A declaration · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Yoga becomes reachable when the mind is trained, not merely hoped for.”
Yoga is hard to attain for one whose mind is not fully controlled. But for one who controls the mind and strives with the right method, it can be reached.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyby one whose self is not controlled · yoga · hard to attain · thus · my · by one whose self is under control · but · by one striving · possible · to attain · by right means
A person ruled by an uncontrolled mind struggles to reach yoga. With self-control, steady effort, and the right method, yoga becomes possible.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 36 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You sit at the edge of a hard conversation, rehearsing and retreating at once. The problem is not the conversation itself; it is the mind that keeps slipping away from your intention.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the focus from wishing for calm to building the control and method that make calm possible.
What this verse means
A person ruled by an uncontrolled mind struggles to reach yoga. With self-control, steady effort, and the right method, yoga becomes possible.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna has already admitted that the mind is hard to control. Krishna answers with a practical promise: yoga is difficult for the undisciplined, but possible for the one who steadies the mind and keeps practicing.
Why this verse still matters
You sit at the edge of a hard conversation, rehearsing and retreating at once. The problem is not the conversation itself; it is the mind that keeps slipping away from your intention.
“There is relief in knowing the path is blocked by chaos, not by your worth.”
Explore related themes: vairagya (51 verses), manas (49 verses), dhyana (31 verses)