The Bhagavad Gita · A reading companion
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6Dhyana Yoga
Meditation and the restless mind
Vedika editorial guide · 47 verses in the chapter · Selected passages below
Chapter 6 summary
Chapter 6 develops the discipline of meditation while acknowledging the difficulty of a restless mind. Krishna connects practice with balance in daily life, and Arjuna asks what happens when a sincere practitioner falls short.
Reading the chapter
Follow these passages in order. The notes are Vedika’s synthesis; they are not a word-for-word translation or a substitute for a commentary.
Bhagavad Gita 6.10–17
Preparing for meditation
The chapter describes a place, seat and posture for practice. It also counsels moderation in ordinary activities. Read the practical instructions in the context of the chapter’s spiritual aim; this study guide is an introduction to the text, not a personalized practice prescription.
Bhagavad Gita 6.26–35
Returning a wandering mind
Arjuna compares the mind’s restlessness with the wind. Krishna acknowledges its difficulty and points to practice and non-attachment. This exchange is useful to read as a dialogue: the student’s objection is part of the teaching, not an interruption to it.
Bhagavad Gita 6.37–47
When effort seems unfinished
Arjuna asks about a person who begins the path but does not reach its goal. Krishna answers within the text’s account of spiritual continuity and rebirth. The chapter closes by connecting yoga with devotion, preparing the reader for later discussions.
Selected Sanskrit verses & English meaning
Selections from Vedika’s published chapter collection. This page does not reproduce all the chapter’s verses. English renderings are those stored in that collection; a named translator is not recorded there.
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् । आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet / ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
Let a person lift themselves by themselves; let them not degrade themselves. For the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self.
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् । अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥
asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam / abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed one, the mind is difficult to control and restless. But by practice and by detachment, O Kaunteya, it can be controlled.
Which verse discusses practice and detachment?
Verse 6.35 names abhyasa, practice, and vairagya, non-attachment, in Krishna’s reply to Arjuna about the restless mind. Read it with Arjuna’s objection in 6.33–34.
Sources & reading across traditions
The primary text is Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, within the Mahabharata. Verse ranges above identify the passages behind the reading notes. Philosophical interpretations differ among traditions.
Read Chapter 6 with Swami Mukundananda’s commentary ↗An attributed devotional commentary for comparison; not the credited source of Vedika’s English renderings.