श्रोत्रादीनीन्द्रियाण्यन्ये संयमाग्निषु जुह्वति |
शब्दादीन्विषयानन्य इन्द्रियाग्निषु जुह्वति || 26||
śhrotrādīnīndriyāṇyanye sanyamāgniṣhu juhvati
śhabdādīn viṣhayānanya indriyāgniṣhu juhvati
śhrotra-ādīni—such as the hearing process; indriyāṇi—senses; anye—others; sanyama—restraint; agniṣhu—in the sacrficial fire; juhvati—sacrifice; śhabda-ādīn—sound vibration, etc; viṣhayān—objects of sense-gratification; anye—others; indriya—of the senses; agniṣhu—in the fire; juhvati—sacrifice
Translation:
Others sacrifice the senses like the organ of hearing etc., in the fires of sense – restraint, and some others sacrifice the sense-objects like sound etc., in the fire of the senses.
Commentary:
Here two types of yajna are mentioned -(1) restraining the senses (2) rejecting the sense – objects.
Sense – restraint is the key to Brahmajnana, – and so the Lord insists on this discipline many times in the Gita.
So, sense control is the first of all spiritual disciplines. Vedantic perorations without sense-control do not have either light or power in them. The man of sense-control, though he does not talk anything, communicates Vedantic truth to the ends of the world even without one spoken word. The sense-control is here mentioned as a sacrifice. Liberation can be attained only by mind-control. and this depends on sense restraint. By practising several kinds of penance by following several vows. rules and regulations of conduct, the seeker should get the senses under control. This is what is meant by sacrificing the senses in the fire of restraint. The plural form ‘fires’ is used because there are different senses to be controlled.
The second yajna mentioned here is closely related to the first. The senses, according to their nature, wander about freely in the objective world, experiencing pleasure and pain through pleasant and unpleasant objects. Therefore one has to reject the sense objects by deeply examining them and understanding how painful and worthless they are. When one realises the worthlessness and shadowy nature of these sense objects, the senses do not run after them. They remain steadfast in their own seats. It is the rushing out of the senses towards material objects that disturbs the mind and throws it into a state of commotion. When the senses are kept in their place, the mind is calm and when the mind is calm, the bliss of Alma is experienced. This is sacrificing the sense-objects in the fire of the senses.