Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3, Verse 6

Chapter 3 – Karma Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् ।
इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते ॥

Transliteration

karmendriyāṇi saṃyamya ya āste manasā smaran .
indriyārthānvimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate ॥

Meaning

The deluded person who restrains the organs of action yet sits brooding in his mind over sense objects is called a hypocrite.

Word meanings

कर्मेन्द्रियाणि – organs of action
संयम्य – restraining
यः – who
आस्ते – sits
मनसा – with the mind
स्मरन् – brooding on
इन्द्रियार्थान् – sense objects
विमूढात्मा – deluded in mind
मिथ्याचारः – a hypocrite
सः – he
उच्यते – is called

Anvaya (word order)

यः विमूढात्मा कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य मनसा इन्द्रियार्थान् स्मरन् आस्ते, सः मिथ्याचारः उच्यते ।

Explanation

Having shown that action cannot be avoided, the Lord now identifies the seeker who only pretends to have given it up. He holds back hands, speech and feet, yet his mind runs after sense objects. The real action is occurring within him, so the outer calm is mere covering.

‘Mithyachara’ means false conduct. The falsehood is not only toward others but toward himself: he thinks of himself as a seeker while the longing for enjoyment is alive inside. Shankara bluntly calls this hypocrisy and says that outward restraint without inner purity is pointless.

In Ramanuja's understanding, restraining the organs of action is meaningful only when the mind is engaged in contemplation of the Self; otherwise it is display, not discipline. The word ‘vimudhatma’ further suggests that the person is truly deluded rather than cunningly deceitful.

The verse is a warning for seekers of every age: the measure of practice is not posture, dress or silence, but the direction of the mind. Where the mind is, there the person is.

Context

Verses 3.4 and 3.5 said that renunciation of action is neither possible nor sufficient. Verse 3.6 now paints the pseudo-renunciate who stops action only outwardly, and verse 3.7 will contrast him with the true Karma Yogi.

Life lesson

Outer restraint alone is not enough; what goes on in the depths of the mind is the real practice. Avoid show and stay honest with your own mind.

Key terms

Karmendriya: the five organs of action: speech, hands, feet, excretory and generative organs
Mithyachara: hypocrisy, false conduct
Vimudhatma: one whose mind is clouded by delusion