Topic

Self-purification

2 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on self-purification. Explore teachings across 2 chapters.

All Verses

Chapter 5 • Verse 11 →The Yoga of Renunciation
Kayena manasa buddhya kevalair indriyair api, yoginah karma kurvanti sangam tyaktvatma-shuddhaye

Yogis perform action with body, mind, intellect, and even the senses alone — all without attachment — for the purification of the self. This verse defines the spirit of karma yoga: using every faculty as a tool for self-purification rather than ego-gratification.

  • •All faculties become instruments of purification in yoga
  • •Abandoning attachment is the defining quality of yogic action
  • •The purpose of action is inner purification, not external gain
karma yogadetachmentbody and mindyogic action
Chapter 6 • Verse 12 →The Yoga of Meditation
Tatraikagram manah kritvva yata-cittendriya-kriyah, upavisyasane yunjyad yogam atma-vishudhaye

Seated there, with mind one-pointed and the activities of mind and senses controlled, one should practice yoga for the purification of the self. The purpose of all these outer preparations is this singular aim: the purification of the inner self through one-pointed yoga.

  • •One-pointedness of mind is the heart of meditation practice
  • •Controlling both mental and sensory activity enables genuine yoga
  • •The goal of all yogic practice is self-purification
one-pointed mindmeditationsense controlyoga practice