Bg. 6.18

BG 6.18

Devanagari

यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते । निस्पृह: सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा ॥ १८ ॥

Verse text

yadā viniyataṁ cittam ātmany evāvatiṣṭhate nispṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyo yukta ity ucyate tadā

Synonyms

yadā when ; viniyatam particularly disciplined ; cittam the mind and its activities ; ātmani in the transcendence ; eva certainly ; avatiṣṭhate becomes situated ; nispṛhaḥ devoid of desire ; sarva for all kinds of ; kāmebhyaḥ material sense gratification ; yuktaḥ well situated in yoga ; iti thus ; ucyate is said to be ; tadā at that time.

Translation

When the yogī, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in transcendence – devoid of all material desires – he is said to be well established in yoga.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

18. When the motionless consciousness fixes itself in the self alone, free from desires for all objects of enjoyment, one is said to be perfect in yoga.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

18. When the controlled consciousness fixes itself in the self alone, free from desires for all objects of enjoyment, one is said to be perfect in yoga.

Purport

The activities of the yogī are distinguished from those of an ordinary person by his characteristic cessation from all kinds of material desires – of which sex is the chief. A perfect yogī is so well disciplined in the activities of the mind that he can no longer be disturbed by any kind of material desire. This perfectional stage can automatically be attained by persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.18–20) : sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā yathottama-śloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ “King Ambarīṣa first of all engaged his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa; then, one after another, he engaged his words in describing the transcendental qualities of the Lord, his hands in mopping the temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing of the activities of the Lord, his eyes in seeing the transcendental forms of the Lord, his body in touching the bodies of the devotees, his sense of smell in smelling the scents of the lotus flowers offered to the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasī leaf offered at the lotus feet of the Lord, his legs in going to places of pilgrimage and the temple of the Lord, his head in offering obeisances unto the Lord, and his desires in executing the mission of the Lord. All these transcendental activities are quite befitting a pure devotee.” This transcendental stage may be inexpressible subjectively by the followers of the impersonalist path, but it becomes very easy and practical for a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as is apparent in the above description of the engagements of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Unless the mind is fixed on the lotus feet of the Lord by constant remembrance, such transcendental engagements are not practical. In the devotional service of the Lord, therefore, these prescribed activities are called arcana, or engaging all the senses in the service of the Lord. The senses and the mind require engagements. Simple abnegation is not practical. Therefore, for people in general – especially those who are not in the renounced order of life – transcendental engagement of the senses and the mind as described above is the perfect process for transcendental achievement, which is called yukta in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When does the yogī perfect that yoga? This verse describes that situation. When the consciousness stops all movement (viniyataṁ cittam), and is firmly fixed without distraction in the self alone (ātmani avatiṣṭhate), it is said to be perfect yoga.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

When will that person accomplish yoga? When the consciousness of the person practicing yoga, fully under control (vinayatam), always remains firmly situated only in his own ātmā, and the person is devoid of all desires other than ātmā, the yoga is said to be complete (yuktaḥ).

Surrender Unto Me

Here is a yogi who is on that level: