Bhagavad Gita — Bhakti Yoga, Shloka 8
Bhakti Yoga
मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय । निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥ १२.८ ॥
mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhiṁ niveśaya | nivasiṣyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ || 12.8 ||
Fix your mind on Me alone; place your intellect in Me. Thereafter you shall dwell in Me alone—of this there is no doubt.
Fix your mind on Me alone; place your intellect in Me. Thereafter you shall dwell in Me alone—of this there is no doubt.
Set the mind in Me; lodge the intellect in Me. Then, from that point onward, you will abide in Me—no doubt.
Some translations distinguish mind (manas: attention/affect) and intellect (buddhi: discernment/decision). Traditional theistic readings take ‘abide in Me’ as communion; academic readings allow it to mean sustained contemplative stabilization.
FAQs
It recommends aligning both attention (manas) and evaluative judgment (buddhi) with a single orientation, reducing inner conflict and enhancing consistency.
Abiding ‘in Me’ can be read as participation in the divine reality, where the practitioner’s consciousness becomes steadily grounded in the ultimate.
Krishna gives a direct instruction for the devotee’s practice following his promise of deliverance.
Unify values and focus: set a guiding principle, then make decisions (buddhi) that reinforce it, so the orientation becomes habitual.