Meditation steadies the flame of attention.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता |योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ||६-१९||
yathā dīpo nivātastho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā . yogino yatacittasya yuñjato yogamātmanaḥ ||6-19||
Use this verse as a meditation visualization.
Meaning
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, that is the image of the controlled mind of a yogi practicing yoga.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
A steady mind is like a still flame.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives one of the most beautiful meditation images. The goal is not force, but a mind so sheltered and trained that attention becomes steady.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna offers one of the Gita's most beloved and luminous images. A lamp set in a windless place burns perfectly still, its flame unwavering, casting a steady light. So too is the mind of the yogi whose chitta is controlled and who is absorbed in the yoga of the Self — utterly still, unflickering, radiant.
The metaphor reveals what meditation accomplishes. Ordinarily the mind is a flame buffeted by the winds of desire, fear, and sensory impression, never holding steady, its light scattered and trembling. But when those winds are stilled through practice, the same flame stands motionless and bright.
The light was always there; only the wind disturbed it. This is the goal of all the discipline described in this chapter: not to create some new brilliance, but to shelter the mind's natural light from the gusts that make it shake. A steady inner flame illumines reality as it is.
In daily life
Reduce the winds that disturb the mind.
Notifications, gossip, and worry are winds that disturb the inner flame.
Try this today
Remove one disturbance before practice.
My attention becomes steady like a flame.Reflect
What wind keeps flickering my mind?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सा उपमा स्मृता’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on concentration, in other chapters
- Verse 5.27Withdraw the senses, steady your gaze, and balance the breath — these simple disciplines quiet the mind for inner realization.
- Verse 8.12Gather your scattered attention inward by quieting the senses and settling the mind in the heart, the daily heart of meditation.
- Verse 2.53When intelligence becomes immovably steady in samadhi, undistracted even by scriptural promises, true yoga is attained.
- Verse 13.11Steady devotion grows best when we cultivate quiet and resist the constant pull of restless distraction.
Swipe left for 6.20 · Stillness reveals the Self.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.19
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.19, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.19, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.19 mean?
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, that is the image of the controlled mind of a yogi practicing yoga. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.19 for daily life?
Reduce the winds that disturb the mind. Notifications, gossip, and worry are winds that disturb the inner flame.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.19 mean?
यथा दीपः — as a lamp; निवातस्थः — placed in a windless spot; न इङ्गते — does not flicker; सा उपमा स्मृता — that simile is remembered / recorded; योगिनः यतचित्तस्य — of the yogi of controlled mind.
Where does verse 6.19 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 19 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.20.