Upanishads · Jābāladarśana 6.33
॥
Devanāgarī
अपानमूर्ध्वमुत्थाप्य प्रणवेन शनैः शनैः । हस्ताभ्यां धारयेत्सम्यक्कर्णादिकरणानि च
Transliteration (IAST)
apānamūrdhvamutthāpya praṇavena śanaiḥ śanaiḥ | hastābhyāṃ dhārayetsamyakkarṇādikaraṇāni ca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अपानम् ऊर्ध्वम् उत्थाप्यapānam ūrdhvam utthāpyahaving raised apana upward
प्रणवेन शनैः शनैःpraṇavena śanaiḥ śanaiḥby the pranava, slowly, slowly
हस्ताभ्यां धारयेत् सम्यक्hastābhyāṃ dhārayet samyaklet him properly close with his hands
कर्ण-आदि-करणानि चkarṇa-ādi-karaṇāni cathe ears and the other organs
Translation
"Having raised apana upward by the pranava, slowly, slowly, let him properly close with his hands the ears and the other organs."
Version
d2727b497ca1 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A technique is described, known by the name shanmukhi-mudra, "the seal of six gates": with the fingers one closes the ears, the eyes, the nostrils, and the mouth. Its design is simple: to cut off all impressions from outside at once. Not to turn away, not to go to a quiet place, but simply to close the openings.
It must be said that this technique is genuine and accessible to anyone: with the ears closed, a person at once hears his own inner noise, inaudible with the ears open. This is, apparently, the whole point of it: to make audible what is drowned out; and the following lines will be about this very resonance. This technique is, in substance, the bodily performance of pratyahara, "drawing back," counted the fifth rung; and it is worth noting that the book performs it with the hands.
The Vaishnava side is indifferent to techniques of this kind, and the reason has already been discussed. Let us add here one consideration relevant to this passage. Closed ears cut off everything, including that for whose sake it is worth hearing. And its first means is shravanam, "hearing"; and hence it cannot build on the cutting-off of hearing.
The difference here is not in the valuation of the technique, but in its direction. One teaching wants silence, to hear oneself. The other wants speech, to hear another. And both are right within their own bounds: one seeking oneself must fall silent; one seeking another must listen.