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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 6.5
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् ।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: ॥ ५ ॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ
nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur
ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
In the story
Chapter 6, Dhyāna-yoga: the mind as friend or enemy; equanimity.
Study note
Krishna describes the mind as something that must be trained.
Interpretive
Self-awareness
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
The mind
The mind may elevate or degrade the self.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What repeated thought patterns are helping or hindering my spiritual life?
Identify one unhelpful recurring thought and consciously redirect it.
Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.
Ask about BG 6.5 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.