Text* 1: The Supreme Lord said: Know a genuine sannyāsī and yogī as one who, without expectation of the fruits of his actions, performs his duties as prescribed by the scriptures. One is not a sannyāsī merely by renouncing the performance of the fire sacrifice and other prescribed duties, and one is not a yogī merely by becoming physically inactive.

Text* 2: O Arjuna, that which is known as sannyās (complete renunciation) you should know to be yoga, since without renouncing fruitive desire no one can be a yogī.

Text* 3: For the yoga practitioner desirous of attaining steady yoga meditation, action is said to be the means. When he has achieved yoga meditation, renunciation of all action is said to be the means of remaining in meditation.

Text* 4: When the yoga practitioner does not become attached to the objects of the senses, and to any action in pursuit of their enjoyment, and renounces all thoughts of enjoyment, then he is said to have attained to yoga.

Text* 5: One must elevate himself by the mind, not degrade himself by the mind; for the mind is sometimes the friend of the living being, and in another situation that very mind is his enemy.

Text* 6: For one who has conquered the mind, his mind is his friend. For one unable to control the mind, his mind works against him like an enemy.

Text* 7: The yogī who has conquered the mind remains deeply absorbed in yogic trance, peaceful, and undisturbed by cold and heat, happiness and unhappiness, or honour and dishonour.

Text* 8: One who is always satisfied within by both knowledge and realisation, who is always fixed in his spiritual nature, who is sense-controlled, and who has the vision of equality for a clod of earth, a rock, or gold—it is said that such a person has attained yoga.

Text* 9: Such an eminent yogī has the vision of equality towards a well-wisher, a friend, an enemy, an indifferent person, a mediator, a hateful person, a relative, a saint, and a sinner.

Text* 10: The yogī should constantly concentrate his mind by remaining alone in a solitary place, his mind and body controlled, free from desire and acquisition.

Text* 11-12: 11–12 In a clean place, not too high and not too low, the yogī should establish a firm seat of Kuśa grass, deer skin, and cloth. Then, sitting on that seat, subjugating all mental and sensual activity, with one-pointed concentration he should practise meditational trance in order to purify his heart.

Text* 13-14: 13–14 Soberly keeping his body, head, and neck straight and upright, poised, the yogī should fix his gaze at one point, as though between the eyes, without casting a glance in any direction. Tranquil, fearless, and reposed in the vow of celibacy, he should meditate on Me (as four-armed Viṣṇu), and devoting himself to Me, he should thus practise yoga.

Text* 15: In this way, constantly absorbing his mind in meditation (dhyāna-yoga), the yogī who has ceased hankering for material enjoyment achieves the peace of liberation from mundanity, the peace which abides in Me (in my Brahma effulgence).

Text* 16: O Arjuna, yoga cannot be practised by one who overeats, undereats, oversleeps, or undersleeps.

Text* 17: For a person who eats, relaxes, and works in a regulated way, and who keeps regular hours in proper measure, his practice of yoga dispells all his suffering.

Text* 18: When a yogī withdraws the mind from mundane thoughts and centres it unwaveringly in the self, then, free from mundane desires, he is said to be actually situated in yoga, or linked with the Absolute.

Text* 19: It is said, as a lamp-flame situated in a windless place does not waver, similarly, the mind of the yogī absorbed in the self never flickers in its concentration.

Text* 20-23: 20–23 The mind controlled by yoga practice is tranquil, pacified by detachment from mundane association. The yogī remains satisfied in the Lord alone, directly seeing the Supersoul through his purified consciousness. In his spiritual enlightenment, he tastes transcendental, eternal bliss. He never deviates from the reality. He considers that there is no greater gain in this world. He is undisturbed by even the worst suffering. Know that the attainment of such a state, in which all association with unhappiness is severed, is called yoga. Yoga must be practised with perseverance and a heart that is never discouraged.

Text* 24: To practise yoga one must abandon all thoughts that give rise to desires, and using the mind, withdraw the senses from all material objects.

Text* 25: By steadying the intelligence, one should gradually still the mind and focus it within the self alone.

Text* 26: The wavering and unsteady mind should be brought back from whatever mundane objects it pursues,and be held within the self alone.

Text* 27: The transcendental joy of self-realisation comes to the yogī whose passions are quieted, who is peacefulhearted, free from the defects of attachment, fear, and anger, and always situated in the spiritual nature.

Text* 28: Thus absorbed in self-realisation, the clean-hearted yogī easily attains the boundless ecstasy of contacting the divine. He realises the Supersoul. (Such yoga is of a devotional nature).

Text* 29: His consciousness united with the Infinite, the master of yoga sees the universal spirituality. He sees the Supreme Soul within all beings, and all beings within the Supreme.

Text* 30: For one who sees Me in everything and everything in Me, I am never lost to him, and he is never lost to Me.

Text* 31: The yogī who takes shelter of Me and adores Me in My non-different form as the Supersoul situated within the heart of every living being, abides in Me in all circumstances.

Text* 32: I consider the best of all yogīs to be the one who knows the happiness and unhappiness of all beings as his own.

Text* 33: Arjuna said: O Madhusūdan, because of the fickle nature of the mind, I cannot conceive how one canmaintain the equilibrium in yoga that You have described.

Text* 34: O Kṛṣṇa, the mind is fickle, turbulent, obstinate and very powerful. I consider controlling it to be more difficult than controlling the wind.

Text* 35: The Supreme Lord said: O heroic Arjuna, undoubtedly the mind is fickle and extremely difficult to control. However, O son of Kuntī, it is possible by practice and detachment.

Text* 36: I consider that yoga is difficult to attain for the person of unrestrained mind. But one who strives to restrain the mind by the appropriate practice can succeed in yoga.

Text* 37: Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the destination of a person who, due to his faith in the scriptures, engages in yoga practice, but lacking perseverence, proper practice, and abnegation, is distracted by mundane inclinations and fails to succeed in yoga practice?

Text* 38: O mighty hero, O Kṛṣṇa, having deviated from the yoga of attaining the Absolute, shelterless and fallen from the paths of both action and meditation, is not such a person utterly lost, like a scattered cloud?

Text* 39: O Kṛṣṇa! No one but You can dispel this doubt of mine. Please mercifully slash it at the root.

Text* 40: The Supreme Lord said: O Arjuna, son of Kuntī, there is no loss for the unsuccessful yoga practitioner as he is not denied the happiness of the heavenly plane in this world, nor is he denied the chance of the fortune to see the Supersoul in the transcendental realm. This is so, O dear one, because a person who performs virtuous actions never suffers an ill fate.

Text* 41: After residing for many years in all those heavenly planes that are attainable by the performers of great sacrifices such as the Aśvamedha, the unsuccessful yoga practitioner takes birth in the home of honourable, prosperous persons given to pure and honest practices.

Text* 42: Or he takes birth in the home or family of teachers of yoga, who are dedicated to yoga practice. Such a birth is more rarely attained in this world.

Text* 43: O son of Kuru, within one of these situations, the wisdom he had attained in his previous life is revived, and he again strives for success.

Text* 44: Despite himself, he is carried by the yoga practice of his previous life. In his search, he surpasses the fruitive rituals of the Vedas.

Text* 45: Striving harder than before, the yogī’s consciousness is cleansed of all worldly attachment, and he achieves the fruit of many lifetimes of yoga practice—he attains the supreme destination.

Text* 46: The yogī is superior to persons engaged in severe austerities (such as the Chāndrāyaṇ vow), superior to the person of knowledge who worships Brahma, and superior to the person of action. Know this to be My conclusion. Therefore, O Arjuna, be a yogī.

Text* 47: The best of all yogīs is the devotee who has full faith in the authoritative pure devotional scriptures, and who adores Me with all his heart, hearing and singing My divine glories, rendering all services unto Me. This is My opinion.