Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 6

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 6

 Andal - Thiruindaloor

Bandhuh atma atmanah tasya yena atma eva atmana jitah I

Anatmanah tu shatrutve varte ita atma eva shatruvat  II sloka 6

बन्धुः आत्मा आत्मनः तस्य येन आत्मा एव आत्मना जितः ।

अनात्मनः तु  शत्रुत्वे वर्ते इत आत्मा एव शत्रुवत्  ।। श्लोक ६

To him who has conquered his base self by the divine self, his own self is the friend; but to him who has not subdued the self, his own self acts as his foe. 

 The base and the divine are the two mutually opposing natures at work in man. When either of them predominates the other gets vanquished. Where the body, mind and senses are under perfect control, the divine nature prevails and pulls the man up. Progressively he evolves into high orders of existence. But when he submits to the base nature it ruins him completely. The foe outside hurts or attempts to hurt occasionally. Even then it is possible for the self disciplining yogi to turn that adverse situation to advantage; every ordeal calmly handled adds to the calibre of one's mind. The foe of the base nature within oneself, on the other hand, is constantly causing havoc. The reckless man therefore is personally responsible for, the evils that he has brought upon himself. He is the worst enemy for himself. The yogi is the only one who is a genuine friend for himself causing self emancipation in all respects. Barring him  the others are enemies of themselves in varying degrees.

 Both bondage and freedom are in the minds of men. "I am a liberated soul; I am the child of God, none can bind me" - if one can assume this attitude with firm conviction one becomes liberated. If a man is bitten by a venomous snake strongly suggests to himself  that there is no poison , he falls no prey to the base

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa