6.26
यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥
yato yato niścarati manaś cañcalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśaṃ nayet
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) is still speaking.
The verse
Wherever the restless, unsteady mind runs out, from there he should hold it and lead this mind into control, in the self alone.
नेपालीमा
चञ्चल र अस्थिर मन जहाँ दौडन्छ, त्यहाँबाट उसले यसलाई समातेर आत्माकै वशमा ल्याउनुपर्छ।
Where it sits
6.25 said he should not think of anything. This verse is for the minute after that fails. The practice is not a mind that never runs. It is a mind brought back from wherever it ran. The seeing of 6.29 comes after this bringing-back.
Split: यतः + यतः + निश्चरति + मनः + चञ्चलम् + अस्थिरम् + ततः + ततः + नियम्य + एतत् + आत्मनि + एव + वशम् + नयेत्
yataḥ + yataḥ + niścarati + manaḥ + cañcalam + asthiram + tataḥ + tataḥ + niyamya + etat + ātmani + eva + vaśam + nayet
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| यतः | yataḥ | indeclinable | from wherever. |
| यतः | yataḥ | indeclinable | from wherever. Doubled, "wherever it may be." |
| निश्चरति | niścarati | present, 3rd singular | it runs out. nis-car (निस्-चर्). |
| मनः | manaḥ | nominative singular | the mind. |
| चञ्चलम् | cañcalam | nominative singular | restless. Agrees with manaḥ (मनः). |
| अस्थिरम् | asthiram | nominative singular | unsteady. Agrees with manaḥ (मनः). |
| ततः | tataḥ | indeclinable | from there. |
| ततः | tataḥ | indeclinable | from there. |
| नियम्य | niyamya | gerund | having held it back. |
| एतत् | etat | accusative singular | this. The mind. |
| आत्मनि | ātmani | locative singular | in the self. |
| एव | eva | indeclinable | alone. |
| वशम् | vaśam | accusative singular | into control. |
| नयेत् | nayet | optative, 3rd singular | he should lead. From nī (नी). |
The phrases
yataḥ yataḥ niścarati manaḥ (यतः यतः निश्चरति मनः) is the wandering. Wherever the mind runs out. चञ्चलम् अस्थिरम् cañcalam asthiram says what kind of mind: restless and unsteady. The verse expects the running. It does not scold it.
tataḥ tataḥ niyamya (ततः ततः नियम्य) is the answer, from that same place. एतत् आत्मनि एव वशम् नयेत् etat ātmani eva vaśaṃ nayet: he should lead this mind under control, in the self alone.
manaḥ cañcalam (मनः चञ्चलम्) is manaścañcalam (मनश्चञ्चलम्). tataḥ tataḥ (ततः ततः) is tatastataḥ (ततस्ततः). नियम्य एतत् आत्मनि niyamya etat ātmani is niyamyaitadātmani (नियम्यैतदात्मनि). ātmani eva (आत्मनि एव) is ātmanyeva (आत्मन्येव).
Sanskrit in this line
yataḥ (यतः) and tataḥ (ततः) are a relative pair, "from where … from there," and the doubling means "whichever place it is, that place." It is the same doubling as yadā yadā (यदा यदा) elsewhere in the book. manaḥ (मनः) before the voiceless c (च्) of cañcalam (चञ्चलम्) is recited manaś (मनश्). The visarga becomes the ś (श्) of the following palatal.
Say it back
Wherever it runs, from there bring it back. If cañcalam (चञ्चलम्) is smoothed into "a calm mind," stay here.