Chapter 6, Verse 36
असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः | वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः ||६-३६||
asaṃyatātmanā yogo duṣprāpa iti me matiḥ . vaśyātmanā tu yatatā śakyo.avāptumupāyataḥ ||6-36||
Meaning
6.36 I think Yoga is hard to be attained by one of uncontrolled self, but the self-controlled and striving one can attain to it by the (proper) means.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna completes his answer with balanced realism. He concedes plainly that for the asamyata-atma — the one whose self is uncontrolled — yoga is indeed hard to attain. He does not offer false comfort; without inner discipline, the goal remains out of reach. This honesty respects Arjuna's intelligence and the genuine difficulty he has raised.
But the verse pivots on hope and effort. For the vashya-atma — one who has brought himself under control — and who is yatata, actively striving, yoga is shakya, achievable, when pursued upayatah, by the right means. Three conditions emerge: self-control, sincere striving, and skillful method. This is not blind willpower but intelligent, persistent effort along a proven path. Krishna thus places the outcome firmly within reach of anyone willing to do the work. The mind that seemed as ungovernable as the wind is shown to be conquerable, not by magic, but by self-mastery and right practice steadily applied.
💡 Key Takeaway
Yoga eludes the undisciplined but is fully attainable through self-control, sincere striving, and the right methods.
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.