Turning away from all outward distractions, the sage withdraws the senses from external objects, focusing his gaze steadily between the eyebrows. He balances the flow of breath, making the incoming and outgoing breaths move evenly through the nostrils. With senses, mind, and intellect brought under control, and intent on liberation, he stands free from desire, fear, and anger—always liberated, ever at peace. This sage knows Krishna as the true enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all worlds, and the dearest friend of all beings. By realizing this, he attains the highest peace. The Blessed Lord then explains: true renunciation and true yoga belong to one who performs their duties without attachment to the fruits, not to one who merely gives up sacred rituals or action itself. What is called renunciation is, in truth, yoga, for no one becomes a yogi without relinquishing desires and personal intentions. For those who seek yoga, disciplined action is the path; but for those who have attained yoga, tranquility becomes the way. When a person is unattached to sense objects and actions, and has renounced all intentions, he is established in yoga. One must lift oneself by one’s own self, never allowing oneself to fall, for the self is both friend and enemy. For the self-controlled, the self is a true friend; for the uncontrolled, the self becomes an enemy. The one who has mastered himself, who is tranquil and disciplined, abides in the Supreme Self. He remains unchanged amid cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor. Satisfied with knowledge and wisdom, steadfast and with senses subdued, such a yogi is equal-minded toward earth, stone, and gold. He regards friends, companions, enemies, neutrals, mediators, the hateful, relatives, the virtuous, and the sinful alike—with equal vision. The yogi should always strive for self-union, dwelling alone in solitude, with a controlled mind and self, free from longing and possessions. In a clean place, he should establish a firm seat, neither too high nor too low, prepared with cloth, deer skin, and kusa grass. There, making the mind one-pointed and controlling thoughts and senses, he sits for yoga, seeking self-purification. He holds his body, head, and neck upright and still, gazing softly at the tip of his nose without looking around. With a peaceful mind, fearless, firm in the vow of celibacy, and with the mind under control, he sits absorbed in Krishna, devoted to Him alone. In this constant practice of self-union, the yogi with a disciplined mind attains peace—supreme liberation, established in the Lord. Krishna cautions that yoga is not for those who eat too much or too little, nor for those who sleep excessively or keep themselves always awake. For one who is moderate in food and recreation, balanced in action, sleep, and waking, yoga destroys all suffering. When the controlled mind rests in the Self alone, 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, practicing self-union. When, through yoga, the mind becomes calm and rests in the Self, the yogi finds contentment within, seeing the Self by the Self. There, he experiences a boundless happiness, grasped by the intellect and beyond the senses. Established in that state, he does not waver from the truth. Having attained this, he knows no higher gain, and even great sorrow cannot disturb him. This, Krishna says, is true yoga—a disconnection from suffering. It must be practiced with unwavering determination. Abandoning all desires born of personal intention, restraining the senses from every direction by the mind, the yogi gradually attains stillness, holding the intellect steady. Fixing the mind upon the Self, he thinks of nothing else. Whenever the restless mind wanders, he gently restrains it, bringing it back under the control of the Self. Supreme happiness comes to the yogi whose mind is tranquil, whose passion is quieted, who is pure and has become one with Brahman. Constantly disciplining himself in this way, the yogi, freed from impurities, easily attains boundless happiness through union with Brahman. With the mind united in yoga, the yogi sees the Self abiding in all beings and all beings in the Self, viewing everything with equal vision. He who sees Krishna everywhere and everything in Krishna is never lost to Him, nor is Krishna ever lost to that yogi. He who worships Krishna, abiding in unity and seeing Him in all beings, truly lives in Krishna, whatever his way of life. The supreme yogi, says Krishna, is one who sees the same everywhere—whether in happiness or sorrow—by comparing all to himself. Arjuna then speaks: “O Madhusudana, this yoga of equanimity you describe seems unattainable to me, due to the restlessness of the mind. The mind is indeed restless, turbulent, strong, and obstinate. Controlling it seems to me as difficult as restraining the wind.” The Blessed Lord replies: “Without doubt, O mighty-armed, the mind is hard to control and restless. Yet by constant practice and detachment, O son of Kunti, it can be restrained. In my judgment, yoga is difficult to attain for one who is not self-controlled. But for one who has mastered himself and strives by proper means, it is attainable.” Arjuna asks: “What is the fate, O Krishna, of one who has faith but lacks self-control, whose mind strays from yoga and does not attain perfection in yoga?