Completely abandoning all desires born of mental resolve (sankalpa), and thoroughly restraining the entire group of senses by the mind alone from all directions.
Synthesis
Completely abandoning desires born of mental resolve, restraining all the senses from every direction by the mind. The Advaita tradition sees this as the withdrawal of projections. Ramanuja teaches total sense control as preparation for God-realization. The Bhakti tradition sees fullness of God displacing desires. Madhvacharya prescribes comprehensive meditation covering every direction. Abhinavagupta sees dissolution of the conceptual framework creating separation. Vallabhacharya teaches being so full of God that worldly desires have no room. Tilak reads disciplined daily practice. Vivekananda teaches stopping the mind's endless projections.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara explains that all desires arise from sankalpa — mental imagination and projection. By abandoning these mental constructions completely, and using the purified mind to withdraw the senses from their objects in every direction, the aspirant creates the conditions for Self-abidance.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
Your desires are manufactured by your thoughts. What you imagine, you begin to crave. Take control of your mental diet — reduce the fantasies, comparisons, and projections that fuel unnecessary wanting.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"How do I stop wanting things that aren't good for me?"
- ?"Does thinking about something make me want it more?"
- ?"How do I control my mental fantasies?"
- ?"Can I reduce desire by changing what I think about?"