A core teaching · calming in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“Joy comes when the restless mind finally becomes still.”
The yogi whose mind is peaceful, whose passion is stilled, and who is free from impurity attains the highest joy.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallywith a fully peaceful mind · indeed · this · the yogi · joy · highest · attains · with passion stilled · become Brahman · spotless, free from impurity
A person who has calmed the mind, quieted passion, and become free of inner impurity reaches the highest kind of joy.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 27 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
After years of quarrelling with his brother over the family business, a trader finally lets the anger settle and finds a calm he had forgotten. Krishna speaks of that joy, reached when passion is stilled.
Did you like this verse?
Peace of mind, stilled passion and freedom from stain bring the yogi to the highest joy.
What this verse means
A person who has calmed the mind, quieted passion, and become free of inner impurity reaches the highest kind of joy.
Context & commentary
Arjuna is being taught how to master the mind that keeps dragging him into fear and confusion. Krishna says that when the mind becomes peaceful and passion settles, the yogi reaches a higher joy.
What it looks like today
After years of quarrelling with his brother over the family business, a trader finally lets the anger settle and finds a calm he had forgotten. Krishna speaks of that joy, reached when passion is stilled.
“Stillness is not emptiness; it is where a deeper happiness becomes available.”
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), dhyana (31 verses), buddhi (26 verses)