Garuda Purana

सर्वेषामिन्द्रियाणां तु प्रवृतिर्विषयेषु च । निवृत्तिर्मनसस्तस्याः प्रत्याहारः प्रकीर्तितः ॥ १,२३५.

The turning away of all the senses from their objects, and the withdrawal of the mind from them, is called pratyāhāra.

इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यः समाहृत्य हितो हि सः । सहसा सह बुद्ध्या च प्रत्याहारेषु संस्थितः ॥ १,२३५.

He who gathers the senses from their objects, along with the intellect, is established in pratyāhāra.

प्राणायामैर्द्वादशभिर्यावत्कालःकृतो भवेत् । यस्तावत्कालपर्यन्तं मनो ब्रह्मणि धारयेत् ॥ १,२३५.

By performing twelve cycles of breath control, for as long as that time lasts, one should hold the mind on Brahman.

ध्यायन्न चलते यस्य मनोभिध्यायतो भृशम् ॥ १,२३५.

Meditating, the mind of one who contemplates intensely does not wander.

प्राप्यावधिकृतं कालं यावत्सा धारणा स्मृता । ध्येये सक्तं मनो यस्य ध्येयमेवानुपश्यति ॥ १,२३५.

For as long as the fixed time is reached, that is called concentration; whose mind is attached to the object of meditation sees only that.

नान्यं पदार्थं जानाति ध्यानमेतत्प्रकीर्तितम् । ध्येये मनो निश्चलतां याति ध्येयं विचिन्तयन् ॥ १,२३५.

He knows no other object—this is called meditation; as he contemplates the object, his mind becomes unwavering.

यत्तद्ध्यानं परं प्रोक्तं मुनिभिर्ध्यानचिन्तकैः । ध्येयमेव हि सर्वत्र ध्याता तन्मयतां गतः ॥ १,२३५.

That supreme meditation, declared by sages who contemplate meditation, is where everywhere the meditator becomes one with the object meditated upon.

पश्यति द्वैतरहितं समाधिः सोऽभिधीयते । मनः सङ्कल्परहितमिन्द्रियार्थान्न चिन्तयेत् ॥ १,२३५.

He perceives the absence of duality—this is called samādhi; the mind, free from intention, does not think of sense objects.

यस्य ब्रह्मणि संलीनं समाधिस्थं तदोच्यते । ध्यायतः परमात्मानमात्मस्थं यस्य योगिनः ॥ १,२३५.

That is called samādhi, in which the mind is dissolved in Brahman; for the yogi who meditates on the supreme self abiding within himself.

मनस्तन्मयतां याति समाधिस्थः स कीर्तितः । चित्तस्य स्थिरता भ्रान्तिर्दैर्मनस्यं प्रमादता ॥ १,२३५.

When the mind becomes absorbed in that, one is said to be established in samadhi; steadiness of mind, confusion, dejection, and negligence are states of the mind.

योगिनां कथिता दोषा योगविघ्नप्रवर्तकाः । स्थित्यर्थं मनसः सर्वं स्थूलरूपं विचिन्तयेत् ॥ १,२३५.

The faults described for yogis are obstacles to yoga; for the stability of the mind, one should contemplate all gross forms.

तद्व्रतं निश्चलीभूतं सूय्यस्थं स्थिरतां व्रजेत् । न विना परमात्मानं किञ्चिज्जगति विद्यते ॥ १,२३५.

That vow, once made unwavering and fixed in the sun, attains steadiness; apart from the Supreme Self, nothing exists in the world.

विश्वरूपं तमेवैकमिति ज्ञात्वा विमुञ्चति । ओङ्कारं परमं ब्रह्म ध्यायेदब्जस्थितं विभुम् ॥ १,२३५.

Knowing that only He is the one with the form of the universe, one renounces; one should meditate on Om, the supreme Brahman, the all-pervading one seated on the lotus.

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञरहितं जपेन्मात्रात्रयान्वितम् । हृदि सञ्चिन्तयेत्पूर्वं प्रधानं तस्य चोपरि ॥ १,२३५.

One should recite Om, free from the field and the knower of the field, endowed with the three measures; first, one should contemplate the primordial principle in the heart, and above it.

तमो रजस्तथा सत्त्वं मण्डलत्रितयं क्रमात् । कृष्णरक्तसितं तस्मिन्पुरुषं जीवसंज्ञितम् ॥ १,२३५.

Darkness, passion, and goodness are the three circles in order—black, red, and white; within them is the person known as the individual soul.

तस्योपरि गुणैश्वर्यमष्टपत्रं सरोरुहम् । ज्ञानं तु कर्णिका तत्र विज्ञानं केसराः स्मृताः ॥ १,२३५.

Above that is the eight-petaled lotus of the excellence of the qualities; knowledge is the pericarp there, and discernment is said to be the filaments.

वैराग्यनालं तत्कन्दो वैष्णवो धर्म उत्तमः । कर्णिकायां स्थितं तत्र जीववन्निश्चलं विभु ॥ १,२३५.

Dispassion is the stalk, its root is the supreme Vaiṣṇava dharma; there, in the pericarp, abides the unmoving, all-pervading one, like a living being.

ध्यायेदुरसि संयुक्तमोङ्कारं मुक्तिसाधकम् । ध्यायन्यदि त्यजेत्प्राणान्याति ब्रह्म स्वसन्निधिम् ॥ १,२३५.

One should meditate in the heart on Om, joined together, which leads to liberation; if, while meditating, one gives up the life-breath, one attains Brahman, one's own abode.

हरिं संस्थाप्य देहाब्जे ध्यायन्यो गी च भक्तिभाक् । आत्मानमात्मना केचित्पश्यन्ति ध्यानचक्षुषः ॥ १,२३५.

Establishing Hari in the lotus of the body, the yogi devotedly meditates; some see the self by the self, with the eye of meditation.

सांख्यबुद्ध्या तथैवान्ये योगेनान्ये तु योगिनः । ब्रह्मप्रकाशकं ज्ञानं भवबन्धविभेदनम् ॥ १,२३५.

Others, with the intellect of Sāṃkhya, and others, yogis, through yoga; knowledge that reveals Brahman is the destroyer of bondage to existence.

तत्रैकचित्ततायोगो मुक्तिदो नात्र संशयः । जितेन्द्रियात्मकरणो ज्ञानदृप्तो हि यो भवेत् ॥ १,२३५.

There, the yoga of single-mindedness grants liberation—of this there is no doubt; one who has conquered the senses and the mind, and is intoxicated with knowledge, becomes so.

स मुक्तः कथ्यते योगी परमात्मन्यवस्थितः । आसनस्थानविधयो न योगस्य प्रसाधकाः ॥ १,२३५.

That yogi, established in the Supreme Self, is called liberated; methods of posture and seat are not the means to yoga.

विलम्बजनकाः सर्वे विस्तराः परिकीर्तिताः । शिशुपालः सिद्धिमाप स्मरणाभ्यासगौरवात् ॥ १,२३५.

All elaborate practices are said to cause delay; Śiśupāla attained perfection because of the intensity of his practice of remembrance.

योगाभ्यासं प्रकुर्वन्तः पस्यन्त्यात्मानमात्मना । सर्वभूतेषु कारुण्यं विद्वेषं विषयेषु च ॥ १,२३५.

Those who practice yoga see the self by the self; they have compassion for all beings and aversion to sense objects.

गुप्तशिश्रोदरादिश्च कुर्वन्योगी विमुच्यते । इन्द्रियैरिन्द्रियार्थांस्तु न जानाति नरो यदा ॥ १,२३५.

The yogi, practicing in secret places such as caves and hollows, is liberated; when a person does not perceive sense objects with the senses.

काष्ठवद्ब्रह्मसंलीनो योगी मुक्तस्तदा भवेत् । सर्ववर्णाः श्रियः सर्वाः कृत्वा पापानि भस्मसात् ॥ १,२३५.

Like a log, merged in Brahman, then the yogi becomes liberated; all castes, all wealth, having reduced sins to ashes.

ध्यानाग्निना च मेधावी लभते परमां गतिम् । मन्थनाद्दृश्यते ह्यग्निस्तद्वद्ध्यानेन वै हरिः ॥ १,२३५.

By the fire of meditation, the wise one attains the supreme state; just as fire is produced by friction, so too is Hari revealed by meditation.

ब्रह्मात्मनोर्यदैकत्वं स योगश्चोत्तमोत्तमः । बाह्यरूपैर्न मुक्तिस्तु चान्तस्थैः स्याद्यमादिभिः ॥ १,२३५.

The unity of Brahman and the Self is the highest of all yogas; liberation is not attained through external forms nor through internal means such as restraint and the like.

साङ्ख्यज्ञानेन योगेन वेदान्तश्रवणेन च । प्रत्यक्षतात्मनो या हि सा मुक्तिरभिधीयते । अनात्मन्यात्मरूपत्वमसतः सत्स्वरूपता ॥ १,२३५.

That liberation which is spoken of as direct realization of the Self—through Sāṅkhya knowledge, through yoga, and through hearing Vedānta—is the recognition of the Self in what is not the self, and the perception of reality in what is unreal.