Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 3, Verse 7
यस्त्विन्द्रियाणि मनसा नियम्यारभतेऽर्जुन।
कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते।।
कर्मेन्द्रियैः कर्मयोगमसक्तः स विशिष्यते।।
yas tvindriyāṇi manasā niyamyārabhate ’rjuna
karmendriyaiḥ karma-yogam asaktaḥ sa viśiṣyate
also searched as "yastvindriyani manasa niyamyarabhate arjuna"
Translation
But he who, subduing his senses by the mind, O Arjuna, begins to practice Karma Yoga through the organs of action and who is free from attachment, excels.
Vāṇi's rendering
Better the one who rules the senses with the mind and acts in the world, unattached. That one shines.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यःyaḥ | he who (sandhi: yas before tu) |
| तुtu | but — marking the contrast with the pretender of the previous verse |
| इन्द्रियाणिindriyāṇi | the senses |
| मनसाmanasā | with the mind |
| नियम्यniyamya | having reined in, held under rule |
| आरभतेārabhate | begins, undertakes (sandhi: niyamya + ārabhate) |
| अर्जुनarjuna | O Arjuna |
| कर्मेन्द्रियैःkarma-indriyaiḥ | with the organs of action — the hands, the feet, the working body |
| कर्मयोगम्karma-yogam | the yoga of action, work done as practice |
| असक्तःasaktaḥ | unattached, not clinging to the outcome |
| सःsaḥ | he, that one |
| विशिष्यतेviśiṣyate | is the better one, stands out, excels |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 7 mean?
It answers the false renouncer of the previous verse. The one who reins in the senses with the mind and then puts the body to work, without clinging to results, is the better of the two. Stillness is not the measure. What the mind is doing while you act — that is the measure.
What is the meaning of yastvindriyani manasa niyamyarabhate arjuna?
Krishna names an order of operations. First the mind takes hold of the senses; only then do the karmendriyas, the working limbs, begin. Restraint comes from within outward, never the other way. A body forced quiet while desire runs loose has restrained nothing at all.
Does this verse say action is better than renunciation?
It says honest action is better than dishonest stillness. Krishna is not comparing two ideals here; he is comparing a hypocrite to a working person who has let go of the outcome. Asaktaḥ is the whole weight of it. Unattached work is itself the renunciation being praised.
How do I control the senses with the mind in daily life?
Not by suppression. Niyamya is the reining of a horse already running — you do not stop it, you steer it. Let the hands stay busy and watch where the wanting goes. Each time you notice the grip on a result and set it down, you have done the practice.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
The verse before this named the fraud: the one who sits with a still body and a roaming mind. Here is the contrast, and notice the order Krishna gives. The mind holds the senses; then the hands go to work. Not the reverse — you cannot start with the hands and hope the mind follows. Arjuna wanted to drop the bow and call it renunciation. Krishna tells him the field is not the problem; the grip is. Sit still with a wanting mind and you have moved nothing. Act with an unattached mind and the work stays clean. Your hands are not the difficulty. Your holding is.