A complete guide to meditation (Dhyana Yoga) in the Bhagavad Gita — step-by-step technique from Chapter 6, posture and place, mind control methods, different meditation types, key verses, and classical commentaries.
Moksha in the Bhagavad Gita is liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara). Krishna describes it as the soul's union with the Divine, achieved through selfless action, devotion, and knowledge. Moksha brings eternal peace, freedom from suffering, and realization of one's true divine nature.
Karma in the Bhagavad Gita means action performed with mindful intention. Lord Krishna teaches that karma encompasses all physical, mental, and verbal actions, and their inevitable consequences. True karma yoga involves performing duties without attachment to results, dedicating all actions to the Divine.
The Bhagavad Gita devotes Chapter 6 (Dhyana Yoga) entirely to meditation. Krishna teaches Arjuna a systematic technique: sit in a clean, quiet place on a firm seat (BG 6.11-12), hold body erect and still (BG 6.13), concentrate the mind on the Self with serene fearlessness (BG 6.14). The restless mind is tamed through constant practice (abhyasa) and detachment (vairagya) per BG 6.35.
Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita, known as Dhyana Yoga (the Yoga of Meditation) or Atma Samyama Yoga (the Yoga of Self-Mastery), is the most detailed and systematic teaching on meditation in the entire text. While meditation is referenced throughout the Gita, Chapter 6 provides the complete practical framework: where to sit, how to sit, where to focus the mind, how to handle the mind's restlessness, and what the fruits of successful meditation are.
What makes the Gita's teaching on meditation distinctive is its practicality. Krishna does not simply say "meditate." He gives Arjuna — a warrior, not a monk — specific, actionable instructions that can be followed by anyone, regardless of their life circumstances. The Gita's meditation teaching is not designed for ascetics living in caves but for people engaged in the world who seek inner peace alongside their outer duties.
The broader context of Chapter 6 is also significant. It comes after Krishna has taught Karma Yoga (selfless action, Chapter 3) and Jnana Yoga (knowledge, Chapter 4), establishing meditation as both a culmination of these paths and a practice that supports them. Meditation without selfless action becomes escapism; selfless action without meditation becomes exhausting. The Gita integrates them into a unified spiritual practice.
Krishna provides one of the most detailed meditation instructions in all of ancient literature in verses 6.10-14. Here is the complete technique, verse by verse.
Krishna begins with the external conditions for meditation. The practitioner should find a solitary, clean place — free from distractions and disturbances. The seat (asana) should be firm and neither too high nor too low, covered with kusha grass, a deerskin, and a cloth.
The practical principle behind these instructions is stability and comfort. The seat should be firm enough that the body does not shift during meditation, placed at a comfortable height that does not strain the joints. Modern practitioners can adapt this: a firm cushion on a clean, quiet floor serves the same purpose. The key is a dedicated, undisturbed space that signals to the mind that it is time for inner work.
The posture instructions are precise: the spine, neck, and head should form a straight vertical line. The body should be motionless (achala) and steady (sthira). The gaze should be directed at the tip of the nose — not as a strenuous exercise but as a gentle focal point that prevents the eyes from wandering and pulling the mind with them.
Classical commentators explain that the erect spine facilitates the flow of prana (life energy) through the central channel (sushumna nadi), enabling deeper states of consciousness. Modern yoga practitioners will recognize these same postural principles in traditional meditation forms across multiple traditions.
The inner attitude has several components: serenity (prashanta-atma), fearlessness (vigata-bhih), self-discipline (brahmacharya-vrate), mental control (manah samyamya), and devotional focus (mat-chittah, mat-parah — mind on Krishna, with Krishna as the highest goal). This verse shows that the Gita's meditation is not a mere technique of concentration but a devotional practice in which the meditator turns the entire being toward the Divine.
The result of sustained meditation practice is "shantim nirvana-paramam" — the peace of supreme nirvana. This is not merely relaxation or stress reduction (though those are natural byproducts) but a fundamental transformation of consciousness: the discovery of an inner peace that is independent of external circumstances and that abides eternally in the Divine.
Perhaps the most relatable exchange in the entire Gita occurs when Arjuna voices what every meditator has felt: the mind is impossibly difficult to control.
Arjuna's honest confession resonates with anyone who has ever tried to sit still and focus. The mind is "chanchalam" (restless), "pramathi" (turbulent), "balavat" (strong), and "dridham" (unyielding). Controlling it feels as impossible as controlling the wind. This verse has been a source of comfort for meditators for thousands of years — even the great Arjuna struggled with the same challenge.
Krishna's response is both compassionate and practical:
Krishna's two-word prescription — abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (detachment) — contains the entire science of mental training. Abhyasa means consistent, patient repetition: sitting down to meditate day after day, bringing the mind back each time it wanders, without frustration or self-judgment. Vairagya means gradually loosening your emotional grip on the objects that pull your attention — not by suppressing desire but by recognizing the deeper satisfaction that comes from inner stillness.
Earlier in Chapter 6, Krishna provides additional guidance on this process in verses 6.25-26: "Gradually, step by step, one should become established in the Self through intelligence sustained by conviction, and the mind should be fixed on the Self alone, not thinking of anything else. Whenever and wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self."
The phrase "yato yato" (whenever and wherever) acknowledges that the mind will wander many times. This is not failure — it is the normal process of training. Each time you notice the mind has wandered and gently bring it back, you are strengthening the muscle of attention. This teaching perfectly anticipates the modern understanding of mindfulness practice.
These verses establish the Gita's characteristic middle path. Successful meditation requires a balanced lifestyle — neither extreme indulgence nor extreme austerity. The word "yukta" (balanced, moderate) is repeated four times, emphasizing that moderation in all things is the foundation of effective practice.
This teaching is remarkably relevant to modern life, where people oscillate between overwork and collapse, overeating and fad diets, insomnia and oversleeping. The Gita teaches that meditation does not exist in isolation — it is supported by a balanced lifestyle, and it in turn supports that balance. A person who meditates regularly naturally gravitates toward healthier patterns of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation.
While Chapter 6 provides the most detailed meditation instructions, the Gita teaches several forms of meditative practice across its 18 chapters.
The primary technique taught in Chapter 6, involving sitting still, controlling the senses, and fixing the mind on the Self or on Krishna. This is what most people think of when they hear "meditation."
Chapter 3 teaches that selfless action performed with full attention and without attachment to results is itself a form of meditation. When you work with complete focus and dedication, offering the fruits to the Divine, the distinction between meditation and action dissolves. As BG 2.50 states, "Yoga is skill in action" — and this skillful, mindful action is a walking meditation.
Chapter 4 describes the path of knowledge, which includes sustained contemplation on the nature of reality, the Self, and the relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme. This is a form of analytical meditation where the mind investigates its own nature through discriminative wisdom (viveka).
Chapter 12 teaches devotional meditation — the practice of fixing the mind on God with love, faith, and surrender. This is not mere emotional devotion but a disciplined practice of keeping the Lord constantly in the mind. In BG 8.14, Krishna says: "For one who always remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain." This "constant remembrance" (ananya-chetah satatam) is the essence of devotional meditation.
In BG 8.13, Krishna teaches the meditation on the sacred syllable Om (pranava): "Uttering the one-syllabled Om, the symbol of Brahman, and remembering Me, he who departs, leaving the body, attains the supreme goal." This is a practice of mantra meditation where the sound Om becomes the vehicle for transcending the mind.
Shankaracharya emphasizes that the ultimate purpose of meditation is to realize the identity of Atman and Brahman. For Shankara, meditation is the direct means of self-knowledge — when the mind becomes perfectly still, the Self reveals itself as infinite, unbounded consciousness. He interprets BG 6.20 ("seeing the Self by the Self") as the moment of nondual realization where the meditator, the act of meditation, and the object of meditation merge into one.
Ramanujacharya interprets the Gita's meditation as devotional contemplation on the Lord's qualities, form, and nature. For Ramanuja, BG 6.14 ("mat-chittah, mat-parah") is the key instruction: the mind should be fixed on God as a person, not on an abstract Self. Meditation is an act of love in which the soul contemplates the beauty and perfection of the Lord and deepens its relationship with Him.
Madhvacharya teaches that meditation is the disciplined contemplation of Lord Vishnu's supreme qualities. For Madhva, the goal of meditation is not merger with the Divine but an ever-deepening experience of God's presence, power, and grace. The meditator remains distinct from God but experiences increasing closeness and bliss through sustained devotional focus. Madhva emphasizes that successful meditation requires divine grace as well as human effort.
One of the most compassionate exchanges in the Gita occurs when Arjuna asks about the fate of someone who begins meditation but does not complete the path. Krishna's answer (BG 6.40-45) is profoundly reassuring.
Krishna promises that no sincere spiritual effort is ever wasted. A yogi who falls from the path is reborn in favorable circumstances — either in a family of wise yogis or among the prosperous — where they naturally resume their practice from where they left off. This teaching removes the fear of failure from meditation practice. Even if you do not attain the ultimate goal in this lifetime, every minute of practice contributes to your spiritual evolution across lifetimes.
Explore Chapter 6 and all 700 verses on meditation, yoga, and self-mastery. Daily guidance for your spiritual practice.