ययोन्मेषनिमेषशून्ये
वायुर्यया वर्जितरेचपूरः ।
मनश्च संकल्पविकल्पशून्यं
मनोन्मनी सा मयि सन्निधत्ताम् ॥१७॥

Translation

"By whom the eyes become free from opening and closing, by whom the breath is devoid of inhalation and exhalation, and by whom the mind becomes free from saṅkalpa and vikalpa—may that Manonmanī be present in me."

Or more freely:

"May that state called Manonmanī abide in me, through which blinking ceases, breath becomes free of inhalation and exhalation, and the mind becomes devoid of all conceptual movements."

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1️⃣ The Central Word: Manonmanī

This is a highly technical yogic term.

Breaking it down:

• Manas = mind
• Unmanī / Unmanā = beyond mind, mind-transcending

Thus:

Manonmanī = the state in which the mind has risen beyond itself.

Many Hatha and Tantric texts use Unmanī Avasthā as a synonym for:

• Amanaska (no-mind)
• Laya
• Rājayoga
• Samādhi
• Turīya

The mind is not destroyed; rather, it ceases functioning as a generator of duality.

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2️⃣ यया — "By Which"

Notice the grammar.

The instrumental feminine यया (yayā) refers to Manonmanī.

Thus:

• By her/them/that state,
• blinking ceases,
• breath becomes without inhalation and exhalation,
• mind becomes free from conceptual activity.

This is important.

The verse does not say:

"First stop blinking, then stop breathing, then stop thinking."

Rather:

When Manonmanī arises, all these happen naturally.

This is perfectly consistent with verses 8–16.

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3️⃣ उन्मेष–निमेष–शून्ये

Unmeṣa

Opening of the eyes.

Nimeṣa

Closing of the eyes.

Literally:

free from opening and closing.

There are several layers.

Physical

In deep absorption:

• blinking may become extremely subtle.

Mental

Unmeṣa and nimeṣa can symbolize:

• expansion and contraction,
• projection and withdrawal,
• emergence and subsidence of mental activity.

Thus:

the oscillation of consciousness ceases.

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4️⃣ वायुर्यया वर्जितरेचपूरः

"By which the breath becomes devoid of exhalation and inhalation."

This takes us directly back to Verse 8:

विवर्जितां रेचकपूरकाभ्याम्

Kevala Kumbhaka and Manonmanī are now shown to be intimately connected.

Indeed, several Hatha texts explicitly equate:

• Kevala Kumbhaka
• Unmanī
• Rājayoga

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5️⃣ संकल्प–विकल्प–शून्यम्

This is perhaps the most important psychological statement.

Saṅkalpa

Determinate thought, intention, conceptual assertion.

Vikalpa

Alternative conception, differentiation, mental division.

The entire operation of the mind consists of:

• this/not this,
• I/other,
• good/bad,
• desirable/undesirable.

When these cease:

dualistic cognition subsides.

This does not imply unconsciousness.

It implies non-conceptual awareness.

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6️⃣ Manonmanī in Other Yogic Traditions

The state of Unmanī appears prominently in:

• Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• Shiva Samhita
• several Nātha texts

The famous expression is:

उन्मनी अवस्था (Unmanī Avasthā)

the state beyond mind.

In many traditions it is considered identical with:

• Rājayoga,
• Samādhi,
• the culmination of Kuṇḍalinī.

Thus Verse 17 is extremely traditional in its yogic terminology.

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7️⃣ The Progression Now Becomes Very Clear

Thus Manonmanī is not another technique.

It is the culmination of the entire process.

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8️⃣ Advaitic Significance

Verse 16 spoke of:

केवलसंविदेव (Kevala Saṃvid alone)

Verse 17 gives the yogic name for the experiential aspect of that realization:

मनोन्मनी (Manonmanī)

Advaitically:

• Kevala Saṃvid = pure consciousness.

Yogically:

• Manonmanī = the mind transcending itself.

These are two perspectives on the same culmination.

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9️⃣ A Beautiful Final Prayer

The verse ends:

सा मयि सन्निधत्ताम्

"May that be present in me."

This is no longer instruction.

No longer theory.

No longer analysis.

It is prayer.

Shankara says, in effect:

"May that supreme Manonmanī, by whose presence breath becomes still and thought ceases, abide in me."

This gives the verse a deeply devotional flavor, even while describing the highest yogic realization.

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Essence of the Verse

Manonmanī is the state beyond mind. By its presence, the oscillations of the eyes cease, breath becomes free from inhalation and exhalation, and the mind becomes empty of conceptual activity. It is the flowering of Kevala Kumbhaka, Rājayoga, and Kevala Saṃvid into a single non-dual state, for whose abiding presence Shankara finally offers a prayer.