Sanskrit
शनैःशनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया । आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥
śanaiḥ śanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛtigṛhītayā ātmasaṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcid api cintayet
Translation
Little by little let him gain tranquillity, by means of Reason controlled by steadiness; having made the mind abide in the Self, let him not think of anything.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The chapter’s clearest statement of method as gradualism — “slowly, slowly” — against any expectation of a sudden breakthrough. Reason itself needs to be steadied by dhriti (firmness) before it can do this work, and the endpoint given here is unusually stark: think of nothing at all, once the mind rests in the Self.
Concepts