Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 25

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

Progress in Yoga - 21-28

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 25

Shanaih shanaih uparamet buddhya dhriti grahitya I

Atma samstham  manah krtva na kinchit api chintayet II sloka 25

शनैः शनैः उपरमेत बुद्ध्या धृति ग्रहीतया  ।

आत्म संस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चित् अपि चिन्तयेत ।। श्लोक २५

With his intellect set in firmness let him attain quietude little by little; with the mind fixed on the self let him not think of anything.

Dhriti or firmness is s virtue born of disciplined life. Some are smart enough to distinguish academically between the permanent and the impermanent . But in the day to day life they are slaves  to the impermanent pleasures. As mind gets fixed in the self, it ceases to deviate into self indulgence. Constant thought of the Lord excludes all other thoughts from the mind. 

Mind is the main factor in you. As is your mind, so are you. It maybe compared to a wasted white cloth which is capable of taking any dye dipped in . When you have learnt a new language you cannot help uttering a few words from it in your conversation. Contact with the undesirables contaminates the mind. Holy company on the other hand elevates it

Sri Ramakrisna Paramahamsa

Since the Lord has sanctioned the attainment of quietude little by little, the sadhaka is likely to lapse into mediocrity. He may slacken his endeavours with the consolation that in some distant future at least he will attain perfection in yoga. But such a setback  is not sanctioned by the Lord.. He exhorts about this in the next sloka.