A core teaching · grounding in mood · easy to enter
“Meditation begins by gathering the mind and training the senses.”
Sitting on that seat, with the mind made one-pointed and the movements of mind and senses restrained, one should practice yoga for inner purification.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythere · one-pointed · mind · having made · with mind-and-sense activity restrained · having sat down · on the seat · should practice · yoga · for inner purification
Sit steadily, gather the mind, restrain the senses, and practice yoga to purify the inner state.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 12 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
Before the morning rush of tiffins and school buses, you sit on the same mat for ten minutes and bring the scattered mind to one point. Krishna calls that sitting practice for inner purification.
Did you like this verse?
On that seat, mind made one-pointed and senses reined in, the yogi practises for self-purification.
What this verse means
Sit steadily, gather the mind, restrain the senses, and practice yoga to purify the inner state.
Context & commentary
After choosing a clean place and a steady seat, the next step is to gather the mind and restrain the senses. This verse turns preparation into practice, aiming at inner purification.
What it looks like today
Before the morning rush of tiffins and school buses, you sit on the same mat for ten minutes and bring the scattered mind to one point. Krishna calls that sitting practice for inner purification.
“Small discipline creates a cleaner mind than force ever could.”
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), dhyana (31 verses), indriya nigraha (14 verses)