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6.33 Arjuna said, “O Lord, I do not understand how this yoga
you teach could work for me.
I find no firm ground in myself and my mind is constantly restless.
6.34 My mind is fickle, obstinate, chaotic—
as difficult to control as high wind.”
6.35 Lord Krishna said: The restless mind is indeed difficult
to control, but with meditation and sincere practice it can be done.
6.36 An undisciplined mind is incapable of the
determination and focus necessary for yoga,
but for one who succeeds in taming the mind, success is assured.
6.37 Arjuna said, “Lord Krishna, what is the fate of the
unrealized soul who has not been able to control his mind
and fails to achieve success in yoga?
6.38 Does he perish like a riven cloud,
bereft of both earthly and spiritual reward?
6.39 Please dispel these doubts of mine,
O Lord. None but you can do this.”
6.40 Lord Krishna said: Dear friend, no one who has strived for goodness in himself ever comes to harm,
in this world or the next.
There is no punishment after death for failure,
nor in this life will he fall back into grief and sinful ways.
6.41 After death, the yogi who falls short of the goal
lives for an age in the realm of pure souls.
Then he is born again on earth
into a pure and prosperous family.
6.42 In rare instances, he may be born
into a family endowed with divine wisdom,
but such a birth is difficult to come by.
6.43 The experience of his former life
will silently inform his new life, and without knowing why,
he will be compelled to pursue a spiritual path,
picking up more or less where he left off.
No effort in the direction of righteousness is ever wasted.
6.44 The momentum of his previous life
will inevitably draw him to the principles of yoga,
even though he may not be seeking them,
for his transcendental nature leapfrogs scriptural patterns.
6.45 Once he steps foot on the path,
the earnest yogi is assured of realizing Self,
though it take one or many lifetimes.
6.46 A yogi is superior to an ascetic,
superior to a Vedic scholar,
superior to performers of religious rituals.
Therefore, Arjuna, become a yogi!
From The Srimad Bhagavad Gita - The Song of God
"Therefore, Arjuna, become a yogi!"
The Hindu tradition does not have a central holy book like the Bible or Koran, but the text that comes closest is the Bhagavad Gita—which is translated in English as the Song of God.
As part of a spiritual tradition known for its massive epics and metaphysical expositions, the Gita expounds and encapsulates the essential aspects of Hindu philosophy and spiritual teachings in a mere 700+ verses. It has, however, been extracted from the longest Hindu epic, the Mahabarata, but except for the first chapter, the Gita does not develop the story line of the Mahabarata, nor does it share its general style and focus. For this reason, scholars speculate it was originally an independent text inserted into the Mahabarata at a later date. In any case, it exists on its own now.
The backdrop for the Gita is a battlefield during the Mahabarata War, which is dated around 1000 BC, against which is presented an intense conversation between a famous warrior, Arjuna, and Lord Krishna, in the form of his charioteer. It is speculated the Bhagavad Gita was written around 600 BC, with authorship being attributed to the sage Vyasa.
