Bhagavad Gita BG 6.33
Chapter 6, Verse 33 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अर्जुन उवाच । योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्तः साम्येन मधुसूदन । एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात्स्थितिं स्थिराम् ॥
arjuna uvaca yo 'yam yogas tvaya proktah samyena madhusudana etasyaham na pashyami cancalatvat sthitim sthiram
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, this yoga of equanimity which you have taught — I do not see its steady establishment, because of the fickleness (cancalatva) of the mind.
Understanding
Arjuna's honest objection — one of the most relatable moments in the Gita. He accepts the teaching intellectually but says: etasya aham na pashyami sthitim sthiram (I don't see how this can be steadily established). Why? Cancalatvat — because of the fickleness/restlessness of the mind. Not a philosophical objection but a practical one: 'How can I achieve this? My mind won't cooperate.' Krishna will address this directly — and his answer is one of the Gita's most compassionate.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| साम्येन | samyena | of equanimity, of sameness/equality |
| एतस्य | etasya | of this |
| स्थितिम् स्थिराम् | sthitim sthiram | a steady establishment, a stable state |
| चञ्चलत्वात् | cancalatvat | because of fickleness, due to restlessness |
| मधुसूदन | madhusudana | O Madhusudana (Krishna — slayer of the demon Madhu) |
| अर्जुन उवाच | arjuna uvāca | Arjuna said (speaker attribution) |
| यः | yaḥ | which / this (yoga) |
| अयम् | ayam | this (yoga you have described) |
| योगः | yogaḥ | yoga / this yoga |
| त्वया | tvayā | by you / by Krishna |
| प्रोक्तः | proktaḥ | declared / described |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| न | na | not (I do not see) |
| पश्यामि | paśyāmi | I see / I perceive |