udaram upÄsate ya ṛṣi-vartmasu kÅ«rpa-dṛśaḥ
parisara-paddhatiá¹ há¹›dayam Äruṇayo daharam
tata udagÄd ananta tava dhÄma Å›iraḥ paramaá¹
punar iha yat sametya na patanti ká¹›tÄnta-mukhe

3 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: CC(2) , TLC(1)

 udaram - the abdomen; upÄsate - worship; ye - who; á¹›á¹£i - of sages; vartmasu - according to the standard methods; kÅ«rpa - gross; dṛśaḥ - their vision; parisara - from which all the prÄṇic channels emanate; paddhatim - the node; há¹›dayam - the heart; Äruṇayaḥ - the Ä€ruṇi sages; daharam - subtle; tataḥ - thence; udagÄt - (the soul) rises up; ananta - O unlimited Lord; tava - Your; dhÄma - place of appearance; Å›iraḥ - to the head; paramam - the highest destination; punaḥ - again; iha - into this world; yat - which; sametya - reaching; na patanti - they do not fall down; ká¹›ta-anta - of death; mukhe - into the mouth.


Text

Among the followers of the methods set forth by great sages, those with less refined vision worship the Supreme as present in the region of the abdomen, while the Ä€ruṇis worship Him as present in the heart, in the subtle center from which all the prÄṇic channels emanate. From there, O unlimited Lord, these worshipers raise their consciousness upward to the top of the head, where they can perceive You directly. Then, passing through the top of the head toward the supreme destination, they reach that place from which they will never again fall to this world, into the mouth of death.

Purport

Here the Å›rutis who teach meditational yoga glorify the Personality of Godhead. The various processes of yoga are for the most part gradual and full of opportunities for distraction. Authentic methods of yoga, nonetheless, all aim at meditation on the Supersoul (ParamÄtmÄ), whose primary residence is in the region of the heart, alongside the jÄ«va soul. This manifestation of ParamÄtmÄ in the heart is very subtle and difficult to perceive (daharam), and thus only advanced yogÄ«s can realize Him there.

Neophyte meditators often practice focusing on the Supersoul’s secondary presence in one of the lower centers of vital energy, such as the mÅ«lÄdhÄra-cakra, at the base of the spine, the svÄdhiṣṭhÄna-cakra, in the area of the navel, or the maṇipÅ«ra-cakra, in the abdomen. Lord Kṛṣṇa refers to His expansion as ParamÄtmÄ in the abdominal cakra as follows:

ahaá¹ vaiÅ›vÄnaro bhÅ«tvÄ
 prÄṇinaá¹ deham Ästhitaḥ
prÄṇÄpÄna-samÄyuktaḥ
 pacÄmy annaá¹ catur-vidham

“I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outgoing and incoming, to digest the four kinds of food.†(Bg. 15.14) Lord VaiÅ›vÄnara presides over digestion and in general bestows the capacity of mobility on animals, humans and demigods. In the judgment of the Å›rutis speaking this verse, those who limit their meditation to this form of the Lord are less intelligent, kÅ«rpa-dṛśaḥ, meaning literally “having eyes clouded by dust.â€

The superior yogÄ«s known as Ä€ruṇis, on the other hand, worship the Supersoul in His form as the indwelling companion of the jÄ«va in the heart, the Lord who endows His dependent with the power of knowledge and inspires him with all varieties of practical intelligence. And just as the physical heart is the center of blood circulation, so the subtle heartcakra is the crossroads of numerous channels of prÄṇa, called nÄá¸Ä«s, which extend outward to all parts of the body. When these passageways have been sufficiently purified, the Ä€ruṇi yogÄ«s can leave the heart region and go upward to the cakra at the roof of the brain. YogÄ«s who leave their bodies through this cakra, the brahma-randhra, go directly to the kingdom of God, from which they need never return to be reborn. Thus even the unsure process of meditational yoga can bear the fruit of pure devotion if it is followed perfectly.

ÅšrÄ«la ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura cites several Å›ruti-mantras that echo the words of this verse: udaraá¹ brahmeti Å›ÄrkarÄká¹£Ä upÄsate há¹›dayaá¹ brahmeti Äruṇayo brahmÄ haivaitÄ ita Å«rdhvaá¹ tv evodasarpat tac-chiro ’śrayate. “Those whose vision is clouded identify Brahman with the abdomen, while the Ä€ruṇis worship Brahman in the heart. One who is truly Brahman-realized travels upward from the heart to take shelter of the Lord who is manifested at the top of the head.â€

Å›ataá¹ caikÄ ca há¹›dayasya nÄá¸yas
 tÄsÄá¹ mÅ«rdhÄnam abhiniḥsá¹›taikÄ
tayordhvam Äyann amá¹›tatvam eti
 viÅ›vaá¹…á¹… anyÄ utkramaṇe bhavanti

“There are one hundred and one subtle prÄṇic channels emanating from the heart. One of these — the suá¹£umá¹‡Ä â€” extends to the top of the head. By passing up through this channel, one transcends death. The other channels lead in all directions, to various kinds of rebirth.†(ChÄndogya Upaniá¹£ad 8.6.6)

The Upaniá¹£ads refer repeatedly to the indwelling ParamÄtmÄ. ÅšrÄ« ÅšvetÄÅ›vatara Upaniá¹£ad (3.12-13) describes Him as follows:

mahÄn prabhur vai puruá¹£aḥ
 sattvasyaiá¹£a pravartakaḥ
su-nirmalÄá¹ imÄá¹ prÄptim
 Ä«Å›Äno jyotir avyayaḥ
aá¹…guṣṭha-mÄtraḥ puruá¹£o ’ntar-ÄtmÄ
 sadÄ janÄnÄá¹ há¹›daye sanniviṣṭaḥ
há¹›dÄ manÄ«á¹£Ä manasÄbhikḷpto
 ya etad vidur amá¹›tÄs te bhavanti

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes the Puruá¹£a to initiate the expansion of this cosmos. He is the perfectly pure goal that yogÄ«s strive to reach, the effulgent and infallible ultimate controller. Measuring the size of a thumb, the Puruá¹£a is always present as the Supersoul within the hearts of all living beings. By exercising proper intelligence, one can realize Him within the heart; those who learn this method will gain immortality.â€

In conclusion, ÅšrÄ«la ÅšrÄ«dhara SvÄmÄ« prays:

udarÄdiá¹£u yaḥ puá¹sÄá¹
 cintito muni-vartmabhiḥ
hanti má¹›tyu-bhayam devo
 há¹›d-gataá¹ tam upÄsmahe

“Let us worship the Supreme Lord, who resides in the heart. When mortal beings think of Him by the standard procedures established by great sages, meditating upon Him in His expansions in the abdomen and other regions of the body, the Lord reciprocates by destroying all fear of death.â€