Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 18 (BG 6.18) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

From this verse through the next five verses, the fruits of yoga are examined, and it is clarified what the fully realized yogi experiences both at the moment of self-realization and in the life that follows thereafter. Throughout the entire Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna employs the term "yukt" in many places and emphasizes the importance of the seeker becoming yukt; yet until now, a complete definition of this word has not been given, though hints of it have certainly been made here and there. In the verse under consideration, we find an extensive definition of the term "yukt." A mind that is completely disciplined remains established in the atman. Upon reflection on this statement, its truth becomes self-evident. The characteristic of an undisciplined mind is the pursuit of pleasure in sense objects. As has been explained before, the supreme means of restraining this outward tendency of the mind is to contemplate the atman—the consciousness that illuminates the mind. In the state of that meditation, the mind, naturally withdrawn from sense objects, becomes steady and established in the nature of the atman. The second line of the verse confirms the above discussion by presenting the means of steadying the mind: freedom from all desires. Unfortunately, many commentators have placed excessive emphasis on the renunciation of desires, declaring it a principal virtue of Hindu dharma. There is a vast difference between desire and craving for sense objects. To have a desire or wish is not improper, nor can it by itself cause us suffering. Rather, it is the excessive longing or craving in our mind for the fulfillment of desires that becomes the source of our afflictions in life. For example, the desire to earn wealth is not improper, for it motivates a person to act, to achieve goals, and to preserve them. But if that person becomes enslaved by this desire for wealth and, through attachment, behaves like one afflicted with madness, then he will become incapable of attaining his goal. The cause of his failure is craving. Therefore, the Gita teaches us only to abandon craving for sense objects. When the mind makes a discerning evaluation of the utility of sense objects, it withdraws from them and becomes established in the atman. Limited sense objects disturb the mind, whereas the infinite nature of the atman fills it with bliss. The mind's withdrawal from sense objects and establishment in the atman is the mark of yuktata. A person possessing this characteristic is called yukt. The yogi thus describes the state of such a one whose mind is absorbed in this way: