Knowing the separate nature of the senses, their rising and their setting, that they arise separately, the wise one does not grieve.

The dhīra (the sage of firm mind) understands that the indriya (senses) are instruments separate from his true being. They have their udaya (rising, dawn) in the waking state and their astamaya (setting, dusk) in deep sleep. They are born and die with each cycle of sleep and waking.

This understanding liberates us from śoka (lament, grief). When a sense weakens or fails, the wise one does not suffer because they know: “I am that in whom the senses arise and dissolve, not the sense itself.” Identification with what is born and dies is the cause of all sorrow.

In yoga, we practice this disidentification in every meditation session. Withdrawing attention from the senses toward their source, we experience that the witness of the senses has never been born and will never die. This pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses) is the foundation of all authentic meditative practice.