Sarvadvarani Samyamya

Krishna lays out the steps of the yogic practice. Step one: close all the doors of the body — the eyes, ears, nose, and other senses — withdrawing them from external distractions. Step two: steady the mind in the heart. Step three: draw the life-breath up to the crown of the head.

Think of how, when you listen to something with full attention, your eyes close on their own, your ears tune out everything else. In yoga, all the senses are deliberately turned inward in exactly this way — shutting the doors to the outside world so the inner light can be perceived.

This shloka describes the preparation. The next shloka (8.13) completes the practice by adding the chanting of Om. Together, these two verses form one continuous technique.

This verse reflects the pratyahara (sense-withdrawal) and dharana (concentration) stages described in the Katha Upanishad and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The metaphor of "doors" (dvarani) for the senses is vivid — just as closing the doors of a house blocks outside noise, restraining the senses blocks the pull of external objects.