The Yoga of Meditation

Krishna describes the method for achieving yoga. 'Saṅkalpa-prabhavān kāmāṁs tyaktvā sarvān aśeṣataḥ'—having abandoned (tyaktvā) all (sarvān) desires (kāmān) born from (prabhavān) mental projections (saṅkalpa), completely (aśeṣataḥ). This means: desires arise from mental projections—thoughts, imaginations, mental constructs. You think about what you want, imagine it, project it mentally, and then desire arises. Abandon all such desires—not just some, but all, completely. 'Manasaivendriya-grāmaṁ viniyamya samantataḥ'—having restrained (viniyamya) the group (grāmam) of senses (indriya) by the mind (manasā) alone (eva), from all sides (samantataḥ). This means: use your mind to control your senses—not just one sense, but all senses, from all directions. The mind is the controller—it restrains the senses completely. This is the method: abandon all desires born from mental projections, and use your mind to completely restrain all senses. Do this, and you achieve yoga—disconnection from pain.