संस्कृत
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः । संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ॥
samaṃ kāyaśirogrīvaṃ dhārayann acalaṃ sthiraḥ saṃprekṣya nāsikāgraṃ svaṃ diśaś cānavalokayan
अनुवाद
Holding the body, head and neck erect, immovably steady, looking fixedly at the point of the nose, with unseeing gaze,
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
व्याख्या
The postural details here — body, head, and neck aligned, gaze fixed at the nose-tip — are precise enough that they’re still cited as-is in modern hatha and dhyana yoga instruction. “Unseeing gaze” is the key phrase: the eyes are open and fixed on a point, but not looking outward at anything. Anavalokayan — “not looking about” — is a technique, not a metaphor: the gaze is parked so it stops feeding the mind new objects. This is the sensory shutdown BG 5.27 sketched, now with a posture attached.
गहराई से अध्ययन करें
शब्द-दर-शब्द
- samaṃ kāyaśirogrīvaṃसमं कायशिरोग्रीवं
- body, head, and neck held level (samam + kāya-śiraḥ-grīvam)
- dhārayann acalaṃ sthiraḥधारयन्न् अचलं स्थिरः
- holding [them] motionless, steady (dhārayan + acalam + sthiraḥ)
- saṃprekṣya nāsikāgraṃ svaṃसंप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं
- gazing at the tip of his own nose (saṃprekṣya + nāsikā-agram + svam)
- diśaś cānavalokayanदिशश् चानवलोकयन्
- and not looking about in any direction (diśaḥ + ca + anavalokayan)
टीका
Site Commentary
“Unseeing gaze” is a strange and precise phrase — the eyes stay open and fixed on a point, but nothing is being looked at. That’s a useful distinction beyond meditation posture: attention can be technically present, eyes open and pointed somewhere, while genuinely not taking anything in. The verse is instructing a very specific kind of engaged non-engagement.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Site Commentary — Second Reading
Before it says anything about the eyes, the verse fixes body, head, and neck into one aligned line — samam, level — held as a single continuous axis rather than three separately relaxed parts. That’s a physical instruction, not a metaphor: a plumb line the posture is built along, which is presumably why it’s still cited unchanged in hatha yoga manuals today. The “unseeing gaze” that follows only works because the structural alignment underneath it is already fixed — the mind’s stillness is scaffolded on the spine’s, not the other way around.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
अवधारणाएँ
इस श्लोक को अपनाएँ
पाठ
व्यक्तिगत
- Notice the difference between actually resting and just staring at a screen with your eyes open — technical presence isn't the same as attention actually disengaging. Real rest sometimes requires a deliberate unseeing gaze, not just being physically still.
व्यावसायिक
- In a meeting you're not actively contributing to, there's a difference between passively half-listening and consciously choosing where your attention goes — an unseeing gaze at the discussion, present but not grasping at every point, conserves more energy than fake full engagement.
परिवार और समाज
- When a family member needs you nearby but not actively problem-solving their situation, practice being present without grasping at every detail of what they're saying — sometimes support looks like steady, undemanding attention rather than active engagement.
स्वयं से पूछें
इस श्लोक को पढ़ने से आगे ले जाने के कुछ तरीके। टिक और नोट इसी ब्राउज़र में रहते हैं।
इस श्लोक पर चिंतन करें
खोज जारी रखें
अध्ययन-मार्ग