Bhagavad Gita · Dhyana Yoga (Atma-samyama Yoga)Chapter 6, Shloka 6 (6.6)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
बन्धुरात्माऽऽत्मनस्तस्य येनाऽऽत्मैवाऽऽत्मना जितः
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेताऽऽत्मैव शत्रुवत्
॥ 6.6 ॥
bandhurātmā''tmanastasya yenā''tmaivā''tmanā jitaḥ
anātmanastu śatrutve vartetā''tmaiva śatruvat
Translation
"For one who has conquered oneself (the mind) by oneself, the mind is a friend; but for one who has not conquered it, one's own mind acts with hostility, like an enemy."
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. Yena ātmanā ātmaiva jitaḥ ātmā kārya-karaṇa-saṃghāto yena vaśīkṛtaḥ jitendriya ity arthaḥ — one who has brought the aggregate of body and senses under control, a master of the senses; yathā anātmā śatruḥ ātmanaḥ apakārī tathā ātmā ātmana apakāre varteta — just as an outer enemy does harm, so (the unconquered) person keeps working to harm themselves.
Acharya Ramanuja — the evidence of the Vishnu Purana. Yena puruṣeṇa svena eva svamano viṣayebhyo jitaṃ tan-manaḥ tasya bandhuḥ — for the person who has won their own mind back from objects, that mind is their kinsman; the mind of the unconquered sva-niḥśreyasa-viparīte varteta — works against their own good. Evidence (Vishnu Purana 6.7.28): mana eva manuṣyāṇāṃ kāraṇaṃ bandha-mokṣayoḥ, bandhāya viṣayāsaṅgi muktyai nirviṣayaṃ manaḥ — "The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation for human beings; the mind attached to objects leads to bondage, the mind free of objects to liberation."
The difference: Shankara — "self-conquered" = one who has conquered the aggregate of body and senses; Ramanuja — one who has won the mind back from objects. The essence of both is the same.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.