Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā / 2.31 Trāṭaka, the steady gaze
2.31
Haṭha (हठ) Yoga Pradīpikā (प्रदीपिका)
निरीक्षेन् निश्चलदृशा सूक्ष्मलक्ष्यं समाहितः ।
अश्रुसम्पातपर्यन्तमाचार्यैस् त्राटकं स्मृतम् nirīkṣen niścaladṛśā sūkṣmalakṣyaṃ samāhitaḥ |
aśrusampātaparyantam ācāryais trāṭakaṃ smṛtam
The line
With an unmoving gaze, composed, he should look at a fine mark until the tears fall. The teachers remember this as trāṭaka (त्राटक).
नेपालीमा
निश्चल दृष्टिले, समाहित भएर, उसले आँसु झर्दासम्म सूक्ष्म चिह्न हेर्नुपर्छ। आचार्यहरू यसलाई त्राटक सम्झन्छन्।
Where it sits
Sūkṣma-lakṣya (सूक्ष्म-लक्ष्य) is a fine mark. The verse stops the gaze at the falling of tears.
Split: nirīkṣen (निरीक्षेन्) niścala (निश्चल) + dṛśā (दृशा) sūkṣma (सूक्ष्म) + lakṣyaṃ (लक्ष्यं) samāhitaḥ (समाहितः) / aśru (अश्रु) + sampāta (सम्पात) + paryantam (पर्यन्तम्) ācāryais (आचार्यै) trāṭakaṃ (त्राटकं) smṛtam (स्मृतम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| nirīkṣen (निरीक्षेन्) | form in the line | one should gaze. |
| niścala-dṛśā (निश्चल-दृशा) | nominative singular | unmoving; the eye. dṛśau (दृशौ) is the two eyes. |
| sūkṣma-lakṣyaṃ (सूक्ष्म-लक्ष्यं) | nominative or accusative singular | the fine; the mark. |
| samāhitaḥ (समाहितः) | nominative singular | gathered. |
| aśru-sampāta-paryantam (अश्रु-सम्पात-पर्यन्तम्) | nominative or accusative singular | a tear; the fall; up to. |
| ācāryais (आचार्यै) | form in the line | teachers. |
| trāṭakaṃ (त्राटकं) | nominative or accusative singular | trāṭaka (त्राटक). The steady gaze. |
| smṛtam (स्मृतम्) | nominative or accusative singular | remembered, taught. |
Sanskrit in this line
The quarters run 16, 16 syllables. A hyphen in the split is a compound joint, a teaching mark, and the voice joins it.
Say it back
Cover the English and say the verse in one sentence. With an unmoving gaze, composed, he should look at a fine mark until the tears fall. The teachers remember this as trāṭaka (त्राटक).