Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 15 (BG 6.15) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

6.15 युञ्जन् balancing? एवम् thus? सदा always? आत्मानम् the self? योगी Yogi? नियतमानसः one with the controlled mind? शान्तिम् to peace? निर्वाणपरमाम् that which culminates in Nirvana (Moksha)? मत्संस्थाम् abiding in Me? अधिगच्छति attains.Commentary Thus in the manner prescribed in the previous verse.The Supreme Self is an embodiment of peace. It is an ocean of peace. When one attains to the supreme peace of the Eternal? by controlling the modifications of the mind and keeping it always balanced? he attains to liberation or perfection.

After describing the posture of the body, the disposition of the mind, and the contemplation through intellect, the Blessed Lord now expounds to His beloved friend Arjuna the final stage of the meditation practice. The practitioner endowed with these qualities establishes harmony between his inner and outer life and attains an extraordinary capacity. Such a person of disciplined mind, engaged in continuous practice, attains the supreme abode. The word "always" should not be understood to mean that the practitioner is taught to neglect his duties toward family and society. To do so would be an offense against society. "Always" refers to the time devoted to daily meditation practice. When one meditates with complete dedication, the practitioner experiences perfect peace. This peace itself is the nature of the Supreme Self, for in the atman there is complete absence of agitation, restlessness, and distraction of body, mind, and intellect. The atman transcends these limitations. From the Lord's statement that the yogi attains supreme peace in Me, it might appear that Sri Krishna is expounding the doctrine of duality. However, to regard the ultimate truth as possessing qualities would mean understanding it as a material substance that is limited and subject to change. Similarly, the attainment of that peace would be like the attainment of an object. Lord Sri Krishna, knowing the inadequacy and limitation of language in imparting knowledge of truth, avoids this defect by giving peace a special designation—nirvana parama, that is, peace in the form of liberation. The meaning is that when the yogi's mind withdraws completely from objects of sense, he experiences that peace which he has never experienced in the external world. Soon that person becomes one with the supreme truth, whose fragrance is the peace previously experienced. In the final stage of meditation, the yogi directly experiences his pure nature by becoming identical with it. This non-dual experience is what is described throughout the entire Bhagavad Gita. Now the rules regarding food and other disciplines for the yogi are described.