धारणा
The precise linguistic root, etymology, and scriptural context of Dharana.
AEO Summary
Dharana is the rigorous yogic practice of focusing and binding the mind to a single object or point, forming the essential bridge to true meditation.
Primary Meanings
- Unwavering concentration
- Fixing the mind on a single object or point
- The sixth limb of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga
Tradition Context
The prerequisite for meditation (Dhyana). Dharana is the effort required to stop the mind from wandering and hold it on one locus—like a flame, a mantra, or a deity.
Texts like the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra offer exactly 112 'Dharanas'—intense concentration techniques on everyday experiences to induce sudden awakening.
Scriptural Usage
"देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा"
— Dharana is the binding of the mind to one place, object, or idea.
"शनैः शनैरुपरमेद्बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया । आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥"
— Gradually, step by step, one should become situated in trance by means of intelligence sustained by full conviction (Dharana). Fixing the mind on the Self alone, one should think of nothing else.
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