Chapter 6, Verse 13
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः | सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ||६-१३||
samaṃ kāyaśirogrīvaṃ dhārayannacalaṃ sthiraḥ . samprekṣya nāsikāgraṃ svaṃ diśaścānavalokayan ||6-13||
Meaning
6.13 Let him firmly hold his body, head and neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna details the physical posture of meditation with the care of a true teacher. The body, head, and neck are held sama — erect and aligned in a single vertical line — and kept achala and sthira, motionless and steady. An upright, settled spine allows energy to flow freely and keeps the mind alert without strain; a slumped or fidgeting body invites a slumped, fidgeting mind.
The gaze is softly fixed toward the tip of the nose, the eyes neither wide open to the world's distractions nor fully shut into drowsiness. 'Not looking about in any direction' withdraws the seeker from the pull of surroundings. This is the wisdom of yoga: stillness of body invites stillness of mind. By steadying the outer instrument first, the meditator quiets the restless reflex of attention and creates the calm container in which deeper concentration can unfold.
💡 Key Takeaway
Sit with the spine erect, still, and the gaze gathered inward — a steady body steadies the mind.
Related Verses
यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव | न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन ||६-२||
yaṃ saṃnyāsamiti prāhuryogaṃ taṃ viddhi pāṇḍava . na hyasaṃnyastasaṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana ||6-2||
6.2 Do thou, O Arjuna, know Yoga to be that which they call renunciation; no one verily becomes a Yogi who has not renounced thoughts.
आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते | योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते ||६-३||
ārurukṣormuneryogaṃ karma kāraṇamucyate . yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇamucyate ||6-3||
6.3 For a sage who wishes to attain to Yoga, action is said to be the means; for the same sage who has attained to Yoga, inaction (iescence) is said to be the means.
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः | अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ||६-६||
bandhurātmātmanastasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ . anātmanastu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat ||6-6||
6.6 The Self is the friend of the self of him by whom the self has been conered by the Self, but to the unconered self, this Self stands in the position of an enemy, like an (external) foe.