Chapter 6, Verse 14
प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः | मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः ||६-१४||
praśāntātmā vigatabhīrbrahmacārivrate sthitaḥ . manaḥ saṃyamya maccitto yukta āsīta matparaḥ ||6-14||
Meaning
6.14 Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of a Brahmachari, having controlled the mind, thinking of Me and balanced in mind, let him sit, having Me as his supreme goal.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna completes the meditation instructions by turning from posture to the heart's orientation. The inner conditions are prashantatma — a serene, settled mind — and vigatabhi, freedom from fear, for anxiety scatters concentration. Steadiness in the brahmacharya vow conserves and channels vital energy, keeping the seeker centered rather than dissipated.
Then comes the crowning instruction that lifts this chapter beyond mere technique: maccitta and matpara — let the mind rest on Me, with Me as the supreme goal. After all the careful discipline of seat, spine, and breath, Krishna reveals that the true object of meditation is the Divine itself. Concentration is not an end but a means to loving absorption in God. The earlier verses build the vessel; this verse fills it with devotion. Self-control finds its fulfillment not in barren stillness but in surrendered love for the Supreme.
💡 Key Takeaway
Steady the mind with calm and fearlessness, then rest it lovingly on the Divine as your highest goal.
Related Verses
जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः | शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः ||६-७||
jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ . śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ ||6-7||
6.7 The Supreme Self of him who is self-controlled and peaceful is balanced in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, as also in honour and dishonour.
योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः | एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः ||६-१०||
yogī yuñjīta satatamātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥ . ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśīraparigrahaḥ ||6-10||
6.10 Let the Yogi try constantly to keep the mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone, with the mind and the body controlled, and free from hope and covetousness.
शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः | नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम् ||६-११||
śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiramāsanamātmanaḥ . nātyucchritaṃ nātinīcaṃ cailājinakuśottaram ||6-11||
6.11 In a clean spot, having established a firm seat of his own, neither too high nor too low, made of a cloth, a skin and Kusa-grass, one over the other.