Chapter 6 · The yoga of meditation
Bhagavad Gita 6.6
A mastered mind is a friend; an unmastered one, an enemy.
Shri Bhagavan
बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः ।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् ॥
bandhurātmātmanastasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ / anātmanastu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat
For the man who has mastered himself by himself, he himself is his friend. For the man who has not, he stands against himself like an enemy.
हिंदी · जिसने अपने ही प्रयत्न से स्वयं को जीत लिया, उसके लिए वह स्वयं ही मित्र है। जिसने नहीं जीता, उसके लिए वह स्वयं ही शत्रु की तरह खड़ा रहता है।
What it means
A mastered mind is a friend; an unmastered one, an enemy.
For one who has conquered the mind, it is the best of friends. For one who has not, it behaves like an enemy.
This is the Trust’s own reading, written for this site. The verse above it is the text.
Where this verse stands
Self-mastery and true renunciation
Chapter 66.1–9
The mind/self may be friend or enemy; equality toward different persons is introduced.
This verse belongs to the middle development of the movement.
Common questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.6 mean?
A mastered mind is a friend; an unmastered one, an enemy. For one who has conquered the mind, it is the best of friends. For one who has not, it behaves like an enemy.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 6.6?
Shri Bhagavan. The speaker is taken from the text’s own उवाच line as transcribed, not inferred from the verse number.