Chapter 6. "Dhyana-Yoga, or the Path of Meditation".
The Blessed Lord said:
1. He who performs his duty without depending on the fruits of action, he is a Sannyasi (a true renouncer), and a Yogi (a true worker), not he who is without sacrificial fire or without action.
2. O Pandava, that which is called Sannyasa (renunciation) know that to be also Yoga (true performance of action), for none can become a Yogi without giving up fancies for the fruits of action.
3. For the meditative who is striving to attain Yoga, action is said to be the means; for the same man, when he has attained to Yoga, inaction is said to be the means.
4. He who is unattached to sense-objects and to actions, and has given up all fancies for the fruits of action, he is said to have attained Yoga.
5. Let a man raise himself by his Self, let him never lower himself; for he alone is the friend of himself and he alone is the enemy of himself.
6. He who has conquered himself by the Self, he is the friend of himself; but he whose self is unconquered, his self acts as his own enemy like an external foe.
7. The Supreme Self of the self-subjugated and serene-minded, is ever undisturbed in heat and cold, pleasure and pain, as well as in honor and dishonor.
8. He who is satisfied with wisdom and direct vision of Truth, who has conquered the senses and is ever undisturbed, to whom a lump of earth, a stone and gold are the same, that Yogi is said to be Yukta (a saint of established wisdom).
9. He is esteemed who looks with equal regard upon well-wishers, friends, enemies, neutrals, a mediator, the hateful, relatives, upon the righteous and the unrighteous.
10. A Yogi should constantly practise concentration of the heart, remaining in seclusion alone, subduing his body and mind and being free from longing and possession (sense of ownership).
11. In a cleanly spot having established his seat firmly, neither too high nor too low, with a cloth, skin and Kusha grass, placed one on the other;
12. Being seated there, making the mind one-pointed and subduing the activities of mind and senses, let him practise Yoga for self-purification.
13. Let him hold his body, head and neck erect and motionless, fixing the gaze on the tip of his nose, not looking around.
14. Being serene-hearted and fearless, ever steadfast in the vow of Brahmacharya and controlling the mind, let him sit steadfastly absorbed in thoughts of me, regarding Me as his supreme goal.
15. Thus keeping himself steadfast, the Yogi of subdued mind attains eternal peace and freedom, which abide in Me.
16. But, O Arjuna, (the practice of) Yoga is not for him who eats too much or who does not eat at all, nor for him who sleeps too much or keeps awake (in excess).
17. He who is moderate in eating and recreation, moderate in his efforts in work, moderate in sleep and wakefulness (his practice of) Yoga becomes the destroyer of all misery.
18. When the mind, completely subdued, rests in Self alone, free from longing for all objects of desire, then he is said to be a Yukta (steadfast in Self-knowledge).
19. As a lamp placed in a windless spot does not flicker, the same simile is used to define a Yogi of subdued mind, practising union with the Self.
20. In that state, when the mind is completely subdued by the practice of Yoga and has attained serenity, in that state, seeing Self by the self, he is satisfied in the Self alone.
21. In that state, transcending the senses, he (the Yogi) feels that infinite bliss which is perceived by the purified understanding; knowing that and being established therein, he never falls back from his real state (of Self-knowledge);
22. After having attained which, no other gain seems greater; being established wherein, he is not overwhelmed even by great sorrow.
23. Know that (state) of separation from the contact with pain as Yoga. This Yoga should be practised with perseverance and undepressed heart.
24. Abandoning without reserve all the desires born of mental fancies, and restraining completely by the mind the entire group of the senses from all directions.
25. With understanding held by firmness, and mind established in the Self, let him (thus) by degrees attain tranquility; let him not think of anything else.
26. Wheresoever the restless and unsteady mind may wander away, let him withdraw it from there and bring it under the control of the Self alone.
27. He whose passions are quieted and mind perfectly tranquil, who has become one with Brahman, being freed from all impurities, to such a Yogi comes supreme bliss.
28. Thus constantly holding the mind steadfast, the Yogi, whose sins are shaken off, easily attains the infinite bliss, born of contact with Brahman.
29. He whose heart is steadfastly engaged in Yoga, looks everywhere with the eyes of equality, seeing the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.
30. He who sees Me in all and all in Me, from him I vanish not, nor does he vanish from Me.
31. He who, being established in unity, worships Me dwelling in all beings, that Yogi, howsoever living, abides in Me.
32. O Arjuna, he who looks upon pleasure and pain everywhere with the same regard as when it is applied to himself, that Yogi is highly esteemed.
Arjuna said:
33. O Destroyer of Madhu (Krishna), this Yoga, which has been declared by Thee as even-mindedness, I do not see (the possibility) of its lasting existence, owing to the restlessness of the mind.
34. O Krishna, the mind is restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding; I consider it as difficult to subdue as the wind.
The Blessed Lord said:
35. Doubtless, O mighty-armed, the mind is restless and difficult to control; but O son of Kunti, through practice and dispassion (renunciation) it can be conquered.
36. Yoga is difficult to attain by him who is of uncontrolled self: such is my conviction; but the self-subjugated can attain it by following the right means.
Arjuna said:
37. O Krishna, he who, though possessed with faith, yet lacks in control and whose mind wanders away from Yoga, what end does he meet, failing to reach perfection in Yoga?
38. O Mighty-armed (Krishna), does he not perish like a rent cloud, supportless, fallen from both (here and hereafter), deluded in the path of Brahman (Truth)?
39. O Krishna, this doubt of mine Thou oughtest to dispel, for there is none but Thee who is able to destroy this doubt.
The Blessed Lord said:
40. O Partha, there is no destruction for him either here or hereafter, for the well-doer (devotee), O Beloved, never comes to an evil end.
41. One who is fallen from Yoga, after having attained the regions of the righteous and dwelling there for unlimited time, reincarnates in the house of the pure and prosperous.
42. Or else he is born in the family of wise Yogis; but such a birth is very rare to obtain in this world.
43. O descendant of Kuru, there (in that incarnation) he gains the knowledge acquired in his previous incarnation, and he strives again more (fervently) than before for perfection.
44. He is irresistibly led by the previous practice (of Yoga). Even the enquirer of Yoga goes beyond the letter-Brahman.
45. But the Yogi, striving with perseverance, purified from all sin, perfected through many births, reaches the supreme goal.
46. The Yogi is superior to ascetics, and superior to those who have attained wisdom through books; he is also superior to performers of action (according to the Scriptures). Therefore, O Arjuna! be thou a Yogi.
47. And among all the Yogis, to Me he is the highest, who, with his inner self absorbed in Me, worships Me with (unflinching) faith.
Here ends the Sixth Chapter called "Dhyana-Yoga, or the Path of Meditation"
The Blessed Lord said:
1. He who performs his duty without depending on the fruits of action, he is a Sannyasi (a true renouncer), and a Yogi (a true worker), not he who is without sacrificial fire or without action.
2. O Pandava, that which is called Sannyasa (renunciation) know that to be also Yoga (true performance of action), for none can become a Yogi without giving up fancies for the fruits of action.
3. For the meditative who is striving to attain Yoga, action is said to be the means; for the same man, when he has attained to Yoga, inaction is said to be the means.
4. He who is unattached to sense-objects and to actions, and has given up all fancies for the fruits of action, he is said to have attained Yoga.
5. Let a man raise himself by his Self, let him never lower himself; for he alone is the friend of himself and he alone is the enemy of himself.
6. He who has conquered himself by the Self, he is the friend of himself; but he whose self is unconquered, his self acts as his own enemy like an external foe.
7. The Supreme Self of the self-subjugated and serene-minded, is ever undisturbed in heat and cold, pleasure and pain, as well as in honor and dishonor.
8. He who is satisfied with wisdom and direct vision of Truth, who has conquered the senses and is ever undisturbed, to whom a lump of earth, a stone and gold are the same, that Yogi is said to be Yukta (a saint of established wisdom).
9. He is esteemed who looks with equal regard upon well-wishers, friends, enemies, neutrals, a mediator, the hateful, relatives, upon the righteous and the unrighteous.
10. A Yogi should constantly practise concentration of the heart, remaining in seclusion alone, subduing his body and mind and being free from longing and possession (sense of ownership).
11. In a cleanly spot having established his seat firmly, neither too high nor too low, with a cloth, skin and Kusha grass, placed one on the other;
12. Being seated there, making the mind one-pointed and subduing the activities of mind and senses, let him practise Yoga for self-purification.
13. Let him hold his body, head and neck erect and motionless, fixing the gaze on the tip of his nose, not looking around.
14. Being serene-hearted and fearless, ever steadfast in the vow of Brahmacharya and controlling the mind, let him sit steadfastly absorbed in thoughts of me, regarding Me as his supreme goal.
15. Thus keeping himself steadfast, the Yogi of subdued mind attains eternal peace and freedom, which abide in Me.
16. But, O Arjuna, (the practice of) Yoga is not for him who eats too much or who does not eat at all, nor for him who sleeps too much or keeps awake (in excess).
17. He who is moderate in eating and recreation, moderate in his efforts in work, moderate in sleep and wakefulness (his practice of) Yoga becomes the destroyer of all misery.
18. When the mind, completely subdued, rests in Self alone, free from longing for all objects of desire, then he is said to be a Yukta (steadfast in Self-knowledge).
19. As a lamp placed in a windless spot does not flicker, the same simile is used to define a Yogi of subdued mind, practising union with the Self.
20. In that state, when the mind is completely subdued by the practice of Yoga and has attained serenity, in that state, seeing Self by the self, he is satisfied in the Self alone.
21. In that state, transcending the senses, he (the Yogi) feels that infinite bliss which is perceived by the purified understanding; knowing that and being established therein, he never falls back from his real state (of Self-knowledge);
22. After having attained which, no other gain seems greater; being established wherein, he is not overwhelmed even by great sorrow.
23. Know that (state) of separation from the contact with pain as Yoga. This Yoga should be practised with perseverance and undepressed heart.
24. Abandoning without reserve all the desires born of mental fancies, and restraining completely by the mind the entire group of the senses from all directions.
25. With understanding held by firmness, and mind established in the Self, let him (thus) by degrees attain tranquility; let him not think of anything else.
26. Wheresoever the restless and unsteady mind may wander away, let him withdraw it from there and bring it under the control of the Self alone.
27. He whose passions are quieted and mind perfectly tranquil, who has become one with Brahman, being freed from all impurities, to such a Yogi comes supreme bliss.
28. Thus constantly holding the mind steadfast, the Yogi, whose sins are shaken off, easily attains the infinite bliss, born of contact with Brahman.
29. He whose heart is steadfastly engaged in Yoga, looks everywhere with the eyes of equality, seeing the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.
30. He who sees Me in all and all in Me, from him I vanish not, nor does he vanish from Me.
31. He who, being established in unity, worships Me dwelling in all beings, that Yogi, howsoever living, abides in Me.
32. O Arjuna, he who looks upon pleasure and pain everywhere with the same regard as when it is applied to himself, that Yogi is highly esteemed.
Arjuna said:
33. O Destroyer of Madhu (Krishna), this Yoga, which has been declared by Thee as even-mindedness, I do not see (the possibility) of its lasting existence, owing to the restlessness of the mind.
34. O Krishna, the mind is restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding; I consider it as difficult to subdue as the wind.
The Blessed Lord said:
35. Doubtless, O mighty-armed, the mind is restless and difficult to control; but O son of Kunti, through practice and dispassion (renunciation) it can be conquered.
36. Yoga is difficult to attain by him who is of uncontrolled self: such is my conviction; but the self-subjugated can attain it by following the right means.
Arjuna said:
37. O Krishna, he who, though possessed with faith, yet lacks in control and whose mind wanders away from Yoga, what end does he meet, failing to reach perfection in Yoga?
38. O Mighty-armed (Krishna), does he not perish like a rent cloud, supportless, fallen from both (here and hereafter), deluded in the path of Brahman (Truth)?
39. O Krishna, this doubt of mine Thou oughtest to dispel, for there is none but Thee who is able to destroy this doubt.
The Blessed Lord said:
40. O Partha, there is no destruction for him either here or hereafter, for the well-doer (devotee), O Beloved, never comes to an evil end.
41. One who is fallen from Yoga, after having attained the regions of the righteous and dwelling there for unlimited time, reincarnates in the house of the pure and prosperous.
42. Or else he is born in the family of wise Yogis; but such a birth is very rare to obtain in this world.
43. O descendant of Kuru, there (in that incarnation) he gains the knowledge acquired in his previous incarnation, and he strives again more (fervently) than before for perfection.
44. He is irresistibly led by the previous practice (of Yoga). Even the enquirer of Yoga goes beyond the letter-Brahman.
45. But the Yogi, striving with perseverance, purified from all sin, perfected through many births, reaches the supreme goal.
46. The Yogi is superior to ascetics, and superior to those who have attained wisdom through books; he is also superior to performers of action (according to the Scriptures). Therefore, O Arjuna! be thou a Yogi.
47. And among all the Yogis, to Me he is the highest, who, with his inner self absorbed in Me, worships Me with (unflinching) faith.
Here ends the Sixth Chapter called "Dhyana-Yoga, or the Path of Meditation"
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Text source: Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita. Translated by Swami Paramananda.
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