Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 12, Verse 8
मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय।निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः।।
mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya
nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvaṁ na sanśayaḥ
also searched as "mayyeva mana adhatsva mayi buddhim niveshaya"
Translation
Focus your mind on Me alone; and let your intellect enter into Me. Then, you will live in Me alone; there is no doubt.
Vāṇi's rendering
Set your mind on me; rest your understanding in me. From then on you live in me. No doubt about it.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मयिmayi | in me (joined with the next word as 'mayy eva') |
| एवeva | alone, and nowhere else |
| मनःmanaḥ | the mind — the restless, feeling, wandering part |
| आधत्स्वādhatsva | place, set, fix (a command to you) |
| मयिmayi | in me |
| बुद्धिम्buddhim | the understanding — what weighs and decides |
| निवेशयniveśaya | let it enter and settle down |
| निवसिष्यसिnivasiṣyasi | you will dwell, you will live |
| मयिmayi | in me |
| एवeva | indeed, precisely |
| अतःataḥ | from this point (sandhi with the next: 'ata ūrdhvam') |
| ऊर्ध्वम्ūrdhvam | onward, from then on |
| नna | not, no |
| संशयःsanśayaḥ | doubt |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 Verse 8 mean?
It means the whole practice can be stated in two acts. Put the mind on Krishna; let the understanding settle there too. Do that, and dwelling in him is not a distant reward but the plain result. Krishna closes with na sanśayaḥ — there is nothing here to be uncertain about.
What does mayyeva mana adhatsva mean in simple words?
Set your mind on me. Ādhatsva is a placing, the way you set something down where it belongs. Not straining, not forcing feeling — placing. And the eva means nowhere else. The mind will drift; the instruction is simply to place it again.
Why does Krishna mention both the mind and the intellect separately?
Because they wander differently. The manas roams among moods, sounds, worries. The buddhi decides, argues, keeps weighing whether this is right. One must be set, the other must be allowed to rest. Arjuna's trouble is both at once — feeling in turmoil, judgement paralysed.
How can I practise this verse in daily life?
Notice where the mind has gone, and bring it back. That is the entire method, repeated. No special hour is prescribed, no posture, no result to measure. Krishna does not ask you to succeed at it; he asks you to keep placing. The dwelling he promises follows on its own.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Krishna gives an instruction and then a consequence, and the order matters. Set the mind — that restless thing that goes where it likes. Rest the understanding — the part of you that decides, weighs, concludes. Both, he says, in me. Then the promise: you will live in me. Not visit, not glimpse. Live. Arjuna wanted certainty about which path was higher; he is handed an address instead. Notice that nothing is asked of your feelings here. Only where you put the mind, and where the understanding comes to rest. Place them, again, and again, and the dwelling takes care of itself.