Dhyana Yoga
Meditation as the slow work of steadying the mind. The seat, the breath, the gradual narrowing of attention until only the self remains.
All 47 verses below.
Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

“Renunciation means acting without needing to own the result.”
There is relief in knowing that sincerity matters more than control.
Read full verse 6.1 →All verses
- 6.1Ch. 6
Renunciation means acting without needing to own the result.
There is relief in knowing that sincerity matters more than control.
- 6.2Ch. 6
Yoga begins when the mind stops clutching its own agenda.
There is relief in knowing that inner freedom matters more than outward form.
- 6.3Ch. 6
You reach steadiness through action, then preserve it through stillness.
Progress is not forced by pressure alone; there is a time for effort and a time for quiet.
- 6.4Ch. 6
Yoga begins when neither pleasure nor action can hook you.
There is relief in not being owned by wanting or doing.
- 6.5Ch. 6
Your own inner handling makes you rise or collapse.
You are not helpless in your own life; the way you handle yourself changes everything.
- 6.6Ch. 6
The same inner nature that frees you can also fight you.
Self-mastery feels like relief because the part of you that fought you starts helping.
- 6.7Ch. 6
Steadiness makes the highest reality feel near in every opposite.
You do not need life to become gentle before you can be at ease.
- 6.8Ch. 6
True mastery makes gold and dust feel identical.
Real freedom feels unshaken by what others call valuable.
- 6.9Ch. 6
Equal vision toward all people marks the highest steadiness.
You stop being manipulated by preference and aversion, and that gives real inner freedom.
- 6.10Ch. 6
Steady inward practice begins when desire and possessiveness end.
There is relief in not needing to grasp anything before you can be steady.
- 6.11Ch. 6
A steady mind begins with a steady seat.
Inner training begins with a stable place. Even the body must be settled before the mind can quiet down.
- 6.12Ch. 6
Meditation begins by gathering the mind and training the senses.
Small discipline creates a cleaner mind than force ever could.
- 6.13Ch. 6
Steady posture is the first gate to a steady mind.
Stillness begins with the body. A steady posture helps the mind stop scattering.
- 6.14Ch. 6
A disciplined mind can rest in devotion without fear.
Inner steadiness makes devotion possible; fear and distraction fall away together.
- 6.15Ch. 6
A steady mind reaches the peace that restlessness can never touch.
Stillness is not found by escaping life, but by training the mind to rest in one place.
- 6.16Ch. 6
Balance makes meditation possible; extremes break it.
Steady practice needs a steady body and a steady routine.
- 6.17Ch. 6
Balanced living makes inner practice possible.
Inner steadiness starts with ordinary habits, not with forcing the mind.
- 6.18Ch. 6
Yoga begins when craving loses its grip and the mind comes home.
There is relief in not needing every craving to be answered.
- 6.19Ch. 6
A trained mind becomes steady enough to stop flickering.
Stillness is not emptiness; it is a mind no longer pulled around by every disturbance.
- 6.20Ch. 6
Stillness reveals a completeness that no outside thing can improve.
Stillness is not emptiness; it is the relief of no longer needing anything outside yourself.
- 6.21Ch. 6
True joy is deeper than sensation and keeps you from wavering.
There is relief in discovering a steadiness that does not depend on outer conditions.
- 6.22Ch. 6
True fulfillment leaves nothing more to chase and nothing strong enough to unsettle you.
There is calm in no longer needing life to be different.
- 6.23Ch. 6
Yoga is the breaking of suffering’s grip, practiced steadily.
You can keep going without expecting every session to feel good. The practice itself is already the release.
- 6.24Ch. 6
Desire loses power when the mind stops feeding it.
Freedom starts when wanting stops dragging the senses outward.
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- 6.25Ch. 6
Stillness comes by degrees when the mind stops feeding itself.
Progress can be gentle. You do not have to win against the mind in one struggle.
- 6.26Ch. 6
The mind is mastered by repeated return, not by force.
Progress comes from returning, not from never drifting.
- 6.27Ch. 6
Joy comes when the restless mind finally becomes still.
Stillness is not emptiness; it is where a deeper happiness becomes available.
- 6.28Ch. 6
Repeated union with the supreme reality yields effortless, lasting joy.
Steady practice can become a quiet joy, not a struggle.
- 6.29Ch. 6
Equal vision dissolves the illusion of separation.
Separation softens. What remains is a quiet sense of shared belonging.
- 6.30Ch. 6
Seeing the divine everywhere ends separation.
You do not have to force closeness when you learn to recognize the same presence everywhere.
- 6.31Ch. 6
Unity turns every action into abiding presence.
You do not have to leave the world to stay connected. Ordinary action can become sacred when your vision changes.
- 6.32Ch. 6
Equal vision makes you unshaken by pleasure or pain.
There is freedom in meeting life without flinching or favoring one side.
- 6.33Ch. 6
Restlessness makes even clear teaching feel unreachable.
It is honest to admit when the mind is too unsettled to stay still.
- 6.34Ch. 6
The mind resists control like wind resists the hand.
It feels honest to admit how hard inner control can be.
- 6.35Ch. 6
A restless mind is not a verdict; it is a training ground.
You are not stuck with a chaotic mind forever. Repeated practice can change what once felt impossible.
- 6.36Ch. 6
Yoga becomes reachable when the mind is trained, not merely hoped for.
There is relief in knowing the path is blocked by chaos, not by your worth.
- 6.37Ch. 6
Faith without completion still deserves a clear answer.
It speaks to the fear of starting well and not finishing cleanly.
- 6.38Ch. 6
Half-finished striving can feel like total ruin.
It is the fear of trying and still losing everything that makes the mind tremble.
- 6.39Ch. 6
Only clear seeing can end confusion completely.
Some questions need a teacher who can see the whole path, not just one answer.
- 6.40Ch. 6
Sincere effort toward the good cannot end in ruin.
You can keep going without fear that honest effort will be wasted.
- 6.41Ch. 6
A fall from yoga still carries you forward.
A setback on the path is not the end. Even a fall can become a new starting point.
- 6.42Ch. 6
A fallen practitioner is not lost; the next birth can restart the work.
Even a setback can place you closer to renewal than you think.
- 6.43Ch. 6
Nothing gained in sincere practice is ever truly lost.
Progress is not erased by failure. What you have truly practiced comes back and keeps working for you.
- 6.44Ch. 6
Earlier practice keeps pulling you forward, even against resistance.
Your deepest practice keeps working even when willpower fades.
- 6.45Ch. 6
Persistent striving eventually ripens into the highest fulfillment.
Progress is not wasted. Every sincere attempt adds up, even when results feel far away.
- 6.46Ch. 6
Inner mastery outranks every outer path.
There is relief in knowing that inner steadiness matters more than any single method or achievement.
- 6.47Ch. 6
Trusting devotion is the highest integration of yoga.
Devotion is not lesser than discipline; it can be the fullest form of union.