Upanishads · Varāha 2.80
॥
Devanāgarī
इन्द्रियाणां मनो नाथो मनोनाथस्तु मारुतः । मारुतस्य लयो नाथस्तन्नाथं लयमाश्रय
Transliteration (IAST)
indriyāṇāṃ mano nātho manonāthastu mārutaḥ | mārutasya layo nāthastannāthaṃ layamāśraya
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इन्द्रियाणां मनः नाथःindriyāṇāṃ manaḥ nāthaḥof the senses, the mind is the lord
मनः नाथः तु मारुतःmanaḥ nāthaḥ tu mārutaḥof the mind, however, the lord is the wind
मारुतस्य लयः नाथःmārutasya layaḥ nāthaḥof the wind, the lord is dissolution
तत्-नाथं लयम् आश्रयtat-nāthaṃ layam āśrayato that lord, to dissolution, resort
Translation
"Of the senses, the mind is the lord; of the mind, however, the lord is the wind; of the wind, the lord is dissolution; to that lord, to dissolution, resort."
Version
ee35ab214dc6 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A ladder of subordination is constructed: senses — mind — breath — dissolution. It deserves examination, for it is a brief statement of the whole yogic strategy. The senses obey the mind: wherever the mind is directed, they go.
The mind obeys breath: this is an observation accessible to anyone — with even breath, the mind is calm; with ragged breath, it darts about. Breath obeys laya, "dissolution," that is, the halt discussed when reading the Jabala-darshana (6.18). That is, one approaches from the end that obeys: not from the mind, which cannot be stilled, but from breath, which is in our power.
This design, discussed when reading the Jabala-darshana (4.5), is sensible and constitutes the chief merit of yoga as a craft. The Vaishnava side does not dispute this ladder; it builds its own, and it deserves citing, for it is arranged differently. Its ladder is this: of the senses, the lord is the mind; of the mind, the lord is the object; and of the object, the lord is the One who gave it.
That is, one approaches not from below, through breath, but from above, through the object: give the mind what holds it, and it will hold the senses. Let us add the word ashraya, "resort," with which the verse ends. This word, in Vaishnava practice, is central: ashraya means "refuge"; and worth noting is that even here, where one resorts to impersonal dissolution, the verb of refuge is used, that is, a verb of turning to someone.