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Chapter 12 · Verse 9 · Bhakti Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 12.9

transformative Bhakti & Devotion Mind & Meditation Attachment & Letting Go

Sanskrit

अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम्।अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय।।12.9।।

Transliteration

atha chittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śhaknoṣhi mayi sthiram abhyāsa-yogena tato mām ichchhāptuṁ dhanañjaya

Word by Word

atha if
chittam mind
samādhātum to fix
na śhaknoṣhi (you) are unable
mayi on me
sthiram steadily
abhyāsa-yogena by uniting with God through repeated practice
tataḥ then
mām me
ichchhā desire
āptum to attain
dhanañjaya Arjun, the conqueror of wealth
Simplified Perspective

When the mind resists the direct path of meditation, Krishna offers compassion, not judgment—practice itself becomes the bridge to presence. Abhyasa-yoga, the yoga of devoted repetition, honors where we are while gently dissolving the distance between seeker and sought.

Through consistent practice—whether breath, mantra, or simple return to the heart—the rigid mind softens into receptivity. In your daily life, when meditation feels distant or forced, trust that showing up again and again, without perfection, is itself the prayer that transforms you.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 12.9 — BG 12.9

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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