The Blessed Lord said: One who performs obligatory duty without relying on the fruits of action is both a true renouncer and a true yogi—not the one who merely abandons the sacred hearth-fire or abstains from work. Understand, O Arjuna, that what is called renunciation is identical with yoga, for no one ever becomes a yogi without first renouncing selfish intent and desire-laden thoughts. For the contemplative seeker aspiring to scale the heights of yoga, selfless action is said to be the means; but for that same sage who has ascended and attained union, serenity and stillness are the means. A person is truly established in yoga when there is no longer any cling to sense-objects or to actions, and when all personal willful designs have been completely laid down. Let a person elevate the self by the Self; let no one degrade or abandon the self. For the self alone is one’s own friend, and the self alone is one’s own enemy. To the one who has conquered the lower nature through the higher Self, that inner Self is an ally; but for one who remains unconquered, the Self acts as a foe, in conflict with oneself. In one who has mastered the mind and attained tranquility, the Supreme Self remains unshakeably poised—unmoved through heat and cold, joy and sorrow, honor and dishonor. Completely fulfilled by direct wisdom and deep realization, unwavering, with the senses mastered, the yogi who looks upon a clod of earth, a stone, and gold with equal detachment is truly united in communion. Superior still is that seeker whose intellect regards with an impartial heart the well-wisher, the friend, the enemy, the indifferent, the mediator, the hateful, kinfolk, the virtuous, and the sinner alike. In practical life, let the yogi constantly unify the mind in meditation, dwelling in solitude, undisturbed and self-disciplined, free from yearning and the urge to possess. In a clean and pure spot, one should arrange a firm and steadfast seat—neither raised too high nor sunk too low—layered smoothly with sacred grass, a skin, and a cloth. Sitting there, centering the mind in one-pointed focus and subduing the activities of the mind and senses, one should practice meditation for the purification of the inner self. Let the seeker sit erect, holding body, head, and neck motionless and aligned, fixing the gaze steadily toward the tip of the nose without looking about in any direction. Serene in spirit, fearless, firm in the vow of self-restraint, with the mind harnessed and resting upon Me, let the practitioner sit with Me as the ultimate goal. By continually uniting consciousness in this manner, the yogi of governed mind attains that supreme peace which culminates in final liberation and abides in Me. This yoga, however, cannot be attained by one who eats excessively, nor by one who fasts completely; it belongs neither to one prone to oversleeping nor to one who keeps perpetual vigil, O Arjuna. Rather, yoga destroys all sorrow for the one whose eating and recreation are balanced, whose efforts in work are disciplined, and whose rhythms of sleep and waking are measured with moderation. When the mind, thoroughly controlled, rests centered in the Self alone, freed from craving for any desired object, the seeker is declared to be truly united in yoga. Like a lamp whose flame does not flicker when sheltered from the wind—this is the enduring image of the disciplined yogi meditating upon the Self. In that state where the mind, quieted by the sustained practice of meditation, comes to total rest; where one beholds the Self by means of the purified Self and finds complete inner fulfillment; where one experiences that boundless, transcendent joy which lies beyond the senses and is grasped only by the pure intellect—established there, the seeker never deviates from the Eternal Truth. Having realized this state, one recognizes that there is no greater gain in all existence; anchored therein, one cannot be shaken even by the heaviest grief. Know this severance from union with pain to be the true meaning of yoga. It is to be pursued with unwavering resolve and a heart that does not despond. Abandoning without reservation every craving born of imagination, and holding the entire cluster of senses in check from every direction through the power of the mind, let the intellect, grounded in steadfast firmness, bring the consciousness step by step to absolute quiet. Having brought the mind to rest in the Self, let not a single extraneous thought be entertained. Wherever the restless and wavering mind wanders off, let the practitioner gently draw it back from that very distraction and bring it under the sway of the Self alone. Supreme bliss naturally dawns upon such a yogi, whose mind is utterly tranquil, whose turbulent passions have subsided, who is freed from taint, and who has realized oneness with Brahman. Cleansed of all impurities and continuously uniting the inner self, the yogi with effortless ease tastes the infinite bliss born of direct communion with the Supreme. One whose consciousness is harmonized through yoga possesses an equal vision everywhere, beholding the Self abiding in all beings and all beings within the Self. Whoever sees Me everywhere and sees all things in Me is never lost to Me, nor am I ever lost to that person. The yogi who, established in essential unity, reveres Me as dwelling within every creature abides in Me through all circumstances and ways of living. O Arjuna, whoever perceives the joys and sorrows of all beings everywhere as they would their own, through the mirror of their own self, is regarded as the highest of yogis. Arjuna said: O Krishna, Slayer of Madhu, this yoga of equanimity which You have described—I cannot see how it can long endure, because of the utter restlessness of the mind. The mind is indeed fickle, turbulent, forceful, and unyielding; to master it seems to me as impossible as holding back the rushing wind. The Blessed Lord said: Without a doubt, O mighty-armed warrior, the mind is restless and difficult to curb. Yet by persistent, devoted practice and the spirit of detachment, O son of Kunti, it is brought under control. For one who is undisciplined, yoga is indeed hard to attain; but by one who is self-mastered and strives through the right spiritual means, it is entirely attainable. This is My conviction. Arjuna said: What fate befalls the person who possesses faith yet lacks complete self-mastery, whose mind wanders away from yoga before achieving full realization? O Krishna, failing to reach perfection, what destination does such a soul reach? Fallen from both worldly reward and spiritual liberation, unsupported and bewildered on the path to Brahman, does such a person not perish like a broken cloud torn apart in the sky? Deign to dispel this doubt of mine completely, O Krishna, for there is none other than You capable of cutting it away. The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, neither in this world nor in the worlds to come does such a person ever meet with ruin; for never does anyone who strives to do good, My dear friend, walk the road to misfortune. Having attained the pure realms of the righteous and dwelt there for uncounted years, the soul that fell short of yoga is reborn into a home of virtue and prosperity. Or, rarer still, such a one may be born directly into a lineage of wise and illuminated yogis; verily, a birth of that kind is exceedingly difficult to gain in this world. There, in that new life, the soul reawakens the spiritual wisdom acquired in previous embodiments, and driven by that inner continuity, strives with even greater vigor toward supreme perfection, O descendant of Kuru. Helplessly, as though carried forward by a force beyond itself, the soul is drawn onward by the momentum of its past practice. Even the earnest seeker who merely yearns to know the nature of yoga rises beyond the outer boundaries of ritualistic scripture. And striving with earnest diligence, gradually cleansed of every trace of impurity and perfected over the course of many lifetimes, the yogi at last attains the supreme destination. The yogi stands higher than the ascetic of severe penances, higher even than the scholar of scriptural learning, and higher than the person bound to ritualistic works. Therefore, O Arjuna, be a yogi. And among all yogis, the one who meditates upon Me with an undivided inner heart, full of devotion and faith, is considered by Me to be the most intimately united of all.