Bhagavad-gītā 6.36
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः। वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः।।6.36।।
asaṅyatātmanā yogo duṣhprāpa iti me matiḥ vaśhyātmanā tu yatatā śhakyo ’vāptum upāyataḥ
Yoga is hard to be attained by one of uncontrolled self: such is My conviction; but the self-controlled, striving by right means, can obtain it.
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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Use the word map to follow the relation among asanyata-ātmanā (one whose mind is unbridled), vaśhya-ātmanā (by one whose mind is controlled), and upāyataḥ (by right means). 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 6.36.
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
Yoga is hard to be attained by one of uncontrolled self
- 2
such is My conviction
- 3
but the self-controlled, striving by right means, can obtain it
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Cover
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.36, 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 6.36 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 6.36 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 6.36 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.36, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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