6 Gita Shlokas to Quiet the Mind During Anxiety
Nidhi | Jul 28, 2025, 07:58 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Highlight of the story: Anxiety can feel like an endless storm, leaving the mind restless and overwhelmed. The Bhagavad Gita offers timeless wisdom to restore inner balance and calm. In this article, we explore 7 powerful shlokas from the Gita that provide practical guidance for reducing anxiety, quieting mental noise, and cultivating emotional resilience. These verses, spoken by Krishna, teach detachment from outcomes, the discipline of meditation, balanced living, and surrender to a higher purpose. Discover how these ancient teachings can help you navigate modern stress and find lasting inner peace.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥
(Bhagavad Gita 2.48)
"Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty, abandoning attachment, and remaining even-minded in success and failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."
Anxiety is not just an emotion. It is a storm that clouds judgment, disrupts inner balance, and disconnects us from our higher self. In today’s fast-paced, pressure-driven world, anxiety feels almost inevitable. Yet over two thousand years ago, the Bhagavad Gita provided timeless tools to steady the restless mind and find inner calm even in the most turbulent of situations.
The Gita does not simply preach. It provides a practical philosophy for handling stress and mental agitation. Anxiety, in its essence, stems from attachment, fear of outcomes, and a lack of centeredness. Krishna’s words to Arjuna on the battlefield serve as a universal remedy, teaching us how to ground ourselves in clarity, action, and surrender.
Below are seven profound shlokas from the Gita that specifically address mental restlessness and guide us toward serenity when anxiety overwhelms us.
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥ (2.48)
This shloka teaches the principle of samattva which is remaining balanced in success and failure. Anxiety often arises when we over-identify with outcomes, letting results control our peace of mind. Krishna urges us to act with full dedication but detach from the fruits. Equanimity, he says, is the essence of yoga. When we stop measuring our worth by results, anxiety begins to lose its grip.
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते॥ (2.56)
A sthitaprajna which is a person of steady wisdom does not get agitated by sorrow or overly excited by happiness. Such a person has risen above attachment, fear, and anger. Anxiety feeds on these very emotions. Krishna’s description here becomes a model for mental stability, a mind that observes emotions without being consumed by them. Cultivating this state requires self-awareness and constant inner discipline.
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥ (6.5)
Anxiety often feels like a battle with oneself. Krishna reminds us that the self can be our greatest friend or our worst enemy. Through disciplined practice, self-mastery transforms the mind into an ally rather than an adversary. Instead of being dragged into cycles of fear and worry, we can train our mind to uplift us, strengthening our resilience against anxiety.
मामेवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवमात्मानं मत्परायणः॥ (9.34)
Anxiety thrives on the illusion of control. This shloka invites us to anchor our mind in the divine. Krishna emphasizes wholehearted surrender by focusing on him with devotion, offering one’s actions, and bowing in humility. By placing our trust in a higher order, the burden of “what if” begins to dissolve. Surrender, rather than passivity, becomes a pathway to peace.
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा॥ (6.17)
Krishna highlights moderation as a cornerstone of mental balance. Anxiety often arises from imbalance in overwork, lack of rest, or erratic habits. This shloka prescribes a regulated lifestyle: balanced food, rest, effort, and recreation. Yoga, in this sense, is not merely physical postures but a harmonized way of living that gradually erodes mental suffering.
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः।
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति॥ (6.15)
Meditation is presented as the direct gateway to peace. A disciplined yogi, with a controlled mind and focused awareness, attains nirvana-paramam shantim which is supreme peace. This is not temporary relief but a lasting state of inner quietude. Regular meditation, as Krishna prescribes, creates a deep inner refuge untouched by external chaos.
निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शांतिमधिगच्छति॥ (2.71)
Here Krishna identifies the root cause of inner turbulence which are desires, possessiveness, and ego. Anxiety often emerges when these are threatened. The shloka advises cultivating freedom from cravings and ego-identification. True peace, Krishna says, belongs to the one who walks lightly, free from the chains of “mine” and “me.”
The Bhagavad Gita does not promise a life where fear disappears or the mind never wavers. It promises something far greater - the strength to meet every storm with an anchored heart. These seven shlokas are not simply scriptures; they are tools to rebuild yourself from the inside out. Anxiety thrives in a mind that clings, but it cannot survive in one that surrenders, acts with clarity, and trusts in something higher than itself.
Krishna’s voice still echoes beyond Kurukshetra: “Your peace is not out there in the world. It lives within you.” Perhaps that is the Gita’s greatest gift. It does not ask us to escape life’s noise but to discover the silence that has been within us all along.
So here is the question it leaves us with: If Arjuna could find his stillness on a battlefield, what stops you from finding yours in the battles of your own life?
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥
(Bhagavad Gita 2.48)
"Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty, abandoning attachment, and remaining even-minded in success and failure. Such equanimity is called yoga."
Anxiety is not just an emotion. It is a storm that clouds judgment, disrupts inner balance, and disconnects us from our higher self. In today’s fast-paced, pressure-driven world, anxiety feels almost inevitable. Yet over two thousand years ago, the Bhagavad Gita provided timeless tools to steady the restless mind and find inner calm even in the most turbulent of situations.
The Gita does not simply preach. It provides a practical philosophy for handling stress and mental agitation. Anxiety, in its essence, stems from attachment, fear of outcomes, and a lack of centeredness. Krishna’s words to Arjuna on the battlefield serve as a universal remedy, teaching us how to ground ourselves in clarity, action, and surrender.
Below are seven profound shlokas from the Gita that specifically address mental restlessness and guide us toward serenity when anxiety overwhelms us.
1. Equanimity in Action
Bhagavad Gita
( Image credit : Pixabay )
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥ (2.48)
This shloka teaches the principle of samattva which is remaining balanced in success and failure. Anxiety often arises when we over-identify with outcomes, letting results control our peace of mind. Krishna urges us to act with full dedication but detach from the fruits. Equanimity, he says, is the essence of yoga. When we stop measuring our worth by results, anxiety begins to lose its grip.
2. The Calm of the Sthitaprajna
Arjuna Had Anxiety Too: W
( Image credit : Freepik )
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते॥ (2.56)
A sthitaprajna which is a person of steady wisdom does not get agitated by sorrow or overly excited by happiness. Such a person has risen above attachment, fear, and anger. Anxiety feeds on these very emotions. Krishna’s description here becomes a model for mental stability, a mind that observes emotions without being consumed by them. Cultivating this state requires self-awareness and constant inner discipline.
3. The Power of Self-Mastery
Modern Psychology
( Image credit : Freepik )
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥ (6.5)
Anxiety often feels like a battle with oneself. Krishna reminds us that the self can be our greatest friend or our worst enemy. Through disciplined practice, self-mastery transforms the mind into an ally rather than an adversary. Instead of being dragged into cycles of fear and worry, we can train our mind to uplift us, strengthening our resilience against anxiety.
4. The Freedom of Letting Go
Let go
( Image credit : Pexels )
मामेवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवमात्मानं मत्परायणः॥ (9.34)
Anxiety thrives on the illusion of control. This shloka invites us to anchor our mind in the divine. Krishna emphasizes wholehearted surrender by focusing on him with devotion, offering one’s actions, and bowing in humility. By placing our trust in a higher order, the burden of “what if” begins to dissolve. Surrender, rather than passivity, becomes a pathway to peace.
5. The Discipline of Yoga
Pray
( Image credit : Pexels )
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा॥ (6.17)
Krishna highlights moderation as a cornerstone of mental balance. Anxiety often arises from imbalance in overwork, lack of rest, or erratic habits. This shloka prescribes a regulated lifestyle: balanced food, rest, effort, and recreation. Yoga, in this sense, is not merely physical postures but a harmonized way of living that gradually erodes mental suffering.
6. The Stillness of Meditation
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति॥ (6.15)
Meditation is presented as the direct gateway to peace. A disciplined yogi, with a controlled mind and focused awareness, attains nirvana-paramam shantim which is supreme peace. This is not temporary relief but a lasting state of inner quietude. Regular meditation, as Krishna prescribes, creates a deep inner refuge untouched by external chaos.
The Wisdom Beyond Fear
Self-doubt and fear
( Image credit : Freepik )
निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शांतिमधिगच्छति॥ (2.71)
Here Krishna identifies the root cause of inner turbulence which are desires, possessiveness, and ego. Anxiety often emerges when these are threatened. The shloka advises cultivating freedom from cravings and ego-identification. True peace, Krishna says, belongs to the one who walks lightly, free from the chains of “mine” and “me.”
Finding Stillness in Krishna’s Words
Krishna’s voice still echoes beyond Kurukshetra: “Your peace is not out there in the world. It lives within you.” Perhaps that is the Gita’s greatest gift. It does not ask us to escape life’s noise but to discover the silence that has been within us all along.
So here is the question it leaves us with: If Arjuna could find his stillness on a battlefield, what stops you from finding yours in the battles of your own life?