Gita Verses on Peace of Mind and Calm

मन की शांति

Mind & Emotions

True peace does not come from external circumstances but from within. These shlokas guide us toward the unshakeable inner stillness that is our natural state.

This guide brings together 6 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on peace of mind and calm, drawn from chapters 2, 5, 6, 9 and 12.

Peace in the Gita is not a soft mood — it is the steady ground that doesn't shift when news, opinions or fortunes shift. It is built slowly, through small acts of self-discipline and inward devotion.

  1. योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।

    yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate

    Perform your duty established in yoga, O Dhananjaya, abandoning attachment and remaining even-minded in success and failure. Such equanimity of mind is called yoga.

    हे धनंजय! आसक्ति त्यागकर तथा सफलता और असफलता में समान रहकर योग में स्थित होकर कर्म कर। यह समत्व ही योग कहलाता है।

  2. नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना।

    nāsti buddhir-ayuktasya na chāyuktasya bhāvanā na chābhāvayataḥ śhāntir aśhāntasya kutaḥ sukham

    There is no knowledge of the Self for the unsteady, and no meditation is possible for the unsteady, and no peace for the unmeditative, and how can there be happiness for one who has no peace?

    जिसके मन-इन्द्रियाँ संयमित नहीं हैं, ऐसे मनुष्यकी व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धि नहीं होती और व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धि न होनेसे उसमें कर्तव्यपरायणताकी भावना नहीं होती। ऐसी भावना न होनेसे उसको शान्ति नहीं मिलती। फिर शान्तिरहित मनुष्यको सुख कैसे मिल सकता है?

  3. यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।

    yasmān nodvijate loko lokān nodvijate ca yaḥ harṣāmarṣa-bhayodvegair mukto yaḥ sa ca me priyaḥ

    He by whom the world is not disturbed and who is not disturbed by the world, who is free from joy, envy, fear and anxiety — he is dear to me.

    जिससे कोई प्राणी उद्विग्न नहीं होता और जो किसी प्राणी से उद्विग्न नहीं होता, तथा जो हर्ष, अमर्ष, भय और उद्वेग से मुक्त है — वह मुझे प्रिय है।

  4. भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम्।

    bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśhvaram suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śhāntim ṛichchhati

    He who knows Me as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all the worlds, and the friend of all beings, attains peace.

    भक्त मुझे सब यज्ञों और तपोंका भोक्ता, सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका महान् ईश्वर तथा सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंका सुहृद् (स्वार्थरहित दयालु और प्रेमी) जानकर शान्तिको प्राप्त हो जाता है।

  5. मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु।

    man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣhyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

    Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; bow down to Me; having thus united your whole self to Me, taking Me as the supreme goal, you will come to Me.

    तू मेरा भक्त हो जा, मेरेमें मनवाला हो जा, मेरा पूजन करनेवाला हो जा और मेरेको नमस्कार कर। इस प्रकार मेरे साथ अपने-आपको लगाकर, मेरे परायण हुआ तू मेरेको ही प्राप्त होगा।

  6. श्री भगवानुवाच

    śhrī bhagavān uvācha asanśhayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ chalam abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate

    The Blessed Lord said, "Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is difficult to control and restless; but with practice and dispassion, it can be restrained."

    श्रीभगवान् बोले -- हे महाबाहो ! यह मन बड़ा चञ्चल है और इसका निग्रह करना भी बड़ा कठिन है -- यह तुम्हारा कहना बिलकुल ठीक है। परन्तु हे कुन्तीनन्दन ! अभ्यास और वैराग्यके द्वारा इसका निग्रह किया जाता है।

✦ More verses on this theme ✦

✦ Frequently Asked Questions ✦

What does the Bhagavad Gita say about peace of mind?

Krishna calls deep peace the natural fruit of a mind that no longer chases or runs — even-minded in pleasant and unpleasant, content within the self, undisturbed by the running of the world.

Which Gita verses give peace of mind?

Gita 2.66 (without peace, no happiness), 2.70 (mind like an ocean filled but unmoved), 5.29 (knowing Krishna as friend of all beings), 6.7 (the self-mastered is at peace), and 18.62 (take refuge for peace) are widely turned to.

How do I find peace of mind through the Gita?

Each day, reduce one input that scatters you and increase one practice that gathers you — even five minutes. Peace grows in that small daily gathering, not in a single grand decision.

Authoritative sources

Official sites of the scriptural traditions and publishing trusts behind the editions and commentaries cited on this page.