in controlling the senses, the mind will wander. Therefore, concentrate the mind, the door to internal knowledge, upon Me, situated in the heart, even though by the mind one remembers the sense objects. Then, one should control the prāṇa, the door to actions, in the lotus of the heart, and then one should gradually, as one gains control, establish it at the ājñā cakra and then at the top of the head (mūrdhṇy ādhāya), on the path of the suṣumna moving upwards, under the instruction of the guru. Doing this, one should carry out the practice of thinking (yoga dhāraṇām) of Me (ātmanaḥ) from foot to head. One should pronounce internally om, representing brahman. Om is praised with the words eka akṣaram. Om is the chief sound (eka) which is indestructible (akṣaram). Then one should meditate (anusmaran means dhyāna) on Me, paramātmā, indicated by that sound. Meditating in this way, when he departs, giving up the body, he attains liberation in the form of attaining My planet—sālokya (paramam gatim). [Note: Perhaps there is a distinction between the yoga miśra bhakta and the aṣṭaṅga yogī described in chapter 6, who attained liberation through vision of ātmā and paramātmā.]
COMMON THEME: Describes ‘Practice of these Yogis’ (Yoga-mishra bhakti). All these practices assist yogis in
remembering Krishna; they are not end in themselves
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
share similar theme)
(a) Who enters into impersonal Brahman
(b) Om and Hare Krishna Maha-mantra
(c) Om and Brahman
(a) Sat-cakra-yoga recommended in this verse
(b) Bhaktya-yukto – indicates “to fix mind in devotion at death”
(c) Yoga-balena
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 sensual objects. Therefore the mind is confined or fixed in the lotus of the heart and thery all the thoughts or mental modifications are also controlled. The whole lifreath is now taken up and fixed at the crown of the head (Brahmarandhra or the hole of Brahman).
- BG 08 12-13 - Radhanath Swami - Mumbai 1997-01-24
- BG 08 12-13 - Vedavyasa Priya Swami - ISKCON Vrindavan 2012-11-02
- BG 08 12-14 - A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada - 1966-11-15 New York Chinese Translation
- BG 08 12-14 - A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada - New York 1966-10-15
- BG 08 12 - Chaitanya Charan Prabhu - In yoga the technical is a necessary preliminary to the transcendental
- BG 08 12 - Madhu Gopal - ISKCON Radhadesh 2012-07-22
- BG 08 12 - Vedavyasa Priya Swami - ISKCON Vrindavan 2012-11-02
- Ujjvala Rasajna Mataji BG 08-12
- Balabhadra Gopala Pr BG 08-12-13 Telugu
- Hari Lila Pr BG 08-12-13 Tamil
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 08-12 Tamil - 2017-07-23
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 08-12 - 2017-07-23
- BVVNarsimhaS BG 08-12
- PrahladAnS BG 08-12 - First pay Attention - 2020-09-03 ISKCON Slovenia
- PrahladAnS BG 08-12 Slovenian Translation - Najprej bodi pozoren - 2020-09-03 ISKCON Slovenia
- SNS BG 08-12 - Prabhupada nectar-1 - 1994-09-14 Pula HR
- SNS BG 08-12 - Prabhupada nectar-2 - 1994-09-14 Pula HR
- VedavyasaPSW BG 08-12 - 2012-11-02 ISKCON Vrindavan
- SP Tamil Translation - BG 08-12 - Make Sure to Pass that Final etc - 1966-11-15 NY
- SP BG 08-12-14 New York 1966-11-15 Make Sure to Pass that Final--etc
- If undertaking advanced yoga at death, do so under guidance.
- Apply the principle: gather your attention inward as life concludes.
- Don't fragment attention as the body fails.
- When my attention fragments under stress, what gathers it back?
- What practice prepares for the final gathering?
The yogi at death is like a householder closing his house for the night: latching every window, shuttering every door, drawing the mind from the hall into the inner room, and finally lifting the lamp itself to the highest shelf. The body is not abandoned — it is properly secured, room by room, before the resident departs.
My note
Source: vedabase.io