Those whose intellect, self, faith, and refuge are steadfastly fixed in the Supreme, and whose impurities have been destroyed by knowledge, journey toward the highest state of liberation from which there is no return. The wise, whose vision is illumined by true understanding, see all beings with equality—whether it is a learned and humble brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog, or even one who eats dogs. For those whose minds are established in this equality, even while living in this world, they have conquered birth and death; for Brahman is pure, impartial, and ever the same, and thus such souls abide in Brahman. One who knows Brahman, whose intellect is unwavering and undeluded, remains undisturbed—neither elated by pleasant circumstances nor shaken by unpleasant ones—and is firmly established in Brahman. Such a person, whose self is unattached to external objects and who finds joy within, attains imperishable happiness through union with Brahman. Indeed, pleasures that arise from contact with the senses are sources of suffering, O son of Kunti, for they have a beginning and an end; the wise do not delight in them. Whoever, here in this very life, before leaving the body, can withstand the force of desire and anger—such a person is a true yogi, a happy human being. That yogi whose happiness, delight, and inner light are all found within, having become one with Brahman, attains the bliss of Brahman. The seers whose impurities are destroyed, whose doubts are dispelled, whose minds are controlled, and who delight in the welfare of all beings, reach the peace of Brahman. For those renunciates who are free from desire and anger, whose minds are disciplined and who know the self, the bliss of Brahman is ever-present, surrounding them on all sides. Turning the senses away from outer objects and fixing the gaze steadily between the eyebrows, balancing the flow of in-breath and out-breath within the nostrils, the sage, with senses, mind, and intellect controlled, intent on liberation, and free from desire, fear, and anger, is ever liberated. Knowing Me as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all worlds, and the friend of all beings, such a one attains perfect peace. The Blessed Lord then spoke: He who performs his prescribed duties without attachment to their results is the true renunciant and yogi—not one who has merely given up ritual fire or works. What is called renunciation, O Pandava, know that as yoga; for no one becomes a yogi without renouncing selfish desires and intentions. For one aspiring to yoga, action is the means; for one established in yoga, tranquility is the means. When a person is unattached to sense objects and actions, and has renounced all intentions, he is said to be established in yoga. One should elevate oneself by one’s own self and not degrade oneself, for the self alone is one’s friend, and the self alone is one’s enemy. For one who has conquered the self, the self is a friend; but for one who has not mastered the self, the self acts as an enemy. The self-controlled and peaceful person is established in the Supreme Self, remaining the same in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor. He whose mind is content with knowledge and wisdom, who is steadfast, who has conquered the senses, is called a yogi and regards earth, stone, and gold with equal vision. He who views impartially friends, companions, enemies, neutrals, mediators, the hateful, relatives, the virtuous, and the sinful—such a one is truly distinguished. The yogi should always practice self-union, living alone in seclusion, with mind and self controlled, free from desires and possessions. In a clean and sacred place, he should establish a firm seat for himself, neither too high nor too low, with cloth, deer skin, and kusa grass as the foundation. There, making the mind one-pointed, with controlled thought and senses, he should sit on the seat and practice yoga for self-purification. Keeping the body, head, and neck upright and steady, gazing at the tip of his nose without looking around, with a peaceful mind, free from fear, established in the vow of celibacy, and with mind controlled and thoughts absorbed in Me, he should sit, devoted to Me. Thus, always practicing self-union, the yogi with controlled mind attains peace and the highest liberation, established in Me. But yoga is not for one who eats excessively or who abstains completely; it is not for one who sleeps too much or who is ever wakeful, O Arjuna. For one who is moderate in eating and recreation, moderate in actions, moderate in sleep and waking, yoga destroys all suffering. When the controlled mind rests only in the self, free from all desires, then one is truly united in yoga. Like a lamp in a windless place that does not flicker, so is the yogi whose mind is steady and absorbed in self-union. When, through the practice of yoga, the mind is restrained and comes to rest, and when, seeing the self by the self, one is content within, there arises an infinite happiness, grasped by the intellect and beyond the senses; established in that state, one does not waver from the truth. Having attained that, one considers no other gain greater, and established in that, one is not shaken even by the greatest sorrow. Let this be known as yoga—a disconnection from the union with suffering; this yoga must be practiced with determination and unwavering mind. Abandoning entirely all desires arising from intention, restraining the senses on all sides by the mind alone, gradually, step by step, let one attain stillness by the intellect held steady, fixing the mind on the self and thinking of nothing else. Wherever the restless and unsteady mind wanders, let one bring it back and place it under the control of the self alone. Supreme happiness comes to the yogi whose mind is peaceful, whose passion is calmed, who has become Brahman, and is free from all blemish.