Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of a Brahmachari, having controlled the mind, thinking of Me and balanced in mind, let him sit, having Me as his supreme goal.
In simple words
Krishna describes the inner state: "Sit with a calm mind, without fear, with full self-discipline. Control the mind, think of Me, and keep Me as your highest goal."
Word-by-word meanings
प्रशान्तात्माserenemindedविगतभीःfearlessब्रह्मचारिव्रतेin the vow of Brahmacharyaस्थितःfirmमनःthe mindसंयम्यhaving controlledमच्चित्तःthinking on Meयुक्तःbalancedआसीतlet him sitमत्परःMe as the supreme goal
Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.
Swami Sivananda
6.14 प्रशान्तात्मा sereneminded? विगतभीः fearless? ब्रह्मचारिव्रते in the vow of Brahmacharya? स्थितः firm? मनः the mind? संयम्य having controlled? मच्चित्तः thinking on Me? युक्तः balanced? आसीत let him sit? मत्परः Me as the supreme goal.Commentary The spiritual aspirant should possess serenity of mind. The Divine Light can descend only in a serene mind. Serenity is attained by the eradication of Vasanas or desires and cravings. He should be fearless. This is the most important alification. A timid man or a coward is very far from Selfrealisation.A Brahmachari (celibate) should serve his Guru or the spiritual preceptor wholeheartedly and should live on alms. This also constitutes the BrahmachariVrata. The aspirant should control the modifications of the mind. He should be balanced in pleasure and pain? heat and cold? honour and dishonour. He should ever think of the Lord and take Him as the Supreme Goal.Brahmacharya also means continence. Semen or the vital fluid tones the nerves and the brain? and energises the whole system. That Brahmachari who has preserved this vital force by the vow,of celibacy and sublimated it into Ojas Sakti or radiant spiritual power can practise steady meditation for a long period. Only he can ascend the ladder of Yoga. Without Brahmacharya or celibacy not an iota or spiritual progress is possible. Continence is the very foundation on which the superstructure of meditation and Samadhi can be built up. Many persons waste this vital energy -- a great spiritual treasure indeed -- when they become blind and lose their power of reason under sexual excitement. Pitiable is their lot They cannot make substantial progress in Yoga.
Swami Chinmayananda
This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.
Through continuous practice of meditation over time, the seeker experiences ever-increasing peace and contentment. The person who has attained this supremely subtle inner tranquility is called one of peaceful soul. A tranquil mind is the most suitable instrument for the atman to express itself in its pure and divine nature.
The practitioner of meditation encounters difficulty in reaching the heights of self-realization due to mental fear alone. Gradually, the yogi becomes free from the worldly desires of the mind, but if he lacks the necessary maturity in his practice, he becomes terrified of the experience of the atman—that reality beyond the mind. He feels as though he is dissolving into nothingness. Having identified himself with limitations since time immemorial and lived in the sense of individual existence, he cannot even believe that any reality could exist beyond these limitations. This recalls the story of the fishwomen who, by circumstance, had to spend a night in a flower shop. Accustomed to the stench of fish, they could not sleep because of the fragrance of flowers until they placed baskets of fish at their heads. We become frightened of entering infinite bliss by remaining distant from painful limitations.
This fear itself obstructs the path of spiritual progress. Even if success begins to manifest, the seeker will neglect it due to this mental fear. With a peaceful mind, through study of the scriptures and fearless practice of daily meditation—yet if one does not remain firmly established in brahmacharya, success cannot be attained. Brahmacharya, in its Upanishadic sense and in its particular meaning here, generally means the renunciation of sexual union. But the word carries a broader significance. Brahmacharya is not merely restraint of the sexual impulse, but control over the tendencies of all the senses. Yet this restraint must be exercised with discrimination, not through dull suppression of desires. An uncontrolled mind becomes agitated and distracted by sensory impressions and dissipates all its energy.
Beyond this general meaning of sense restraint, brahmacharya has a special purpose. In Sanskrit, a brahmachari is one whose nature is to move in Brahman. In this light, brahmacharya means the continuous effort to establish the mind in contemplation of Brahman and in deep meditation. This is the sole principal means by which we can calm and regulate the outward-turning tendencies of the mind.
The very nature of mind is to contemplate some object or another. Until it is given knowledge of a supreme goal, its tendency toward worldly objects cannot turn away from them. Herein lies the secret of success in perfect brahmacharya. There is no need to gaze in wonder at any yogi, for each of us can attain that yogi's success. Self-mastery is required for that achievement. Lacking knowledge of decisive means to protect oneself from the attractions of sense objects, humanity falls into their temptation and cannot restrain greed.
The seeker endowed with the three qualities described in this verse encounters no difficulty in meditation practice. Tranquility, fearlessness, and brahmacharya respectively prepare the intellect, mind, and body for meditation. When these three are harmoniously integrated, the seeker obtains maximum strength and peace, which can be directed toward meditation. Thus the seeker, empowered with new strength, becomes capable. He can easily turn his wandering mind away from objects and meditate upon the atman.
The instruction given in this verse is of utmost importance: the seeker should sit for meditation regarding Me as the supreme goal. We know from experience that we first strive to attain that which we value most highly. Therefore, the person who regards the Supreme Self as the highest goal and remains constantly engaged in practice soon directly experiences his own infinite, eternal, peaceful, and blissful nature.