5 Sesnses

Let us understand this verse. How do we bring about that continuous process of uniting body, mind and soul? You see, our body-mind system reacts to different external situations. These external situations are like food, āhāra to our system and our five sense organs are the points through which we take in this food. Our mind functions because we give food to our mind through our senses.

We react to situations and our mind is continuously occupied because of this. Our mind exists because we have thousands of thoughts, constantly jumping from past to future and back to past. Our five sense organs act as gateways through which this food goes into our mind.

Pratyāhāra means getting ourselves out of the clutches of these senses. This does not mean that we physically shut down our senses. Even if we close our eyes, an internal television runs in our system, does it not? Even if our ears and mouth are closed, there is inner chatter, is it not? We don't really shut down our senses. Even if we shut them physically, our mind functions.

'Close the doors of your senses, ' means, 'Do not process the data.' Continue to hear everything going on outside, continue to smell everything around, but do not process anything. Whatever comes, just witness, that's all. That is the only way we can close the doors of our senses.