A metaphor · calming in mood · a little context helps
“A trained mind becomes steady enough to stop flickering.”
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so the disciplined mind of a yogi does not waver while practicing yoga of the true self.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyas · lamp · placed in a windless place · does not flicker · that · comparison · is remembered · of the yogi · of the controlled mind · practicing · yoga · of the true self
A trained mind becomes steady and unmoving, like a lamp that does not flicker when there is no wind.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 19 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You finally sit down after a fight, but your thoughts keep replaying every word. This verse points to a steadiness that no argument, memory, or fear can shake.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from managing thoughts to stabilizing the mind that holds them.
What this verse means
A trained mind becomes steady and unmoving, like a lamp that does not flicker when there is no wind.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Krishna keeps teaching Arjuna how meditation changes a person from the inside. After describing the controlled mind, he gives a vivid image: a lamp in a windless place. That is the calm he wants Arjuna to recognize.
Why this verse still matters
You finally sit down after a fight, but your thoughts keep replaying every word. This verse points to a steadiness that no argument, memory, or fear can shake.
“Stillness is not emptiness; it is a mind no longer pulled around by every disturbance.”
Explore related themes: dhyana (31 verses)