Upaniṣads · Jābāladarśana 7.8
॥
Devanāgarī
अथापानात्कटिद्वन्द्वे तथोरौ च सुमध्यमे । तस्माज्जानुद्वये जङ्घे पादाङ्गुष्ठे निरोधयेत्
Transliteración (IAST)
athāpānātkaṭidvandve tathorau ca sumadhyame | tasmājjānudvaye jaṅghe pādāṅguṣṭhe nirodhayet
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
अथ अपानात् कटि-द्वन्द्वेatha apānāt kaṭi-dvandvethen from apana, into both sides
तथा ऊरौ च सु-मध्यमेtathā ūrau ca su-madhyameand into the thighs, O one of slender waist
तस्मात् जानु-द्वये जङ्घेtasmāt jānu-dvaye jaṅghefrom there into both knees, into the shins
पाद-अङ्गुष्ठे निरोधयेत्pāda-aṅguṣṭhe nirodhayetlet him hold it at the big toe
Traducción
"Then from apana, into both sides and into the thighs, O one of slender waist; from there into both knees, into the shins, let him hold it at the big toe."
Versión
a65cd7930497 · publicado 12 ago 2026, 5:00:00 UTC
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The descent is carried to the toe; attention has been led through the whole body from top to bottom. It is worth speaking of this exercise itself, for it is fully accessible and anyone can test it. Leading attention through the body, from crown to soles, is a technique known in many traditions and used to this day. It calms and settles the mind better than forcing concentration on a single point.
The reason, apparently, is that the mind is given movement, not a halt. The mind cannot be halted by command; it can be led along, gradually. This observation deserves holding on to, for it explains the Vaishnava method too, built on the same ground.
Repetition of the Name is not a halting of the mind: it too is movement — from syllable to syllable, from name to name. And hearing a narrative is movement: one follows the story. Hence its means do not require the silence that concentration on a point requires. The mind is not told to freeze; it is given a road and an object, and it goes along it, without tearing off sideways.
Let us add what follows from this for a person whose mind is more restless than usual. Nothing is more harmful for him than telling himself not to think: this only doubles the restlessness. It is more useful to give the mind a long, measured occupation — and both methods, this one and that, are built precisely on this.