Gita Bhashya -Sankara 213

Shri Sankara's Gita Bhashya

(Sri Sankaracharya's Commentary on the Gita)

CHAPTER -5

The embodied man of self-control, having subdued the senses, and having renounced all actions, duties which are obligatory (nitya-karma), (and) those (duties) arising on the occurrence of some special events (naimtttika-karmas), (as also) acts intended for securing some special objects (kāmya-karmas), and those (acts) that are forbidden (pratisiddha-karmas), by the mind, by the faculty of discrimination, i.e. by seeing inaction in action and vice-versa, rests happily- He is said to rest happily, becuase he has left off all actions of speech, mind and body, has no troubles, is composed in mind, and has ceased to care for all external interests to the exclusion of the Self. Where and how he (so) rests is now being stated- in the city of nine gates: seven openings in the head, being the gateways of perception, and two below, for the discharge of urine and excrement, constitute the nine openings. Having these nine openings, the body is spoken of as the city of nine gates. It is like a city, with the Self as the sole monarch, occupied by the citizens,-namely the senses, the mind, intellect, and their objectsemploying themselves for the benefit of that monarch and produc­ ing knowledge of various objects. In that city of nine gates, the embodied rests, having renounced all action.