उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् | आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ||६-५||
uddharedātmanātmānaṃ nātmānamavasādayet . ātmaiva hyātmano bandhurātmaiva ripurātmanaḥ ||6-5||
Chapter 6 · Verse 5
Dhyana Yoga
ध्यानयोग
Translation
6.5 One should raise the self by his own mind and not allow the self to sink; for the mind alone is the friend of the self, and the mind alone is the foe of the slef.
Meaning
Practise Yog. Discipline the senses and the mind. Elevate yourself and become a Yogarudha. Attain to Yoga. Shine gloriously as a dynamic Yogi. Do not sink into the ocean of Samsara (transmigration). Do not become a wordlyminded man. Do not become a slave of lust greed and anger. Rise above worldliness become divine and attain Godhead. You alone are your friend you alone are your enemy. The socalled worldly friend is not your real friend because he gets attached to you wastes your time and puts obstacles on your path of Yoga. He is very selfish and keeps friendship with you only to extract something. If he is not able to get from you the object of his selfish interest he forsakes you. Therefore he is your enemy in reality. If you are attached to your friend on account of delusion or affection this will become a cause of your bondage to Samsara. Friends and enemies are not outside. They exist in the mind only. It is the mind that makes a friend an enemy and an enemy a friend. Therefore the Self alone is the friend of oneself and the Self alone is the enemy of oneself. The lower mind or the Asuddha Manas (impure mind) is your real enemy because it binds you to the Samsara and the higher mind or the Sattvic mind (Suddha Manas or the pure mind) is your real friend because it helps you in the attainment of Moksha.
Word by word
उद्धरेत् should raise आत्मना by the Self आत्मानम् the self न not आत्मानम् the self अवसादयेत् let (him) lower आत्मा the Self एव only हि verily आत्मनः of the self बन्धुः friend आत्मा the Self एव only रिपुः the enemy आत्मनः of the self.