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The Yoga of Meditation
ध्यानयोगः · Dhyāna-yoga · 47 verses
This is Krishna's practical manual for meditation. He describes the person who is their own best friend or worst enemy, then the setting, posture, food, sleep and effort that support steady practice, and the stillness that comes like a lamp in a windless place. Arjuna asks the honest question every meditator has: the mind is restless, so what if I fail? Krishna's reassurance is that no sincere effort is ever wasted.
Traditionally linked with the Moon, the planet of the mind, and Saturn, the planet of discipline, and with the 4th house of inner peace. It is read during Moon periods or hard transits on the 4th house, when the mind will not settle. The chapter's message is that steadiness is built by moderation and patient repetition, not by force. It is a reflective practice, not a prediction.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः ।
स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca
anāśritaḥ karmaphalaṃ kāryaṃ karma karoti yaḥ |
sa saṃnyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnirna cākriyaḥ ||
यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव ।
न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन ॥
yaṃ saṃnyāsamiti prāhuryogaṃ taṃ viddhi pāṇḍava |
na hyasaṃnyastasaṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana ||
Krishna says: one who does their duty without depending on its result is both a renouncer and a yogi, not the one who merely lights no fire or does no work. What they call renunciation, know as yoga, for no one becomes a yogi without giving up scheming for results.
आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते ।
योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते ॥
ārurukṣormuneryogaṃ karma kāraṇamucyate |
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇamucyate ||
यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते ।
सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते ॥
yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu na karmasvanuṣajjate |
sarvasaṅkalpasaṃnyāsī yogārūḍhastadocyate ||
For a sage who wants to climb to yoga, action is the means; for one who has already climbed, stillness is the means. When a person is no longer drawn to the objects of the senses or to actions, and has let go of all scheming, they are said to have risen to yoga.
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
uddharedātmanātmānaṃ nātmānamavasādayet |
ātmaiva hyātmano bandhurātmaiva ripurātmanaḥ ||
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः ।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥
bandhurātmātmanastasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ |
anātmanastu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat ||
Lift yourself by yourself and do not let yourself sink, for the self is its own friend and its own enemy. The self is a friend to the one who has mastered it; but for one who has not, the self acts like an enemy.
जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः ।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः ॥
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ |
śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ ||
ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रियः ।
युक्त इत्युच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ॥
jñānavijñānatṛptātmā kūṭastho vijitendriyaḥ |
yukta ityucyate yogī samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ ||
सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु ।
साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते ॥
suhṛnmitrāryudāsīnamadhyasthadveṣyabandhuṣu |
sādhuṣvapi ca pāpeṣu samabuddhirviśiṣyate ||
For one who has mastered the self and is at peace, the Supreme stays steady in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honour and disgrace. A yogi who is content with knowledge and direct realisation, unshaken and in command of the senses, seeing a clod, a stone and gold as equal, is called harmonised. One who treats with equal mind friends, companions, enemies, neutrals, mediators, those who hate, relatives, the good and the wrongdoers, stands out.
योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः ।
एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः ॥
yogī yuñjīta satatamātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥ |
ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśīraparigrahaḥ ||
शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः ।
नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम् ॥
śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiramāsanamātmanaḥ |
nātyucchritaṃ nātinīcaṃ cailājinakuśottaram ||
तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः ।
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये ॥
tatraikāgraṃ manaḥ kṛtvā yatacittendriyakriyaḥ |
upaviśyāsane yuñjyādyogamātmaviśuddhaye ||
The yogi should practise concentration constantly, staying in a quiet place, alone, with mind and body under control, free of craving and of possessions. In a clean spot, set a steady seat for yourself, neither too high nor too low, covered with cloth, deerskin and kusha grass. Seated there, make the mind single-pointed, holding thought and the senses in check, and practise yoga to purify the self.
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः ।
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ॥
samaṃ kāyaśirogrīvaṃ dhārayannacalaṃ sthiraḥ |
samprekṣya nāsikāgraṃ svaṃ diśaścānavalokayan ||
प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः ।
मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः ॥
praśāntātmā vigatabhīrbrahmacārivrate sthitaḥ |
manaḥ saṃyamya maccitto yukta āsīta matparaḥ ||
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः ।
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति ॥
yuñjannevaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī niyatamānasaḥ |
śāntiṃ nirvāṇaparamāṃ matsaṃsthāmadhigacchati ||
Holding the body, head and neck upright and still, gazing at the tip of the nose without looking around, calm, fearless, steady in the vow of discipline, with the mind controlled, thinking of Me and absorbed in Me: that is how to sit. In this way, always keeping the self united, a yogi with a controlled mind reaches the peace that ends in Me, the highest freedom.
नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः ।
न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन ॥
nātyaśnatastu yogo’sti na caikāntamanaśnataḥ |
na cātisvapnaśīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna ||
युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥
yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu |
yuktasvapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkhahā ||
Yoga is not for one who eats too much or fasts completely, nor for one who sleeps too much or too little. For the person who is moderate in food and recreation, moderate in effort, and moderate in sleep and waking, yoga becomes the end of sorrow.
यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते ।
निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा ॥
yadā viniyataṃ cittamātmanyevāvatiṣṭhate |
niḥspṛhaḥ sarvakāmebhyo yukta ityucyate tadā ||
यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता ।
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ॥
yathā dīpo nivātastho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā |
yogino yatacittasya yuñjato yogamātmanaḥ ||
When the disciplined mind rests in the self alone, free from craving for every desire, a person is called steady in yoga. As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, that is the picture for a yogi with a controlled mind who practises union with the self.
यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया ।
यत्र चैवात्मनात्मानं पश्यन्नात्मनि तुष्यति ॥
yatroparamate cittaṃ niruddhaṃ yogasevayā |
yatra caivātmanātmānaṃ paśyannātmani tuṣyati ||
सुखमात्यन्तिकं यत्तद् बुद्धिग्राह्यमतीन्द्रियम् ।
वेत्ति यत्र न चैवायं स्थितश्चलति तत्त्वतः ॥
sukhamātyantikaṃ yattad buddhigrāhyamatīndriyam |
vetti yatra na caivāyaṃ sthitaścalati tattvataḥ ||
यं लब्ध्वा चापरं लाभं मन्यते नाधिकं ततः ।
यस्मिन्स्थितो न दुःखेन गुरुणापि विचाल्यते ॥
yaṃ labdhvā cāparaṃ lābhaṃ manyate nādhikaṃ tataḥ |
yasminsthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate ||
तं विद्याद् दुःखसंयोगवियोगं योगसंज्ञितम् ।
स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोऽनिर्विण्णचेतसा ॥
taṃ vidyād duḥkhasaṃyogaviyogaṃ yogasaṃjñitam |
sa niścayena yoktavyo yogo’nirviṇṇacetasā ||
When the mind, held still by the practice of yoga, comes to rest, and the person sees the self by the self and is content in the self; when they know the boundless happiness that lies beyond the senses and is grasped by the pure intellect, and never move from the truth; when, having reached it, they think no other gain greater and are not shaken even by great sorrow: know that to be yoga, the end of union with pain. This yoga is to be practised with determination and an undiscouraged mind.
सङ्कल्पप्रभवान्कामांस्त्यक्त्वा सर्वानशेषतः ।
मनसैवेन्द्रियग्रामं विनियम्य समन्ततः ॥
saṅkalpaprabhavānkāmāṃstyaktvā sarvānaśeṣataḥ |
manasaivendriyagrāmaṃ viniyamya samantataḥ ||
शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया ।
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥
śanaiḥ śanairuparamed buddhyā dhṛtigṛhītayā |
ātmasaṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcidapi cintayet ||
यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥
yato yato niścarati manaścañcalamasthiram |
tatastato niyamyaitadātmanyeva vaśaṃ nayet ||
Giving up completely every desire born of scheming, and holding back the whole crowd of senses on all sides by the mind, let a person come to stillness little by little, with an intellect held steady, the mind rooted in the self and thinking of nothing else. Whenever the restless, unsteady mind wanders off, bring it back and place it under the control of the self alone.
प्रशान्तमनसं ह्येनं योगिनं सुखमुत्तमम् ।
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतमकल्मषम् ॥
praśāntamanasaṃ hyenaṃ yoginaṃ sukhamuttamam |
upaiti śāntarajasaṃ brahmabhūtamakalmaṣam ||
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मषः ।
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्नुते ॥
yuñjannevaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī vigatakalmaṣaḥ |
sukhena brahmasaṃsparśamatyantaṃ sukhamaśnute ||
सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।
ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः ॥
sarvabhūtasthamātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani |
īkṣate yogayuktātmā sarvatra samadarśanaḥ ||
Supreme happiness comes to the yogi whose mind is peaceful, whose passion is calm, who is free of wrong and has become one with Reality. Keeping the self always united in this way, the yogi free from wrong easily enjoys the endless joy of touching Brahman. The one whose self is joined by yoga sees the self in all beings and all beings in the self, seeing the same everywhere.
यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति ।
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति ॥
yo māṃ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṃ ca mayi paśyati |
tasyāhaṃ na praṇaśyāmi sa ca me na praṇaśyati ||
सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः ।
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ॥
sarvabhūtasthitaṃ yo māṃ bhajatyekatvamāsthitaḥ |
sarvathā vartamāno’pi sa yogī mayi vartate ||
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन ।
सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṃ paśyati yo’rjuna |
sukhaṃ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṃ sa yogī paramo mataḥ ||
For the one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, and neither are they lost to Me. A yogi who is steady in oneness and worships Me as present in all beings lives in Me, however they may be living. One who sees the same everywhere by comparing it to their own self, whether in pleasure or in pain, is thought to be the highest yogi.
अर्जुन उवाच
योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्तः साम्येन मधुसूदन ।
एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात्स्थितिं स्थिराम् ॥
arjuna uvāca
yo’yaṃ yogastvayā proktaḥ sāmyena madhusūdana |
etasyāhaṃ na paśyāmi cañcalatvātsthitiṃ sthirām ||
चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद् दृढम् ।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥
cañcalaṃ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham |
tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyoriva suduṣkaram ||
Arjuna says: this yoga of evenness that you have described, I cannot see it standing firm, because the mind is so restless. The mind is restless, turbulent, strong and stubborn, and I think holding it back is as hard as holding back the wind.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् ।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca
asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam |
abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate ||
असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः ।
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः ॥
asaṃyatātmanā yogo duṣprāpa iti me matiḥ |
vaśyātmanā tu yatatā śakyo’vāptumupāyataḥ ||
Krishna answers: without doubt, mighty-armed, the mind is hard to hold and restless, but it can be held by practice and by detachment. Yoga is hard to reach for a person who cannot rule themselves, I think; but one who rules themselves and keeps trying by the right means can reach it.
अर्जुन उवाच
अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः ।
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति ॥
arjuna uvāca
ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto yogāccalitamānasaḥ |
aprāpya yogasaṃsiddhiṃ kāṃ gatiṃ kṛṣṇa gacchati ||
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति ।
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥
kaccinnobhayavibhraṣṭaśchinnābhramiva naśyati |
apratiṣṭho mahābāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi ||
एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः ।
त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते ॥
etanme saṃśayaṃ kṛṣṇa chettumarhasyaśeṣataḥ |
tvadanyaḥ saṃśayasyāsya chettā na hyupapadyate ||
Arjuna asks: what happens to someone who has faith but does not keep striving, whose mind slips away from yoga before reaching perfection? Does such a person not perish like a broken cloud, failing on both sides, with no support, lost on the path to Brahman? Please remove this doubt of mine completely; no one but you can.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते ।
न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca
pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśastasya vidyate |
na hi kalyāṇakṛtkaścid durgatiṃ tāta gacchati ||
प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः ।
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते ॥
prāpya puṇyakṛtāṃ lokānuṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |
śucīnāṃ śrīmatāṃ gehe yogabhraṣṭo’bhijāyate ||
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् ।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् ॥
athavā yogināmeva kule bhavati dhīmatām |
etaddhi durlabhataraṃ loke janma yadīdṛśam ||
Krishna answers: neither here nor beyond is there ruin for such a person; no one who does good ever comes to a bad end. Having reached the worlds of the righteous and lived there for many years, the one who slipped from yoga is born in the home of the pure and prosperous, or in the family of wise yogis, a birth very hard to find in this world.
तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् ।
यतते च ततो भूयः संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन ॥
tatra taṃ buddhisaṃyogaṃ labhate paurvadehikam |
yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ saṃsiddhau kurunandana ||
पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः ।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते ॥
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśo’pi saḥ |
jijñāsurapi yogasya śabdabrahmātivartate ||
There they regain the mental connection from their earlier life and strive again toward perfection. By that very earlier practice they are carried forward even without meaning to be; even one who only wishes to know yoga goes beyond the mere words of ritual.
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः ।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् ॥
prayatnādyatamānastu yogī saṃśuddhakilbiṣaḥ |
anekajanmasaṃsiddhastato yāti parāṃ gatim ||
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः ।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ॥
tapasvibhyo’dhiko yogī jñānibhyo’pi mato’dhikaḥ |
karmibhyaścādhiko yogī tasmādyogī bhavārjuna ||
योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना ।
श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः ॥
yogināmapi sarveṣāṃ madgatenāntarātmanā |
śraddhāvānbhajate yo māṃ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ ||
A yogi who keeps trying with effort, cleansed of wrong and perfected over many births, reaches the highest goal. The yogi is greater than ascetics, greater than the learned, and greater than those who perform rituals; so be a yogi, Arjuna. And of all yogis, the one who loves Me with faith, with the inner self absorbed in Me, I consider the most perfectly united.
The verses are the traditional Sanskrit text. The explanations are original summaries, not a particular translator's words. The astrology guide is a devotional, reflective practice, not a prediction and not a substitute for professional advice.