Krishna describes the practice of meditation and the characteristics of a true yogi.
Verse 6.1
Sanskrit Transliteration:
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
anāśhritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ
sa sannyāsī cha yogī cha na niragnir na chākriyaḥ
Translation:
The Supreme Lord said: One who performs prescribed duties without depending on the fruits of action is both a renunciant and a yogi—not one who merely renounces fire rituals or activities.
Commentary:
Krishna redefines true renunciation. It is not about giving up fire rituals or abandoning action, but about performing duties without attachment to results. Such a person is simultaneously a sannyasi (renunciant) and a yogi—combining internal detachment with external engagement.
Learning:
True spiritual life is about your inner attitude, not outer appearances. You don't need to abandon your responsibilities to be spiritually advanced. Do what needs to be done without obsessing over outcomes—that's real renunciation.
Verse 6.2
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yaṁ sannyāsam iti prāhur yogaṁ taṁ viddhi pāṇḍava
na hy asannyasta-saṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaśhchana
Translation:
What is called renunciation, know that to be yoga, O Pandava. No one becomes a yogi without giving up selfish intentions.
Commentary:
Renunciation and yoga are essentially the same—both require abandoning selfish motives. Without this inner letting go of personal agendas, one cannot become a true yogi. The key factor is sankalpa—the selfish intention or desire that motivates action.
Learning:
Your intentions matter more than your actions. No matter how yogic your practices appear, if selfish motives drive them, you're not truly practicing yoga. Examine your intentions honestly and purify them.
For a sage who wishes to ascend to yoga, action is said to be the means. For one who has ascended to yoga, tranquility is said to be the means.
Commentary:
Different stages require different approaches. For beginners, selfless action is the path—it purifies the mind and prepares it for meditation. For advanced practitioners who have established themselves in yoga, inner stillness becomes the means for further progress.
Learning:
Match your practice to your level. If your mind is restless and unpurified, engage in selfless action. As you advance and the mind becomes calmer, stillness and meditation become more appropriate. Don't skip steps.
Verse 6.4
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yadā hi nendriyārtheṣhu na karmasv anuṣhajjate
sarva-saṅkalpa-sannyāsī yogārūḍhas tadochyate
Translation:
When one is attached neither to sense objects nor to actions, and has renounced all selfish intentions, then one is said to have ascended to yoga.
Commentary:
The yogi has ascended when attachment to both sense pleasures and to actions themselves has dissolved, and all selfish motives have been abandoned. This is the state of yoga-arurha—one established in yoga.
Learning:
Progress is measured by decreasing attachment. When you're no longer pulled by pleasures or pushed by compulsive activity, when your actions arise from clarity rather than craving, you've made real progress on the path.
One should elevate oneself by one's own mind, not degrade oneself. The mind alone is the friend of the self, and the mind alone is the enemy of the self.
Commentary:
This powerful verse emphasizes self-responsibility. Your own mind is both your greatest ally and your worst enemy. No one else can uplift or degrade you—it's the work of your own mind. Self-elevation is possible; self-degradation is your choice.
Learning:
Take full responsibility for your inner life. Your mind can be your best friend or worst enemy depending on how you train it. Don't blame others or circumstances—use your mind to elevate yourself.
Verse 6.6
Sanskrit Transliteration:
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ
anātmanas tu śhatrutve vartetātmaiva śhatru-vat
Translation:
For one who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best friend. But for one who has not conquered it, the mind acts as the worst enemy.
Commentary:
The conquered mind becomes a friend, supporting spiritual progress. The unconquered mind acts as an enemy, creating endless obstacles and suffering. The difference between bondage and liberation lies in whether the mind is mastered or not.
Learning:
The quality of your life depends on whether your mind serves you or you serve your mind. Make the effort to master your thoughts and emotions. An uncontrolled mind will torment you; a controlled mind will support you.
One who has conquered the mind and is peaceful is united with the Supreme Self, remaining undisturbed in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor.
Commentary:
The person with a conquered, peaceful mind connects with the Supreme Self. External dualities—physical (cold/heat), emotional (pleasure/pain), and social (honor/dishonor)—no longer disturb them. This equanimity is the sign of true yoga.
Learning:
Test your progress by your reactions to opposites. Can you remain centered in uncomfortable weather? In painful situations? When praised or criticized? Equanimity in dualities shows genuine inner freedom.
One who is satisfied by knowledge and realization, who is steady and has conquered the senses, to whom a clod of earth, a stone, and gold are equal—such a person is called a yogi.
Commentary:
The true yogi is satisfied by direct knowledge and its realization, not by external possessions. With conquered senses and stable mind, they see equal value in dirt, stone, and gold. This equanimity toward material things marks genuine yoga.
Learning:
Real wealth is inner satisfaction through knowledge. When you're truly fulfilled inside, material distinctions lose their grip on you. You can still use things appropriately, but they don't define your happiness or worth.
Verse 6.9
Sanskrit Transliteration:
suhṛin-mitrāryudāsīna-madhyastha-dveṣhya-bandhuṣhu
sādhuṣhv api cha pāpeṣhu sama-buddhir viśhiṣhyate
Translation:
One who has equal regard for well-wishers, friends, enemies, neutrals, mediators, hateful ones, relatives, saints, and sinners is distinguished.
Commentary:
The advanced yogi maintains equal regard for all categories of people—friends and enemies, relatives and strangers, the virtuous and the sinful. This doesn't mean lacking discernment but rather seeing the same divine essence in all while responding appropriately to different situations.
Learning:
Practice seeing the same essence in all people. Your friend and your enemy share the same fundamental nature. This equal vision doesn't prevent appropriate action but removes the bias that distorts perception and reaction.
The yogi should constantly engage the mind in meditation, remaining in seclusion, alone, with mind and body controlled, free from desires and possessiveness.
Commentary:
Krishna now describes practical meditation: regular practice, in solitude, alone, with controlled mind and body, free from desires and attachments. These are the external and internal conditions that support deep meditation.
Learning:
Create conditions conducive to meditation: find a quiet place, simplify your desires, reduce your possessions mentally. Regular practice is essential—occasional meditation won't transform you. Make it a constant discipline.
In a clean place, establishing a firm seat, neither too high nor too low, covered with cloth, deerskin, and kusha grass—there, sitting on the seat, making the mind one-pointed, with thoughts and senses controlled, one should practice yoga for self-purification.
Commentary:
Practical instructions for meditation continue: choose a clean, pure place; prepare a stable seat of moderate height with traditional coverings (or comfortable, clean materials); sit and focus the mind on a single point; control thoughts and senses. The purpose is self-purification.
Learning:
Set up a dedicated meditation space. It should be clean, comfortable, and quiet. The physical arrangement supports the mental practice. Your seat should be stable—neither too elevated nor too low. Physical preparation aids mental focusing.
Holding the body, head, and neck erect and motionless, gazing at the tip of the nose without looking around, with peaceful mind, free from fear, firm in the vow of brahmacharya, controlling the mind, fixing thoughts on Me—one should sit, devoted to Me.
Commentary:
Detailed posture instructions: spine erect, head and neck aligned, body still, gaze soft on the nose tip (to prevent distraction), mind peaceful, free from fear, observing celibacy or moderation, mind controlled and fixed on the divine. These are classical meditation instructions.
Learning:
Posture matters in meditation. Sit with spine straight, body still, gaze soft. Calm your fears, moderate your senses, and focus your mind. These physical adjustments support mental clarity. Don't neglect the body's role in meditation.
Thus, constantly engaging the mind, the yogi with controlled mind attains peace—the supreme nirvana that rests in Me.
Commentary:
Regular practice with controlled mind leads to the ultimate peace—nirvana that exists in the divine. This is the fruit of meditation: not just temporary calm but supreme peace that transcends the world while remaining connected to the highest reality.
Learning:
Consistent practice yields results. Peace doesn't come from occasional meditation but from regular discipline. The goal is not just relaxation but the supreme peace that comes from connection with your highest nature.
Verse 6.16
Sanskrit Transliteration:
nāty-aśhnatas tu yogo 'sti na chaikāntam anaśhnataḥ
na chāti-svapna-śhīlasya jāgrato naiva chārjuna
Translation:
Yoga is not for one who eats too much or too little, nor for one who sleeps too much or stays awake too much, O Arjuna.
Commentary:
Balance in basic habits is essential for yoga. Overeating or fasting excessively, oversleeping or depriving oneself of sleep—all these extremes obstruct meditation. The middle path in physical needs creates optimal conditions for practice.
Learning:
Moderation in eating and sleeping supports meditation. Extremes in either direction disturb the mind and body. Don't use spiritual practice as an excuse for either indulgence or harmful austerity. Find the balanced middle way.
For one who is moderate in eating and recreation, balanced in performing actions, and regulated in sleep and wakefulness, yoga destroys all suffering.
Commentary:
When eating, recreation, work, sleep, and wakefulness are all balanced, yoga becomes effective in destroying suffering. The regulated life creates the stable foundation needed for deeper practice to work.
Learning:
Lifestyle matters for spiritual practice. Balance your food, play, work, and rest. This isn't about rigid rules but about avoiding extremes that destabilize the system. A regulated life is the foundation for inner work.
When the disciplined mind rests in the Self alone, free from longing for all desires, then one is said to be united in yoga.
Commentary:
The sign of established yoga is when the mind, fully disciplined, rests in the Self without seeking anything else. Complete freedom from desire-based restlessness marks true union. The mind has found its home and needs nothing more.
Learning:
True yoga is reached when your mind finds rest in itself, not needing external stimulation or fulfillment. This isn't suppression of desires but their natural subsiding when you've found what you were really seeking.
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker—this is the comparison used for the yogi whose mind is controlled, practicing union with the Self.
Commentary:
The famous analogy of the steady flame describes the yogi's mind. Just as a lamp in a windless place burns without flickering, the controlled mind of a yogi remains steady in meditation on the Self. No mental disturbance moves it.
Learning:
Aim for mental stillness like a flame without wind. Your mind naturally flickers with thoughts like a candle in the breeze. Create inner conditions—through practice and lifestyle—where the flame of awareness can burn steady and bright.
When the mind, restrained by yoga practice, becomes still; when seeing the Self by the Self, one finds satisfaction in the Self; when one knows that infinite happiness which is grasped by the intellect and is beyond the senses; established in which one never departs from truth; having obtained which, one considers no other gain greater; being established in which, one is not shaken even by great sorrow—let this disconnection from the union with sorrow be known as yoga.
Commentary:
These four verses describe the goal of yoga: the mind becomes still; the Self is seen by the Self and brings complete satisfaction; infinite happiness beyond the senses is known through purified intellect; no other attainment seems greater; even great suffering cannot shake this state. This disconnection from sorrow is true yoga.
Learning:
Yoga promises complete satisfaction, happiness beyond the senses, unshakable stability, and freedom from sorrow. This isn't fantasy—it's the actual result of dedicated practice. Know what you're working toward and maintain your aspiration.
This yoga should be practiced with determination, without discouragement, completely abandoning all desires born of imagination, fully restraining all the senses with the mind from all sides.
Commentary:
Krishna gives practical counsel: practice with firm resolve, without getting discouraged, having abandoned desire-fantasies, controlling all senses with the mind. Determination and persistence are essential; giving up due to difficulty is not an option.
Learning:
Commit fully and don't get discouraged. Meditation progress can be slow and frustrating. Stay determined. Abandon fantasy-based desires that distract you, and keep working on sense control. Success requires unwavering commitment.
Verse 6.25
Sanskrit Transliteration:
śhanaiḥ śhanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛiti-gṛihītayā
ātma-saṁsthaṁ manaḥ kṛitvā na kiñchid api chintayet
Translation:
Gradually, step by step, one should become still by intellect held with determination, establishing the mind in the Self, and thinking of nothing else.
Commentary:
Progress happens gradually, not suddenly. With patient, determined intellect, slowly establish the mind in the Self. Eventually, no other thought remains—only Self-awareness. This requires steady effort over time.
Learning:
Be patient with your progress. "Gradually, step by step" is the key phrase. Don't expect instant results. With steady determination, guide your mind toward stillness. Progress may be slow, but it's real.
Verse 6.26
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yato yato niśhcharati manaśh chañchalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśhaṁ nayet
Translation:
Wherever the restless and unsteady mind wanders, one should bring it back and place it under the control of the Self alone.
Commentary:
The mind is naturally restless and will wander. The meditator's task is to repeatedly bring it back. No matter how many times it strays, return it to Self-awareness. This patient, persistent practice eventually establishes control.
Learning:
Don't be discouraged by a wandering mind—it's normal. The practice is not about preventing wandering but about noticing and returning. Each time you bring the mind back, you strengthen its capacity to stay.
Verse 6.27
Sanskrit Transliteration:
praśhānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ yoginaṁ sukham uttamam
upaiti śhānta-rajasaṁ brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣham
Translation:
Supreme happiness comes to the yogi whose mind is peaceful, whose passions are quieted, who has become Brahman, and who is free from sin.
Commentary:
The yogi with peaceful mind, calmed passions, established in Brahman-consciousness, and free from impurity attains supreme happiness. This isn't ordinary pleasure but the highest joy that comes from union with ultimate reality.
Learning:
The goal is not just calm but supreme happiness arising from inner purity and divine connection. Peace of mind combined with freedom from negativity and establishment in your highest nature—this is the full fruit of practice.
Thus constantly engaging the self, the yogi freed from impurity easily attains infinite happiness through contact with Brahman.
Commentary:
With regular practice and purification, the yogi effortlessly connects with Brahman and experiences boundless joy. What was initially difficult becomes easy; what seemed impossible becomes natural. Contact with the divine brings unlimited happiness.
Learning:
Practice leads to ease. What feels forced initially becomes natural with persistence. The joy that seems distant becomes readily available. Keep practicing; the contact with your highest nature will eventually become effortless.
One whose self is united in yoga sees the Self existing in all beings and all beings existing in the Self, seeing the same everywhere.
Commentary:
The yogi perceives the universal Self present in all beings and all beings present in the Self. This is equal vision—seeing the same essence everywhere. Individual differences are seen, but the underlying unity is never forgotten.
Learning:
Expanded awareness reveals unity. As your practice deepens, you naturally begin to see yourself in others and others in yourself. This isn't philosophy but direct perception. Yoga leads to seeing the same essence everywhere.
Verse 6.30
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yo māṁ paśhyati sarvatra sarvaṁ cha mayi paśhyati
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśhyāmi sa cha me na praṇaśhyati
Translation:
One who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me—I am never lost to such a one, nor is such a one ever lost to Me.
Commentary:
Krishna promises an intimate relationship with those who see him everywhere. For such a person, Krishna is always accessible, and they are always connected to him. This mutual presence is unbreakable—neither loses the other.
Learning:
When you see the divine everywhere, you can never be separated from it. The feeling of spiritual abandonment is impossible when you recognize divinity in all things. Cultivate this vision and you'll never feel alone.
Verse 6.31
Sanskrit Transliteration:
sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ
sarvathā vartamāno 'pi sa yogī mayi vartate
Translation:
One who worships Me dwelling in all beings, established in unity—that yogi, in all circumstances, abides in Me.
Commentary:
The yogi who, perceiving unity, worships the divine present in all beings lives in God regardless of external circumstances. Whether active or still, in pleasure or pain, such a one remains connected because their worship encompasses all.
Learning:
Worship the divine in all beings. When you honor the sacred presence in everyone and everything, your whole life becomes worship. Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, you're abiding in the divine.
Verse 6.32
Sanskrit Transliteration:
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśhyati yo 'rjuna
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ
Translation:
One who, through comparison with oneself, sees the same in all beings, O Arjuna—whether in happiness or distress—such a yogi is considered supreme.
Commentary:
The highest yogi is one who understands others by understanding themselves. Just as you feel pleasure and pain, so do others. This empathic equality—seeing your own experience reflected in all beings—marks the supreme yogi.
Learning:
Empathy is a spiritual practice. Use your own experience of joy and suffering to understand others. What you want for yourself, others want too. This simple but profound realization transforms how you treat all beings.
Verse 6.33
Sanskrit Transliteration:
arjuna uvācha
yo 'yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ sāmyena madhusūdana
etasyāhaṁ na paśhyāmi chañchalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām
Translation:
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, this yoga of equanimity which you have described—I do not see how it can be steadily maintained because of the restlessness of the mind.
Commentary:
Arjuna expresses a universal concern. The yoga of equanimity sounds wonderful, but how can it be maintained when the mind is so restless? This honest acknowledgment of difficulty opens the door for Krishna to address practical challenges.
Learning:
It's okay to acknowledge difficulty. Arjuna's honest admission shows that even great souls struggle with the restless mind. Recognizing the challenge is the first step to addressing it.
The mind is indeed restless, O Krishna, turbulent, strong, and obstinate. I think controlling it is as difficult as controlling the wind.
Commentary:
Arjuna describes the mind's nature vividly: restless (never still), turbulent (causing disturbance), strong (overpowering), and obstinate (resistant to control). Controlling such a mind seems as impossible as catching the wind.
Learning:
The difficulty is real. The mind is powerful and resistant to control. Don't minimize this challenge or feel uniquely incapable. Everyone faces this struggle. Acknowledging the difficulty is honest; giving up because of it is not.
Verse 6.35
Sanskrit Transliteration:
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
asaṁśhayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ chalam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate
Translation:
The Supreme Lord said: Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed one, the mind is difficult to control and restless. But through practice and dispassion, O son of Kunti, it can be restrained.
Commentary:
Krishna validates Arjuna's concern—yes, the mind is difficult to control. But he offers the solution: abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (dispassion/detachment). Regular practice gradually tames the mind, and dispassion reduces the fuel that feeds restlessness.
Learning:
The solution to mental restlessness is twofold: keep practicing and reduce attachments. Practice builds the skill of focusing; dispassion removes what disturbs focus. Both are necessary for progress.
Verse 6.36
Sanskrit Transliteration:
asaṁyatātmanā yogo duṣhprāpa iti me matiḥ
vaśhyātmanā tu yatatā śhakyo 'vāptum upāyataḥ
Translation:
Yoga is difficult to attain for one whose mind is uncontrolled—this is My opinion. But for one who is self-controlled and striving, it is achievable through proper means.
Commentary:
Krishna is realistic: without self-control, yoga is very difficult. But for one who is making effort and has some degree of self-mastery, it's achievable through proper methods. The effort must be there; without it, nothing works.
Learning:
Success requires both the right method and genuine effort. Yoga isn't impossible, but it won't happen by accident or wishful thinking. Control your mind as best you can and keep trying—success becomes achievable.
Arjuna said: One who has faith but lacks self-control, whose mind deviates from yoga and does not attain perfection in yoga—what happens to such a one, O Krishna?
Commentary:
Arjuna raises another practical concern: what happens to someone who tries but fails? One who has faith but can't maintain control, who starts on the path but doesn't finish—what is their fate? Is their effort wasted?
Learning:
This question about incomplete effort is universal. We worry: what if I try and fail? Is partial progress worthless? These fears can prevent us from starting or continuing. Krishna will address this directly.
Having fallen from both paths, does such a one not perish like a scattered cloud—without foundation, O mighty-armed one, bewildered on the path to Brahman?
Commentary:
Arjuna fears the worst: failing in yoga while having abandoned worldly pursuits might leave one with nothing—like a cloud that separates from its mass and dissipates. Does the unsuccessful yogi end up in this hopeless position?
Learning:
The fear of losing both worlds—neither succeeding spiritually nor enjoying material life—is common. It can paralyze spiritual seekers. This fear must be addressed for sincere practice to proceed.
Verse 6.39
Sanskrit Transliteration:
etan me saṁśhayaṁ kṛiṣhṇa chhettum arhasy aśheṣhataḥ
tvad-anyaḥ saṁśhayasyāsya chhettā na hy upapadyate
Translation:
Please dispel this doubt of mine completely, O Krishna. There is no one other than You who can remove this doubt.
Commentary:
Arjuna pleads for complete clarification of this doubt. Only Krishna can resolve it—no other authority is qualified. This shows both Arjuna's trust in Krishna and the importance of the question.
Learning:
When doubt arises, seek authoritative clarification. Don't let uncertainty fester. Find reliable sources—scriptures, realized teachers—who can dispel your doubts. Taking refuge in qualified guidance is wisdom, not weakness.
Verse 6.40
Sanskrit Transliteration:
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśhas tasya vidyate
na hi kalyāṇa-kṛit kaśhchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati
Translation:
The Supreme Lord said: O Partha, neither in this life nor the next is there destruction for such a one. No one who does good, my dear friend, ever comes to a bad end.
Commentary:
Krishna's reassuring answer: the sincere spiritual seeker is never destroyed, neither here nor hereafter. Anyone who acts for spiritual good never meets an evil fate. This is a fundamental law of spiritual life—good effort is never wasted.
Learning:
Your spiritual effort is never wasted. Even if you don't achieve perfection in this life, you have not failed. No sincere attempt at self-improvement leads to ruin. This reassurance should free you to try without fear of failure.
Having attained the worlds of the righteous and dwelling there for many years, one who has fallen from yoga takes birth in the home of the pure and prosperous.
Commentary:
The unsuccessful yogi first enjoys heavenly realms earned by good deeds, then takes birth in favorable circumstances—in a family that is both pure (spiritually inclined) and prosperous (having resources). Such birth provides optimal conditions to resume practice.
Learning:
Even incomplete spiritual progress has benefits. It leads to better future circumstances. You don't start from scratch; you continue from where you left off. Trust that your efforts today create favorable conditions tomorrow.
Verse 6.42
Sanskrit Transliteration:
atha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛiśham
Translation:
Or one may be born into a family of wise yogis. Such a birth is very rare in this world.
Commentary:
Alternatively, the fallen yogi may take birth directly into a family of established yogis. This is even rarer and more fortunate—born into an environment where spiritual wisdom is natural and practice is supported from childhood.
Learning:
If you find yourself in a spiritually supportive environment, consider it a great blessing—possibly the fruit of past effort. Value and use this rare opportunity. Not everyone gets such favorable conditions.
Verse 6.43
Sanskrit Transliteration:
tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam
yatate cha tato bhūyaḥ saṁsiddhau kuru-nandana
Translation:
There, one regains the spiritual insight from the previous body and strives even harder for perfection, O descendant of the Kurus.
Commentary:
In the new life, the yogi naturally reconnects with wisdom gained previously. This awakening drives them to strive with even greater intensity toward perfection. Past practice resurfaces as natural inclination and ability.
Learning:
Early spiritual inclinations may be carryovers from past lives. If you feel drawn to spiritual practice without obvious cause, trust this impulse—it may be resuming interrupted work. Honor and follow such inclinations.
Verse 6.44
Sanskrit Transliteration:
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hy avaśho 'pi saḥ
jijñāsur api yogasya śhabda-brahmātivartate
Translation:
By that previous practice, one is irresistibly drawn toward yoga. Even the inquirer about yoga transcends the results of Vedic rituals.
Commentary:
Previous practice creates an attraction to yoga that feels irresistible—the person is drawn without conscious choice. Even merely inquiring about yoga puts one beyond those who perform Vedic rituals for material results. The interest itself is significant.
Learning:
Your interest in spiritual growth is itself valuable. Even curiosity about yoga places you on a higher trajectory than those focused only on material results. Trust your spiritual inclinations—they arise from something real.
Verse 6.45
Sanskrit Transliteration:
prayatnād yatamānas tu yogī saṁśhuddha-kilbiṣhaḥ
aneka-janma-saṁsiddhas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
Translation:
But the yogi who strives with effort, purified of sins, perfected through many births, then attains the supreme goal.
Commentary:
The dedicated yogi, making effort and becoming purified, reaches perfection over multiple lifetimes and finally attains the ultimate goal. The journey may take many births, but completion is certain for the persistent practitioner.
Learning:
Perfection may require multiple lifetimes—don't be discouraged by slow progress. What matters is persistent effort. Each life purifies further; eventually the goal is reached. Keep striving; no effort is ever lost.
The yogi is superior to ascetics, considered superior even to the learned, and superior to performers of rituals. Therefore, be a yogi, O Arjuna.
Commentary:
Krishna declares the yogi superior to three categories: those who practice austerity (tapasvis), those who have scriptural knowledge (jnanis), and those who perform ritual actions (karmis). The yogi integrates the best of all paths. Therefore, Arjuna should become a yogi.
Learning:
Yoga is the integrative path that combines the benefits of austerity, knowledge, and action. Rather than pursuing one aspect exclusively, be a yogi—one who unites all aspects in balanced practice. This is the complete path.
Verse 6.47
Sanskrit Transliteration:
yoginām api sarveṣhāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā
śhraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
Translation:
And of all yogis, one who worships Me with faith, with the inner self absorbed in Me—such a one I consider most intimately united with Me.
Commentary:
Among all types of yogis, Krishna considers the bhakti yogi—one who worships with faith and whose inner being is absorbed in the divine—as the highest. This chapter, which began with meditation techniques, culminates in devotion as the supreme path.
Learning:
The highest yoga is loving devotion combined with inner absorption in the divine. Technical practices are valuable, but they find their fulfillment in love. Let your meditation practice lead to devotion; let knowledge flower into love. This is the pinnacle of yoga.
Translation and commentary sourced from public domain texts.
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