Bhagavad Gita 5.27
Karma Sanyasa Yoga · English Translation
स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः | प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ||५-२७||
sparśānkṛtvā bahirbāhyāṃścakṣuścaivāntare bhruvoḥ . prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā nāsābhyantaracāriṇau ||5-27||
What Does This Verse Mean?
In this verse, Lord Krishna instructs Arjuna on the specific technique of deep meditation required to attain inner peace. He advises withdrawing the senses from external objects and focusing the gaze between the eyebrows while regulating the breath within the nostrils. The core teaching is that by mastering one's sensory inputs and breathing pattern, a seeker can stabilize their mind and experience spiritual union.
The Teaching Behind It
This verse belongs to the teachings of Dhyana Yoga (the yoga of meditation) and complements Sankhya philosophy by describing the practical application of withdrawing the senses. It develops the concept of Pratyahara, which is the control over sensory inputs necessary for achieving Samadhi or deep meditative absorption.
Word by Word
Classical Commentary
Where This Happens
This verse appears in Chapter 5 during Krishna's discourse to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, shortly after explaining the path of selfless action. At this point, Arjuna is still seeking clarity between renouncing duties and performing them with detachment. Krishna responds by detailing the practical steps of meditation (Yoga) that allow a person to act in the world while remaining internally detached from it.
Living It Out Today
When you are overwhelmed by a high-stakes presentation or a heated family argument, use this technique: physically pull your attention away from the screen or faces and soften your gaze between your eyebrows. Simultaneously, consciously slow down your breathing to make the incoming and outgoing breaths equal in length for thirty seconds. This physical act of withdrawal signals your brain to stop processing external noise, allowing you to respond with clarity rather than reacting out of anxiety.
Explained for Children
Imagine your eyes are like cameras that usually look at everything outside, but today we want to take a picture of our own thoughts instead. Krishna teaches us to gently close the view from the world by looking softly between our eyebrows, just like focusing on a tiny dot in the center of our forehead. At the same time, we make sure our breathing is slow and even, like a calm river flowing inside us, so that all the noisy distractions outside can fade away.
Daily Reflection
In a world that constantly demands your attention outwardly, this verse invites you to turn inward with kindness rather than force. You do not need to block out life; instead, imagine gathering your scattered senses like light through a lens until they rest peacefully within the center of your being. As you feel your breath balancing itself, allow any tension in your mind to dissolve into that quiet inner sanctuary.
A Practice for Today
Gently close your eyes and soften your vision to the space between your eyebrows, letting go of all external visual stimuli. Slowly synchronize your breath as it flows naturally through both nostrils, feeling the outgoing and incoming streams become equal in length and rhythm.
Key Teachings
- Withdrawal from Sensory Objects
The practice begins by consciously disengaging the senses from their external objects, not through suppression but through mindful redirection. This withdrawal creates a necessary silence where the mind can cease its constant reaction to the outside world. - Focus of Gaze (Trataka)
Fixing the gaze between the eyebrows serves as an anchor for consciousness, preventing it from scattering through the eyes. This specific focal point aligns the mind with a deeper level of awareness beyond ordinary visual perception. - Balancing Prana
By harmonizing the incoming and outgoing breath within the nasal passage, one stabilizes the vital life force that drives emotional fluctuations. When these currents become equal, the restless nature of the mind naturally settles into a state of profound stillness.
Themes
Related Verses
Read This Next
- 2.47 — Read this next to understand that while performing actions, one must remain detached from the results and internal focus.
- 3.30 — This verse complements the practice by instructing on surrendering all works to the Divine as a precursor to inner steadiness.
- 12.15 — Read this to see how mastering such inward control makes one dear to Krishna and free from agitation or disturbance.
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