Bhagavad-gītā 6.36
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असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः। वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः।।6.36।।
asaṅyatātmanā yogo duṣhprāpa iti me matiḥ vaśhyātmanā tu yatatā śhakyo ’vāptum upāyataḥ
It is not possible to attain Self-Realization unless one knows how to control oneself; however, for one who, striving by the proper means, learns such control, it is possible.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| asanyata-ātmanā | one whose mind is unbridled |
| yogaḥ | Yog |
| duṣhprāpaḥ | difficult to attain |
| iti | thus |
| me | my |
| matiḥ | opinion |
| vaśhya-ātmanā | by one whose mind is controlled |
| tu | but |
| yatatā | one who strives |
| śhakyaḥ | possible |
| avāptum | to achieve |
| upāyataḥ | by right means |
Uncontrolled self he who has not controlled the senses and the mind by the constant practice of dispassion and meditation. Selfcontrolled he who has controlled the mind by the constant practice of dispassion and meditation.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Sequence preparation, discipline, mind, meditation, difficulty, failure and the chapter’s final comparison of yogīs.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaMy conviction is that Yoga is difficult to attain for one with an uncontrolled mind. But it is possible to attain through the aforementioned means for one who strives and has a controlled mind.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaIn my opinion, Yoga is hard to attain by a person of an unrestrained mind; however, it can be attained through the right means by one who strives for it and has a subdued mind.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaUncontrolled self he who has not controlled the senses and the mind by the constant practice of dispassion and meditation. Selfcontrolled he who has controlled the mind by the constant practice of dispassion and meditation.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
It is not possible to attain Self-Realization unless one knows how to control oneself
- 2
however, for one who, striving by the proper means, learns such control, it is possible
- 3
asanyata-ātmanā: one whose mind is unbridled
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