A core teaching · grounding in mood · easy to enter
“Steady posture is the first gate to a steady mind.”
Holding the body, head, and neck straight and still, and gazing only at the tip of the nose without looking around.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallystraight/even · body-head-neck · holding · motionless · steady · gazing · tip of the nose · own · directions · and · not looking
Sit with your body straight and still. Keep your gaze fixed and do not let the eyes wander.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 13 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
You sit for meditation and catch your eyes drifting to the clock and the door. Krishna's instruction is plain: keep the spine, head and neck straight and still, and let the gaze rest without wandering.
Did you like this verse?
Body, head and neck straight and still, gaze on the tip of the nose: Krishna's posture for meditation.
What this verse means
Sit with your body straight and still. Keep your gaze fixed and do not let the eyes wander.
Context & commentary
Arjuna is being taught how to meditate after the basic setup has been given. Krishna now moves from the seat and the breath of practice to the body's alignment, showing that inner training begins with disciplined stillness.
What it looks like today
You sit for meditation and catch your eyes drifting to the clock and the door. Krishna's instruction is plain: keep the spine, head and neck straight and still, and let the gaze rest without wandering.
“Stillness begins with the body. A steady posture helps the mind stop scattering.”
Explore related themes: dhyana (31 verses)