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Chapter 17 · Verse 16 · Sraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 17.16

serene Mind & Meditation Jnana & Wisdom Dharma & Duty

Sanskrit

मनःप्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः।भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते।।17.16।।

Transliteration

manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṁ maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ bhāva-sanśhuddhir ity etat tapo mānasam uchyate

Word by Word

manaḥ-prasādaḥ serenity of thought
saumyatvam gentleness
maunam silence
ātma-vinigrahaḥ self-control
bhāva-sanśhuddhiḥ purity of purpose
iti thus
etat these
tapaḥ austerity
mānasam of the mind
uchyate are declared as
Simplified Perspective

The Lord reveals here that mental austerity is not found in harsh external practices, but in the cultivation of inner purity—serenity of mind, gentleness of speech, silence born of wisdom, and the mastery of one's own nature. When the mind becomes still like a still lake, the ego's turbulence settles and the witness of all thought emerges.

In our distracted modern age, this teaching invites us to recognize that true spiritual discipline happens in the quiet spaces between our thoughts, not in punishing the body.

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Bhagavad Gita 17.16 — BG 17.16

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

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