Bhagavad-gītā 6.5

Explain simply

Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥५॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ
nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur
ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Word for word (synonyms)

uddharet
one must deliver
ātmanā
by the mind
ātmānam
the conditioned soul
na
never
ātmānam
the conditioned soul
avasādayet
put into degradation
ātmā
mind
eva
certainly
hi
indeed
ātmanaḥ
of the conditioned soul
bandhuḥ
friend
ātmā
mind
eva
certainly
ripuḥ
enemy
ātmanaḥ
of the conditioned soul

Translation

A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.

Purport

The word ātmā denotes body, mind and soul-depending upon different circumstances. In the yoga system, the mind and the conditioned soul are especially important. Since the mind is the central point of yoga practice, ātmā refers here to the mind. The purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from attachment to sense objects. It is stressed herein that the mind must be so trained that it can deliver the conditioned soul from the mire of nescience. In material existence one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore, the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects. The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is to always engage the mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The word hi is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., that one must do this. It is also said:

mana eva manuṣyāṇāṁ kāraṇaṁ bandha-mokṣayoḥ
bandhāya viṣayāsaṅgo muktyai nirviṣayaṁ manaḥ.

"For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage, and mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation." Therefore, the mind which is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation.

What this verse teaches

Mind is both friend and enemy

Gita for Life
Self-control
In thematic compilations 1

Self-control

  • Controlled mind is the best friend and uncontrolled mind is the worst enemy (6.5-6 uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ...)
Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures 2
Articles on this verse 1

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.