3.6 Still body, circling mind Krishna speaks
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्
इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते
karmendriyāṇi sanyamya ya āste manasā smaran
indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā mithyāchāraḥ sa uchyate
Whoever restrains the organs of action while the mind still dwells on their objects is deluded, and is called a hypocrite.
Explanation
A sharp verse, and an uncomfortable one.
Whoever holds the body still while the mind keeps circling what it wants is mithyācāraḥ — a hypocrite.
The word is not softened anywhere in the tradition. Outward abstinence with inward appetite is called not a lesser stage but a false performance, which is the harshest thing this chapter says about anyone.
Going further
Word by word
- 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
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A sharp verse, and an uncomfortable one. Whoever holds the body still while the mind keeps circling the thing it wants is called a hypocrite — mithyāchāraḥ.
The Gita is unusually alert to the difference between renunciation and its performance. Not doing the thing while wanting it constantly is named here as the worse condition, not the better one.