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श्री
ह्रीं
क्लीं
गं
ऐं
क्रीं
हूं
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दुं
ॐ तत् सत्
ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं चामुण्डायै विच्चे
या देवी सर्वभूतेषु शक्तिरूपेण संस्थिता
नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः

Aligning Consciousness

Ch 6Verse 5
Adhyāya 6 Shloka 5

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् | आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: || ५ ||

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet | ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ || 5 ||

"One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well."

Historical Context

The Direct Meaning

This is one of the most famous, empowering, and psychologically devastating verses in the Gita. Krishna issues an absolute command: A person must elevate, deliver, and rescue themselves (uddhared ātmānaṃ) by their own mind/self (ātmanā). They must absolutely never degrade or drag themselves down (nātmānam avasādayet). Why? Because the mind/self alone is the only true friend of the soul (ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur), and the mind/self alone is the only true enemy of the soul (ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ).

Translated from the original Sanskrit text

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