Bhagavad Gita 6.5 · BG 6.5
Chapter 6Verse 5
Dhyana Yoga
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्। आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet, ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
Translation
Let a person lift themselves by their own mind, and not degrade themselves. The mind alone is one's friend, and the mind alone is one's enemy.
Lift yourself by your own mind. It can be your closest friend or your fiercest enemy.
What does this mean?
You carry both your greatest support and your biggest obstacle in the same place: how you direct your own mind.
In simple words
Krishna says you have to lift yourself up using your own mind, and not let yourself sink. The same mind can be your closest ally or your worst enemy, depending on how you handle it. Nobody else can do this part for you.
The deeper idea
The striking claim is that your biggest support and your biggest obstacle live in the same place, and it's how you direct your mind that decides which one shows up. This isn't a call to grit your teeth alone forever. It's naming where the real work happens: not in changing circumstances, but in whether the mind is trained toward helping you or left to sabotage you. The responsibility is uncomfortable because it can't be handed off, but it's also where the leverage is.
How it applies to life
On a bad day the mind runs a case against you, replaying failures, forecasting disaster. The same mind, deliberately turned, can list what's actually true, what's in your control, and the next small step. Encouragement from other people helps, but it doesn't stick unless your own mind picks it up and repeats it. This verse points at that inner talk as the thing to get on your side.