Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 6, Verse 36
असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः।
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः।।
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः।।
asaṅyatātmanā yogo duṣprāpa iti me matiḥ
vaśyātmanā tu yatatā śakyo ’vāptum upāyataḥ
also searched as "asamyatatmana yogo dushprapa iti me matih"
Translation
In my opinion, Yoga is hard to attain by a person of an unrestrained mind; however, it can be attained through the right means by one who strives for it and has a subdued mind.
Vāṇi's rendering
For the undisciplined self, this yoga is out of reach. For the one who strives with self-rule — attainable.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| असंयतात्मनाasaṃyata-ātmanā | by one whose self is unrestrained, ungoverned |
| योगःyogaḥ | yoga, this union (sandhi: yogo) |
| दुष्प्रापःduṣprāpaḥ | hard to reach, out of reach (sandhi: duṣprāpa) |
| इतिiti | so, thus |
| मेme | my |
| मतिःmatiḥ | view, considered opinion |
| वश्यात्मनाvaśya-ātmanā | by one whose self is under his own command |
| तुtu | but |
| यतताyatatā | by one who strives, who keeps at it |
| शक्यःśakyaḥ | possible, able to be had (sandhi: śakyo) |
| अवाप्तुम्avāptum | to attain, to arrive at ('vāptum after sandhi) |
| उपायतःupāyataḥ | by the right means, by proper method |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 36 mean?
It draws a line. Where the self is ungoverned, yoga stays out of reach — not withheld, simply unreachable, the way water will not stand in a broken pot. Where there is self-rule and steady striving by right means, it can be had. The condition is not gift or grace but governance.
What does asamyatatmana yogo dushprapa iti me matih mean?
Asaṃyata-ātmanā means by one whose self is unrestrained. To such a one, Krishna says, yoga is duṣprāpa — hard to come by. He marks it as his own considered view, iti me matiḥ, which makes it counsel rather than condemnation. The second half of the verse then names the remedy.
Is Krishna saying only disciplined people can practise yoga?
He is saying the undisciplined self cannot hold what yoga gives. But vaśya-ātmā is not a class of person you either belong to or don't — it is the fruit of yatatā, striving, and upāyataḥ, right method. You begin ungoverned. Everyone does. The practice is how governance comes.
Why does Krishna call this his opinion instead of a rule?
Because he is answering a man who has just said the mind is impossible to steady. A verdict would crush Arjuna; a view invites him to test it. Krishna states the difficulty plainly and then hands over the means. Take his view as something to verify in your own sitting, not to believe.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna has just been told the mind is restless and hard to hold. Now he adds the hard clause: without self-rule, this yoga does not arrive. He says it as opinion — iti me matiḥ, this is my view — and the softening matters, because it is not a curse laid on the undisciplined. It is a diagnosis, and diagnoses come with treatment. Notice what he asks for: not talent, not purity, not a quiet mind already won. Striving, and right means. Effort pointed the right way. The gate is not shut against you; it simply will not swing for a hand that never steadies.