Unshakeable resilience
Build the inner fortitude to face anything. True strength comes from connection to your eternal self.
Klaibyam ma sma gamah partha naitat tvayy upapadyate, kshudram hridaya-daurbalyam tyaktvottishtha parantapa
O Partha, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy.
Uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet, atmaiva hy atmano bandhur atmaiva ripur atmanah
Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself. The mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self.
Nainam chindanti shastrani nainam dahati pavakah, na chainam kledayanty apo na shoshayati marutah
Weapons cannot shred the soul, nor can fire burn it. Water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it.
Acchedyo 'yam adahyo 'yam akledyo 'shoshya eva ca, nityah sarva-gatah sthanur acalo 'yam sanatanah
This soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can neither be burned nor dried. It is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
Evam buddheh param buddhva samstabhyatmanam atmana, jahi shatrum maha-baho kama-rupam durasadam
Thus knowing the soul to be superior to the material intellect, O mighty-armed Arjuna, subdue the self by the self and conquer lust, the formidable enemy.
Bandhur atmatmanas tasya yenatmaivatmana jitah, anatmanas tu shatrutve vartetatmaiva shatru-vat
For those who have conquered the mind, it is their friend. For those who have failed to do so, the mind works like an enemy.
Yatra yogeshvarah krishno yatra partho dhanur-dharah, tatra shrir vijayo bhutir dhruva nitir matir mama
Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality.
Tasmāt tvam uttiṣhṭha yaśho labhasva jitvā śhatrūn bhuṅkṣhva rājyaṁ samṛiddham, mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sāchin
Therefore, arise and attain glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. They are already slain by My arrangement; you are merely an instrument.
Sukha-duhkhe same kritva labhalabhau jayajayau, tato yuddhaya yujyasva naivam papam avapsyasi
Fight for the sake of duty, treating alike happiness and distress, loss and gain, victory and defeat. Fulfilling your responsibility in this way, you will never incur sin.
Duhkhesv anudvigna-manah sukhesu vigata-sprhah, vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah sthita-dhir munir ucyate
One who is not disturbed in spite of miseries, who doesn't crave happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear, and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
Jitatmanah prasantasya paramatma samahitah, shitoshna-sukha-duhkheshu tatha manapamanayoh
One who has conquered the mind has already reached the Supreme Self, for they have attained tranquility. To such a person, happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.
Daivi hy esha guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
Mamaivamsho jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah, manah-shashthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karshati
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
Mac-chittah sarva-durgani mat-prasadat tarishyasi, atha cet tvam ahankaran na shroshyasi vinankshyasi
If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. But if you do not work in such consciousness, but act through ego, you will be lost.
Tam eva śharaṇaṁ gachchha sarva-bhāvena bhārata, tat-prasādāt parāṁ śhāntim sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śhāśhvatam
Surrender exclusively unto Him with your whole being, O Bharata. By His grace, you will attain supreme peace and the eternal abode.
Read slowly and contemplate. Don't rush through these verses. Pick one that resonates and sit with it for a few minutes.
Return regularly. Ancient wisdom reveals itself gradually. Come back to these verses when you need them.
Apply to your situation. Consider how each teaching relates specifically to what you're experiencing right now.
Share what helps. If a verse brings you peace or clarity, share it with others who might need it.