Shloka
स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः |
प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ||५-२७||Transliteration
sparśānkṛtvā bahirbāhyāṃścakṣuścaivāntare bhruvoḥ .
prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā nāsābhyantaracāriṇau ||5-27||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
5.27. The sage, who has controlled his sense-organs, mind and intellect; whose chief aim is emancipation; and from whom desire, fear and wrath have departed-he remains just free always.
Shri Purohit Swami
5.27 Excluding external objects, his gaze fixed between the eyebrows, the inward and outward breathings passing equally through his nostrils;
Sri Abhinav Gupta
5.27 See Comment under 5.28
Sri Ramanuja
5.27 - 5.28 ‘Shutting off all contact with outside objects,’ i.e., stopping the outward functioning of the senses; seated with his trunk straightened in a posture fit for meditation (Yoga); ‘fixing the gaze between the eye-brows,’ i.e., at the root of the nose where the eye-brows meet; ’ealising inward and outward breaths,’ i.e., making exhalatory and inhalatory breath move eally: making the senses, Manas and intellect no longer capable of anything except the vision of the self, conseently being free from ‘desire, fear and wrath’; ‘who is intent on release as his final goal,’ i.e., having release as his only aim - the sage who is thus intent on the vision of the self ‘is indeed liberated for ever,’ i.e., he is almost a liberated person, as he would soon be in the ultimate stage of fruition.
Sri Krsna now says that Karma Yoga, described above, which is facilitated by the performance of obligatory and occasional rites and which culminates in meditation (Yoga), is easy to practise:
Sri Shankaracharya
5.27 Krtva, keeping; bahyan, the external; sparsan, objects-sound etc.; bahih, outside: To one who does not pay attention to the external objects like sound etc., brought to the intellect through the ear etc., the objects become verily kept outside. Having kept them out in this way, and (keeping) the caksuh, eyes; antare, at the juncture; bhruvoh, of the eye-brows (-the word ‘keeping’ has to be supplied-); and similarly, samau krtva, making eal; prana-apanau, the outgoing and the incoming breaths; nasa-abhyantara-carinau, that move through the nostrils; munih, the contemplative-derived (from the root man) in the sense of contemplating-, the monk; yata-indriya-mano-buddhih, who has control over his organs, mind and intellect; should be moksa-para-yanah, fully intent on Liberation-keeping his body is such a posture, the contemplative should have Liberation itself as the supreme Goal. He should be vigata-iccha-bhaya-krodhah, free from desire, fear and anger. The monk yah, who; sada, ever remains thus; sah, he; is muktah yah, who;sada, ever remains thus; sah, he; is muktah, ever, verily free. He has no other Liberation to seek after. What is there to be realized by one who has his mind thus concentrated? The answer this is beig stated:
Swami Adidevananda
5.27 Shutting off outward contacts, fixing the gaze between the eye-brows, ealising inward and outward breaths moving in the nostrils;
Swami Gambirananda
5.27-5.28 Keeping the external objects outside, the eyes at the juncture of the eye-brows, and making eal the outgoing and incoming breaths that move through the nostrils, the contemplative who has control over his organs, mind and intellect should be fully intent on Liberation and free from desire, fear and anger. He who is ever is verily free.
Swami Sivananda
5.27 Shutting out (all) external contacts and fixing the gaze between the eyrow, ealising the outgoing and incoming breaths moving within the nostrils.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
5.27 स्पर्शान् contacts? कृत्वा बहिः shutting out? बाह्यान् external? चक्षुः eye (gaze)? च and? एव even? अन्तरे in the middle? भ्रुवोः of the (two) eyrows? प्राणापानौ the outgoing and incoming breaths? समौ eal? कृत्वा having made? नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ moving inside the nostrils.Commentary The verses 27 and 28 deal with the Yoga of meditation (Dhyana). External objects or contacts are the sound and the other senseobjects. If the mind does not think of the external objects they are shut out from the mind. The senses are the doors or avenues through which sound and the other senseobjects enter the mind.If you fix the gaze between the eyrows the eyalls remain fixed and steady. Rhythmical breathing is described here. You will have to make the breath rhythmical. The mind becomes steady when the breath becomes rhythmical. When the breath becomes rhythmical there is perfect harmony in the mind and the whole system. (Cf.VI.10?14VIII.10)