Sitting with the Mind

अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः ।
स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः ॥1॥

The Lord said: The one who does the work that must be done, without leaning on its fruit, is the renouncer and the yogi; not the one who has merely put out his fire and stopped working.

यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव ।
न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन ॥2॥

Know that what people call renunciation is yoga, Pandava. No one becomes a yogi without giving up his designs.

आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते ।
योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते ॥3॥

For the sage climbing towards yoga, work is said to be the means; for one already established in it, stillness is.

यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते ।
सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते ॥4॥

When a person is no longer caught in the objects of sense or in actions, and has given up every design, then he is said to have climbed to yoga.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥5॥

Lift yourself by yourself; do not let yourself sink. You are your own friend, and you are your own enemy.

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः ।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥6॥

For the one who has won himself by himself, he is his own friend; for the one who has not, he behaves towards himself like an enemy.

जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः ।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः ॥7॥

In one who has won himself and is at peace, the highest self stays settled through cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour.

ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रियः ।
युक्त इत्युच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ॥8॥

Content with knowledge and insight, unmoved, senses in hand, seeing a clod, a stone and gold as the same, such a practitioner is called joined.

सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु ।
साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते ॥9॥

The one whose mind is even towards well-wisher, friend, enemy, stranger, arbiter, the hateful and the kin, and towards the good and the sinful alike, stands out.

योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः ।
एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः ॥10॥

Let the practitioner stay apart, alone, mind and body in hand, without expectation and without hoarding, and keep joining himself to it.

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः ।
नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम् ॥11॥

In a clean place let him set up a firm seat, neither too high nor too low, with cloth, skin and kusha grass laid one over the other.

तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः ।
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये ॥12॥

Sitting there, holding the movements of mind and senses in check, making the mind one-pointed, let him practise to become clear within.

समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः ।
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ॥13॥

Holding body, head and neck straight and still, steady, looking at the tip of his own nose and not gazing about,

प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः ।
मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः ॥14॥

calm within, free of fear, holding to the vow of continence, mind restrained, let him sit with his thought on me, with me as the goal.

युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः ।
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति ॥15॥

Joining himself to it constantly this way, his mind held in check, the practitioner comes to the peace that ends in stillness and rests in me.

नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः ।
न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन ॥16॥

Yoga is not for one who eats too much, Arjuna, nor for one who does not eat at all, nor for one who sleeps too much or stays awake too long.

युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥17॥

For one measured in eating and moving about, measured in his efforts at work, measured in sleeping and waking, yoga puts an end to sorrow.

यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते ।
निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा ॥18॥

When the mind, brought under control, rests in the self alone, free of craving for anything wanted, then a person is called joined.

यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता ।
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ॥19॥

A lamp in a windless place does not flicker: that is the image given for the practitioner whose mind is in hand and who is joined to the self.

यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया ।
यत्र चैवात्मनात्मानं पश्यन्नात्मनि तुष्यति ॥20॥

Where the mind, stilled by practice, comes to rest; where, seeing the self by the self, he is content in the self;

सुखमात्यन्तिकं यत्तद् बुद्धिग्राह्यमतीन्द्रियम् ।
वेत्ति यत्र न चैवायं स्थितश्चलति तत्त्वतः ॥21॥

where he knows that endless happiness which the understanding grasps and the senses cannot reach, and settled there he does not stray from the truth of it;

यं लब्ध्वा चापरं लाभं मन्यते नाधिकं ततः ।
यस्मिन्स्थितो न दुःखेन गुरुणापि विचाल्यते ॥22॥

having gained which he counts no other gain greater, and settled in which he is not shaken even by heavy sorrow:

तं विद्याद् दुःखसंयोगवियोगं योगसंज्ञितम् ।
स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोऽनिर्विण्णचेतसा ॥23॥

know that to be what is called yoga, the parting of company with sorrow. It is to be practised with resolve and without losing heart.

सङ्कल्पप्रभवान्कामांस्त्यक्त्वा सर्वानशेषतः ।
मनसैवेन्द्रियग्रामं विनियम्य समन्ततः ॥24॥

Letting go of every desire that springs from design, holding the whole crowd of senses in check on all sides with the mind alone,

शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया ।
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥25॥

let him grow still little by little, with an understanding held steady, and setting the mind in the self, let him think of nothing at all.

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥26॥

Wherever this restless, unsteady mind runs off, bring it back from there and hold it in the self.

प्रशान्तमनसं ह्येनं योगिनं सुखमुत्तमम् ।
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतमकल्मषम् ॥27॥

The highest happiness comes of itself to the practitioner whose mind is calm, in whom passion has quietened, who is faultless and has become Brahman.

युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मषः ।
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्नुते ॥28॥

Joining himself this way, free of fault, the practitioner easily enjoys the endless happiness of touching Brahman.

सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।
ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ॥29॥

Joined in practice, seeing the same everywhere, he sees the self in all beings and all beings in the self.

यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति ।
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥30॥

One who sees me everywhere and sees everything in me, to him I am never lost, and he is never lost to me.

सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः ।
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ॥31॥

The one who, settled in oneness, worships me as present in all beings, lives in me, however else he may be living.

आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन ।
सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥32॥

The one who sees everything as the same, Arjuna, measuring it by himself, whether in pleasure or in pain, is held to be the finest practitioner.

योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्तः साम्येन मधुसूदन ।
एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात्स्थितिं स्थिराम् ॥33॥

Arjuna said: This yoga of evenness you describe, Madhusudana, I do not see it holding steady, because the mind is so restless.

चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद् दृढम् ।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥34॥

The mind is restless, Krishna, it churns, it is strong and stubborn. Holding it down seems to me as hard as holding the wind.

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् ।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥35॥

The Lord said: No doubt the mind is restless and hard to hold, mighty-armed one. But by practice and by letting go, Kaunteya, it is held.

असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः ।
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः ॥36॥

For one whose self is unruly, yoga is hard to reach: that is my view. But one who is self-possessed and makes the effort can reach it by the right means.

अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः ।
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति ॥37॥

Arjuna said: One who has trust but cannot hold himself, whose mind wanders from the practice and who does not reach its fulfilment, where does he end up, Krishna?

कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति ।
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥38॥

Fallen from both, without a footing, confused on the path to Brahman, does he not simply break up like a scattered cloud, mighty-armed one?

एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः ।
त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते ॥39॥

You are the one to cut this doubt of mine completely, Krishna. No one but you could cut it.

पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते ।
न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ॥40॥

The Lord said: Neither here nor hereafter is he lost, Partha. No one who does good, my friend, comes to a bad end.

प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः ।
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते ॥41॥

Fallen from the practice, he reaches the worlds of those who have done good, lives there many years, and is then born in the house of the pure and the prosperous.

अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् ।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ॥42॥

Or he is born into a family of practitioners who have understanding, though such a birth is harder still to get in this world.

तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् ।
यतते च ततो भूयः संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन ॥43॥

There he recovers the understanding formed in his earlier body, Kurunandana, and from there he strives harder still towards fulfilment.

पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः ।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते ॥44॥

That earlier practice carries him along even against his will. Even wanting to know this yoga takes a person past the word of scripture.

प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः ।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥45॥

Striving with effort, cleansed of every fault, ripened over many births, the practitioner then reaches the highest.

तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः ।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ॥46॥

The practitioner stands above those who do austerities, above the learned, above those busy with rites. So be a practitioner, Arjuna.

योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना ।
श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः ॥47॥

And of all practitioners, the one who worships me with his inmost self given to me, and who trusts, is in my view the most closely joined.