Bhagavad Gita 6.25
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 25 of 47
शनैः शनैरुपरमेद्बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया | आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ||२५||
śanaiḥ śanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛtigṛhītayā | ātmasaṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcid api cintayet || 25 ||
Gradually, gradually — with patience gripping the intellect — settle the mind into the Self and think of nothing at all.
Word by word (3)
- śanaiḥ śanaiḥ uparamet
- — gradually, gradually let one come to rest · śanaiḥ = slowly, gradually, gently. Repeated twice for emphasis — this is the deliberate, patient pace of the inner quieting. uparamet = let one come to cessation, let one become still (upa + √ram, to stop, to be at rest). The repetition of śanaiḥ is not accidental — it counters the beginner's impatience to achieve a quiet mind immediately. Gradual is the only way. There is no force that can make the mind suddenly still.
- buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā
- — with the intellect seized/held by patience/firmness · buddhyā = with the intellect, by the intellect. dhṛti = steadiness, patience, firmness, courage (from √dhṛ, to hold). gṛhītayā = seized by, held by, guided by (from √grah, to grasp). The intellect, guided and held steady by dhṛti (patience-firmness), is the instrument of the gradual quieting. Not force — the patient, steady intellect leading the mind into rest. Dhṛti is one of the Gita's cardinal virtues: it appears in Ch.18 as the quality that maintains practice through pleasure and pain.
- ātma-saṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcid api cintayet
- — having made the mind established in the Self, let one not think of anything at all · ātma-saṃstha = established in/on the Self (ātman + saṃsthā, foundation/abode). manaḥ kṛtvā = having made the mind. na kiñcid api = not anything at all (triple negative: na + kiñcid + api). cintayet = let one think (optative). The culmination: the mind is gradually brought to rest in the Self, and then — let not think anything at all. This 'not thinking anything' is not blankness — it is the thought-free awareness of the Self resting in itself (V20's ātmanā ātmānaṃ paśyati).
With the intellect held steady by patient firmness (not forcing, not rushing), gradually and gently bring the mind to rest. Having established the mind in the Self, let no thought arise — the mind rests in the Self completely.
A modern analogy
Training a puppy to sit: you don't force it down with your hand — you wait, guide, reward small movements in the right direction, and repeat. The puppy gradually learns to sit on cue. The mind is the puppy. Śanaiḥ śanaiḥ is the training pace: patient, consistent, gentle, repeated. Force doesn't work on dogs or minds.
What it does NOT mean
This verse does NOT call for forceful suppression of thoughts. The word śanaiḥ śanaiḥ (gradually, gradually) rules out force. The patient intellect leads — not drags — the mind into stillness. This is coaxing, not commanding.
Take with you
- Śanaiḥ śanaiḥ is the antidote to spiritual impatience. Every session, begin where you are — not where you wish you were. The gradual approach, applied consistently over months, produces what no amount of forcing can.
- Dhṛti-gṛhīta buddhi (intellect gripped by patient firmness): cultivate dhṛti as a specific practice quality. Before sitting, consciously choose patience for this session. This intention itself shapes the quality of the practice.
- The goal of this verse — 'na kiñcid api cintayet' (not think of anything at all) — is the same as the mind resting serenely in the Self, free of all desire-pull, and the same as the Self seeing itself in samādhi. This verse is the approach road to those states.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Gradually let him become still, with the intellect gripped by patience — having made the mind rest in the Self, let him not think of anything at all. [1]
With the intellect set in patience, with the mind fastened on the Self, let him attain quietude by degrees; let him not think of anything. [4]
Little by little let him gain tranquillity by means of Reason controlled by firmness, making the mind self-rooted, not thinking of anything. [5]
Let him with patience and firmness of mind withdraw from all things of sense; having established his mind in the Self, let him not think of anything. [6]
By slow degrees let him attain tranquillity; firm-held his spirit, his thought well-governed; his mind set free from thinking on all else — till, bit by bit, the soul makes haven in the Self. [7]
Step by step let him become quiescent, firmly controlled by his reason; making the mind rest on the Self, let him not think of anything. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Abandon all desires born of mental planning — without remainder — and restrain the senses completely, by the mind alone.
Wherever the restless, unsteady mind wanders — from there and there, bring it back under the Self's control. Every time.
Sāttvic dhṛti: unswerving through yoga, holds fast the activities of mind, prāṇa, and senses.
When the completely controlled mind rests serenely in the Self alone, free from all desire-pull — that is called yoga.
Your own mind is your best friend when mastered; your worst enemy when not.
Satisfied by knowledge and realisation, senses mastered, gold and mud equally seen — this is the true steadfast yogi.
Verse 25 of 47 · back to Chapter 6