Bhagavad-gītā 12.9
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम्।अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय।।12.9।।
atha chittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śhaknoṣhi mayi sthiram abhyāsa-yogena tato mām ichchhāptuṁ dhanañjaya
If thou art unable to fix thy mind steadily on Me, then by Abhyâsa-Yoga do thou seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| atha | if |
| chittam | mind |
| samādhātum | to fix |
| na śhaknoṣhi | (you) are unable |
| mayi | on me |
| sthiram | steadily |
| abhyāsa-yogena | by uniting with God through repeated practice |
| tataḥ | then |
| mām | me |
| ichchhā | desire |
| āptum | to attain |
| dhanañjaya | Arjun, the conqueror of wealth |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from atha (if), abhyāsa-yogena (by uniting with God through repeated practice), and dhanañjaya (Arjun, the conqueror of wealth). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to loving devotion and the qualities of a devotee. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 12.9.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Compare approaches to worship and study the concrete qualities of a devotee across the chapter’s compact sequence.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
If thou art unable to fix thy mind steadily on Me, then by Abhyâsa-Yoga do thou seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya
- 2
atha: if
- 3
abhyāsa-yogena: by uniting with God through repeated practice
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.9, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 12.9 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.9 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 12.9 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 12.9, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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