Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 6, Verse 13
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः।
संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्।।
संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्।।
samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann acalaṁ sthiraḥ
samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaś cānavalokayan
also searched as "samam kaya shiro grivam dharayann achalam sthirah"
Translation
Holding the trunk, head, and neck erect, motionless and steady, gazing at the tip of the nose and not looking in any direction;
Vāṇi's rendering
Hold body, head, and neck upright and still, gaze resting at the tip of the nose, unwandering.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| समम्samaṁ | level, in one straight line |
| काय-शिरो-ग्रीवम्kāya-śiro-grīvaṁ | body, head and neck |
| धारयन्dhārayann | holding, carrying (final n doubled before the vowel of acalam) |
| अचलम्acalaṁ | unmoving |
| स्थिरःsthiraḥ | steady, settled |
| सम्प्रेक्ष्यsamprekṣya | looking evenly at |
| नासिका-अग्रम्nāsikāgraṁ | the tip of the nose |
| स्वम्svaṁ | his own |
| दिशःdiśaś | the directions, all around (ḥ becomes ś before ca) |
| चca | and |
| अनवलोकयन्anavalokayan | not glancing about |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 13 mean?
It means the sitting itself is part of the practice. Body, head and neck in one line, unmoving; the gaze gathered at the nose-tip rather than roaming the room. Krishna is not fussing over form. He is removing the small exits through which attention leaks — slump, fidget, glance — before asking the mind to settle.
What is the meaning of samam kaya shiro grivam dharayann achalam sthirah?
Hold the trunk, head and neck level and still, and be steady. Samaṁ is not stiffness; it is alignment, the body stacked so it can stay without strain. Sthiraḥ describes the one sitting, not just the sitting. The posture is meant to be forgettable — steady enough that you stop negotiating with it.
Do I have to literally stare at the tip of my nose while meditating?
No. The eyes are half-lowered and the eyeballs quiet, so the gaze falls naturally that way. Staring hard at the nose would only give the mind a new object to grip. What Krishna asks for is an unwandering look — eyes that have stopped shopping. Soften them downward and let them rest.
Why does Krishna describe posture at all in the Gita?
Because the mind borrows from the body. A restless spine keeps proposing movement; a settled one stops making the offer. Arjuna is being taught something a warrior already half knows — that stance precedes action. Before you can watch what rises within, something has to hold still. Let it be the frame you sit in.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna is giving posture instructions, and it can seem a strange descent — from the imperishable Self to the angle of a neck. It is not a descent. Arjuna is a soldier; he knows that how you stand decides what you can do. The body is the first thing a wandering mind reaches for, so Krishna begins there: spine upright, head still, gaze gathered to one small point so the eyes stop hunting the room. Not squeezed shut — resting. You cannot order a mind to be quiet. You can stop giving it doors. Sit still, and much of the noise has nowhere to go.