Chapter 3, Verse 6 (Bhagavad Gita 3.6)
Chapter 3: Karm Yog – Path of Selfless Service
Sanskrit Shloka
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्। इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते
Transliteration
karmendriyāṇi sanyamya ya āste manasā smaran indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā mithyāchāraḥ sa uchyate
Word Meanings
karma-indriyāṇi—the organs of action; sanyamya—restrain; yaḥ—who; āste—remain; manasā—in the mind; smaran—to remember; indriya-arthān—sense objects; vimūḍha-ātmā—the deluded; mithyā-āchāraḥ—hypocrite; saḥ—they; uchyate—are called
Translation
The person who restrains the organs of action but continues to dwell on sense-objects in their mind is of deluded understanding and is called a hypocrite.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse addresses the profound gap between outward behavior and internal reality. True spiritual discipline is not merely about physical abstinence, but about the purification of the consciousness. When one forces the body to be still while the mind remains tethered to desires, they create a psychological fracture that breeds hypocrisy. Authentic transformation requires the alignment of thought and action, where the mind is gradually elevated above the cravings of the senses. This teaching serves as a reminder that morality is an internal pursuit rather than a mere performance of external control.