Bhagavad-gītā 6.16
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः। न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन।।6.16।।
nātyaśhnatastu yogo ’sti na chaikāntam anaśhnataḥ na chāti-svapna-śhīlasya jāgrato naiva chārjuna
(Success in) Yoga is not for him who eats too much or too little:nor, O Arjuna, for him who sleeps too much or too little.
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 |
|---|---|
| na | not |
| ati | too much |
| aśhnataḥ | of one who eats |
| tu | however |
| yogaḥ | Yog |
| asti | there is |
| na | not |
| cha | and |
| ekāntam | at all |
| anaśhnataḥ | abstaining from eating |
| na | not |
| cha | and |
| ati | too much |
| svapna-śhīlasya | of one who sleeps |
| jāgrataḥ | of one who does not sleep enough |
| na | not |
| eva | certainly |
| cha | and |
| arjuna | Arjun |
Use the word map to follow the relation among na (not), anaśhnataḥ (abstaining from eating), and arjuna (Arjun). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the disciplined and recollected mind. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 6.16.
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: Sequence preparation, discipline, mind, meditation, difficulty, failure and the chapter’s final comparison of yogīs.
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
(Success in) Yoga is not for him who eats too much or too little
- 2
nor, O Arjuna, for him who sleeps too much or too little
- 3
na: not
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the trained mind.
Link
Use the line starts: nātyaśhnatastu yogo / na chāti-svapna-śhīlasya.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.16, 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 6.16 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 6.16 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 6.16 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.16, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition