Sanskrit
योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः । एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः ॥
yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥ ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśīr aparigrahaḥ
Translation
Let the Yogi constantly engage himself in yoga, remaining in a secret place by himself, with thought and self subdued, free from hope and greed.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
This opens the chapter’s long practical section, running through verse 32 — the closest thing the Gita offers to a meditation manual. Solitude, self-restraint, freedom from expectation (nirashih) and possessiveness (aparigrahah) are named as the setup before the physical instructions of verses 11–14 even begin. The pre-conditions come before posture: rahasi (in private), ekākī (alone), nirāśīḥ (expecting nothing), aparigraha (owning little). The figure on the chapter page begins the procedure from here.
Study deeper
Word by word
- yogī yuñjīta satatamयोगी युञ्जीत सततं
- let the yogi yoke [himself] constantly (yogī + yuñjīta + satatam)
- ātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥआत्मानं रहसि स्थितः
- the self, staying in solitude (ātmānam + rahasi + sthitaḥ)
- ekākī yatacittātmāएकाकी यतचित्तात्मा
- alone, mind and self controlled (ekākī + yata-citta-ātmā)
- nirāśīr aparigrahaḥनिराशीः अपरिग्रहः
- free of longing, without possessions (nir-āśīḥ + aparigrahaḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
For nine verses the chapter has been making claims about equanimity and self-mastery in the abstract; verse 10 is where it stops arguing and starts instructing. Solitude, restrained thought, freedom from expectation and possessiveness are the setup — Krishna gets the conditions right before he ever mentions posture, breath, or gaze.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Before you start a new discipline — meditation, writing, exercise — get the conditions right first: a fixed time, a place, freedom from the outcome you're expecting from it. Skipping straight to technique on top of the wrong conditions is why most new habits don't survive the first week.
Professional
- Before rolling out a new process or tool to your team, secure the conditions it needs — protected time, the right environment, freedom from an unrealistic expectation of immediate results — rather than jumping straight to training on the mechanics.
Family & Social
- Before trying to have a serious conversation with a family member, set up the conditions first — the right time, no distractions, no expectation of a particular outcome — instead of launching straight into the content the moment it occurs to you.
Ask yourself
A few ways to take this verse past reading. Ticks and the note stay in this browser.
Reflect on this verse
Keep exploring
Topics