Devotion anchors meditation.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः |मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः ||६-१४||
praśāntātmā vigatabhīrbrahmacārivrate sthitaḥ . manaḥ saṃyamya maccitto yukta āsīta matparaḥ ||6-14||
Use this verse when meditation feels dry or mechanical.
Meaning
Peaceful, fearless, established in discipline, controlling the mind, one should sit in yoga with mind fixed on Me and devoted to Me.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Meditation needs peace, discipline, fearlessness, and devotion.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna does not present meditation as only a technique. It is supported by character, self-control, and devotion to the Divine.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Bring the mind back to Krishna during practice.
A person can silently repeat Krishna as the mind wanders.
Try this today
Use one devotional phrase during meditation.
My mind rests in Krishna with peace.Reflect
What sacred focus steadies my mind?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on fearlessness, in other chapters
- Verse 5.28Master your faculties and release desire, fear, and anger, fixing on liberation alone — and you are already, ever, free.
- Verse 12.14Contentment, firm resolve, and a mind wholly offered to God make a devotee dear to the Lord.
- Verse 4.39Faith, wholehearted focus, and self-discipline open the door to wisdom — and wisdom swiftly brings supreme peace.
- Verse 10.17 · ArjunaThe mind needs concrete supports to fix itself on the Divine — so ask, with Arjuna, where to rest your attention.
Swipe left for 6.15 · Consistent practice brings deep peace.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.14
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.14, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.14, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.14 mean?
Peaceful, fearless, established in discipline, controlling the mind, one should sit in yoga with mind fixed on Me and devoted to Me. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.14 for daily life?
Bring the mind back to Krishna during practice. A person can silently repeat Krishna as the mind wanders.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.14 mean?
प्रशान्तात्मा — with a serene mind; विगतभीः — free from fear; ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः — firm in the vow of celibacy / continence; मनः संयम्य — having restrained the mind; मच्चित्तः — with the mind fixed on Me.
Where does verse 6.14 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 14 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.15.