A core teaching · calming in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Stillness reveals a completeness that no outside thing can improve.”
When the restrained mind becomes still through yoga practice, and the person sees the true self by the true self, one is content in the true self alone.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallywhere/in which state · comes to rest · the mind · restrained · through the practice of yoga · where/in which state · and · indeed · by the true self · the true self · seeing · in the true self · is content
Through steady yoga practice, the mind becomes quiet. In that quiet, a person directly sees the true self and feels complete within it.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 20 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You finally put the phone down after an hour of scrolling and sit in silence. The noise thins, and the craving for one more distraction loses its grip.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from chasing stimulation to resting in direct awareness.
What this verse means
Through steady yoga practice, the mind becomes quiet. In that quiet, a person directly sees the true self and feels complete within it.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still trapped in inner conflict. Krishna describes the state meditation can reach: the mind settles, the true self is directly seen, and contentment no longer depends on outside things.
Why this verse still matters
You finally put the phone down after an hour of scrolling and sit in silence. The noise thins, and the craving for one more distraction loses its grip.
“Stillness is not emptiness; it is the relief of no longer needing anything outside yourself.”
Explore related themes: dhyana (31 verses)