Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 4 (BG 6.4) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

A practitioner who has experienced the state of sadhana finds it not difficult to understand the condition of one who aspires to ascend. For the seeker, action performed without attachment is the means of practice. The renunciation of actions should be undertaken only when complete mastery over the mind has been attained. To abandon actions before this is as harmful as disturbing the mind with actions after reaching the state of yoga-perfection. In that state, the means is tranquility alone. Naturally, all seekers develop a longing to know the characteristics of one established in yoga. In this verse, Sri Krishna reveals the external and internal marks of the person who has mounted the horse of mind. One characteristic of such a person is that neither is the mind attached to the objects of the senses nor to the actions performed in the world. One should not take this statement literally and attempt to draw a peculiar and laughable picture of the ultimate truth. Its meaning is simply this: during the practice of meditation, the seeker's mind becomes completely withdrawn from objects and actions, enabling him to meditate with undivided attention. Without the cooperation of the mind, the senses cannot of themselves turn toward objects. If the mind is fixed in meditation upon the blissful nature of the Self, then after experiencing that objectless joy, it will not wander in search of the fleeting pleasures of sense objects. A well-fed pet dog of a wealthy person does not search for scraps of food in garbage bins placed here and there. The mind, turned away from sense enjoyment and action, becomes established in contemplation of the Self. Here, special attention must be given to the word "does not cling." By adding the prefix "an" to the root "cling," the Lord indicates that such a person has not the slightest attachment to objects. Even upon attaining this state, it is possible that the seeker may be disturbed by the thoughts and doubts arising within the mind itself. The disturbances created by these thoughts are more formidable than the distractions of the external world. The Lord says that the person established in yoga is free not only from external distractions but also from the disturbances caused by this power of thought. It is clear that for such a one established in yoga, tranquility is necessary to quicken the pace of meditation. The person established in yoga delivers himself from the calamity that is the world of becoming.