श्रीमद्भगवद्गीताShrimad Bhagavad Gita 📖 Read as a flipbook

Bhagavad Gita · Dhyana Yoga (Atma-samyama Yoga)Chapter 6, Shloka 26 (6.26)

Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम्
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत्
॥ 6.26 ॥

yato yato niścarati manaścañcalamasthiram
tatastato niyamyaitadātmanyeva vaśaṃ nayet

Translation

"Wherever the restless and unsteady mind runs off (to some object), restraining it from there, let one bring it back under control in the self alone."

Interpretation

Shankaracharya — two methods. Yasmād yasmāt nimittāt śabdādeḥ niścarati … svabhāva-doṣāt — whatever object, sound or the like, the mind goes out towards through the fault of its nature; there are two ways to restrain it from there: (1) tat-tan-nimittaṃ yāthātmya-nirūpaṇena ābhāsīkṛtya — seeing the truth of that object and so making it a mere "appearance" (hollow); (2) vairāgya-bhāvanayā ca — through the cultivation of dispassion. The fruit: yogābhyāsa-balāt yoginaḥ ātmany eva praśāmyati manaḥ.

Acharya Ramanuja. Cala-svabhāvatayā ātmani asthiraṃ manaḥ yato yato viṣaya-prāvaṇya-hetoḥ bahir niścarati — wherever the mind, restless by nature, runs outward because of its inclination towards objects; tatas tato yatnena mano niyamya ātmani eva atiśayita-sukha-bhāvanayā vaśaṃ nayet — restraining it from there with effort, let one bring it under control in the self through the sense of a surpassing happiness.

The difference (lovely): Shankara — seeing the hollowness of objects, and dispassion (away from the object); Ramanuja — the sense of greater happiness in the self (a pull towards the self). One "push", one "pull" — both work together.

AI-assisted draft translation — under review.

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