A core teaching · calming in mood · a little context helps
“Yoga begins when craving loses its grip and the mind comes home.”
When the controlled mind rests in the true self alone and is free from craving for all pleasures, that person is called united in yoga.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallywhen · well-controlled · mind · in the true self · alone · rests · free from craving · from all desires · united, disciplined · thus · is called · then
A person is truly steady in yoga when the mind settles into the true self and no longer chases every desire.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 18 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You finally close the laptop after midnight, but your mind keeps reaching for one more reply, one more check, one more fix. Peace begins when the chasing stops.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from managing impulses to recognizing the mind’s settled state.
What this verse means
A person is truly steady in yoga when the mind settles into the true self and no longer chases every desire.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen, and Krishna is teaching the method of inner mastery. After describing balanced habits, Krishna names the real sign of yoga: a mind that has come home to the true self and no longer runs after desire.
Why this verse still matters
You finally close the laptop after midnight, but your mind keeps reaching for one more reply, one more check, one more fix. Peace begins when the chasing stops.
“There is relief in not needing every craving to be answered.”
Explore related themes: vairagya (51 verses), manas (49 verses), dhyana (31 verses)