BG 6.5
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्
Lift the self by the Self; never let the self sink.
Chapter 6 of 18 · 47 verses · Dhyana Yoga
आत्मसंयमयोग
The Yoga of Self-Restraint / Meditation
Ātma-saṁyama-yoga
Theme: Dhyana, the meditation practice
Speaker: Krishna
Chapter summary
Krishna lays out the meditation practice in detail: seat (a clean kusha-grass mat), posture (steady, head and neck erect), gaze (tip of the nose), diet (moderate). The mind, restless as wind (6.34), must be patiently restrained. Even the failed yogi loses nothing — picks up the practice in the next birth.
Key verses
BG 6.35
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्
Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed, the mind is restless and hard to subdue — but by practice and dispassion it can be controlled.
Central takeaway
Daily meditation, moderate in food, sleep and recreation — this is yoga.
Jump to chapter
1. Arjuna's Despair2. The Yoga of Knowledge3. The Yoga of Action4. The Yoga of Knowledge & Renunciation of Action5. The Yoga of Renunciation of Action6. The Yoga of Self-Restraint / Meditation7. The Yoga of Knowledge & Realization8. The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman9. The Royal Knowledge, The Royal Secret10. The Yoga of Divine Manifestations11. The Yoga of the Vision of the Universal Form12. The Yoga of Devotion13. The Yoga of the Field and the Knower of the Field14. The Yoga of the Three Gunas15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person16. The Yoga of the Divine & Demoniac Natures17. The Yoga of the Threefold Faith18. The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation