Chapter 6, Verse 24
Dhyana Yoga — Sanskrit shloka, transliteration, word meanings, English translation, and commentary.
Original Sanskrit verse
Transliteration
Word meanings
saṅkalpa—a resolve; prabhavān—born of; kāmān—desires; tyaktvā—having abandoned; sarvān—all; aśheṣhataḥ—completely; manasā—through the mind; eva—certainly; indriya-grāmam—the group of senses; viniyamya—restraining; samantataḥ—from all sides;
English translation
Abandoning unreservedly all desires born of Sankalpa (thought and imagination) and completely restraining the whole group of senses by the mind from all sides.
— Swami Sivananda
Listen to Shloka 6.24
Commentary
Without reserve The mind is so diplomatic that it keeps certain desires for its secret gratification. Therefore you should completely abandon all desires without reservation. Desire is born of imagination (Sankalpa). Therefore destroy the Sankalpa first. If the imagination is annihilated first then the desires will die by themselves. Mark here All the senses must be controlled from all sides by the mind. Even if one sense is turbulent in one direction it will distract the mind often and often. The senses will be absorbed in the mind by the constant practice of abstraction (Pratyahara). Then the mind will not think of the objects of sensepleasure and will become perfectly calm. That mind which is endowed with a strong discrimination and dispassion will be able to control the whole ground (or group) of the senses from their objects in all directions. Therefore cultivate strong Viveka or discrimination between the Real and the unreal and also Vairagya or total dispassion for sensual pleasures. (Cf. II.62)
Commentary by Swami Sivananda
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