हरि सर्वोत्तम । वायु जीवोत्तम । श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ।
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Bhagavad Gita 6: Ātmasaṃyama Yoga
हरि सर्वोत्तम । वायु जीवोत्तम । श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ।
अथ षष्ठोऽध्यायः
आत्मसंयमयोगः
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः ।
स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः ॥ ६।१ ॥
Śrī Bhagavān said –
He, who does what ought to be done, without seeking or attachment to its fruit, is both a Sannyāsi and a Yogi; and not he who is (merely performing) without sacrificial fire or without rites.
यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव ।
न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन ॥ ६।२ ॥
O Arjuna, what they speak of as Sannyāsa (avoiding of anger and other passions), know that to be Yoga (absence of passions and performance of the duty enjoined on his Varṇa and Āśrama without attachment to fruits thereof), for no one becomes a Yogi without renouncing the desire for fruits and other attachments.
आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते ।
योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते ॥ ६।३ ॥
For the sage who is seeking to enter on Yoga (the path of meditation), performance of duties as enjoined on ones Varṇa and Āśrama is said to be the means; and when the self-same sage becomes a seer of God (Apārokṣa Jñāni), for him, complete concentration on God becomes the means of further happiness in Mukti.
यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते ।
सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते ॥ ६।४ ॥
When one ceases to have any attachment, either for the objects of senses or for actions, and completely renounces all desire and thought, he is said to be one that has ascended to the summit of Yoga or well-established in Yoga.
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥ ६।५ ॥
One should elevate his soul by the mind, and not depress it. The mind alone is the friend of the the soul and the mind alone is (as well) the enemy of the soul.
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः ।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥ ६।६ ॥
For him, whose mind is conquered by knowledge, the mind is truly his friend. But for him who has not subdued the mind, the same mind turns hostile like a foe.
जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः ।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः ॥ ६।७ ॥
To him who has subdued his senses and whose mind is completely unperturbed and calm, God becomes manifest.
ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रियः ।
युक्त इत्युच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ॥ ६।८ ॥
सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु ।
साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते ॥ ६।९ ॥
Such a Yogi (devotee) who is contented with his general knowledge of the greatness of the Lord as described in Vedas, and with his special knowledge of the greatness of the Lord through special insight, and has consequently acquired equanimity of mind that would enable him to react equally well to cold and heat, pleasure and pain, and honour and dishonour, unaffected by them like the sky and who values equally a lump of clay, stone, and gold – he is considered a full-fledged Yogi.
He is the perfect Yogi who regards evenly the good hearted, the friend, the foe, the indifferent, the neutral, the hated, and the relative, the righteous and the unrighteous (because they are all seats of the Lord, who, as the Independent Master of the Universe, has created them differently according to their Kārmic-fitness).
योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः ।
एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः ॥ ६।१० ॥
Let the Yogi apply his mind to meditation constantly staying in a secluded place with his mind and body under restraint, having exchewed desires, and receiving no favors from others.
शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः ।
नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम् ॥ ६।११ ॥
तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः ।
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये ॥ ६।१२ ॥
For the purification of Self one should practise Yoga in a pure place, seated firmly in a pure place on a seat neither very much raised nor very low, with cloth, deer-skin and Kuśa grass spread one over the other, with his mind, senses and activities controlled.
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः ।
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ॥ ६।१३ ॥
प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः ।
मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः ॥ ६।१४ ॥
Holding the body, head and neck, all erect, motionless and steady, gazing with fixed eyes at the tip of the nose without looking in other directions, tranquil in mind, without fear, firm in the vow of Brahmacarya (continence) and the mind controlled and turned to Me and believing that I (the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa) am the supreme, he should sit meditating on Me.
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः ।
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति ॥ ६।१५ ॥
Having thus always fixed the mind on the Lord, the Yogi with mind controlled, attains Mokṣa the blessed state of being in Me after final destruction of Liñga Śarīra.
नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः ।
न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन ॥ ६।१६ ॥
O Arjuna, Yoga is no good for him who eats too much or who abstains altogether from food or who is addicted to too much sleep or keeps awake too much.
युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥ ६।१७ ॥
Yoga destroys the misery of he who is regular and balanced in food, recreation, in performing actions, in sleeping, and waking.
यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते ।
निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा ॥ ६।१८ ॥
When the mind completely kept under control is transfixed in God alone, free from other longing, he is then said to be a full blown Yogin.
यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता ।
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ॥ ६।१९ ॥
A lamp in a windless place does not flicker; to such is to be likened the Yogi who has restrained his mind and who devotes it to the contemplation of God.
यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया ।
यत्र चैवात्मनात्मानं पश्यन्नात्मनि तुष्यति ॥ ६।२० ॥
That state in which the mind arrested by the practice of Yoga rests undisturbed withdrawing itself from external activities and in which the Yogi sees the Lord through the mind and rejoices within himself.
सुखमात्यन्तिकं यत्तद् बुद्धिग्राह्यमतीन्द्रियम् ।
वेत्ति यत्र न चैवायं स्थितश्चलति तत्त्वतः ॥ ६।२१ ॥
That state in which he finds that supreme happiness which is realised by direct self experience and is beyond ordinary sense experience and wherein staying, his vision is not distracted or diverted from the seen Divine Form.
यं लब्ध्वा चापरं लाभं मन्यते नाधिकं ततः ।
यस्मिन्स्थितो न दुःखेन गुरुणापि विचाल्यते ॥ ६।२२ ॥
That state, having attained which he does not regard any other gain as superior to it and wherein staying, he is not moved even by the heaviest sorrow.
तं विद्याद् दुःखसंयोगवियोगं योगसंज्ञितम् ।
स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोऽनिर्विण्णचेतसा ॥ ६।२३ ॥
That state is to be understood as Yoga which is free from all contact of pain and suffering; this Yoga should be pursued with determination and with a detached mind.
सङ्कल्पप्रभवान्कामांस्त्यक्त्वा सर्वानशेषतः ।
मनसैवेन्द्रियग्रामं विनियम्य समन्ततः ॥ ६।२४ ॥
शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया ।
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥ ६।२५ ॥
Abandoning completely all desires born of Sañkalpa (the mental resolve to do a thing for a definite purpose) and restraining on all sides the group of the senses by the mind, he should little by little, withdraw the mind with the aid of wisdom or reason controlled by steadiness from external objects, and let it rest and delight in God.
यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥ ६।२६ ॥
Whenever the wavering and unsteady mind wanders away, he should restrain and withdraw it from those objects of sense and cause it to rest entirely in God.
प्रशान्तमनसं ह्येनं योगिनं सुखमुत्तमम् ।
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतमकल्मषम् ॥ ६।२७ ॥
Supreme joy certainly comes to the Yogi whose mind is perfectly calm (whose mind does not go after the sense-objects) and who has subdued his desire and anger arising out of Rajoguṇa and who firmly rests in God and who is free from all faults and taints.
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मषः ।
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्नुते ॥ ६।२८ ॥
The Yogi who has become free from taints and impurities (Rāga and other evil passions) by thus contemplating ever on God, enjoys unsurpassed bliss brought about by direct contact with Brahman.
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।
ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ॥ ६।२९ ॥
He whose mind is devoted to Yoga and who sees God in everything and realises that He is immanent equally in everything from Brahma to a blade of grass with the same glory and power, that Yogi sees God in all beings and all beings in God.
यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति ।
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥ ६।३० ॥
Whoever sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me (as dependent on Me), of him I do not cease to be protector nor does he cease to be My bhakta (recipient of such protection).
सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः ।
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ॥ ६।३१ ॥
He who considering that the supreme Lord is but One everywhere worships Me abiding in all things – that Yogi lives in Me (i.e., attains Mukti), whatever may be his mode of living.
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन ।
सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥ ६।३२ ॥
O Arjuna, he who regards on the analogy of his own self that, whatever is pleasure and pain to himself, is equally so to all beings, that person is deemed to be a perfect yogi.
अर्जुन उवाच
योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्तः साम्येन मधुसूदन ।
एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात्स्थितिं स्थिराम् ॥ ६।३३ ॥
Arjuna said –
O Madhusūdana, this Yoga You have described with reference to God’s presence everywhere and in everything of this, I am unable to understand its permanent characteristic or form on account of the (proverbial) restlessness of the mind.
चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद् दृढम् ।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥ ६।३४ ॥
For, O Kṛṣṇa, the mind is verily restless, turbulent, dogged and difficult to bend. I think its control is as difficult as that of the wind.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् ।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥ ६।३५ ॥
Śrī Bhagavān said –
O Mighty armed, the mind is undoubtedly difficult to curb, and is unsteady. But O Kunti’s son, it can be restrained by constant practice and renunciation.
असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः ।
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः ॥ ६।३६ ॥
My opinion is that Yoga is not attainable by him who has not restrained his mind. But it is attainable by one who has brought the mind under control, by ceaseless striving and skill.
अर्जुन उवाच
अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः ।
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति ॥ ६।३७ ॥
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति ।
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥ ६।३८ ॥
एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः ।
त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते ॥ ६।३९ ॥
Arjuna said –
O Kṛṣṇa, what fate would be his, who does not exert himself in full but has faith and nevertheless fails to attain perfection in Yoga through disturbances in contemplating on God. Fallen from both, O Mighty Armed Kṛṣṇa, does he, like a rent cloud without support and deluded in the path leading to Brahman, get destroyed. O Kṛṣṇa, it behooves You to completely dispel this doubt of mine, for there is verily none except You who is able to dispel it.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते ।
न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ॥ ६।४० ॥
Śrī Bhagavān said –
O son of Pṛthā, neither in this world nor in the world to come is there destruction for him. For no one who practices the meditation and other pious and auspicious duties with faith meets with an evil end.
प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः ।
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते ॥ ६।४१ ॥
Having attained the worlds earned by merit and having dwelt there for many years, he who has swerved away from Yoga, is again born in the home of the pure and the wealthy.
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् ।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ॥ ६।४२ ॥
Or, he may be born in the family of wise and adept Yogis. Really such a birth is very rare to obtain in this world.
तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् ।
यतते च ततो भूयः संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन ॥ ६।४३ ॥
O son of Kuru, there he recalls and regains the contemplation of the Lord which he had practised in his previous birth and with this, he strives again for further accomplishment.
पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः ।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते ॥ ६।४४ ॥
By the former practice, in spite of himself he is drawn involuntarily to it. Even the seeker of intellectual clarification of Yoga passes beyond the law of “do and refrain” rules (Vidhi) relating to religious injunctions and prohibitions and attains salvation.
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः ।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥ ६।४५ ॥
But the Yogi, who strives himself with assiduity, becomes cleansed of all taints and impurities and perfected through and after many lives, reaches the highest goal.
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः ।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ॥ ६।४६ ॥
The actual (Dhyāna) Yogi is superior to the performers of penance. He is also superior to Yogi of true knowledge. He is considered greater than those who perform Vedic rituals. Therefore, Arjuna, you had better develop to be a Yogi.
योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना ।
श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः ॥ ६।४७ ॥
Even amongst all the Yogis, he who worships Me with devotion (Bhakti) with his mind absorbed in Me is considered by Me as the most perfect yogi.
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु
ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे
आत्मसंयमयोगो नाम षष्ठोऽध्यायः ॥ ६॥
Thus ends the Sixth Chapter of the Upanisads of the Bhagavad Gīta, entitled “Ātmasaṃyama Yoga”, the Yoga of Self-Restraint.
Reference: Srimad Bhagavad Gita pocket book published by Suguna Samsath with English translation by Shri Bannanje Govindacharya (Received with blessings from HH Shri Shri Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji of Puttige Matha in Austin, TX, Nov 1997)
Transliterated by Krishna Rao Vijayanagar and Raghunath Rao
“Do your Best … and leave the Rest … “
॥ सर्वं श्री कृष्णार्पणं अस्तु ॥
