Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 25

Chapter 6 – Dhyana Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

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

Transliteration

śanaiḥ śanairuparamed buddhyā dhṛtigṛhītayā .
ātmasaṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcidapi cintayet ॥

Meaning

Little by little let him withdraw, by an intellect held firm with steadfastness; having made the mind abide in the Self, let him think of nothing else at all.

Word meanings

शनैः शनैः – little by little, gradually
उपरमेत् – should withdraw, become quiet
बुद्ध्या – by the intellect
धृतिगृहीतया – held by steadfastness (dhriti)
आत्मसंस्थम् – established in the Self
मनः – the mind
कृत्वा – having made
न – not
किञ्चित् – anything
अपि – at all
चिन्तयेत् – should think

Anvaya (word order)

धृतिगृहीतया बुद्ध्या शनैः शनैः उपरमेत्; मनः आत्मसंस्थं कृत्वा किञ्चित् अपि न चिन्तयेत् ।

Explanation

The previous verse spoke of giving up desires and restraining the senses. Now Krishna describes how to enter the subtlest stage of meditation. The most important words in this verse are shanaih shanaih — little by little. The mind cannot be stilled at a single stroke. Trying to stop a fast river abruptly only causes a flood; likewise forcing the mind produces the opposite result. Slowly and patiently, the mind is to be withdrawn from its objects.

This is done by dhriti-grihitaya buddhya — by an intellect held firm by steadfastness. Dhriti is the power to hold on, perseverance, firmness. The intellect knows the right direction, but dhriti keeps it fixed in that direction. Without dhriti the intellect knows, yet is swept away by the current of the mind.

Then comes the final stage — atma-samstham manah kritva na kinchid api chintayet — having established the mind in the Self, think of nothing else. This is the most subtle instruction. At first the mind is fixed on a support — a mantra, a form of the Divine, or the breath. When it becomes steady there, even the support gradually falls away and only the pure awareness of the Self remains. Shankara says one should settle the mind in the Self with the conviction that 'all this is the Self alone, there is nothing other than it', and then think of nothing else. Ramanuja reads atma-samstha as the mind absorbed in the nature of the Self.

This 'thinking of nothing' is not blankness or dullness but alert rest in the light of the Self. It comes from the ripening of practice, not from force.

Context

Verse 6.24 spoke of renouncing desires and restraining the senses; this verse gives the method of gradual withdrawal and establishing the mind in the Self. The next verse (6.26) explains what to do when the mind still wanders.

Life lesson

Do not rush to quieten the mind. Five minutes today, seven tomorrow — increase your practice gradually. Only through patience and continuity does the mind learn to rest within.

Key terms

Shanaih shanaih: little by little, gradually
Dhriti: steadfastness, the power to hold firm
Atma-samstha: established in the Self
Uparama: withdrawal from objects, quietening