bhagavad-gitagitakrishnaself-effort

Uddhared Atmana Atmanam (Bhagavad Gita 6.5)

उद्धरेदात्मनाऽऽत्मानम्

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Early morning before meditation or sadhana, or whenever motivation and self-discipline are needed·📜 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 5

Also known as: uddhared atmana atmanam · bhagavad gita 6.5 · gita chapter 6 verse 5 · atmaiva hyatmano bandhuh · self is friend and enemy verse · elevate yourself by yourself

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 5 is Lord Krishna's powerful call to self-effort and self-mastery. He declares that each person must raise themselves up by their own disciplined mind, and never let themselves fall. The mind controlled becomes one's greatest friend; the mind uncontrolled becomes one's worst enemy. This verse places the responsibility for spiritual upliftment squarely on the individual, making it one of the Gita's most empowering teachings.

Origin & Story

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 5 · Spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna; recorded by Sage Veda Vyasa in the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva) · Ancient (part of the Mahabharata, traditionally dated to the Dvapara Yuga)

In the sixth chapter, Dhyana Yoga, Krishna teaches the discipline of meditation and control of the mind. This verse is his clear declaration that, while grace and guidance have their place, the essential work of self-upliftment cannot be outsourced — each person must accomplish it through their own effort by mastering their own mind. The second line, that one is one's own friend and one's own enemy, is among Veda Vyasa's most quoted insights into human nature.

✦ As told in scripture

Countless aspirants have turned the tide of their lives by taking this verse to heart, refusing to sink and instead raising themselves through disciplined effort. It is said that the moment a seeker resolves to become their own friend by conquering the mind, the inner enemy loses its power and the path to liberation opens.

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The Mantra

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उद्धरेदात्मनाऽऽत्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्। आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

Meaning:One should lift oneself up by one's own self, and not let oneself sink down; for the self alone is one's own friend, and the self alone is one's own enemy.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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उद्धरेत्🔊uddharetlet one elevate, raise up, deliver

आत्मना🔊ātmanāby one's own self (by the disciplined mind)

आत्मानम्🔊ātmānamoneself

न अवसादयेत्🔊na avasādayetlet one not degrade or lower (oneself)

आत्मा एव🔊ātmā evathe self alone, indeed the self

हि🔊hiindeed, certainly

आत्मनः🔊ātmanaḥof oneself

बन्धुः🔊bandhuḥfriend

आत्मा एव🔊ātmā evathe self alone, indeed the self

रिपुः🔊ripuḥenemy

आत्मनः🔊ātmanaḥof oneself

Benefits of Chanting Uddhared Atmana Atmanam (Bhagavad Gita 6.5)

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Inspires self-reliance and personal responsibility on the spiritual path

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Motivates the seeker to rise above weakness through their own disciplined effort

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Teaches mastery of the mind as the key to becoming one's own friend

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Removes the tendency to blame circumstances or others for one's downfall

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Empowers the individual with the conviction that upliftment is in their own hands

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Strengthens willpower and resolve in the practice of meditation and self-discipline

How to Chant Uddhared Atmana Atmanam (Bhagavad Gita 6.5)

Repetitions11times

Best TimeEarly morning before meditation or sadhana, or whenever motivation and self-discipline are needed

Recite this verse in Sanskrit while resolving to be your own friend through self-discipline. It may be chanted 3, 11, or 21 times. This verse is especially recited at the beginning of meditation practice (from the chapter on Dhyana Yoga) to remind oneself that elevation of the self is achieved by one's own effort and mastery of the mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

It means 'One should elevate oneself by one's own self, and not degrade oneself; for the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self.' It is Krishna's teaching on self-effort in Bhagavad Gita 6.5.

Krishna explains in the following verse (6.6) that the self is a friend to one who has conquered the mind, but an enemy to one who has not. A disciplined, controlled mind lifts a person toward liberation, while an unrestrained mind drags them down — so a person's own mind determines their rise or fall.

It places the responsibility for spiritual progress entirely on the individual. Rather than waiting for grace or blaming circumstances, the seeker is told that they have the power, through their own disciplined effort, to uplift themselves. It is a clear call to self-mastery.

It belongs to Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita, known as Dhyana Yoga or Atma Samyama Yoga — the Yoga of Meditation and Self-Control. The chapter teaches how to discipline the mind through meditation, and this verse sets its foundational principle of self-effort.